Did I mention that I love to dance? Oh, right, I have done that once or twice. Well, on the 22nd of November last year, Mr. Riley and I went to our first Lindy Hop lesson and I got hooked. Immediately. Completely. Joyfully.
To celebrate my first Lindy anniversary, I decided that I would have 7 days of dance... a whole week with at least some dancing every day. Fortunately, the Sheffield Lindy scene accidentally conspired to help me with this mission by hosting their first mini-exchange, the Sheffield Winter Warmer.
Day 1 The Winter Warmer was 3 days of beautiful dancing, starting on Friday 16th November with a Blues taster class by Green City Blues at the Shakespeare on Gibraltar Street. I hadn't managed to get to any of their previous events, despite being intrigued by blues dancing. What I discovered is that, like with many dances, if you have a good lead, blues is lovely. However (and this is a BIG however), because the hold is so close it can feel a bit uncomfortable and awkward and embarrassing if the lead isn't good. The pub had booked the Natchez Burning Blues Band as part of their Beer and Music Festival. Honestly, the organisers of the Winter Warmer could not have booked a better band if they had done it themselves. They played a mixture of Lindy-esque Rock 'n' Roll and Blues and us dancers completely took over the room. One thing that I have noticed in the last year is that bands do love to see people dance to their music.
In the evening there was a social dance at St. Vincent's on Solly Street. The Winter Warmer was not just for fun, but also for raising some money for Shelter and Movember, so there were many, many moustaches on display. The night started well for me, but I ended up having one of those occasional nights where I go through a bit of a crisis of confidence. I assume that this happens to most dancers, and it has definitely become less frequent the longer I have been dancing, but still the logical part of my brain occasionally loses the battle of 'why would anyone want to dance with me?', so I don't ask people to dance, and probably don't look massively approachable, so don't get asked to dance. Unfortunately, I was also sitting next to someone who got asked to dance about 150 times (actually, it was more like 10) whilst I wasn't asked at all, which just made me feel worse, so I decided that I would sneak out just before the end and head home early. The rest of the guys went on to the Red House on Solly Street, and by all accounts had a huge amount of fun there.
Day 3 On Sunday there was a tea dance at the Community Centre on Fir Street in Walkley. My confidence issue of the previous night had completely passed (honestly, hormones have a lot to answer for), and I had a wonderful time dancing with everyone. My favourite dances go to Emma for Baby Driver and to Danny/Dave for some stealing action during my favourite track to dance to, Love Me or Leave Me. Not, of course, that I didn't completely enjoy every other dance I had, they just happened to be the ones that really stuck in my mind! I still can't dance with anyone else to 'Baby Can Dance' by Carsie Blanton. It was our first dance at our wedding, and it means so much to me now that I just want to keep that memory exactly the way it is. Plus, as it was pointed out, there are probably all sorts of legal issues and I might end up finding myself married to somebody else if I danced to it with them, so it probably is just best to sit it out and have a little reminisce about my favourite ever dance with my husband.
I left the tea dance and missed the evening activities due to wanting to spend some time with Mr. Riley. Sometimes it can feel like we haven't seen each other for ages due to his shifts and my hobbies (hobbies? I mean dancing!), so we try and make the most of it when we do have an evening off together.
I would just like to say that the Sheffield Lindy Hop and Blues people did a fantastic job organising the Winter Warmer. It had a lovely, relaxed atmosphere and, crisis of confidence aside, I enjoyed every bit of it and am already looking forward to the next one.
Day 4 I decided to try the Steel City Swing Lesson on the Monday. I hadn't made it there yet, mainly because Mr. Riley has the car on Mondays and almost always works in the evening. From where I live, Heeley is a 10 minute drive, but a 50 minute walk or a 50 minute bus journey, and I struggle to spare that amount of time on a week night. This time, however, I managed to get myself a lift. The Monday class is very different to Sue's Wednesday class, but they seem to complement each other well. Craig and Emma took us through some positional stuff in the 'technique' class, getting the Leads to aim their Texas Tommies, Swing Outs and other related moves so that the Follow ends up in a specific place... thereby able to utilise a space on a crowded dance floor. In the 'fundamentals' class, which is the one for beginners, I tried leading for the first time. Wow, you have to THINK when you're leading, and that takes a bit of getting used to .What I liked about this class was that you are encouraged to make your own decisions when dancing rather than just following a routine, and this in turn will help on the social dance floor. It's not until you start social dancing that you really start learning how to dance, but it can be very intimidating at first. My advice is to just get out there and give it a go. Sometimes whisky helps.
After the class we all went for a drink and talked about hairy legs,sperm donors and sanitary products.
Day 5 Not yet having danced outside of Sheffield, I decided to mosey over the snake pass and head to Manchester for their Tuesday night lesson, followed by a little bit of social dancing. Mr. Riley had an unexpected day off, and suggested that he come with me, so we had ourselves a little road trip.
Normally when we decide to go somewhere new we get completely lost and I end up crying and stressy and horrible, but this time we found our way without any trouble at all. Manchester Lindy's venue is the Freemasons Hall. The first class was for Intermediates and we went over some footwork variations, which is my next challenge. When I watch other people dance, the Follows that I really pay attention to are those that do lovely things with their feet, like kick ball changes and little twisty things, and I can never seem to make them fit and then end up on the wrong foot when I try. It was really helpful to go over that in the class, and I'm going to make a real effort to put some variations in on the social dancefloor. I kept half an eye on Mr. Riley, because he has never danced in a class where you change partners, but whenever I looked over he was smiling and seemed to be really enjoying himself. The beginner's class came afterward, and I chose to Lead again while Mr. Riley sat it out. We did some 6-beat footwork, with tuck turns,changing places and bringing back in. I'm starting to find it really interesting to feel how different people follow. Some just don't, because they know what's coming. Some try to, but have no tension at all. Some are so solid and tense it feels like there's nothing to work with (and they must be giving themselves sore shoulders). And it's really lovely to get someone who get the balance of tension and looseness right, who waits for your lead and who ends up where you put them. After the class, which was shorter than Sheffield classes leaving more time for social dancing, I even got to have a dance with my lovely husband, which we haven't really done since the wedding. He's so good, it drives me crazy that he doesn't realise it. He did, however, seem much more comfortable in Manchester with people he doesn't know, and I wouldn't be surprised if we head over with some regularity now. We'll have to find somewhere cheaper to park though.
Day 6 I have a Spanish class on a Wednesday until 8.45, but I hot-footed it down to Solly Street to catch the last half of the improver's class and the whole of the intermediate class. I like coming in half way through improver's, because it really tests my following ability. Having not learnt the routine from the start I need a good lead to quickly get me up to speed, so I guess it also tests their leading ability. Both classes this week were challenging, but I managed to throw in a kick-ball-change or two from Tuesday's Manchester class which made me smile. After a full day of work, 3 hours of frustrating Spanish class and then an hour and a half of challenging dance I was ready to go straight home and not do my normal divert to Rev de Cuba for their swing night, so sadly missed Tessa Smith playing, but I bet you any money she was as lovely as ever.
Day 7 This was my Lindy Birthday, and what better way to spend it than withour first teacher, Mike Tate. He teaches a free class at Rev de Cuba in Manchester on a Thursday for their 'Swing Revolution' night (the Sheffield version of this, also with Mike, is on a Wednesday), so once again I ventured back over the Pennines after work. Unfortunately, Mr.Riley was working so couldn't come with me, but Lindyers are so lovely that it doesn't matter if you're on your own, you soon have someone to talk to. The venue is massive, and the dancing was downstairs in a bar that really should have been dark, smoky and playing dirty blues music. However, thanks to the smoking ban, we had enough air in our lungs to dance. I arrived just as Mike's lesson started so joined in with that then stayed for a couple of hours afterwards as well. After the lesson there is a live band (all this is for free!), and this week it was Swingamathing. They have played at Sheffield Rev de Cuba a number of times, so I knew what to expect - fast, fun and long songs to dance to. I've said it before, but there can hardly be a better work-out than a night on the Lindy dance floor. I even put my two leading lessons to good use and led Sarah... I think I need some more practice though!
And that's it. I have completed my Seven Days of Dance and have now been Lindy Hopping for a whole year, and hope to be dancing for many,many more years to come. A huge thank you to everyone who has been part of it, all my new friends, the people that work so hard to put on such brilliant events, the Sheffield Winter Warmer monkeys, Steel City Swing, Manchester Lindy, The Dance Co., Tim at Rev de Cuba, Mike for getting me started, Sue for keeping me going, and to every single person who has danced with me in between. Here's to the next year... I have a feeling it's going to be a good one!
