Lindy Hop - Is It Thriving or Dying?

[bookish]

Can I get my husband to do this at our wedding?

Well, I can't answer that per se... but I would recommend looking for local teachers and asking if they do wedding-dance lessons. If you're in the DC/Baltimore area, I know there's Jam Cellar in DC and Mobtown Ballroom in Baltimore. I don't know the area well beyond that but hopefully if you look them up they could help.

 

[Generalist]

Lindy is non existent in the Phoenix area except for special venues. I think what has hindered it is that the music seems to be stuck in the big band era. For awhile there were a lot of college kids that got into big band as a fad, but there are only so many kids who are going to dance to that old fashioned music.

WCS, ECS, and Salsa have taken over. Perhaps if somebody starts doing Lindy to contemporary music the dance could make a comeback but I doubt that will happen.

 

[bookish]

If somebody starts? People did Lindy to neoswing and other stuff (a while ago), then gave up on it, for the most part.

I'm not familiar with your area. Looks like you have 1 or 2 swing organizations, a weekly dance, a monthly dance, regular classes, and some live-music events. Even an electroswing night earlier this month. By "nonexistent" do you mean it's not mainstream?

 

[DesireeDC]

Well, I can't answer that per se... but I would recommend looking for local teachers and asking if they do wedding-dance lessons. If you're in the DC/Baltimore area, I know there's Jam Cellar in DC and Mobtown Ballroom in Baltimore. I don't know the area well beyond that but hopefully if you look them up they could help.

Thanks for the reply! My DH is more into ballroom (so much better than me) so I was thinking something that we were both new at!

 

[Generalist]

If somebody starts? People did Lindy to neoswing and other stuff (a while ago), then gave up on it, for the most part.

To me neo-swing and big band music sound the same. OK, so I'm sure lots of people will jump on me for that statement but keep in mind that I didn't grow up with that genre so I never appreciated it or knew much about its nuances. I have been to lindy events where neoswing bands played. To me it sounds like 1940 era music. It seemed odd that young people were getting into that but of course we know how fashions come and go, and come back again.

I'm not familiar with your area. Looks like you have 1 or 2 swing organizations, a weekly dance, a monthly dance, regular classes, and some live-music events. Even an electroswing night earlier this month. By "nonexistent" do you mean it's not mainstream?

We have several swing organizations. The large ones are for WCS but there are smaller ECS and Lindy groups.

I do mean "not mainstream" because there are enclaves of Lindy dancers -- but Lindy music and the dance are not represented in any of the social ballroom events. In bars and clubs it's very rare to see Lindy. There are small venues where Lindy is danced so it is a niche dance. Sometimes you will see a live band and large numbers of Lindy dancers at Fatcat studio.

 

[Steve Pastor]

One of the local libraries that I visit frequently has a librarian who taught Lindy in Seattle. She told me that she routinely attends a once a week event at the Bosa Nova Ballroom here in Portland. Although the Viscount Studios here offer one evening of different level "Vintage Swing," my informant tells me that the people who call themselvs Swing Time, and did the event I attended at the Crystal Ballroom (which was very well attended) about a month ago, found that they can't attract enough people to classes to pay for rented space.

Don't know if that's up or down as far as a trend.

 

[juwest333]

Thanks for the compliment. Were you attending the event?! I won't be able to commit this year because of my European schedule, but I'll be performing at ESDC next Fall.

Yes! Sorry for the late reply. I spoke with you once or twice at the event. Bummer you won't be able to make it this year. Maybe I'll have to come out to ESDC!

 

[Steve Pastor]

update from CBS News...

New generation getting in the swing of the Lindy Hop

There is video there, too (when I looked at it today.)

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-generation-getting-in-the-swing-of-the-lindy-hop/

 

[Steve Pastor]

Well, Charleston is a pretty significant part of Lindy Hop, and I see that when I'm at the Secret Society. I took a few level 2 Lindy Hop lessons at Viscount Studio, and for various reasons din;t attend the next month long session on Charleston. So, I did the two hour long workshop yesterday.
It was Really fun!
There were familiar faces from Secret Society, just like there were in the Lindy Hop classes.
One thing I really noticed was how easy it was to phrase things with the music. I can;t remember what Melissa called the deal you do from a side by side position where you turn towards each other and land with feet apart in a semi squat, and a variation where you add a kick forward before going back to side by side. That was easy to hit at the end of phrases in the music, because Charleston seems to fit the four/eight count pattern.
"Cross overs" felt Really good with the music she used (not what I think of as "Charleston rhythm). Here again, getting out of those and back into a basic was easy to time with the end of a phrase.
I can see better now why people seem puzzled when they try to fit 6 count swings like East Coast and West Coast with the music.
Anyhow, the main point here was to share how much fun this workshop was. And, I should add that as the "follows" rotated, it seemed like they were all smiling, so it looked like other people were enjoying themselves, too.