As usual, I'm joining into this conversation "unfashionably" late. If these thoughts don't seem as inspired as previous messages, it's because my Writing Muse has taken a temporary leave of absence. I'm daring to express my opinions SOLO, without her gentle guiding hand. Wish me luck.
Michael, wooowww! I didn't know you had all these thoughtful insights brewing in your head. Maybe you're the one who's kidnapped my Writing Muse. Anyway, I agree with everything you think, feel and instinctively know about this dance (nods to you, o eloquent one). The music, the challenge, the communication, the joy, the people...ditto, ditto, ditto! It's hard to know how to add anything to what you've said. That's probably why there have been no insightful posts after yours (sorry, Shawn). Anyhow, in the true spirit of an "essay" (Latin for "to try"), I will try to do my best.
Frankie Manning talks about each dance being a 3-minute love affair (or more accurately, love triangle) between you, your partner and the music. "Which do you love the best?" he would often say. In retrospect, the quest to comprehend the nature of this love triangle, the Lindy Holy Trinity, has been my impetus to spend countless dollars and hours studying this dance. It is one of the keys to understanding my obsession with the Hop.
The quest is a three-part journey beginning with the first link of the Lindy Trinity, yourself. Any kind of dance will bring up body issues about yourself, particularly for men. We have to look like we've got it together, before we do anything in public. But being a beginner in Lindy, or any dance form, involves a certain amount of looking foolish, making mistakes and goofing up. Those that have picked up the dance quickly, in general, don't mind making fools of themselves. Secondly, unlike musicians, your instrument is your body. You can't hide behind a drum or a saxophone. You are vulnerable (body hang-ups, rhythmic dorkhood and all) for the world to see. I like to think of dance as the Great Equalizer. It doesn't matter how much money you have or what clothes you wear (oops, maybe for some of you it does), the impression you make depends solely on how your boogie to the beat.
While the first part of the journey involves wrestling the issues of body self-esteem, rhythm and footwork, the second part of the journey involves learning how to relate to and dance with another person, your partner. Even with all the playing around, Lindy is still primarily a partner dance. Learning how to lead didn’t come easily for me, as with any dancer who is used to moving on his own and creating his own momentum. I don’t think I was able to lead a good swing out until just a few months ago. The fact that you are connected to another person just changes the whole physics of it all.
I could go on and on about the importance of developing connection in the Hop, but suffice it to say, it is a never ending challenge to not only play with the physical forces created by dancing with another, but also deal with the fact that you’re dancing with another living, breathing organism with an equal sense of will and self-determinism. The famous scientist, Gregory Bateson, founded the burgeoning field of cybernetics to better explain complex social systems, because unlike the classical social models based on the Newtonian physics of inanimate objects, social systems involve very animate objects with perhaps conflicting and contradictory objectives and points of view.
Oops, my scientific "shadow" side slipped out for a moment, let me put him back in his cage. Ok, there. Now where were we. Oh yes. In practical terms, an important road on my journey to leaderhood was to learn how to listen and respond to the follower, to find out how she likes to move and play, and to give up single-minded control over where I thought the dance was going to go. I know it’s hard, guys, to give up control, but the sheer adventure of the unexpected is well worth it.
Which leads me to the third and final part of the quest, the music. What attracted me to this dance was not the fashion, not the scene, not even the friendly people, it was the music…good, soulful jazz music. I’ve always loved jazz music, but when I found out that you could dance to it, I was hooked! At the heart of jazz music and Lindy is the African aesthetic of improvisation. This is what Lindy has in common with Salsa (another Afro-inspired dance) and what sets it apart from the other European partner dances. The word "jazz" is rooted in the Congolese slang for "making love". When you make love, you don’t go through the same sequence of motions or steps every time. You improvise, see how she feels, respond by moving more quickly or by slowing down. In short, you’re continually adjusting and responding to each new ever-changing moment.
My goal in dancing Lindy is to gain enough mastery over my technique and leading skills so that I can "make love" with my partner, so that I can respond and adjust to any sudden changes in my partner’s steps or in the music. Every dance become a new adventure with a new partner and a new song. What keeps me addicted to Lindy are those fleeting "perfect moments", those glimpses of when I am able to put my ego aside, transcend the technique and the steps, and fully become one with my partner and the music. It’s a Holy Union. After such dance, I honestly cannot even remember what I did or lead. All that remains is a feeling of joy and gratefulness for being alive and sharing that moment. With practice, patience, and an ever-opening heart, I hope to approach every dance as if it had a "perfect moment" waiting to be revealed and savored.
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By Charlie Yi on Thursday, April 29, 1999 - 09:19 am: Edit
. Lindy gives me that warm feeling - the same one I get when I wear my favorite overalls and put my hair up in pigtails. And because of this dance I have come to really enjoy big band music and started wanting to learn more about the era. And Nancy was absolutely correct about the shoes! 