If you are tempted, details of Sheffield and Manchester lessons are below, or google 'Lindy Hop + your city' to find some in your area. To read why I think everyone should try it, go here.
DETAILS OF SHEFFIELD LESSONS:
Look for Lindy Hop Sheffield on Facebook for loads of information about classes, socials and related dance events. If you have any questions feel free to get in touch by leaving a comment on here or on Twitter (@MrsWickie) and I'll do my best to answer or at least put you in touch with someone who can.
Mondays:
Steel City Swing
Fundamentals: 20:30 - 21:15
The Everyone Centre (next to Heeley Bath)
Broadfield Road
S8 0XQ
£4 (£3 conc) per class
You can find Steel City Swing on Facebook
Tuesday:
University of Sheffield Swing Dance Society
Beginners: 20:00 - 21:00
Arts Tower Lecture Theatre 1
£4 for non-members, £2 for members, membership costs just £6 and lasts the academic year
You can find the SU Swing Dance Society on Facebook
£5(£4 conc) for 1 class/ £6(£5 conc) for 2 or more classes
Thursdays: SHU Swing!
Beginners: 19.00/19.30 The Hubs/ St. Vincent's Social Club (check details before you go as the venue/ start times currently vary) £3 per class You can find SHU Swing! on Facebook
DETAILS OF MANCHESTER LESSONS:
Look for Manchester Lindy on Facebook for more information about classes etc.
Tuesdays:
Beginners: 20:30 - 21:00
Freemason's Hall
Bridge Street (off Deansgate)
M3 3BT
REV DE CUBA - SWING REVOLUTION: Free lesson with Mike from about 8.30, followed by a live swing band. Wednesday's in Sheffield Thursday's in Manchester
When I talk to people about dancing, a lot of them say 'oh, I can't dance'. Well, you know what? I don't believe them. I couldn't drive a car until I had some lessons, but I can now. You wouldn't be reading this unless someone had taught you how to read. Jess Ennis wouldn't have won an Olympic gold without practice. Why would dancing be any different?
If you can tap your foot in time to the music, or find yourself walking down the street to the beat of the song on your MP3 Player, I'm going to hazard a guess and say that if you wanted to, you could dance. I'm not for one second suggesting that everyone in the world can hear the beat in a song, but for everyone who can, dancing is little more than putting a bit more weight on your foot than a tap and moving in time.
As mine and Mr Riley's first Lindy Hop* anniversary approaches on the 22nd of November, I thought it would be a good time to put down some of my thoughts about why everyone should at least try some form of dance, and why partner dancing is so much easier than getting up on a dancefloor in a club and strutting your stuff without feeling like a tit.
Mr. Riley and me and our first dance at the
wedding busting some Tandem Charleston moves!
A good friend of mine told me recently that Lindy Hop isn't a hobby, it's a way of life. Once you start, it grabs you and it's not long before you're practicing your steps to any swingable music you hear, or whilst out walking the dog, or when you're waiting for the bus. In fact, the music is one of the great things about swing dancing. I mean, who doesn't love Frank Sinatra? If the girls on X Factor could sing like Ella Fitzgerald, then maybe it would be worth watching. But don't for one second think that you have to go back to decades gone by to find Lindyable music. In Sheffield we have had a dedicated Lindy night for 'alternative' tunes… think ska, hip hop, punk, rock, pop. Be warned, there are two schools of thought on this one. Some folks think that swing dancing should be done purely to swing music. However, what I think Sheffield tried to do was get across that music can cross genres. Who's to say that a punk song can't swing, or that you can't demonstrate an excellent Charleston to Goldie Lookin' Chain. All these dances have developed by people trying out different things to different music, so maybe this is one way to keep it current. One of the first Lindy socials that I went to, King's of Leon's Sex on Fire was played and I looked up, not expecting many people to be on the dance floor, only to see almost everyone up, with massive smiles on their faces. And this was on a Sunday afternoon at a TEA DANCE! Needless to say, there is some versatility to Lindy Hop. You can pull the moves out of the bag at almost any night out.
