There’s been a lot of discussion about the use of pre-planned choreographed sequences in social dance contests for awhile now. (Yehoodi, Lindybloggers, and White Heat) Event directors Nina Gilkenson, Tena, and Sylvia shared those same concerns. At the same time, they didn’t want to tell the dancers how they should dance . . . even though they really wanted to.
I’ve already written quite a bit about this past International Lindy Hop Championships, but to illustrate how complex any one part of an event can be I’m going to give you a peak behind the curtains of The Champions’ Strictly Lindy Hop Division at ILHC 2009. This one competition took about 20 minutes out of a four day event. Theoretically, a dance contest sounds like a deceptively simple recipe: Add one part music, several parts dancers, and it’s off to the races, right? In reality . . . not so much.
There’s a very thin, delicate and ever shifting line between managing an event and just letting it happen. There’s no secret formula for making sure everything goes right, just as there’s no way to anticipate and prepare for everything that can go wrong. There’s a lot of moving parts; not just logistical, but also creative and political. Details are plentiful, and it’s remarkably easy to be tripped up by even the smallest one.
Make good decisions, and if you’re lucky, you may be rewarded with something very special.
Let's talk about the places where you can Lindy Hop – If I wanted to start, how could I do that?
Most major cities have a Lindy Hop scene. The best place to start is the internet- finding the local dance and going out. Of course lessons are a helpful way to get a handle on the basics, but the most important thing is to go out and start moving to the music.
Apparently the Swedes love their Lindy Hop. So much that different kinds of bands keep using Lindy Hoppers like The Harlem Hot Shots and others in their music videos. The first one up is an actual swing video from the Carling Family.
[googlevideo=http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4572375059074507023#]
[Note: As you can see this video referenced the old Google Video site, but it's been so long that I don't remember what the video was. I'm keeping it here in the hopes of one day figuring it out.]
In the last decade, swing dancing in general has seen a surge in popularity – what accounts for that? Can you explain the time line?
Well certainly Neo-swing in the 90’s gave a certain form of the dance and music a new kind of visibility. Clubs put on Swing nights, young people flocked to bars and clubs and dance classes.
While the scenes co-existed, (with more or less overlap in different regions) they were never identical. When Neo-Swing faded, Lindy Hop had gained new enthusiasts but didn’t disappear. [Lindy Hop] had been around before and continued after. Many young people were exposed to it though college started Swing clubs and the demographic began to shift towards a younger crowd.
Note that I've updated the ULHS 2009 Round Up with three additional blogs I've found about the event this year.
Here are some random miscellaneous various clips that people have put up to give you a little flavor of the sights and sounds of ULHS 2009. Baseball game between Musicians and Dancers
Chazz Young leads the Shim Sham at House of Blues
Tap & Craziness at the Wax museum
Meschiya Lake sings Backyard Blues with Luke Winslow King
Sister Kate & Friends
This Little Light of Mine - Preservation Hall Jazz Band
The Loose Marbles
Street Swing Dance Contest
Preliminary Round
Finals
Solo Blues Music played by: The Loose Marbles
Preliminary Round
Final
Dancers in order of appearance:
Preliminary Round Heat 2
Final
Dancers in order of appearance
Winners: Ramona Staffeld & Peter Strom
The most important creative decision concerning the Ultimate Lindy Hop Showdown had nothing to do with the format of the competitions. The event director, Amy Johnson, not only allowed people to film the contests with their own cameras, but also to let them distribute their footage freely. It was probably the most significant marketing idea in modern Lindy Hop history.
