You Dancin?

Despite the number of lessons I have taken over the past 8 months, I still dance like a child that has discovered a puddle for the first time. To be honest the problem has been lack of commitment. I have missed classes due to illness or dropping a cabinet on my foot. Pub excursions and perhaps a confidence deficiency to go with it.

It was my pal Jess who first suggested I get into Swing, we were both trying to show off with some dance moves at a drunken, party / gathering, Friday night thing. Then I found out my friend Stuart had also started. I had never really wanted to go to a dance class before, avoiding invites in the past. However the genre seemed pretty Cool and so did the thought of throwing round and spinning girls in a safe and aesthetic manner.

So according to Wikipedia 'Lindy Hop' is an American dance that originated in Harlem, New York in the 1920s and 30s. It brought together elements of Charleston and Tap apparently. My interpretation was this was about trying new things. It is fast paced, unruly and amazing to watch. It began at a time when society was experiencing alot of change, young black and white people were coming together socially. The Lindy was itself born from the infusion of different cultures. Girls learn't to lead when their male partners went to war. What happened, quite naturally was the promotion of equality and diversity. All within a dance hall where you wouldn't even have to pay alot of money to make friends and have fun

Dance (like life) should be spontaneous, but there are mechanics I need to master before I can progress. Not just the moves themselves but the ability to lead my partner, pressure, counter balance, the ability to not think so much and naturally follow the 6 or 8 count. I was watching some of the Muhammad Ali fight recently against Cleveland Williams in '66. He use to boast that he was gonna dance around the ring and his opponent couldn’t catch him. I can kind of see what he meant, he practiced his foot work all the time. The speed of his movements and roll of his body showed complete confidence and decisiveness. He moved efficiently around the ring, quickly on his toes with a downward motion, not a bounce.

I am going dancing a lot more regularly now and I’m genuinely feeling progress. I may even be enjoying it and looking forward to getting confident. It’s a well known scientific fact that a persons ability on the dance floor is improved directly with the more alcohol they consume. I barely have enough time for a whiskey at the bar with Stu before the class starts. So maybe next time I’m in the pub and a girl mate wants to dance, I won’t be so hesitant. Or maybe I’ll have another drink first…