Introduction to Swing Dancing  Peter Renzland 416 323-1300 http://dancing.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SWING is Jazz Music.  LINDY HOP is the African-American Jazz Dance from the
ballrooms of Harlem.  It is related to the Black Bottom and the Charleston.
Lindy Hop feels *very* different in partner connection, musicality and style
from modern dances (such as 50's Rock'N'Roll "Jitterbug", ECS, Jive, WCS and
Hustle, which may be danced to Jump, Rock, Disco, C&W, R&B, and Pop music).
Swing music has a strong flow, not a hard beat.  It never rushes or pushes.
The music and the dance are solid, joyful, gentle, and wild.  Bands:  Webb,
Lunceford, Basie, Armstrong, Calloway, Waller, Hampton, Ellington, Elliott.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
CONNECTION WITH THE MUSIC -- Music is the key!  Dancers and dance musicians
  inspire each other.  Feel.  Play.  Improvise.  Syncopate.  Rhythm in your
  bones.  Music has flavour and breathes; dance the music, not just the beat.
  Down/Up Beat;  8 beat Miniprase;  32/48 beat Phrase;  4 phrase Chorus.
CONNECTION WITH YOUR PARTNER -- Move together in harmony, without force.  Pay
  attention to partner.  Feel the music together.  Don't grip partner's hand
  or collapse arms.  Don't rush.  Lead gently, (cl)early, with your entire
  being; look after your partner.  Follow directly - feel, don't look/think.
  Contact zones.  Carry own weight & balance.  Hands fwd.  Rf fwd, Lf around.
CONNECTION WITH THE UNIVERSE (Posture, Style, Floorcraft, Etiquette,Attitude)
  Low, natural, relax all joints: ankles, knees, hips, elbows.  Smile!  Step
  on balls of feet, never on heels, never lean back, focus forward, boutre'
  back, use arms, back solid, shoulders open, eyes level.  Dance tall, don't
  slouch.  Music swings - not upper body.  Keep feet close to the floor and
  under your own hips.  Small steps, Respect other dancers.  Share the dance
  floor.  Listen to the music, then ask.  DON'T YANK OR JERK OR CRANK YOUR
  PARTNER.  DON'T PUSH OR PULL - INVITE.  NEVER PULL, ROCK, OR BACK AWAY FROM
  PARTNER; ALL ROCKS ARE LED; NEVER KICK OR JUMP WHEN CROWDED; KEEP IT SMALL;
  STAY OFF HEELS; NO AERIALS ON THE SOCIAL DANCE FLOOR; DANCING IS NOT STEPS!
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
STEPS   (Boyz start Left, Grrls Right)
  kick-hitch  tap-tap; Step-Step  Twist-Twist  Rock-Step  kick=Ball-Change;
  Step-(lift) kick-Step (tap)-Step; Tri=Ple-Step;   Out-Out-In-In;
RHYTHM PATTERNS: LIN-DY-HOP (123-567-);  I LOVE LIN-dy HOP (1 2 3&4 5 6 7&8)
RHYTHM CHORUS                                      ,            , ,        , 
SS S- SS S-  SS S- SS S-  kS kS kS kS  Sl Sl Sl Sl \_@_      {)/  \@    {)/  
SS kS SS kS  SS kS SS kS  kS kS kS kS  Sl Sl Sl Sl  \ /\_._,<_/   /\_._,<_\  
SS SS SS Sl  SS SS SS Sl  SS Sl SS Sl  Sl Sl Sl Sl   \      /_\  /\      /_\ 
kS kS kh kS  kS kS kh kS  kh kS kh kS  kS kS kS kS   /)    /(   '  )     (  `
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Teaching notes follow.  Take what you can use and leave the rest.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DEMO CHORUS	  Swingout         Sidecar      Shorty-Slow	George-Fast
 (typical)	  Tuckout	   TexTomQuiStp	Suzy-Q		Minne-Dip
		  Back Charleston  Half Turn	Windmill Turn	Split Jump
		  Carleston	   Happy Charl.	Frog Setup	Frog Jump
PRIMER CHORUS	  Open Messaround  Boogie-back	Boogie-forward	He-goes-closd
(being taught)	  Flip-walk	   Flip-walk	Flip-flop	Happy
		  Jig-saw=kSkSkhkS Jig-saw	khkSkhkS	kSkSkSkS
		  Swingout	   Swinout	Swingin (LC)	Mess-around
MINUTES  SONGS	  30-75 Min Lindy Hop Intro - Use medium tempo regular music
 3-6	1-2  1-2  demo (Demo Chorus, Primer Chorus), intro talk
 6-12   2-4  1-2  Warmup Chorus: S- SS; SS(fwd/bwd); T- TT; kS  
 9-18   3-6  1-2  Intro  Chorus: bb bf; khkhkhkS; khkSkhkS; ma itch ma shimmy
 9-27   3-9  2-3  Rhythm Chorus: SSS-,kS,b;  SSkS,kS,b; sq,fotl,b; js,ch,kS
12-33   4-11 0-2  apart:  boogie (fwd,back); mess-around; itch; shimmy =IC1,4
15-39   5-13 0-2  open:   twisty turn; twistaround; he goes under [she goes]
18-45   6-15 0-2  closed: SSkS; RSkS; flip-flop=RSkSRSkS; flip-walk=RSKSKSKS
21-51   7-17 1-2  closed: Rhythm Chorus
24-57   8-19 1-2  charleston; happy charleston; [kick-thru; roll-away]
27-69   9-23 2-4  closed lindy turn (S-,SS,kS,kh,Sl,123-,roll,TPS?,SO,SI,RS) 
30-75  10-25 1-2  wind-down, follow-up talk, practice
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~990226