We're fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance.
(Japanese Proverb)
I was first introduced to swing dancing in 2005, when I went to the monthly swing dance at Georgia Tech. They taught an hour of East Coast Swing, and then a big band played for the rest of the evening - it was a blast! Unfortunately, we never made it back to another one of those dances...
However, when I heard about swing classes in Pittsburgh a couple of years later, I didn’t have to think very long. The classes turned out to be Lindy Hop classes, arguably the original swing variety as dance
d in the 1920’s and 30’s. It’s very energetic, and loads of fun. Check out the videos above for example performances by professional dancers.
I’ve been dancing for almost four years now, and it’s still as much fun as when I started (or even more). Dancing lindy in a social setting is all about going on the dance floor and having fun! (As evidenced by the picture to the right)
In addition to social lindy dancing, I also took a performance class in which we practiced a routine for a song by a great local band, the Boilermaker Jazz Band. You can find a video of that performance here. Finally, I also started teaching intro lindy classes recently. While not a particularly easy dance to learn for first time dancers, it’s been a lot of fun to pass on the joy!
