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There are two styles of swing usually taught on Wednesdays at the Michigan Union:
6 count swing, often referred to as "east coast", is an easy-to-learn swing dance which is good for beginners. It is based on a six-count step and can be danced to fairly fast music (150-200 bpm). The six-count steps are part of lindy hop, but are also known separately as variations of east coast swing.
Lindy Hop is an 8 count dance which can be a bit more difficult to learn than East Coast. But the difficulty is more than made up for by its flexibility and style. Even if you're new to swing, don't skip these lessons; you may feel lost for a while, then one day things will fall into place.
These styles of swing are occasionally taught Wednesdays at the Michigan Union:
Balboa is very enjoyable dance for fast music (190-300 bpm). It is danced in contact with your partner, lead's side to the follow's center, and is suitable for packed dance halls.
The Charleston is probably what comes to mind when you think of the 1920's and "flappers".
2003.07.20 |
Classes are taught by two instructors in the center with leads and follows paired up in a circle. You do not need to bring a partner as either the leads or follows will rotate regularly. This will give you a chance to dance with people of varying experience levels. Occasionally you may dance with a male follow or female lead; these are usually experienced dancers looking to refine their ability.
The class usually progresses with the instructor demonstrating, explaining, demonstrating again, and the students practicing the concept.
Don't be discouraged if you don't get it in the first class, or even in a few weeks. It can take quite a while before you feel like you're not stumbling around. We all went through this awkward phase, the more people you ask to dance, the faster you'll progress through.
Swing dancers usually wear casual clothes: t-shirts & jeans or skirts, and shoes that allow them to slide and pivot easily.
Lead: The person, typically male, who is the leader of his/her partner for the dance. The leader has to learn not only the dance moves, but how to communicate that through the connection to the follow, and also how to listen to the follow through the connection.
Follow: The person, typically female, who follows the leader through the dance moves. This doesn't mean that the follow has to do exactly what the leader tells her to, communication in dancing goes both ways through the connection.
Connection: The physical link of communication between the dancers. In ballroom it is called your "frame" and is a more formal/stiff connection. But in swing dances, where the follow has more input, the connection is more elastic.
We do not teach what are called aerials or airsteps. These are usually show or competition steps where your partner's feet leave the ground. It is considered bad manners to do them on a social dance floor where you could cause someone a nice kick in the head, or drop and injure your partner, or at the least scare an unsuspecting follow who suddenly finds herself in the air. A reputation like that will precede you.
Airsteps are akin to gymnastics, and if you are interested you should seek an experienced instructor.
2005.09.08 |