Possibly the cutest dance EVER to Jason Mraz's
'I'm Yours'
The people. That's another great thing about dancing. You meet new people. A couple of years ago I remember thinking how hard it was to make new friends once you hit adulthood and leave full time education. But it's not true. All you have to do is get out there and join something sociable. SHWI has been brilliant for that for me, but what about something for the boys? DANCING! That's how you meet new people. It doesn't matter if it's lindy, salsa, tango or jive you will meet new people. I may be a little biased, but the Lindy crowd are really, really lovely. A real mix of ages, backgrounds, humour, style, there really is someone for everyone. I don't want to make it sound like a dating agency, because I am talking about friendship here. Then, once you get hooked (which you will), there are dances and exchanges in cities all round the country, where you can meet even more people. It is a real community that stretches not just city-wide, but nationally, and now that Mr. Riley and I have the wedding out of the way I will be able to participate in more and more of these. I can't wait!
Vikki & Craig at Edinburgh Lindy Exchange.
Photo courtesy of Roseweir Photography
That brings me nicely on to travel. Lindy doesn't just happen in the UK. There are international events as well, where you can do workshops and learn from some of the best dancers in the world. Loads of European countries have Lindy communities, and then you can go further afield as well, to America, Canada and/or Australia. (I keep forgetting about salsa... the same applies, but you get Latin America, you lucky things!)
I now dance several times a week, and it really is great exercise. When you break it down, it's basically interval training, the gold standard of cardiovascular exercise. You see, what happens is this: You dance for a song or two and your heart rate goes up, then you sit down for a song and let your heart rate drop a little, and then you get up again, and dance a fast track, followed by a slow track, followed by a fast track and then another sit down. And this you do for 1, 3, maybe even 5 hours at a social. I bet you don't stay in the gym that long. And talking of the gym, have you ever been halfway through a workout and thought, 'wow, Icould really do with a beer right now'. Guess what, with dancing you can drink while exercising. Although you tend not to drink as much, and there's quite often cake.
The final thing that I really want to mention is how happy I am when I dance, and how much this has rubbed off on my every day life. You see, it's not just your physical health that dancing is good for, but your mental health as well. I can't begin to explain the joy I feel when I follow a good lead, or nail a Texas Tommy, or get into tandem Charleston without standing on my partner's feet. Importantly, however, it is also fun when a move doesn't go quite right. In fact, in Lindy, there is no such thing as a mistake, there are only variations, and that is an excellent motto to apply to life. It's funny when you get things wrong. I've heard tales of girls accidentally putting their fingers up boys noses coming out of a turn, and I myself have been subject to a full on boob grab when I finished a spin slightly further to the left than anticipated. The dance floor is full of smiles and laughter. It's ace.
The lovely Matt from Manchester and me at Sheffield's Speakeasy.
Photo courtesy of Music Gone Ape Photography
Now that I've perhaps raised your interest, even just a little, you'll be wanting to know what you need to get started. Well, you don't need much. You don't even need a partner. A lesson is a good start. Try searching 'Lindy Hop + your city' on Google to find details of local classes. For Sheffield people, you can go to classes on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and/or Thursdays if you want (details below). On top of that, there is social dancing most weekends in Sheffield, and you don't have to go too far to find some in another city if you need more. In terms of clothing, something loose and comfortable is a good start. You can get quite warm when dancing, so you don't want to be wearing woolly jumpers. In terms of footwear, again you want something comfortable and that doesn't have too much grip. I prefer to dance in flat shoes rather than heels, especially at lessons.
Please don't be put off if you find dancing on your own in clubs uncomfortable. I still do. In fact, I think at the moment I'm worse than I was before, because I'm so used to dancing with someone that I've forgotten what to do when I'm on my own. But that's what solo charleston workshops are for, right?
Try a lesson. In fact, go to more than one so that you start getting the hang of it. Chat to the other dancers. Go to the socials. If you feel nervous, bring a friend along. You'd be surprised at just how quickly you learn enough moves to look like the best dancer in the world to people who don't dance.
Charleston Taster Session for my hen do
DETAILS OF SHEFFIELD LESSONS:
Look for Lindy Hop Sheffield on Facebook for loads of information about classes, socials and related dance events. If you have any questions feel free to get in touch by leaving a comment on here or on Twitter (@MrsWickie) and I'll do my best to answer or at least put you in touch with someone who can.
