WELCOME TO MS SOL'S LINDY HOP WEBSITE!
I hope that you like it!
Keep on swinging!
HISTORY
Swing is a partner dance, actually danced in pairs to the rhythm of swing music, which is a vast label covering the amazingly catchy bouncy-beat sounds that were played from the 30s to the 50s throughout the United States. The Lindy Hop (or Lindy) is a partner dance that originated in 1920's and 30's Harlem, New York. The dance can be wild and spontaneous, with frenzied kicks and body movements, or it can be cool and sophisticated. The most important aspects of it are that it is danced with your partner, to the music, and that you enjoy it!
The Lindy Hop is considered a cultural phenomenon that broke through the race barrier when segregation was still the norm because it is certain that it was born from the blending of African rhythms and movements with European structured dance. Swing Legend Frankie Manning, an influential choreographer and performer of the era had a great influence on reviving lindy hop. Here's a video for you to see what Manning was like:
EQUIPMENT
The greatest advantage of lindy hop is that it’s suitable for everybody, however old you are, whatever your abilities. All you need to swing the night away is simply a pair of comfortable shoes and a good mood, a great deal of it. Apart from that, you also need comfortable clothes and a couple of spare T-shirts (as you will sweat a lot when dancing!). So, leave your shyness and your worries behind, and swing it until your feet burn. Ready?
Here's a video to learn the basics of lindy hop. Enjoy!
LINDY HOP LANGUAGE
Here are some words which I have learned since I started dancing lindy hop:
- a lindy hopper: it's a person who regularly dances lindy hop
- a swing jam: an improvised dance session where people change partners. It's normally dedicated to someone's birthday or done for a special occasion.
- an aerial: it's a dance step which involves jumping and being in the air. Here's an example:
FAMOUS LINDY HOP DANCERS
Nathalie Gomes is one of my favourite lindy hoppers. She's originally from France, but she's been living in the United States for many years. She had a dance studio in New York called Hop, Swing and a Jump and how now started another one called Dance Quarter in New Orleans (Louisiana). She has won many world championships and is known for doing amazing aerials! Watch the video below to see it for yourself!
But apart from famous international dancers, there's also a lot of lindy hop in Barcelona. There are many dance schools, like Swing Maniacs in Gràcia and in Sants, and there also used to be a lindy hop dance company called the Barcelona Jazz Cats. Here's a video of one of their performances. I hope you like it!
LINDY HOP & I
I started dancing lindy hop back in 1999, when I was invited to pay a visit to a friend living in New York City. My friend took me to this really classy dancing hall where an orchestra was playing swing. “Swing? What is that?”, I asked. But instead of being told, I suddenly found myself surrounded by people twisting, turning and hopping like never before. As you can imagine, that night was so much fun that I got totally hooked on swing. At that time, the “swing bug” was already so deeply rooted in me that I started taking lessons the minute I landed back home. This is how it all started: my new life as a swing dancer.
I also started getting more interested in swing after watching the film Swing Kids, directed by Thomas Carter in 1993 and starring Robert Sean Leonard.
Here's a video of one of the most famous scenes from the film: