Yesterday, I had the fun to try out other dances than swing. After school, I ran into Aric Lee (Marianopolis College Alumni) who’s another dance devotee. I learned that besides break dance, he also knows salsa and and bunch of other stuff! Wicked! He was nice enough to teach a few other people and I some basic break dance moves. His friends and him made it look so easy! I got the chance to review the break dance basics I once learned in a crash course from my Lindy U course at Cat’s Corner. Break dance is such a demanding activity for the body! Plus, I am not very compatible with this style because of my lack of bold attitude, haha. Did you know that today’s street dances (break dance, hip hop, etc.) all have a common ancestor: Lindy Hop! When you’ve tried both, you really notice that there are some similar steps.
After that, there was a Jazz dance (more lyrical related) class given by Concordia University dance alumni student, Anika. She started off the class with some yoga stretches which were also very painful for my body though they did good to it. Jazz dance, in such contrast with break dance, is more elegant and lighter. The technique was obviously very different from break dancing and swing. And yet again, I was able to find a few similarities between Jazz dance and my Swing, the “kick-ball-change” for example. It was altogether another great chance. I must discover the elegance in me!
Then, I ended my Friday typically at Cat’s Corner, home! It felt great to be myself again, doing my thing. Swing music is really outgoing, free and joyful. There are many reasons why I prefer partnered dancing. I see solo dances as the dancer expressing his message to the outside world, his audience. Partnered dancing is like a conversation of two, and together, you draw others in and make them want to be part of your conversation too. That is what I like, living the wonderful experience of dancing simultaneously with another and not by myself.
Here’s a video of Max Pitruzella and Thomas Blancharz (two very known dancer in the world Swing scene) doing a funny routine. I chose this video because it shows the outgoing and happy side of Lindy Hop.
For the So You Think You Can Dance lovers (like myself), here are Hok, Dominic and Sabra doing a break dance choreography during their Tour in Cleveland, Ohio.
Lastly, I found this great video of a girl doing Jazz dance. Notice the elegance and peace of this style.
Amanda's shoeBox 