Mandi, Phil, Jasper and some other Toronto dancers attended the International Lindy Hop Championships last weekend. Lindy Hop is certainly more of an art than it is a sport, but sometimes these competitions produce an opportunity to showcase something truly fabulous.
Check out these two junior dancers. Alexis is only 14 and Cyle is 16! They couldn’t possibly swing any better.
And everybody’s favourite, the Invitational Jack n’ Jills that wrap up the weekend. Here are the winners, which happened to coincide with my own favourite top 3.
3rd Place: Kevin & Isa
2nd Place: Skye & Ramona
1st Place: Frida & Thomas
Incidentally, Thomas told me afterward that he and Frida had only ever danced once before. That’s one of the best things about social dancing, it’s truly social!
Another great and frequently asked question came in today:
“As a dance student, how should I deal with different instructors teaching conflicting swing dance styles/techniques?”
This is a great question and something that everyone is faced with eventually after they move on from learning from a single instructor.
Learn Everything
I feel strongly that ultimately, everyone should learn everything. Every approach, every philosophy, every technique and detail will help you to become the best dancer you can be. Keeping an open mind and trying different things will help you to decide what resonates with you and what you might find interesting but don’t want to incorporate into your day to day dancing.
Learning is a Skill
Learning itself is a skill. It takes time to hone and refine that skill. The more classes that you take, the easier it will become to pick up on new technique and interpretations from a variety of teachers.
Be Adaptable
A truly advanced dancers should be adaptable. It’s hard at first, but with experience this becomes one of the great joys of studying with a variety of teachers. Every instructor has a slightly different take on things and it’s fascinating to get in to the nitty gritty of their Lindy Hop technique and vision. When I’m in a Dean Collins style, I adapt and use that technique. When I’m in Steven and Virginie’s classes, I adjust again and take on their approach to the dance. If the instructors are Swedish, I shift my thinking and my body again. And then there are all of those wonderful shades of grey in between.
Adaptability grows easier with Experience
>Don’t get me wrong. At first it can be really hard to both identify the differences and then also shift the body in to doing what the mind has understood. This is what truly advances someone’s dancing and body awareness. I would say that this is even more important for followers since a good follower really doesn’t have the option to choose the technique on the dance floor. Followers add in their own style, but the technique choice comes from the leader and we match and respond to what they give us.
Like life, dancing is a Maturing Process
Learn all of it and try to master all of the different approaches before you throw something away. My dancing did a complete 180 in around 2003. And though my dancing is completely different than it was in my earlier years of dancing, I would not be the dancer that I am today if I hadn’t gone through that learning process. It helped me to get to know my body and now I’m able to pick and choose how I want to follow a wide spectrum of leaders and styles.
Nerd Out!
Over the years, I’ve come to really enjoy nerding out on all of the philosophies and subtle differences that are out there. That nerdy conceptualization isn’t for everyone, but if you can embrace those details it’s a lot of fun and it can make every learning experience really insightful.
Mandi Gould
Director, Head Dance Instructor
Bees’ Knees Dance – Anyone Can Dance™
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One of our Advanced students and Worker Bees has some great words that I’d like to add on this subject:
“As a fairly experienced dancer, I’ve taken classes in lindy hop, blues, and balboa from instructors from all different parts of the world, different schools, and under different musical or stylistic contexts. I think that above all, I take a piece of advice that Chachi gave me to heart: every instructor puts their opinions on how the dance should be done into their teaching. You can take that opinion, try it out, see how it works with your dancing, incorporate it into your dancing immediately, or put it on the shelf and return to it (or not) as the situation calls for. However, you should at least try to do what they’re teaching in a given class, regardless of your initial feelings on it.
