Sunday, October 29, 2017

It don't mean a thing/ If it ain't got that swing . . .

A swing lesson

The step to an east coast swing dace is actually a six beat count. If you know anything about music you would denote the step as "trip-pe-let, trip-pe-let, eight-note" or, if you dance swing, you know the step as "trip-ple-step, trip-ple-step, rock-step"

Swing dancing is kind of like you because it's fun and exhausting. Swing dancing is kind of like you because it refuses to fit into a four beat count. Swing dancing is kind of like you because it likes to screw with music students.

You can position yourself in relation to your partner in a variety of ways in swing dancing. One is "closed position":  a ballroom like hold, chests close, the lead's hand on the follow's shoulder blade, the follow's hand on the leads shoulder. The other two hands should be clasped loosely between the two bodies. Many swing instructors will describe this as a "heart" shape.

Swing dancing is kind of like you because every time I think I get a hold of it, I realize I've only scratched the surface. Swing dancing is kind of like you because there are cute, swirly skirts involved. Swing dancing is kind of like you because every person I dance with would describe you in a different way.

While east coast swing is a six beat count, lindy hop and the charleston, both iterations of swing, dance on an eight beat count. West coast swing is another six count but derives from lindy hop. You can dance to most social dancing music with just east coast as long as you don't mind too hard being on the third beat of every other measure.

Swing dancing isn't like you because you're a person, not a dance. You have likes, and dislikes, and a personality and a body. Swing dancing isn't like you because I can take lessons in swing dancing. I can put it into musical counts and study it on a paper. You're both more real and more ethereal than swing dancing. You're more beautiful and more falible.  The nights I spend dreaming about swing dancing, I don't wake up feeling vaguely lost and lonely.


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