Mondays:
Steel City Swing
Fundamentals: 20:30 - 21:15
The Everyone Centre (next to Heeley Bath)
Broadfield Road
S8 0XQ
£4 (£3 conc) per class
You can find Steel City Swing on Facebook
Tuesday:
University of Sheffield Swing Dance Society
Beginners: 20:00 - 21:00
Arts Tower Lecture Theatre 1
£4 for non-members, £2 for members, membership costs just £6 and lasts the academic year
You can find the SU Swing Dance Society on Facebook
£5(£4 conc) for 1 class/ £6(£5 conc) for 2 or more classes
Thursdays: SHU Swing!
Beginners: 19.00/19.30 The Hubs/ St. Vincent's Social Club (check details before you go as the venue/ start times currently vary) £3 per class You can find SHU Swing! on Facebook
We travelled 1st class again up to Milan, and then just used a machine to get the tickets up to Stresa. I have to say that public transport in Italy does seem pretty straightforward. We had a bit of time to kill before our train, so we went to a horrible canteen thing and had a slice each of pizza with chips on. Yes, the chips were actually on the pizza. And it was cold. And really unpleasant. Still, you have to have at least one horrific meal, right?
We checked into our hotel, the Hotel Villa Mon Toc, which was 5 minutes from the train station. We then went to explore the town and find some food. We decided to have... burgers! It may not have been the most traditional Italian meal, but it was better than pizza with chips on, and actually they were really good. We had noticed in one of the tourist leaflets the hotel had given us that there was a bar called Willy's Cocktail Bar that had live jazz every Thursday, so we went there but it turned out that we were just out of jazz season and there was no music. We stayed for a drink or two and then popped back to the main bit of town for some food. We chose La Botte randomly, and had a really excellent meal with great service. In fact, Mr. Riley said later that he would quite happily go back there every night for the rest of our stay. Praise indeed. To finish off the evening we went to a little bar called Caffe Savoy for a nightcap.
I had a rubbish night's sleep that night so we had a lazy morning. We pottered around a local market and then had some bacon and eggs. Mr. Riley went out to find a boat to play on the lake whilst I had a bit of a sleep, but he came back unsuccessful. After lunch (another burger!) we walked to the Parco della Villa Pallavicino, which is Botanical and Zoological gardens. It was a lovely place, and you actually get in with the animals. Not that they have lions or things that can kill you, but goats and deer and stuff. Walking back to town we stopped for a game of crazy golf, which I won. Of course.
That night we chose one of the many restaurants near the centre and went back to the Caffe Savoy for a drink. As we left we walked past two guys playing old rock 'n' roll tracks on guitars outside a pub, and as we walked past an old guy from the audience had got up and was tap dancing with them. He was ace! I would LOVE to learn how to tap dance. And I would LOVE to have the nerve to get up in front of that many people and just do it. He got a bigger round of applause than the musicians.
We arrived in Florence and walked the short distance from the train station to our hotel, Soggiorno Sogna Firenze on Via Delle Porte Nuove. When we checked in we were thrilled to find that our room was the only one with direct access to a little patio area on the roof. Mr. Riley went out for a bit of an explore whilst I had a siesta. When he got back he was pretty excited about what he had seen, so we wandered into town and had some food in the main square. We had no idea how to get back to the hotel as we had walked a fairly circuitous route into the centre, but kept walking down the road we happened to be on and ended up at the right place, just at the point that I was thinking we should turn round and try a different direction. Sometimes you just have to keep on plodding on and stick to your original decisions I guess.
The next morning when we woke up it was raining heavily. Mr Riley was pretty grumpy and wanted to go home on the basis that we could sit inside in Sheffield, but at least he'd be able to understand the TV. Fortunately for us, my wedding vows had included ignoring his morning grump, so I chose not to pack our bags just yet and instead go for breakfast. By the time we had eaten, showered and left the hotel, the sky was already clearing. We walked along the river, over Ponte Vecchio and then decided to go for ice cream at the Gelateria dei Neri, which had been recommended to us by a uni friend of mine who had spent many years as a tour guide in Europe. I have to say it was pretty damn good. I had stracciatella (kind of like chocolate chip ice cream I guess) and amaretto & peach, which was beautiful.