Learning how different instructors who have been lindy hopping for years or decades think about and move in the dance is beneficial to you, whether a new opinion conflicts with a previously held one or not. Some of those ideas or stylings you may not use regularly, but will pull out for a choreo or something in future. You own style will shift and change over the years, too, and you may return to things that once upon a time didn’t work well with it and find they are now a great fit. Remember that back when lindy hop was first being developed, it didn’t have one strict style with lessons being taught and a “proper” technique that spanned the entirety of the continent. People just danced the way it felt good to them to dance. Thus, there are many interpretations from different instructors today when they bring the dance into the classroom. ” ~Amanda Stock
I regularly have people contact me to ask advice about teaching their first Beginner Swing Dance class. I’ve been teaching for a long time, since 1999, and I can’t even guess how many Beginner lessons I’ve taught throughout the years. These days I teach at least 3 Beginner lessons a week, and I truly love to welcome new people to the dance. Teaching for all these years has been a great learning process, and I really love to teach dancers their first steps and give them that first taste of what Lindy Hop is all about.
I used to teach very differently than I do now. After working with Frankie and observing Beginner classes all over the world as well as the result of my own lessons, I’ve changed the way that I do things a lot.
What is the Goal of a Beginner Swing Dance Lesson?
Ultimately, I’ve changed my mind about what the goal is for a first Beginner Swing Dance lesson. I used to have the mentality that it was about “getting it right, straight from the beginning” and mindset made me want to get into a lot technique, connection work and detail oriented work that in all honesty I’ve since thrown out the window.
The fact is that no matter how great of a first lesson you teach, only a certain percentage of people will continue past the first lesson, and an even smaller percentage will continue past the 6/8 week mark. This is (usually) not the fault of the teachers or the lesson. For some reason that is a mystery to me and Lindy Hoppers everywhere, not everyone gets hooked on Lindy Hop. I don’t get it, but it’s just not going to become every person’s passion. Now I accept that the world is made up of 2 kinds of people; Lindy Hoppers (even if they don’t know it yet) and everyone else. It took me a long time to understand that and to feel that that’s ok. C’est la vie.
So what is the goal of the first lesson? Let’s face it; it’s already hard enough to promote classes. Once you do get people to show up to the class it’s your big chance, and sometimes your only chance, to give people a taste of what Lindy Hop is all about. For the people who are meant to become Lindy Hoppers, that first lesson is the chance to capture their hearts with the spirit of the dance. And even if they aren’t going to continue with the dance, I want them to have a nice memory and clear picture of what this dance is all about.
The Lindy Hop Spirit
Really, that spirit is not encapsulated in technique and precise details. It’s not about footwork, or specific concepts about connection. Remember, during the swing era nobody went to a dance studio to learn; they were inspired by the music, they copied each other, they were guided by the energy in the Savoy ballroom or whatever dance hall they attended. It was about feeling the music, feeling a nice stretchy connection with your partner and creating shapes together. It was exciting, it was infectious, it was a bit wild and it was FUN.
I started to understand that in the “first touch” with students the real goal is to give them a clear picture of the spirit of Lindy Hop. In that lesson, my goal is now to capture their hearts with the soul of the dance. That’s the best way to hook them to continue, and even if they don’t continue, they’ll still be left with that clear memory of what Lindy Hop is all about which they wouldn’t have if I had spent the lesson working too much on footwork or connection concepts.
So I stopped focusing too much on the footwork or the details and instead I now give them a first class “experience” where they get an idea of what Lindy Hop is all about. I tell them about the roots of the dance, about the Savoy, about how it developed. I remind them that they should be giggling and not taking themselves too seriously and that nobody took dance lessons back in the day. I play a lot of music and let them play around with shapes, twisting, cool breeze in the knees, pecking. If they stick with the lessons then later on we get in to other details, but that isn’t the focus for me any more. The first thing is to get them to feel the music, to feel their partners, to laugh and have a good time.
Beginner Class Focus
When I teach, I focus on keeping the energy up, rotating a lot, not too much talking and a lot of doing, and getting people social dancing to the music a lot. Ideally I start with a warm up with music and then I try to get the music playing a lot by the second half of the class and get them playing and practicing sooner rather than later.
