Major edit: Thanks to Jim Thorp who caught a major error and noted that I missed The Black Swamp Village video. In the process of verifying that, I noticed that I also missed the Carsie Blanton as well as the I Charleston Tel Aviv and Montpellier Swingjammerz videos. Much apologies from me for my lazy journalistic standards. At least, this still supports my conclusion that you need to make friends with an indy musician or better yet, be one. While procrastinating on so many other things, I wondered what were the most popular Lindy Hop related videos so far in 2012 since we’re just past the half way point of the year. I thought you may be curious too, so I thought I’d share. That’s the kind of guy I am.
The most viewed Lindy Hop video so far this year with 64,500 views is . . .
Carsie Blanton's Baby Can Dance - OFFICIAL VIDEO
And the rest as of Monday, July 9, 2012:
A few notes:
- In case you’re wondering, I used the same criteria in determining the top videos of 2011.
- The numbers for the Ball & Chain video are combined from the official video and the “teaser” they posted before it. The teaser actually has more views (21,100) than the actual video (14,000). I’m not even sure why they bothered with a teaser since that’s just the full video cut off about 2/3rds in. The marketing genius at work here escapes me.
- The Lone Star video numbers are the combined views of two or three videos posted by the usual suspects: Patrick Szmidt, David Soltysik, and Jonathan Jow.
- The Evita & Peter Lone Star numbers are weird because each person who recorded it uploaded it differently (either combined or separated the two songs of the spotlight. Jonathan also posted it as part of one video of the entire thing). I arbitrarily decided to count all those views of all the videos of each couple (with the exception of the long one of the whole Invitational J&J division).
- The Naomi & Skye video is another odd one since it was performed in 2011, but it wasn’t uploaded until January of this year. My general guideline is that it should be posted within the time frame, regardless of when it was actually done.
- The Project Q video was an interesting project that ended up being a TEXx presentation in Canada.
- I wasn't going to include the Blues video from Lone Star because it wasn't Lindy, but then I realized the Two Cousins routine was solo jazz, and the Shit Lindy Hoppers Say videos have only minimal actual dancing in them. Then there's the West Coast Swing in the Naomi & Ben spotlight and whatever Peter & Evita were doing at Lone Star. I could call it a list of Vernacular Jazz Dance related videos, but that would be stupid.
- I counted the Lindy Focus and Snowball stuff even though they technically occurred in 2011. I usually do my year end re-caps in December, so I don’t include stuff at the very end of the year. I just roll them over into the following year.
- I find it weird that I’ve done this enough times to have several precedents for that.
- I could have kept going, but then we’d just have to keep watching videos of Rebecca Brightly in her house and that would be kinda creepy.
- Balboa: 2500 views
- Slow Drag/Blues: 4900 views
- Lindy Hop: 4600 views
Interesting . . .
Moving on. I have no other insights on how to get your video to go viral other than:
- Dance really well in a big time event
- Be a really big time event
- Bandwagon a meme before it gets beaten to death.
- Make friends with your local indy band.*
Now you can either sit and watch all of these or start planning your own video. Half of last year’s top videos didn’t get posted until the second half of the year, so there’s still plenty of time. If you need more incentive, the deadline for the Jazz Dance Film Fest is August 2nd where you can win fortune and glory, kid. Fortune and Glory.
*Or at least one that has a bigger following than there are Lindy Hoppers.