Yet another cover song I can’t stop listening to.
Although it appears King Charles cannot be bothered to put on a proper shirt but can manage quite an intense hairstlyle, I still think he’s awesome and I love this song.
If more people loved things in their life as much as King Charles loves England, the world would be a more beautiful place, I’m convinced.
2012 Lindy Hop Resolutions (Belated)
I’ve been thinking a lot the past few weeks about how my dance evolved in 2011, and I’ve found it grew quite a bit! I’ve also realized that there is a ton of room for growth still. I want to start off 2012 with some “dance-olutions.”
Goals for my own dancing:
- Learn to lead, better. At least a basic swingout and some cool variations. Think about lead patterns and styling. Watch clips of women leading.
- Learn Balboa. Or at least start to.
- Learn how to do a proper solo Charleston. Feel more confident during lindy line-ups; maybe even help Kellie choreograph a few.
- Ask more people to dance. Especially newcomers, and even the leads I don’t particularly like dancing with.
- Listen to more swing-dance-y music. Develop a bangin’ Spotify playlist.
- Go out of town with Fresno Swing Dance, even if it means staying out late and/or taking the next day off of work.
Teaching resolutions:
- Talk less while teaching, show more, allow more time for repetition by those learning. Encourage their muscle memory.
Thoughts on my own dancing:
- I started teaching beginners. This radically redefined my technique. Learned to rock-step on 1st 2 counts of swingout instead of just stepping forward; stylistically and technically different.
- Better control of “my dance space.” It’s a cheesy term, but it’s totally true. If you have crappy frame, you’re going to have crappy dances. The better control I have, especially in keeping my arms at more of a 90 degree angle, the better I feel about my dancing.
- I have great swivels. I know this because I feel it, and because it’s been affirmed by other people, the leads I dance with, my instructors, and the other follows that come on Wednesday nights. I love swivels. They’re quite possibly my favorite thing about lindy hop right now, and they are far and away my favorite styling.
- I started learning how to lead. I can lead very basic triple-step lindy hop. Not great with swingouts, and nothing fancy, but if there is an excess of followers, I’ve stepped in to lead, and it’s been okay. Following is most definitely my preference still; leading takes an entire different skill set than following. Following is a lot about intuition, listening, and attentiveness. Leading has more decision-making and executing than following, but you have to be very aware as a leader as well. Learning to lead has given me an appreciation for what a lot of guys go through. It’s also made me a better follow, I feel. I have a greater appreciation for following and all the work leaders do when they lead and lead well.
Reflections on teaching in 2011:
- I found my biggest teaching pet peeve: inattentive side conversations. I have laid into a few of the leaders in class for having their own conversations with follows instead of listening to me and my partner teach. Frankly, if a lead is less experienced than me, and if this is a move I don’t know, he sure as hell doesn’t know it, so he needs to shut up and listen, and stop trying to show the girl what to do. That’s my job, not his. I may or may not have been vocal about that (I have). I’m laying into the leads here because I’ve not had the same issue with follows in lessons. Not sure if this is a gender thing or a personality thing.
- I’m often a lot less flexible than my teaching partner. Our Wednesday night class is a drop-in structure, and while I think this makes us accessible, it allows more room for variance in skill, attentiveness, and overall quality. People consistently walk in late and I get upset… I hate having to show someone what we’ve been working on for 30 minutes and slow up the class. I think I need to have some grace here.
Overall, 2011 was a great year for me & my dance. I love lindy hop more and more each passing week. I’m excited to see what the upcoming months will bring!