Other Important Advice
If you have fun, they’ll have fun! Your smiles, laughter and general happiness can be contagious. Similarly, if you’re not enjoying teaching Beginner classes then you should really evaluate yourself and why you’re teaching.
Do a simple warm up with music, preferably in a circle.
In classes with 30 people or less, do a quick ice breaker.
Give some historical background about the dance. “Lindy Hop is the original swing dance created by the black dancers in Harlem, New York at dance halls like the Savoy ballroom. It was inspired by the popular swinging jazz music of the era and was danced from the late 1920s until just after WWII.”
More music, less talk.
Learn to “sing” when you count. Practice counting in with rhythm and swing in your voice. Your voice should instil the swing into them.
Volume is important. If you don’t have a loud enough voice, invest in a good wireless microphone. It’s hard to build energy in the room or to really make students feel comfortable if they’re straining to hear your voice.
Rotate often.
Beware of couples. That “rotate often” advice goes 10 fold when you see that people have come together as a couple. About 75% of the time or more, one of the people in the relationship has dragged the other person to the dance lesson and people behave differently when they get back to their romantic partner. These Beginners will often get neurotic when they return to their boyfriend, wife, etc. Keep an eye on who arrived together and avoid keeping them together too long.
Require that everyone rotates. Rotating is part of the Lindy Hop culture. Don’t make exceptions for Beginners who want to stay together. It never works out in the long run. If they don’t want to rotate then Lindy Hop probably isn’t for them anyway. You can suggest private lessons instead.
Avoid negative examples. Avoid mentioning any “don’t do this” advice and stick to what they should do.
Always suggest that the dance is fun and easy and not to over think it. Never tell them that a move is “hard” or you’ll impose that idea on them. Keep it fun and if they struggle, remind them that it’s their first class, they’re doing a great job, and it gets easier with practice. Keep it light hearted.
Name drop: tell your students about Frankie Manning and the dancers of the Savoy. Mention musicians: great suggestions for Beginners are Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong and Fats Waller.
Organize a good music playlist in advance that’s clear and swinging for Beginners. Here are some suggestions. My beginner playlists are not necessarily made up of my very favourite songs but instead focus on a clear beat and a good tempo.
Get the social dancing from Day 1. After they’ve learned 3 or 4 moves, try to put on the music straight away and give them the idea of leading and following and playing around with each other in a light hearted way right from the start.
End on a high note with music and big applause.
BEGINNER LINDY HOP – Review Videos
Here are some videos that show what I teach and when. The videos make it seem like my lessons are more technical than they actually are and that’s because these are meant as review videos, not for teaching the first time.
8 Count Month
Beginner Swing – Week 1
Beginner Swing – Week 2/3
There are more videos including our Charleston material here. You might also want to have a peak at our Curriculum lists.
It’s totally up to you what you decide to teach, but maybe you’ll find my experience with this helpful. Time has changed my mind and led my classes in a new direction. Maybe you’ll prefer this methodology too. I wish you luck!
Mandi Gould
Director, Head Dance Instructor
Bees’ Knees Dance – Anyone Can Dance™
Continuing with George Gee, Frankie’s favourite contemporary band, I’ve got another great pick for you.
This one is in honour of the awesome dance I had with Jasper last night (though to a slightly faster version). This week’s song from George Gee is SPLANKY. The original is a Count Basie classic and George Gee’s rendition is epic within the Lindy Hop world. Check it out on George Gee’s 1998 album, Swingin’ Live!
The George Gee Orchestra (including his Make-Believe Ballroom Orchestra) was Frankie’s favourite contemporary band so we’ll be featuring his music all month with another song highlighted each week.
Today I’m enjoying his rendition of TOPSY from his 2007 album, If Dreams Come True.
The specific version of the song this week is the one being used for the Global Frankie 99 Choreo and it’s part of a CD that helps to raise money for the Frankie Manning Foundation.
