Cheesy Lindy Hop Liners from Ryan Gosling!!

So for ALL those that are fans of Ryan Gosling out there.. & Lindy Hop too -this is just for you!!

Hey Girl, this is your one stop shop for all your Lindy Hop -one liners & laughs.. ;)

 

 

 

 

 

 

So if you liked all that.. there's heaps more:

http://goslinglindyhops.tumblr.com

Social dancing lessons

So on Monday evening I headed off with my flatmate S, to to go along to lessons at King Edward Court ($5 to cover studio hire-so pretty cheap) and to try and consolidate (if such things are possible!) my learning,..

In all there was 6 of us there-that worked out pretty well, as some of the swing dancers (all far better then me, and more at intermediate level & beyond, then a struggling beginner such as myself) can become either a lead or a follow.. thus increasing their levels of participation.

In this safe and learning environment, it's a chance to practice techniques, ask questions and do some social dancing. As Social dancing is where the real learning comes in.. & the fun! It's when I'm social dancing (rather poorly i might add) that I begin to realise & understand what makes the other dancers so keen and enthusiastic about Swing dancing, it definitely starting to feel more fun.. & for once actually tiring -i'm getting a wee bit of a work-out going, and this is far more preferable to the gym! We practice just general social dancing, sugar push, giving tension.. & even some Blues! (Different style of dance again.. & to me seemed an easier style, there's a wee bit more lee-way one can do in Blues -that's not quite possible in Swing).

In regards to the dance studio physical environment. The room seems kinda small (or like a large lounge) is probably 8m X 10m (i am probably so wrong with my estimates.. never mind) with polished wooden floors, mirrors along one side &  on the opposite side window with a view of Dunedin city & looking towards the harbour-rather pretty, and on the other two walls, some cupboards (with Stereo) and chairs lining up the sides. Along an upper shelf of the wall is a collection of mainly Irish looking dolls, who peer down at you, watching you as you move, on another wall is the odd collection of  pictures of Irish dancers and on a table near the entrance way is a range of mixed Irish dance shoes on sale, awaiting for a new buyer and dancer to put them to use again. Yes this room in general is used for the Irish Beats Dance Group (Traditional Irish Step Dancing) thus all the Irish themed items, and the Swing Riot crowd hire it out for their Monday Social Dancing nights.

Actually here's a description here: The Irish Beat Dance School studio is approximately 5m x 7m with a vinyl covered wooden floor and a CD Player. This studio is located in room 214, King Edward Court (stair access only). Other studios/rooms are available within the King Edward Court building. Please contact Kathryn directly with enquiries. http://www.sidn.org.nz/directory/venues-for-hire/irish-beat-dance-school-studio

Also other breaking news.. There's another venue found for Thursday Social Dancing nights..!!! It's now at Capone  from 8-10pm for a dance and drink and maybe some pizza!! (For those of you that don't know- Robbies- the previous Dancing haunt with it's wooden floors, poles, and live Jazz music.. was sold & is now converted into a sports bar.. not quite the same! So thus on Thursday Nights the social environment of dance is displayed. 

A drop of Scotch..

I gave Scottish Dancing a go & it was fun!!

I have a friend; C, who attends the Scottish Dancing club in South Dunedin, and since she knew I'd been learning how to swing (she made the assumption, that I must like dancing.. or be okay at it.. Haha!) and thus since it was my holidays and I had the time, she invited me along to attend her Monday evening lessons with her.

So along I went, there were about 9-10 people present, with only three of them being males. My friend and I were the youngest by far, however despite what could have been awkward socially due to the age range, I was made to feel welcome & was introduced to the other members present.

The teacher tried to teach me some basic steps.. alas.. what is with me and coordinating my feet..?!!! Anyways, despite only just grasping what my feet were supposed to do, I still could participate in most of the dancers, as I focused on learning the sequence of the dance, rather than what my feet were supposed to be doing (apart from moving to the correct place) for the dance!

For those of you that are reading this and are new to Scottish Country Dancing, I'll give a quick explanation on how it works. In Scottish Dancing, you dance as a couple (normally Male & female, however in this case, due to the lack of males, the females would wear a band across their chest, which signified that they were the male in this case) in a group. So there is normally 4- 8 groups of couples, meaning that you don't just dance solely with your dance partner, you mix & mingle with the other couples too -& this element I find social-able and fun!! To read more: Scottish Country Dancing. 
I also felt like I was having a good work-out, doing all the sequences soon made me out of breath! But like I've mentioned earlier- i'd far rather be doing this, then going to the gym! 

