SO Im back for more...!

SO Im back again..! It seems like an age since I did any swing & I feel as though what I did learn (which seems like hardly anything at all.. has all been lost in my gappy memory..).

What am I learning (for those that don't want to scroll through my other posts..)

Lindy Hop

 (Granddaddy of Swing)

 Lindy Hop brings back the lively, entertaining, and energetic Swing of the ‘30s and ‘40s. It mixes 6-count with 8-count moves and tandem Charleston steps.

 So this class is a repeat and a blend of the other two beginners classes that I've learnt before, so instead of going over that again I'm going to talking about learning the Occupation. 

Today this was taken place in a Dance studio, at OUSA recreation centre. The main safety concerns are where the fire exists are.. otherwise in regards to learning Lindy Hop.. other safety and risks include stepping on toes (hard to avoid for some..!!) and the other main concern is to do with hands and their positioning, when to hold, release.. esp when doing particular turns.. as no one wants a dislocated or wrenched shoulder, broken fingers.. or bruises on display..! These are such things as: making sure the follow doesn't monkey claw on the lead's shoulder, no holding hands with the thumbs, being careful not to wrench hands for moves or spins, and when doing the invisible chair, ensuring that you give the right amount of tension.. otherwise one might hit the floor..
As I have been to several different lessons now, our teacher J, cautions us about the risk of particular holds as we go along, to ensure that no one during our next five lessons will be making visits to the emergency department & question their choice of pursuing this occupation pursuit.. Our Teacher J is very enthusiastic & even if I am hearing her recount a story I have heard for the third time now, her enthusiasm for learning Swing comes through in her story telling. The story is about her being so keen after first lesson that she wanted to triple step all the way home.. which would have been quite a sight to see! Also about her mum's reaction to her learning Swing, & getting it mixed with Swingers.. hehe.. quite a different occupation altogether!!!

The Other main things one needs to really learn in regards to Lindy Hop can be found here: The Fundamental Moves of Lindy Hop if you are wishing to view video clips etc otherwise the list below is the stuff that I think are the things you really need to know:

•  Basic Hand Positions in closed (men/lead, on the left, with hand on the girls back, & girl with hand flat on below leads/mans shoulder, with elbows connecting. This results in a three-point connection with the elbow connection being the most important ) & open -holding hands.
• 8 Count music & where the triple steps fits into this
• The importance of Pulse. They really stressed it this time, as the core to dancing. Pulsing is bobbing up and down to the music. Click on this blog post for more: Pulse in Lindy.
• Basic Dance etiquette (thus establishing the cultural environment). Introducing yourself and thanking each partner as you go. We currently rotate around partners, this is good as each person has their own distinct style and stops you getting used to only one. Also some leads give more direction (& pulse) which makes it easier to follow them.

One thing that we started to learn, that is different from the other classes is this..
The SHIM SHAM...

Some Social Swing (& Ceroc) on a Friday night

We (my two other enthusiastic dancing flatmates & me) headed to Manny's bar last night as  'King Leo' was going to be playing, & they play suitable tunes for Swing, Ceroc & a wee bit of an improvise.. There were a few of the usual Swing crowd there and a few extras, that I have meet through my dance lessons, social dance lessons when held at King Edward Court and through my flatmate S, kindly introductions.

Manny's has an area ample of dancing and eating and drinking, which meets the needs of  both dancing and non dancing patrons. I tried some Swing that night, started to get the hang of it.. & began enjoying myself. I also learnt some Ceroc.. Quite fun too! & it seemed easier to me than Swing.. Ironic! Perhaps it was cos I danced with a more experienced lead, therefore made it easier for me to follow.. The other aspect which i thought was easier.. was the footwork. None of those triple steps, that more often then not confuse me & trip me up! I also like Ceroc cos you get span around a lot!! Yes, maybe a wee bit dizzy by the end- but it sure was fun!!!






Poster of King Leo Group. They have a Ball at Long Beach every year. Image from: http://www.kingleo.co.nz/gallery/album14

Scottish rig, gig & reels..