So you’ve considered taking a Beginner Dance lesson in Toronto, but you’re feeling intimidated?
It’s natural to feel a bit in awe of something unknown, and a few nervous jitters are common among first time students, but know that any anxiety will pass very quickly! There’s nothing to be afraid of, and the boisterous hoopla that is swing dancing will distract you in no time!
At Bees’ Knees Dance we create a fun atmosphere for complete beginner adults to learn to dance. We make it easy because we focus on what’s important – having fun! These classes are designed for complete amateurs. You’re not supposed to have any previous experience, and you don’t need a partner. These are novice dance lessons for people with absolutely no experience, and we rotate in the dance classes so there’s no partner required.
We understand that starting a new hobby like dancing which requires mind and body coordination can be a bit disconcerting. But you see, we don’t worry about whether or not you get the steps straight away because we know that you’ll get them eventually… The steps are not what’s important. We don’t lose sight of the enjoyment that dancing should bring. Fun is our top priority. If you don’t have an enjoyable experience in our dance classes then we haven’t done our job. By the end of the class we want to inspire you with the infectious joy of dancing.
Why you shouldn’t be afraid to take Beginner Swing Dance lessons with Bees’ Knees Dance
These classes are completely recreational. There’s nothing regimented about what we do. Though there’s certainly nothing wrong with the approach that Ballroom or other disciplined dance forms take, swing dancing is part of a completely different culture and we don’t structure things in the same way. Most swing dancing moves are designed to make you laugh, not to look fancy or elegant. We don’t take ourselves too seriously and you shouldn’t either.
Swing dancing is a dance for real people. We’re not talking about ballet or Dancing with the Stars or any kind of disciplined, high athletic type of dancing… and no unnatural outfits either. Swing dancing is for real people of all shapes, sizes and ages and perfect for complete amateurs.
Swing dancing is Toronto’s best kept secret. Don’t let all of the fun pass you by without checking it out and seeing what you’re missing!
The Bees’ Knees school at Yonge & Bloor is more like a club house than a dance studio. No high pressure sales or expensive commitments. People come by even when they aren’t taking classes just to hang out and meet new friends. It’s really a unique place, come see for yourself!
What To Expect at your first Dance Class in Toronto
Before the lesson begins
Students are encouraged to arrive a few minutes before the start time of their first lesson. They can meet/chat with the instructor or the other students, hang up jackets and bags, get settled. The first class is always free, otherwise students may pay for the class either before or after the lesson begins.
Beginning of the lesson
Each lesson will vary but in general the classes are structured as follows; greetings & introductions, warm up, introduction to footwork or new concept, the lesson proper, review of material, lesson cool down. Either before or after a warm up the instructor will conduct a very short introductory ice breaker so that everyone can learn each others’ names before the actual lesson begins.
The warm up consists of everyone forming in a circle with the instructor in the middle doing very simple movements. The students follow along with the movements to start getting their blood flowing and the feeling of the material.
Then the actual class will begin at which time the material will vary depending on the type of dance class you are taking. For partnered dance classes the instructor would begin by teaching the basic footwork or with the solo classes they’d begin by slowly starting into the first dance move or concept. Everything is taught in a patient, welcoming, low-stress way so that all of the students are able to follow along comfortably.
At the end of the lesson the instructor will summarize the material covered that day. Also there is often another circle, similar to the warm up, where the teacher leads everyone through simple movements and everyone leaves the class on a high note.
And if you’re still not sure if taking Beginner Dance classes in Toronto is for you, just remember; the first class is completely FREE and no strings attached. So why not just try it out once and form your own opinion?
Let Me Off Uptown Gene Krupa, Anita O’Day and Roy Eldridge in this great, classic swing song. Uptown is referring to Harlem in New York. So come on, get groovy!
Another Easter has come and gone and the 2nd annual toronto Vintage Easter Parade was a great success!
