Today is a perfect day to followup my last post where I had a few people ask me, “What is Lindy Hop?”
Lindy Hop formally began in 1927 using elements from jazz, tap, breakaway, and Charleston; and evolved with jazz music to become what we see in early videos like the infamous Hellzapoppin:
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My first and primary hobby is swing dancing — or more specifically, Lindy Hop. There are plenty forms of dance that end up encapsulating “swing dancing”; from West Coast to East Coast; to Jive or Jitterbug; or even things like Charleston, Peabody, Fox Trot, and Turkey Trot; finally, there’s even a style of Ballroom Swing.
I think it’s great that a term can be used so widely and encompass such a large group with love for dancing. But sometimes it really screws things up, like when corporate moguls get the idea to cover a specific form of dancing and get it completely wrong.
Dancing with the Stars just recently aired an episode where the dancers performed the “Lindy Hop.” Except that nothing anyone did even remotely resembled the Lindy Hop. The best metaphor I can give is that this episode was like eating yogurt and calling it ice cream. Yea it’s food but it ain’t even frozen!
The worst part about how wrong Dancing with the Stars portrayed the Lindy Hop is that everyone I meet who learns or knows I’m a dancer always asks me, “Oh! Do you watch Dancing with the Stars?”
Think about it. What do they think now? What do you think now?
Emily’s and my witty little line has always been, “No, we actually dance.” But from now on, I don’t think I’ll be able to restrain myself from going on a tirade about how much this show absolutely sucks. I imagine they’ve bastardized other forms of dance but until now it has never affected me. It’s downright embarrassing.
Go ahead, watch if you dare… and if you’re a “swing dancer” please know I warned you!
I came to an interesting realization today: My two passions, lindy hop and bouldering, are relatively new hobbies in mainstream media. Both were emerging and gaining popularity just as I was in high school. Things that didn’t exist in my childhood like having a local climbing gym or a local dance scene (on certain levels the dance scene did exist but not as it does today) are something that would actually be accessible and cool to someone of age 16 today. I don’t doubt there were areas around the world that picked up on these cultures sooner than others but it makes me wonder about the future of my investment in both if they are so incredibly new. And if they are just a phase, they must be leading to bigger and better passions. But what could be better? I have no freaking clue!
Last night was the last swing dance at Austin Grill. They’ve decided to discontinue swing dancing in lieu of Monday Night Football. Needless to say, I’m very disappointed.
If you’ve ever been there dancing or ever wanted to, or have been dragged along by me and enjoyed your time there, now is the time to act. Send an email to Bill Duffy. Tell him how much you loved Austin Grill. Tell him how great it was. Tell him how you see the ads for dancing at Austin Grill in the papers ALL the time. Here’s what I said:
Hi Bill,
I just wanted to tell you how disappointed I was to hear Austin Grill decided to stop hosting swing dancing on Monday nights. I’ve been at Austin Grill nearly every Monday since March 14, 2005 when it first started and honestly can’t imagine what my life would be like without it. Honestly! I met my girlfriend there the week it started. I’ve made countless friends, including much of the bar staff. It is literally THE BEST reason to live in Baltimore. It was a wonderful and unique venue, the staff there has been incredibly supportive and friendly, and your food is awesome. I speak for many of my family and friends — Austin Grill will not be the same without it and we will all terribly miss this event.
Unfortunately, the decision has been made. Unless someones mind is changed, there is no more dancing at Austin Grill. We’re looking for other venues. We want one with a big floor, a parking lot, and a safe neighborhood.
And most unfortunately, this isn’t a good time for Dorry, Sommer, Emily, or me, or anyone who might actually be able to help rescue it.