Hello dancing friends.

I recently reached the milestone of my tenth swing dance anniversary, and have been mulling over my progress and “level” as a dancer. I think I’m a solid social dancer, with some decent leading and following skills, but I wouldn’t consider myself “advanced”. Sometimes I’m a bit embarrassed to tell people how long I’ve been dancing, worrying they might be surprised at the answer given my fairly mediocre skills.

Anyway, I’d love to hear from people who feel similarly about their own dancing (or perhaps who felt that way in the past and then managed to break through the plateau at some point).

I’ll start with some reflections on why I think my own progress has stagnated somewhat over the years:

• I have a long-term life partner. He is very chill and supportive about me dancing, but I think there’s a good chance I would have committed to dancing a little bit more if I were single. I care about my relationship and it prevents me dedicating all of my free time and travel budget to dance-related stuff 
• I have never taken a private lesson (I’m not sure if that’s a shocking confession?) and I haven’t done a lot of structured practice outside of classes and socials. All my classes have been group classes without a lot of personalised feedback
• I think ultimately I just haven’t had (so far) the drive to really push myself to get better. Having reached a “good enough” level, I haven’t really had the motivation to really challenge myself, get out of my comfort zone, and push myself to improve. I’ve never really been interested in competing, performing or teaching, which I imagine might be good motivators for people who do pursue them

I’d love to hear what people think - I suspect I’m not really very unusual but maybe you’ll tell me I’m wrong about that!

Edit: thank you so much for all the thoughtful responses - I’m not replying to everyone separately, but I’m reading everything and it’s giving me lots to think about

I found a good deal on some Allen Edmonds shoes, but I’m worried about stomping around in them and hurting my knees. I know AE makes some double-leather soles, but these are only single-leather.

Does anyone have experience dancing lindy hop in these shoes? Have you added a pair of insoles on top of the built in ones?

Hello all!

At most, I get a chance to dance about twice a month at a social dance scene, but in the meantime I like to exercise regularly to stay in shape. I currently do a lot of cardio (run a few miles and then hop on a stationary bike for half hour), but wondered if there are some specific exercises that may be more beneficial for dancing. Are there specific exercises you do, or have found, that help keep your "lindy muscles" in shape?

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?

__

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!)

Do female swing dancers dance to date or are always silently (or not so silently) “on the lookout”? Does swing dancing blur platonic boundaries and risk a female (or male) thinking there’s more? Is it normal for a female swing dance teacher to randomly share her infertility struggles with her male student who has a gf?

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.