thetackyannie-blog - Tumblr blog

[thetackyannie-blog]

Each Wednesday I throw a swing practice at uni, and at a recent one my friend and I decided to learn this little move that really has revolutionalised a lot of swing for me. I realised leads had been leading this at socials and I had been trying to copy their suzy q's, not realising the follow has a completely different move to do when presented with this! I also learnt that a little kick ball change at the start makes it work better than my early attempts at simply swivelling. This move has made me be able to add swivels in an easier way during swing outs as well. I still haven't got it polished, but I can get around. I wanted to learn this for a long time but didn't know what it was called to youtube- so for future reference everyone,  'switches' is the term you need to look up. 

[thetackyannie-blog]

Frankie Manning was just the coolest. Look at that exultation!

[thetackyannie-blog]

She looks as happy as I feel when I pull one of these off :)

[thetackyannie-blog]

This is the most useful post- I have looked this up on several occasions and it really has hindered my youtubing experience (I just watched and gaped in awe without understanding exactly what I was seeing etc).  

Sooo this might be really dumb but I am still not sure if I know the difference between Classic and Strictly Lindy and All Star (the latter probably because I'm no native speaker) competitions. Would you be so kind to explain all those?

Click here for a higher-res copy of this flow chart. You can look at all of the competition descriptions on the ILHC website, for full explanations.

But, here’s a quick one:

"Jack and Jill" and "Strictly" are the two major divisions of non-choreographed partner dancing competitions. In a J&J, you do not sign up with a partner and you will be randomly paired with someone. For a Strictly, you sign up with the partner you want to compete with. There are 4 levels in each of these: Open, Advanced, All-Star, and Invitational. 

"Classic" and "Showcase" are the two major divisions of choreographed competitions for couples. The Showcase division allows aerials & pretty much all "trick" moves, while the Classic only permits drops and "on-the-ground" moves. There is an Open level or a Pro level, but in order to enter the "Pro," you must be invited by the organizers. 

Does that help?

[thetackyannie-blog]

Learning the Lindy Hop.

For a long time I could not Lindy Hop. I did a semester of intermediate classes at my university, and I just could not get it. Sure, I could go through the motions- or, as it felt to me, be hauled around a swing out like a lifeless sack of potatoes, lagging the entire time. That, however, was not dancing, it was drowning in style. East coast was fine, Charleston was fine, but I couldn't get the type I ardently wanted ever since I went out social dancing and stared lovingly at the "real" swing dancers.

So what worked for me, in the end?

Someone did that basic over and over, and I sat at their feet and stared. No talking was done, just me trying to visually break down that basic step into all the little steps until it clicked, and then wordlessly got up to try it until I physically got it, too.  I noticed the second step you sort of pivot on, so that on your triple step you're almost pulling back into it, already facing your partner. I have no idea if technically that's correct but in terms of feeling, I got around that swing out and it felt amazing, and it has really been onwards and upwards from there. 

[thetackyannie-blog]

One of my favourite things ever to watch- and I watch it relentlessly, forever in awe of the talent, enthusiasm, and spirit that is at once both awe inspiring and infectious. I both know I will never be this good and yet am encouraged to try and try again to capture just a hint of this feeling. A pure joy! 

The famous lindy-hop scene from Olsen and Johnson’s Hellzapoppin’ (1941).

Featuring Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers (a.k.a. the Harlem Congaroo Dancers) and choreography by Frankie Manning.

"It’s hard to believe it dates from 1941: it makes all subsequent movie dance routines look anaemic by comparison. The routine is so wild and abandoned it’s hard to believe it’s happening in real time and hasn’t been sped-up. The ferocity with which the dancers are propelled like projectiles by the leads in a series of ever-more improbable aerial moves seems, to the modern sensibility, to be not only politically incorrect but borderline illegal." (source)