The Dance Primer

I had the opportunity to speak with Dax Hock about his dancing. I was impressed by his intellectual approach to things, as well as how easily he shares what he’s learned. If you get the chance to learn from Dax, I would highly recommend him.

What’s your biggest tip for beginner dancers?

Be persistent in your learning and do a lot of social dancing. Also, dance as much as possible with the advanced dancers (I know it’s scary, but it is the quickest route to becoming a better dancer). Find inspiration, meet people, make friends, and dive in! People who are hooked get better! Also, as you improve, traveling to different dance scenes can mix things up and be inspirational. Overall the more you dance the better you’ll get!

It is also important to realize there’s lots of learning sources, from social dancing, DVD’s, local classes, workshops and YouTube videos. Just get out there and be persistent and if you are looking to seriously improve, try setting a goal and work to achieve it. The more you are involved in the social scene, the dance, and the community, the more you will get out of the the experience.

Speaking of goals, what kind of goals do you have right now for your dancing?

I’m trying to make happen in my physical body what I imagine in my mind is possible with dancing. In other words, after 10 years I have developed this idea in my head of how amazing dancing can be; rhythmically, creatively, stylistically, musically, connectionisticly*, etc. I’m constantly striving to accomplish these things and pushing to reach that limit while keeping it pure lead and follow!

That’s great. That’s a really good answer because that’s the type of goal that even a beginner can have, and not just something like “my goal is to go win this competition.” So that’s a good example. Thanks.

I would say… This is my big thing. Whenever I teach a workshop I ask my students if they want to get better at dancing, and of course the answer is yes. That is usually why they’re in the class. And then I ask them “so what is dancing?” And many have trouble really answering the question. I then like to ask, “how do you expect to get better at something if you don’t even know what it is?” I think people spend far too little time thinking about dancing. For example, what dancing actually is, what makes good dancing, and what differentiates it from “not as good” dancing? Why other people might be improving faster or having more fun? I guess the point I like to make to those interested in improvement is this….if you don’t really understand what something is you’re not going to be able to get much better at it. This goes for the dance as a whole or a concept as small as rhythm, leading, or a swing out.

When I teach, I like to provide answers to these questions in a way that physically relates to the body, that way you can practice it, instead of just think you know it. I think if you can’t break down dancing into physical things that you can practice you’re just gonna kind of wander around for a while a bit lost. Some people might get better naturally and other might struggle for a long time. But, it is like a mystery until you know what is it you’re trying to do.

When you look at swing dancing, it’s not like ballet where you need this perfect dancer’s body, or unnatural like ridiculous competition ballroom that is totally off the music. Swing is a very natural movement if you relax into the music and let your body move rhythmically. Swing was created and refined on the social dance floor, not in the ballroom in front of a mirror. That is what makes it feel so good! So if you’re not moving your body rhythmically and naturally it’s hard for me to say “that’s good dancing”, when for me it is resembles “movin’ around” tying to create shapes and footwork patterns that don’t really makes sense while music is playing in the background. In the end there is a lot of core elements you can focus on – but I think if people better understand the music, dance, and connection they will be able to make every social dance a positive learning experience. And RELAX. That’s the number one tip.

Relax?

Yup, because excess muscle tension causes our bodies to do every bad habit there is. We can’t balance, do footwork, maintain frame, move in rhythm, move in style and much more if we have unnecessary muscle tension in our body. It prevents us from being able to move naturally. I like to think everyone’s body wants to dance, at least when some good swing is playing, and all we have to do is JUST LET IT. In other words, be at your optimal point of relaxation at all times, and let your body do the rest!

This is the primary difference between the pros and everyone else. Of course it could be broken down into little specific things like, like foot work, arm stylings, variations, blah blah blah, but that is like viewing dance though a toilet paper roll and creating an endless list of things to fix.

What, for you personally, is the biggest challenge you’ve faced – or something you’ve overcome when it comes to dancing?

The biggest challenge for me was overcoming a back injury. I hurt my back really bad and herniated my L4 and L5 discs. I thought I wouldn’t be able to dance again which created a huge mental burden as well as a physical one. But I kept training, and stuck to the regime that my physical therapist gave me. Once I was able to start dancing again and use my back, it was a huge weight off my shoulders. I could have given up dance and just played on my computer, and pursued a musicians lifestyle, but thank the swing man I didn’t.

That’s sort of boring, so otherwise I would have to say that working on our last team routine, that the “Ninjammers” put together, was INSANE. It was physically the hardest routine I’ve ever done in my life, at least that I can recall. The 2003 US Open was a tough one, but mostly cause of my back injury that I mentioned earlier.

[Watch a video of the routine:]

In the long run, the main challenge has been constantly pushing my dancing and teaching forward. I constantly search for the next step towards developing and refining my ideas and theories to embrace all styles of good dancing. As a teacher I seek to increase students ability to understand what they see, how to use their body, and most of all; make more accessible this luscious level of Lindy, which only the top dancers get to enjoy. It’s just not fair otherwise All this has been a challenge but I have been blessed with the company of so many talented people who have helped me along the way.

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*Fantastic photography by Bryant Gover. Check out his website, and watch for his upcoming Lindy Hop Photography book!

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Meet some other Lindy Hoppers/Swing Dancers: Jojo Jackson, Naomi Uyama, and Kevin Wong