Okay, the other reasons to participate in Scottish Dancing are.. it's so affordable- I mean $2 for 2 hours of Dancing.. not bad eh?!! Far better then a visit to the gym! Also, it's a dance that can be adapted for all age groups, if you are older, you can play the music slower, walk slower (& not worry so much about the foot work, I was learning when I attending) thus it's a form of dance that allows people of all ages to engage in & enjoy!! A great combination I think!!! :)

Last Lessons..

I missed the previous weeks lesson as I was sick.. Which could be classed as occupational disruption. “Occupational disruption is a state that is usually temporary or transient rather than prolonged. Occupational disruption occurs when a person’s normal pattern of occupational engagement is disrupted due to significant life events, environmental changes, becoming ill or sustaining  an injury from which full recovery is expected” (Whiteford, 2000, p. 201). I decided, that when I couldn't hang out my washing that morning without feeling very dizzy, in the process, that perhaps, it was wise of me not to head to that nights dance lesson.. to bed might be a better alternative.


Anyways, my flatmate filled me in, on what they'd covered the last week, to the best of her knowledge.. so I was hoping that tonight, I wouldn't be making plunders.. but instead some progress.. & some actual dancing!! This of course, is somewhat dependent on who your lead is.. Some of the leads are like me.. a wee bit uncertain at times, & others fill you with confidence as soon as your begin..  :) Must have been near exam week, cos there was definitely a couple or two short tonight. However, it was good, I think I even surprised myself.. I remembered all the basic steps & some more!! When you actually put it into a sequence.. there's that feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment, cos you are actually doing it... & when you are actually doing it.. It's pretty fun!! I can see why Dance becomes a part of ones 'Occupational Identity & satisfaction'.


Reference: 

 Whiteford, G. (2000). Occupational deprivation: Global challenge in the new millennium. British Journal of Occupational Therapy. 63(5). 200-204.

 

 

Occupational Idenity and satisfaction through Dance

Christiansen (1999) first recognised the concept of occupations and identity, “Occupations are key not just to being a person, but to being a particular person, and thus creating and maintaining an identity” (p. 576).

Although as a beginner dancer, it may be difficult to identify yourself as a 'dancer', when you only know basic steps and moves, through further participation in this activity it can become ones identity, as could be seen through the dancers I met while attending social dancing.  Through engaging in dance, Individuals can obtain an identity as a Lindy-Hop dancer, a Blues, Ceroc.. Salsa Dancer. When you ask them the question what do you do..? Not only do they mention their love and involvement of dance, but they clarify what type of dance they do, and how long they'd being involved for, & how much they just LOVE IT!

Occupational identity is linked with occupational satisfaction, which is the ability to engage in meaningful and purposeful activity or as defined by Christiansen and Townsend, (2010) as “contentment with occupations” (p. 421). Although individuals will engage in differing occupations depending on their culture and society,  the meaning  and purpose of these various occupations will be subjective for each individual (Wilcock, 1998). All people are occupational beings, all who have unique occupational needs. When individuals are engaged in occupations that develop potential, creativity and a balanced use of capabilities this enables them to experience support, satisfaction, meaning and purpose, and is also beneficial to an individual’s health and occupational well-being (Wilcock, 1998).  Although, I wouldn't say that I am a Swing Dancer, just yet, I can definitely see why other participants who engage in this dance do. I think through further dancing and LOTS more practice, that one day, I too may call myself a 'Swing dancer' or another dancer of some sorts.. Scottish perhaps..? Through participation and contentment of dancing, it can form ones identity and satisfaction. So what are you waiting for... LET's DANCE!!!

References

Christiansen, C. (1999). Defining lives: Occupation as identity: An essay on competence, coherence and the creation of meaning. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 53, 547-558.

Christensen, C., & Townsend, E. (Eds.), (2010). An introduction to occupation: The art and science of living. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Wilcock, A. A. (1998). Occupation for health. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 61(8), 340-345.

Basic online tips of Rock steps & triple steps.. The Basics..!

Been learning online.. as one does.. So this is the virtual environment, in which "communication occurs through technological means, in the absence of physical contact" (American Occupation Therapy Association, 2002, p. 623). This consists of such sites as: blogs, facebook pages and youtube. There is a wealth of information that can be obtained online such as online lessons, the ability to view dance moves, & competitions. There are a number of online dance communities, on places such as facebook. I currently belong to Swing Riot.

 Yes, there's heaps of Swing & Lindy Hop related stuff online.. kinda hard to decide where to start, & some are more user friendly then others.

Below are two that I found helpful for Lindy Basics and hopefully you will too!

I really like the next one (it's a longer lesson ~30mins) 

Swing - Lindy Hop Dance Lessons. Level One

So that one day.. you might just look like this!!! 

American Occupation Therapy Association, (2002). Occupational therapy practice framework: domain and process. American Journal of Occupational Therapy 56(6):609-39.