Rick and I have gone up in the world! Now at level 2 of Lindy Hop at the Cheryl Burke School of Dance, we are starting to learn how to turn our disjointed steps into more of a fluid, connected routine. However, it’s not an exaggeration to say that the first week of level 2 was bit of a rude awakening… Level 1 and Level 1 plus were just so, comforting, so fun, so “we don’t know what the hell we’re doing yet, but hell, neither does anyone else”. We had a lot of fun, received a lot of critique (yes, it won’t surprise anyone that knows me to learn that i had a few problems learning how to be a good follower…), had a few arguments with each other (hmm, not really the intended effect, but there you go), and learnt some basic steps. At the end of seven weeks of hard graft, sore feet, and lots of bumping into each other and apologizing to anyone else we had the misfortune to dance with, we could do the basics.

I’m still not sure whether our teacher was just being kind when he told us that we were ‘ready’ for level 2. Two weeks in, and it’s now slightly less terrifying and horrifying, but we still leave after two hours thinking, “how did we manage to muddle our way through it??” Everyone else is just so good, we are always running to catch up. And when we heard we’d be doing moves called the ‘hammerlock’, and ‘saw-kicks’, I think we both wondered if we’d inadvertently stepped onto the set of Psycho, rather than onto a dancefloor.

To make matters worse, the classes are on a Monday night, from 7:45 – 9:30pm, which, after a nearly 12 hour day at work and no time for dinner, is a bit of a super-natural feat. Add in the fact that classes are in the middle of nowhere (otherwise known as Potrero Hill…), and that having no car of our own, we need a cab to get back home in one piece and before midnight, you might wonder why in the world we bother!

Well, it turns out that dancing isn’t just good for the body, it’s also very good for the soul. Talk about work/life balance, I’ll tell you that when you’re standing on one foot, grabbing onto your partner for dear life, and then executing a double turn for the first time, all to a very fast 8 count of music, there’s really NO room in your head for any work-related stress. In fact, there’s no room for anything else in your head. Period. Everything gets focused on the steps, the hold, the count, the rhythm, the technique, even the odd piece of flair! I’ve had multiple massages in my life, gone to a zen retreat and done hours of yoga, yet nothing has ever managed to still my mind quite as much as this. It’s total concentration first, followed by total performance (that point when actually manage to stop thinking about the steps and just dance, is quite a revelation), and for me, it’s become an essential and enjoyable way to switch off. I tend to relax most when i’m still engaged in doing something, preferably learning something new, and having fun while i’m doing it. So Lindy Hop is perfect for me. I’ve danced before, but never this style, so I have to un-learn old habits and focus on how i can continually improve and learn. Then I get to see the results pay off in the fundamental and elemental pleasure i get from the dancing itself. Strikes me as a rather good practice for other areas of my life too, both professional and personal. Focus, learn, improve, enjoy. Simple! 

So, if meditation, bending like a pretzel and being kneaded into a pulp just aren’t cutting it in the relaxation stakes, try cutting it on the dance floor instead. It’s a crappy movie, but the look of pure joy on Richard Gere’s face in “Shall We Dance”, when he masters a tricky ballroom move, is the same one i have plastered on every Monday night. And with moves like the ‘eggbeater’, ‘yump’ and ‘bellyslide’ promised in the coming months, it’s a sure bet that there’s more joy (or at least, confusion, followed by ‘no, i can’t do that’, followed by ‘ok i’ll try it’, followed by joy) in my Monday night future.

I haven’t even touched here on on the cool culture surrounding swing dance and Lindy Hop, not least, the fabulous styling that accompanies it. But i will, just as soon as i master that hammerlock… In the meantime, if you’re in San Francisco and want to know what all the fuss is about, check out this list of Lindy events, and enjoy this video of people doing it properly (i.e. our teacher!)

Lindy Hop

(Thanks to Boston College Lindy group for this great image!)