Swing Dancing & Lindy Hop

An Undistinguished Introduction

Victor Sanches Portella

February 2020

UBC - CSGSA

"Is this going to be a dance lesson?"

No :(

WHY CARPETS???

Goals

Show what is Lindy

Talk about why it is like this

Inspire you to try dancing

More on dance lessons at the end :)

What is Lindy Hop?

"It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing"

What people think

How it really is

It may get a bit fast sometimes

It might get too fast sometimes

(A bit of) History of Lindy Hop

1920's US, Harlem -  NY

African American Community

Vernacular dance: developed naturally

Traces from African Culture

Start of Swing Jazz

MAIN GOAL: HAVE FUN!

Super Traditional: Waltz, Ballroom

Traditional: Foxtrot, Charleston

Swing Dances and Lindy Hop

More bouncy

Aerial moves!

Improvisation is a big part of it

Swing Dance Feeling

More things:

Post WWII Era - Decline Era

1980's: Revival - Original Dancers

Fundamentals

Fundamentals - Roles

Lead

Follow

Proposes moves

Planning

Communication

Reactive

Energy Keeper

Can "Back-Lead"

NOT RELATED TO GENDER

SWITCH?

Closed Position

Open Position

Fundamentals - Technique

8 or 6 count basic step

Never stop bouncing!

Newton's 1st Law: Inertia!

Elastic Energy

Signature Move: the Swing Out

Classic moves: Turns and Circles

Classic moves: Turns and Circles

Part of the Fun: Dress Fancy

Mostly in festivals

About Social Dancing

Styles I have Tried

Lindy Hop

Tango

Rockabilly

Blues

Shag

Samba de Gafieira

Forro

Birthday Party

Kept going for 1 year

Boogie Woogie

Bachata

What Hooked Me?

Normal party: You are lucky if you meet one person

Total strangers dancing with each other

NO second intentions

Dancing party: Hard to spend the night without talking to someone

A Conversation

Each person has a different way to talk

Dance is a conversation with a given topic: the music

Each person has a different way to dance

Learning about some is AWESOME

An unique Experience

Lindy Hop in Vancouver

Hot Club Swing

1st and 3rd Saturdays

Live band! (Usually)

Drop-in beginners lesson

In the Roundhouse (Downtown)

Swing Kids @ UBC

Talk to me if Interested

Thanks!

Swing Dancing

By Victor Sanches Portella

Swing Dancing

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