My friend, C who is a keen Scottish dancer participant, invited me along to one of her Social Scottish nights which several local clubs (as far away as Palmerston) were going to be attending. C invited me, on the assumption that now I am learning to dance, that i must have some natural talent and ability at dancing.. or like all dancing.. Anyways,  despite C, misplaced faith in my dancing ability, it was a good night.

It was $5 and a plate for a shared supper afterwards. Pretty affordable i thought. I was expecting to perhaps see a range of ages, but I must admit that there were very few participants representing the under 40's age group. Just a sprinkle of us in our 20s.. & a majority of the members from these clubs being 60 plus.. numerous grey heads dotted the hall that we were at (they hired a local church hall for the occasion) and there was probably at least 50 people present. Not everyone was dancing, there were a few members due to health and age, who were no longer capable of dancing, but still went along to soicalise. Their were a few members who still participated, but walked the steps rather than danced them, thus adjusting their occupation to suit their physical abilities. I found people to be pretty friendly, and willing to mix and mingle and ask for dancing, despite my lack of knowledge regarding sequences or steps. They gave out instructions before the beginning of each dance, what the sequence was, and we stepped through it, which certainly helped me to learn it. Also, while I was dancing, other members in the group also helped me, by taping on their shoulders or pointing, where I had to go next. Therefore, by their help, they facilitated my ability to engage in Scottish dancing and also made it an enjoyable experience for me!

What I like about Scottish dancing, is that it is soicable: you dance with a partner in a group, so you end up meeting and interacting with a range of people, people are willing to dance with you, even if you are unknown to them. It is also quite tiring.. so I felt like i got some good exercise, all while I was having some fun!! I think this is definitely something I might like to pursue in the future..  :)

End of a Swing era..?

So it was my last 'Beginners Swing' class tonight.. & I came away after tonight, actually feeling like I managed to achieve something! I can't say that Im a very good dancer, but i feel as though i've grasped some of the basics.. enough at least to do a wee bit of social dancing!!

On Thursday, as is the tradition, a group of swing and ceroc dancers head over to Robbies Pub (The Original Robert Burns Pub) on George street, for a wee bit of a drink, chat and a dance together. Often they head for some sushi first, before they go out dancing. Robbies is a cute wee pub with wooden floors.. & unfortunately.. two poles in the middle of the space, that on Thursdays transforms into a dance studio! Quite a lot of people attend and are pretty friendly. I ended up doing a mixture of swing, ceroc.. & something else..? Kinda fun, apart from the constant awareness of those poles! A wee bit of a physical barrier you could say, to engaging in the occupation, as it restricts your movements somewhat.. one doesn't want to be knocked out, whilst dancing. Crikey.. that would be so embarrassing. So why Social dance on Thursdays.. & at Robbies.. well it's partly to do with the Calder Prescott Jazz Quartet band which plays there every Thursday night. A bunch of 'Old Boys' who have  some awesome tunes, ideal for Swing style dance moves and rhythms.. Nothing quite like live music to dance to. You should check it out for yourself!

Re-try.. with Swing Riot

My flatmate who is part of the Swing Riot group on facebook and online (Check them out here: swingriot.com) informed me that there is a another set of swing lessons starting! She was aware of my feelings of incompentence when it came to dancing the other week.. so when this opportunity came up.. she suggested it also! Swing Riot is a group for keen dancers of Swing in Dunnas in the South Island.

Anyways, so along I went, as a causal-$7. Or for five lessons it's $30-but unfortunately as these clash for when I am away.. I'm only booked for two of them. However Im sure some repetition will help enforce what i've learnt.

Class-same teachers as at OUSA aka the entertaining and clever-  J & N.  It was a small class - only four of us, all girls, and no leads.. Ugh.. this may become somewhat awkward!! So for this class at least, until the men appear (hopefully for the next class..?).

So we're split, my flatmate as she is more experienced becomes a lead.. I & another newer girl are allowed the follow roles. I think the teachers realises how bad of an idea it would be to confuse me further!!

