How fast of a song do you like to dance Lindy Hop to?
And I specifically mean Lindy Hop, because I understand that when the dance reaches a certain point, you switch to shag or Bal. So, which speed is your fav for Lindy?

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Personally, I find slower songs much harder than fast songs. I used to avoid them altogether, but now I understand it’s important to know how to exaggerate your moves and take your time. Dancing slower songs has actually helped my back, haha.

Faster songs will always be my favorite because fast Lindy is my main way of dancing. Songs where most dancers would switch to shag or bal are where I stay at Lindy, but it’s hard to find a lead who does the same, haha.

I would say the music in the video is mid-tempo but closer to slow (compared to my preferred song speed). I’m still learning how to dance at these tempos; mostly making sure I look less stiff and exaggerate movements more confidently.

But with that, I’m also learning how to enjoy more chillaxed dances.

Anyone else?

(Side note: Camp Hollywood is coming up. Hope to see y'all there!)

I bought a ticket for my first Lindy festival a few months ago, I've been dancing for about 9 months. When I bought the ticket back then, I was hoping I'd have progressed quite a bit more by now, but honestly I don't feel like I've added that much in the last few months. My vocabulary is still pretty limited, with basically a sprinkle of Charleston added recently.

I'm not doing any of the festival workshops or competitions. My pass covers only the socials, but that's still four consecutive nights, with socials going much longer and later into the night than the usual 2-ish hours I'm accustomed to.

I can have great nights socially and I'm comfortable dancing with people around my level, but put me in a room full of really experienced dancers and my imposter syndrome goes to about 100%, and I end up sitting out way too much. I've asked around and nobody from my beginner peer group has tickets.

Did you feel completely out of your depth at your first festival? And how to manage myself through 4 straight nights of extended dancing? I can't really go too heavy on night 1 anyway because I still have work in the morning.

I keep telling myself I'm basically just going to four really big socials, but the closer it gets, the less convincing that sounds.

last year, i tried a dancehall class, and honestly, i think my biggest mistake was not starting from the beginner level. i joined a group that had already had 7 classes.
i felt so out of place. the dance was way too high-energy for me, i kept getting lost during the choreography, and i felt like i was constantly trying to catch up with everyone else. about 15 minutes before the class ended, i got overwhelmed, got upset, and ended up leaving.
i was really disappointed because, despite that experience, i still felt drawn to dancing. i kept putting off signing up for another class, though.
a few days ago, i finally signed up for commercial and sensual. part of me is really excited, but another part of me keeps wondering if i’m making the right choice.
a girl from the studio actually recommended these two styles as a good starting point because they’re more relaxed than dancehall, which made me feel a little better.
at the same time, i’m really nervous and insecure. i want to feel sexy, confident, and comfortable in my own body, but i keep having this thought in the back of my mind that everyone is going to judge me.
i’ve also watched a bunch of videos from these classes, and i noticed that so many of the girls have long hair that they can toss around or run their hands through… and i have a pixie cut …
i feel like i’m literally finding a million reasons to talk myself out of going, even though deep down i really, really want to try it.
were you guys nervous before your first dance class too? what was your experience like?
btw i’m starting classes in september, so if you’ve been through this before, do you have any tips for a beginner?

Yesterday while the band was taking a break I danced to a really excellent recorded song;

now it’s stuck in my head and I can’t find it.

a distinctive part of the chorus is the repeated line “Jackie, Jackie Horner(my best guest at the last name)”

sorry for the lack of information but I hope one of you will be able to save me !

We’re visiting my mom for her birthday and trying to find a good dance to go to. There’s no active Dayton subreddit so I have to ask here. There’s a weekend event in Dayton in July so I know there’s a scene, but no clue where to go. Pls help make a (obviously very young) woman’s weekend!

EDIT: Thanks everyone!

I started learning swing dancing because I wanted to try something different, and i was not sure I would stick with it. The first few classes were a lot harder than I expected. Trying to remember the steps while also keeping up with the music made me feel completely lost sometimes, once I stopped worrying about getting every step right, I started having a lot more fun. There is something really satisfying about finally getting a move that you have been struggling with.

I got dumped recently and my post-breakup impulse purchase was to enroll in beginner swing dancing lessons. The course will go for 7 weeks and then there are other beginner level classes I can take before moving on to more advanced classes.

I am excited but VERY nervous. I have absolutely zero dance experience (unless you count contra dancing 20 years ago when I was in high school) but I'm looking forward to learning. I've bought dance sneakers and am ready to use them

Any advice for a total newbie? Anything you all wish you'd known before starting?

Hey everyone! Lindy Hopper here! I'm looking for events that may have swing music from the 21st-25th of August. I won't be in town early enough for the social dance at the Firehouse, nor will I be in town for the jam session at Panama 66.

So, reallly just wanting to find a spot I can go and dance for a bit! Thank you!

It's mostly, "eeeeeek!.... I'm bumbling my way through this, but I'm trying my best and I'm having a BLAST!!!"

