The Dance Primer

I’ve seen it in so many places. Open embrace vs. close embrace, classic vs. alternative, “Savoy” vs. “Hollywood.” Several years ago, in the swing world, it was pretty bad. There were strict “Savoy” folks, and strict “Hollywood” folks, and they didn’t get along very well.

So what am I talking about and why does it matter to a new dancer anyway?

I’m talking about getting caught up in the idea that there is one good or right styling for a given dance, and that other styling are no good. This is a poisonous idea to get in your head when you’re first learning a dance.

Let’s say you’re taking Lindy Hop lessons, and your teacher is explaining that you gotta have a bounce in your step. You need your weight to be forward, on your toes. You need to swivel when you come in on the first part of your basic swing out. Don’t forget to do a little arm wave at the end, too. When I first started learning Lindy Hop, it seemed like that was what everyone was teaching. I saw dance clips from Hellzapoppin‘ and other movies spotlighting Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers or the Congaroos. I thought it was the only way to do it.

Then, after giving all these specific stylings, the teachers would say “make the dance your own,” “get creative,” or “let the music tell you what to do.” I thought they just meant you should come up with different moves to fit the music.

When I first saw a clip of Dean Collins dancing, it seemed like an entirely new world opened up to me. I saw people doing swingouts that would glide instead of bounce. The swivels at the beginning were totally different. What they were doing wasn’t at all what I was taught as the “right way” to Lindy Hop. But I *really* liked what they were doing.

Soon I learned there was a wide divide between those who danced Frankie Manning’s “Savoy” stylings and those who danced Dean Collin’s “Hollywood” stylings. It was a bit mind numbing. People would inquire before asking me to dance, “do you do Hollywood, or Savoy?” Then they would decide whether or not to ask me to dance depending on the answer I gave. (My answer, by the way, was “whatever you’re leading.”)

Those who were caught up in these Style Wars completely missed the point… and I don’t remember what solved the problem, but this particular style war doesn’t exist (to my knowledge) anymore today. What they missed was that it was totally ok that Frankie Manning and Dean Collins styled their Lindy Hop differently. For that matter, so did everyone else. Dancing just like Frankie, or dancing just like Dean missed out on a big part of what the dance was all about.

It’s supposed to be personal. Individualized. Yours. Joe should style his dance to look like Joe. Jack should dance like Jack. Advanced dancers get that.

So when you’re learning the dance, be careful not to try to look exactly like your mentor/idol/teacher (unless they want you to just for a certain exercise). You need to find what works best for your own body. How does the music speak to you?

I always felt silly doing big ol’ switches coming in, and especially doing a little arm wave. My knees really started to complain about bouncing. I’ve had some dancers claim I dance “Hollywood” style, and others tell me “you’re definitely Savoy.” But you know what, I don’t know and I don’t care. I dance. I enjoy dancing. I try to find a fun balance between matching my partner’s stylings and doing what feels really good to me. That’s a big part of this whole adventure.

Are there Style Wars in your dance scene? How do you get past them?