Retaught (kinda useful) about hand positions, the importance of the connection of the elbows (somehow I had glazed over this in the first lesson.. not surprisingly as it was brain, brain to limbs overload!) pressure needed.. the follow closing their eyes-to see if the pressure from the lead was sufficient.. We went over the importance of Pulse (all you need & more about Pulse is here: http://www.jeredmorin.com/pulse-in-swing-and-blues-dancing/) or bobbing in time to the music.. & Then we went over moves of Couple Charleston & Kick the Dog (gotta love the name!).  If you want instructions for Kick the Dog here it is: http://www.lindy-hop.co.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Kick_the_Dog

Here's a demo of Couple Charleston.. :)

& Another.. 30's Charleston



The Physical environment:
The Room is small, with  smoothed polished wooden floors, Irish shoes (normally this dance studio is for the Irish Dance Beat group) and has adequate lightening with a CD player/stereo  that provides music.. The walls have posters of Irish dancers.

Triple Step trip ups..

Yep.. tonight.. Ugh..!! Tonight my focus, just wasn't off to a good start (Yes, one needs a certain level of cognitive function to participate in Swing Dancing) & as there was some lack  of clarity in my mind, what Triple steps &  what the beats were.. and the rhythm to feet connection was malfunctioning... this all meant that I was dancing in a semi-lost and bewilder state.. & thus confused every partner I danced with! Oops!


So the other participants are definitely not here to dance with me.. (that much is certain!) but why do they come..? Do they seek Occupational Satisfaction..?   This is the ability to engage in meaningful and purposeful activity or as defined by Christiansen and Townsend, (2010) as “contentment with occupations” (p. 421). Many have Girlfriends who have brought them along (in need of a partner)  who if not dragged here, had decided that it would be a fun thing to do together. Others just wanted to learn some form of dance not necessarily any particular one & swing worked out for them. Multiple reasons!! Hopefully dancing will provide occupational satisfaction, however I can't but think that dancing with me,especially tonight, is probably causing occupational frustration more than anything else!! Anyways, I cant get over how majority of the couples look like each other.. like they are so similar! There's the Hippy styled couple, the two short brunettes,  the short and tall blonde pairs, the curly red- haired both sporting glasses pair... Okay just got a little bit side tracked there...

Anyways back on to the swing of things (yes cheesy, I know!). For some, swing definitely provides occupational satisfaction, I mean just take my flatmate S for an instance.. she totally loves it!! You should have seen how excited she was, when I said I'd give Swing a try!! She regularly goes out on social nights, to get some dancing in regularly, finds bands that are playing, goes along to workshops, and has many friends in the dance scene.. the list goes on & on!!

I have to admit that it is quite handy having a flatmate that does do swing, cos this means that once home I can get her to go over (and over, and over, and over..  etc) the moves we learnt during our weekly lessons. So thus at home in the lounge or kitchen floor (smoother surface) we practice the basics of the promenade.. since I seemed to have lost this first & basic step and as a subsequence.. all other steps and moves, falter and fail..

Well I guess there's always next week eh..? 





 Occupational Satisfaction Picture: http://www.learn2dance4fun.com/default.aspx
One day.. I may just look like this.. one day.. :)




References:

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

 

Take two..

So we pretty much got straight into things.. our warm up was the Charleston steps. I was glad I had mastered those.. However the triple step has still proven to be elusive to me. Sconpated counting.. 3 steps to two beats, first step L.o.n.g (er) than the others. I got an additional lesson, otherwise as we swap partners I confuse each one of them.. Oops!

Otherwise additional move to what we had learnt on the previous occasion.. was bust out A or B.. This meant when you started in open (side by side move) & ended in a closed position (face on). Bust out A the guy or lead moves in front of you in a triple step, bust out B the girl or follow is lead by the guy to go in front. The importance of  a good lead is vital.. & contact is made in 3pts-shoulder, elbow or...?

So why do people attend.. So far, two friends are attending, as they wanted to go & Dance.. Just not sure what dance..  &they decided to do Swing, even when they had no idea exactly what it was. However most others seem to be in couples.. so perhaps it was a couple outing..?