This year’s event was an interesting one. Because we get good search engine optimization, we started to get a lot of publicity for the event but many people obviously didn’t read the details clearly so they didn’t:
a) understand what the event actually (thinking it would be a big parade with road closures, floats, etc.)
b) didn’t read the details about where exactly we would be meeting and what the Good Weather route was vs. the BAD WEATHER route, not to mention the start time.
As clearly listed, we convened at the Bees’ Knees Dance studio at 1:30pm at 750 Yonge St. right above the Shoe Company. The parade left just before 2pm, giving people a few extra minutes since we said we’d be leaving at 1:45pm. We know people run behind schedule, so this was clearly stated and allowed for some wiggle room.
A few days before the event, cp24 started to announce us along with other Easter activities! Obviously people heard the word “parade” and made assumptions. Isn’t it ashamed that so few people associate the word “parade” with the traditional pedestrian parades like the original Easter Bonnet Parade in New York City? Hopefully in the next few years, we can help to change that.
When we left the studio at 2pm, there were tons of people waiting outside at Yonge & Bloor, looking toward the road expectantly. What a bizarre experience! We were going to head straight for the subway but instead they all turned to take photos of us so we did a walk down to Charles, across to the other side of Yonge and then up Yonge St. The number of cameras snapping photos of us was hilarious! That was really one of the most out of body experiences that I’ve had in a while.
Along with the photos and videos that are coming, we were asked by the swing dancers in Sau Paulo to make a happy birthday video for a children’s Lindy Hop group called The Golden Chestnuts. What a fun opportunity to put something together! Here we are on the subway.
There was both a Good Weather and a Poor Weather plan outlined clearly on the website and on Facebook. They were listed as follows:
Poor Weather Plan – the weather wasn’t great so this worked out perfectly
In case of poor weather:
If the weather is bad, we’ll meet and ride the subway, then South again to walk around the Eaton Centre. The event is on, rain or shine! We originally thought that we could also go to Yorkdale Mall but it was closed. The Eaton Centre worked out perfectly though. We also made stops at Eglinton subway, Union, the Royal York Hotel, throughout the PATH and then rounded things up at the Eaton Centre including a Shim Sham and dance before security asked us to leave. 🙂
Good Weather Plan (the weather wasn’t good so we ditched this)
The “good weather” route will be 2.5 km. Please wear comfortable walking shoes. We will walk at a leisurely rate, the route with some breaks along the way, wrapping at approximately 4pm.
Another great and frequently asked question came in today:
Be Adaptable
I regularly have people contact me to ask advice about teaching their first Beginner Swing Dance class. I’ve been teaching for a long time, since 1999, and I can’t even guess how many Beginner lessons I’ve taught throughout the years. These days I teach at least 3 Beginner lessons a week, and I truly love to welcome new people to the dance. Teaching for all these years has been a great learning process, and I really love to teach dancers their first steps and give them that first taste of what Lindy Hop is all about.
Ultimately, I’ve changed my mind about what the goal is for a first Beginner Swing Dance lesson. I used to have the mentality that it was about “getting it right, straight from the beginning” and mindset made me want to get into a lot technique, connection work and detail oriented work that in all honesty I’ve since thrown out the window.
Really, that spirit is not encapsulated in technique and precise details. It’s not about footwork, or specific concepts about connection. Remember, during the swing era nobody went to a dance studio to learn; they were inspired by the music, they copied each other, they were guided by the energy in the Savoy ballroom or whatever dance hall they attended. It was about feeling the music, feeling a nice stretchy connection with your partner and creating shapes together. It was exciting, it was infectious, it was a bit wild and it was FUN.
When I teach, I focus on keeping the energy up, rotating a lot, not too much talking and a lot of doing, and getting people social dancing to the music a lot. Ideally I start with a warm up with music and then I try to get the music playing a lot by the second half of the class and get them playing and practicing sooner rather than later.
Gene Krupa, Anita O’Day and Roy Eldridge in this great, classic swing song. Uptown is referring to Harlem in New York. So come on, get groovy!