The Dance Primer

Here’s more of our interview with Naomi Uyama. In this part, she has some pretty inspiring things to say about performance and competition. Read on!

Amberlynn: So what’s the best thing you done to really improve you dancing?

Naomi: The most effective, or the more rewarding?

A: Both.

N: I really think the thing that helped me improve my dancing wasn’t necessarily the classes I took. (I teach workshops, and I don’t wanna be out of a job by saying workshops suck… I’d like to think that they don’t.) But, what helped me improve a lot was traveling or going to events where I got to dance with folks outside my limited scope of the scene. Dancing with people that kinda scared me because I thought they were really good.

Also what helped me a lot, without it being the intention, was choreographing or putting together pieces. Not so much that they made me win or anything, but to work ON something. It helped my skills improve. It’s just like a writer is a writer, and they can be the best writer in the world. But if they don’t actually work on a book they don’t have anything to sharpen their skills on. So I think - it’s not really about the book, it’s about the writing - but actually putting it to practice helped a lot. So when I started trying to choreograph things and put pieces together for performances or competition, it wasn’t really about how well they did, it was about working on something.

A: Yeah. So that leads me to ask; you do perform and compete a lot. You know, your name is out there as someone who does that. It’s probably easier on you now, but when you first started, how did you overcome nerves?

N: Yeah, I would get as nervous as anyone else performing in front of a bunch of people. I think there’s a bit to be said about that after a while you get kind of used to it. You know, it’s funny. I’m just starting to sing a little bit in front of people and I keep telling people I could dance in front of thousands of people and I wouldn’t care. But singing in front of people, I’m so nervous and scared. It’s not my comfort zone. So I think making yourself do it does help with the nerves.

And you’ve read this on my blog, so stop me if I’m repeating to much. But I think that what really clicked with me was when I made the realization that when I compete, people in the audience really want me to do well. They’re not JUST sitting back there. I think that really made a difference in how I felt about putting myself out there.

[Here is an excerpt from the blog post Naomi is referring to here:]

“Here it is: every single person out there wants you to do well. Aw hell, every single person out there wants you to have the dance of your life, to blow them away, to do better than you’ve ever done before! Now wait, I’m not preaching some lovey dovey stuff- that everyone is your mom or your number one fan, cause their support is actually selfish. Listen, no one sits down to watch a contest and says “Oo, the contest is about to start. I hope its really mediocre. I hope I don’t see anything new or exciting. I hope they get nervous and choke and I’m bored for the next 15 minutes”. They want you to do well for their own sake, because everyone wants to be inspired. Even the folks who would wish you ill secretly want you to kick ass. When you’re out there on the floor its not personal anymore. The crowd wants something, it desires and wishes for it. You are someone with the ability to give it to them. They want you to do well cause they want you to come out and show them what they are dying to see- … great. dancing.”

A: So why do you compete?

N: Well, you know, I feel that competition in the states is really the only forum Lindy Hoppers have for assembling a piece of art and then presenting it to other people. If they had weekends that were just performance weekends then it would be a different thing. But in the states, there really isn’t that performance venue. I think in Europe it’s a little bit more common for people to just perform, that’s why there are performance troupes like the Hot Shots. But in the states, if you have a team, then you’re a competition team.

There are such wonderful things to be said about putting things together, like how you asked how I improved. The actual practice of doing it is a really positive thing and if you put something together that people can watch and enjoy or hate, or you know, take or leave - you’re putting into practice something that you know is true about yourself. I think that’s a really great thing and it feels great to have people share that. I really do believe that you’re entitled to your actions, but never to the fruits of your actions. So you can put out a piece that you love, and it can get last place. So, competition is a funny beast. I mean, it’s a venue to perform but the outcome really has nothing to do with you.

So, I really enjoy performing. I feel really good after. I don’t think I’ve ever done a performance where afterward I feel like “oh, I regret that completely.”

The money doesn’t hurt either. Some people will say they want to compete to put their name out there, and I’m like “Oh really? I want to break even on this event. That would be great.” Who knows, that might be why anyone ever did their first Lindy Hop contest back in the day. I mean there weren’t international workshops to be hired for, so why did they enter? Someone was like, “gee, ya’ want $50? And if you can throw down, that would be cool.” Their friends came. They watched them. They got excited. Maybe because of the contest they made up a few new moves that they wouldn’t have if they didn’t have a reason to do so. And, they win $50. So, contests themselves are what they are.

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To contact Naomi to book her for teaching or performance gigs, you may contact her via email at japx2 at yahoo. Sorry, I would just make it an easy clicking link, but I don’t want her to get attacked by spam bots.