My Lindy Hop performance on April 2nd

[jdavidb]

We did this show two times on Friday, April 2nd.

My usual partner was showing up late for rehearsals, leaving early, basically practicing nothing but hip hop formation dances with other cast members. She does not know anything about real lindy hop, but we have a number called "Lindy Hop" in the show!

I have been trying to get that company to set me up with a partner to learn and practice real Lindy Hop since February 23. They put me with a replacement partner Wednesday night... yes, two days before the show. She didn't know anything about lindy hop either. I showed her stuff we could do where I lead every bit of it and can keep her sorta hidden a good bit of the time. All she had to really get was two clockwise turns and 8 counts of swivels.

I was ready. I nailed the lindy hop number in the shows, but that does not mean my partner was ready. I treated her great though. I led as gently as possible & all that. Kept a calm, happy look on my face. To sum it up, we did awesome considering she got thrown into this only two nights before the show.

We did our lindy hop to "Move" by Sy Oliver. It is a 121 bpm song. Yeah... slow, but that's still quite hectic for my new partner. I chose that song :) They almost complained even when I insisted on changing the song for this number. They originally wanted us to do this to some 200 bpm piano tune. I told them that's just unrealistic.

I want to deliver real lindy hop with this show. Lindy hop should be done with integrity. I'm so tired of them treating the lindy hop number like it's the bathroom of the show for everyone to just take a crap on it. Lindy hop is not frivolous crap; therefore, I am not willing to let it be treated like frivolous crap.

My ambition and inititiative is pissing them off more than anything. I do not know how everything stands at this time, but I suspect they will not call me back to do this show again.

No, lindy hop is not everyone's porta potty. Lindy hop is a huge semi truck, and I need room to drive it, and I'm smashing a few porta potties in the process.

[Sagitta]

It can get really frustrating when you know the real thing to be forced to do something fake. All we can do is keep on pushing the issue and eventually we will win more and more often, until we win not only every battle, but the war!!

[jdavidb]

It can get really frustrating when you know the real thing to be forced to do something fake. All we can do is keep on pushing the issue and eventually we will win more and more often, until we win not only every battle, but the war!!

Yeah the fake thing they wanted us to do was actually east coast swing. I actually sucked it up and did it that way when we did this show in February. You can imagine how bad it feels to be listening to the narrarator talking about lindy hop, Frankie Manning, Lindbergh's flight, the Charleston, and so on, and then have to go out there and do east coast swing. I like ecs, but to do it as "Lindy Hop" is not acceptible, especially when we do an actual east coast swing number, "Jitterbug" right after Lindy Hop.

I wish I had brought in an outsider... one of the ones who already knew a little lindy hop. They sprung the April 2 show on me too late to even arrange something like that.

[Bob]

That is unfortunate.

Is there any way to find a partner who can do the moves you want to show? Once you have that, you can go to them with a positive solution rather than a negative reaction. (no disrespect, of course)

If I wanted the lindy in my (hypothetical) show, and my dancer said "I can't do this" I would not have many options. I would have to say, "ok, well do what you can, we will get some slower music or something". That obviously isn't a good answer.

However, if my dancer said "here is a better way... BAM!" (where BAM indicates a drop dead lindy performance :-D ) then I would be way more inclined to say "hey yeah, that works! Go for it."

[jdavidb]

That is unfortunate.

Is there any way to find a partner who can do the moves you want to show? Once you have that, you can go to them with a positive solution rather than a negative reaction. (no disrespect, of course)

If I wanted the lindy in my (hypothetical) show, and my dancer said "I can't do this" I would not have many options. I would have to say, "ok, well do what you can, we will get some slower music or something". That obviously isn't a good answer.

However, if my dancer said "here is a better way... BAM!" (where BAM indicates a drop dead lindy performance :-D ) then I would be way more inclined to say "hey yeah, that works! Go for it."

I could get an outsider to do lindy hop, but I do not know if the company would be ok with two non-company people basically becoming the owners of that number. I wish I could have done something like that for the April 2 show. I don't think it will be necessary in the future though. It's best if someone from this show's cast is my partner, so she is guaranteed to be available every time we do it. If that girl who got the unfortunate job of being the last-minute replacement partner wants the job, it's hers... for real. She basically paid out the nose for that gig, in my opinion. Yet, I do not even know if I still have that gig at this time heheheh.

[Bob]

Yeah no kidding, sometimes the best option is to just walk away (he says looking a a pile of work that has to be done by tomorrow morning)!!!

:shock: