Humor and Lindy Hop/Mixing Genres
One of my favorite things about Lindy Hop (and Blues Dancing) is how versatile it is. It is rooted in a rich history and yet can easily be combined with contemporary music and dance steps. Swing Dance itself has many different forms and variations: East Coast Swing, West Coast Swing, Lindy Hop, Blues Dancing, Charleston, Balboa.You can literally list all the jazz movements incorporated in Lindy from A to Z:
As can be seen by some of the steps above (such as Drunken Sailor, Peckin’, Crazy Legs, etc) and in the video of Big Bea and Shorty George in the post below, lindy hop is not a dance that takes itself too seriously. It started out as a means of expression and innovation, with dancers always adding their own twist to it. This continues today, making it a dance that no matter how long you’ve done there is always something new to learn. People have successfully tried dancing to contemporary music and found it works quite well for some songs. In fact, in Portland, Oregon they’ve just begun a weekly blues dance only for alternative music. This happens more frequently with blues than lindy, and has become so popular that its started quite the controversy–the “alternative blues dancers” versus the “true blues dancers.” Personally, I think both have their merits, and it makes me happy that both exist.
Lindy Hop Routine to Here We Go Again by OK GO.
Other dance styles of course have been mixed as well, resulting in there now being not just Lindy Hop weekend exchanges or Blues dance exchanges but now Fusion exchanges, where pretty much anything goes. I believe Salsa, Tango and Hip Hop to be the most popular dances to intertwine with Swing. Many of the performances definitely follow the comedic route:
Lindy Hip Hop Routine.
Ska Swing Instructional Video.
And finally, for the most bizarre of older (1944) dance videos, this excerpt from Groovie Movie. If you don’t have time for the whole thing, it really starts about 6 minutes in. Really strange, really worth it! haha.
My point is this…its a dance that is constantly stretching the boundaries, taking you places and doing things you never thought you’d do. The creative possibilities are endless and there is enough freedom to the structure to allow a dancer to play, have fun, and even laugh with their partner and the music.
Whether its dancing in the fountain at Love Park in Philadelphia and getting away with it because its over 100 degrees:
or dancing in a field with friends in the middle of the night when its 5 degrees and above theres a Lunar Eclipse barely visible through the snow:
This is why I love dancing.