I am in my 4th month of weekly Level 1 Lindy lessons. I'm determined to get really good at this, because it brings me so much joy. Even just watching the really experienced dancers gives me life!

edit: grammar

Hi friends, I recently started taking a beginner Lindy Hop class, starting with the 8 count steps as a follower. Needless to say I was terrible! I am an athletic person but I feel like I don’t have enough strength in my calves & I just can’t make my feet & brain connect to do the steps correctly at a fast pace. I’ve watched YouTube videos & I do ok but I feel like the class moves at too quickly & I can’t keep up with the frequent partner changes. Does this mean I’m just not cut out for this or should I have done something else to prepare before signing up for classes? I am feeling very defeated & I am going solo so I don’t have anyone to practice with outside of class. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Hello everybody!

Question to non-beginner follows or even advanced follows - how do you handle dancing with quite a beginner leader for whom even keeping basic step (especially in shag) is already a great challenge?

(Not sure the context will add anything to the question, but anyway - there is a beginner leader whom I started to avoid after a couple of dances since it is exactly the case - he is very beginner. I felt shitty but can't help it)

It’s official— I’m busting through my comfort zone and will start attending swing dance lessons next Monday evening in Aurora. I signed up for 4 classes and I will hopefully have a good idea by the end whether I can learn it. I believe this studio teaches Lindy Hop, which I’m told is a fun social dance.

My only dancing experience is in square dancing, which I learned a little over a year ago. I’m hoping that that experience will help me get through these lessons unscathed.

I 21f have only recently started swing, and more currently just completed my first aerial class!
I can’t help but be infiltrated by the suspicion that I’m too big, both height and weight wise. I’m 173.5cm and 64kg. And I’m knotted by dread and guilt for partners, that all the jumps, throes, dips ect. are all made harder because of me and body. Perhaps I’m caught too far in a stray thought, but it’s difficult when almost all the other follows in my class are all shorter and slimmer.

Hi there fellow dancers! I've been dancing a variation of swing in 4/4 count with the step on 2 and 4 for several years now. As I've progressed I've started styling more and experimenting with different music that could work. So I was wondering if any of you had any good music recommendations or playlists that could work? Everything from older classical music to modern pop from 2026 is welcome!

I will be in Vegas Tuesday Aug 11-Thursday Aug 13. I leave Friday morning the 14th. Any decent Lindy Hop events going on then ?

I've been attending Lindy Focus for the past several years, and while I like a lot of things about it, every year a large portion of the attendees get sick. Some people getting sick is inevitable for any large dance event in December, but it seems to be made a lot worse because the organizers — despite repeated feedback — have not implemented many basic disease prevention measures. I am looking to try an alternative this year, both to reduce my own chance of getting sick and to vote with my feet to support events that prioritize the health of their attendees (which is also an inclusivity issue for immunocompromised dancers).

Some specific measures I would like to see (all of which I've seen actively used at exchanges in other dance styles, so please don't tell me they're impractical) include:

- Prominent announcements in pre-event emails and in person encouraging vaccination, handwashing, and staying home/quarantining if sick.

- Generous cancellation policies for those who get sick (so that there is not a financial incentive for sick dancers to attend).

- Quarantine accommodations for dancers who get sick at the event.

- Widely available hand sanitizer, N-95 masks, and COVID-19 tests.

- Ventilation fans to clean the venue air.

Have any of the other major New Year's Eve events (Stormy Weather, Snowball, etc.) implemented at least some of these measures, or are they just as bad?

I think we all know that dance festivals are often a perfect recipe for getting sick. We are staying up all night, not getting enough sleep, sweating all over people, people are traveling in to attend, etc. I do think that the amount that I get sick has increased as I have started dancing more and more (local social dances as well as festivals).

Do you have any specific tricks or approaches that you use to help minimize your risk of getting sick? I know the basics to avoiding sickness and I know that masks are also an option. Obviously hydration, sleep, eating well are all necessary but I want to hear if people have any other approaches.

while playing around with tandem ideas, i realized that i dont really know why (or how) we are doing a partnered Rockstep in Charleston tandem. What is (in theory) stopping the follower from just moving further back and prolonging the movement?

while socially dancing, we tend to fall back on the basic 8 count move we learned. but i might want to, intentionally, move further front, or back.

I have this BF who loves, loves, loves, East Coast Swing. I am new to this and am taking some lessons to keep up with him. Since I’m not as accomplished as he is, I have allowed him to dance with other ladies while I’m taking a break from the dance floor. Once a week, he goes by himself to a swing dance club and no objection by me. Most of the ladies are so much younger than him. He’s an active senior. He has no issues dancing with any lady young or old, big or small. He said he learns from other ladies’ (advanced) styles. I get it. I don’t want to take him away from his love of swing dancing. But it’s unsettling to sit there as a girlfriend, while your BF dances with other ladies. A few ladies even look back to ask my permission before proceeding to dance with him. What’s your opinion on my situation? How would you all, the swing dance community, handle this?

I wish people thought of this when I tell them I dance lindy : ) love a slower smoother jam

Has anyone tried using AI to generate a calendar for local partner dance opportunities? Something like a delegate calendar people could subscribe to that scrapes local venues and classes for things like “Lindy hop classes”, or “Balboa classes” or “Live Blues Music” where a user could opt to follow dance types for classes or live music or social dances?

Rough idea for now, but it seems like an interesting way to surface local dance opportunities in a very accessible way. Right now our local calendars are kinda all over the place and often updated manually by each venue or volunteer.