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33 Tips & Actions How To Become A Better Swing Dancer (+ Bonus)

09.03.2012 by Chris

How To Become A Better Swing Dancer - 33 Tips & Actions

Have you ever asked yourself:

“How can I improve my Lindy Hop / Balboa?”

or

“What can I do to become a better swing dancer?”

or have you heard:

“I'm stuck, I have reached a plateau and I can't make any more progress.”?

I hear these and similar questions and statements all the time.

Therefore I have compiled a list of more and less obvious tips & actions – in no particular order – that will push your dancing forward. Some of these points are related to one or more others.

Additionally, I recently asked the question on Facebook and Twitter: “What tip would you give to your friend, if he/she asks you, how to become a better dancer?“.

You'll find a summary of the answers as a bonus later in this post. But first, let's start with the list.

Tips & Actions that bring your Dancing to a New Level

1. Practice regularly

At least once a week, the more the merrier. It doesn't matter if you do it alone or with a partner.

2. Watch dancers you like

Ask yourself, what do you like about other dancer's dancing: rhythm? moves? musicality? simplicity? complexity?

3. Watch YouTube clips

Class reviews, competitions, teacher's presentations, performances, old clips, …

4. Practice Solo Jazz and Charleston steps

Extend your repertoire of steps and movements.

5. Watch instructional DVDs

There are plenty of them published by international swing dance instructors. Find out, what are the similarities and differences between the concepts of different instructors.

6. Listen to Jazz

What kind of music makes you dancing, what not?

7. Learn about the AABA jazz form

The 32-bar AABA structure is the most used form in jazz/swing music. This is related to musicality.

8. Take private lessons

Get individual feedback and inspiration. Probably the best way to quickly improve your dancing.

9. Go social dancing

Hey, that's obvious! Yes it is, but not for everybody 🙂

10. Join a competition team

It might be easier for some of you to compete in a group instead on your own.

11. Learn a routine/choreography

You can do that on your own (alone, with a dance partner or in a team/group) or you can take classes.

12. Watch dance movies

Get inspired. Steal moves, even if it's not a swing dance movie.

13. Participate in a Jack & Jill competition

Jack & Jill competitions are for fun, so don't take it too seriously. Competitions can push you forward to learn new moves or variations. It can be very inspiring (I know, though, not everybody likes to compete).

14. Join a performance group

Do you like to perform? Then join or even establish a performance group.

15. Run a practice session with dance buddies

That's especially interesting, when your buddies are more or less on the same dance level. You can teach each other new moves or you can give direct feedback to each other.

16. Listen to swing music

Do it as often as possible. Get the feeling for the music. The Song of the Week is a great starting point to find danceable songs.

17. Attend a dance workshop

Instead of just taking classes. It's more intense, sometimes even overwhelming, but it brings you to new heights much faster.

18. Listen to blues music

This is related to Jazz and swing. Learn the difference of the styles. What feelings do you get while listening?

19. Learn about the 12-bar blues form

Beside the AABA form, this is the most used form in swing music. Also related to musicality.

20. Attend a Lindy Exchange

The focus is usually more on the social aspect of dancing. Often without classes, but with lots of social activities. Meet new people, get inspired.

21. Register for Herrang Dance Camp or another camp

Camps that last a week or even longer are quite different to workshop weekends. You can dive into the swing dance world and forget about everything else. You even start to dream swing :)! A perfect environment for grand strides.

22. Attend a musicality class

Learn the difference between micro and macro musicality.

23. Read the biographies of Franke Manning and Norma Miller

If you like biographies, then you should read at least these two (see: book tips). Also interesting: biographies about jazz musicians.

24. Watch documentaries

You can start directly here on the blog with these:

  • Frankie Manning: Never Stop Swinging
  • The Unforgettable Hampton Family
  • Cab Calloway: Sketches

25. Learn other dances than swing dances

Three advantages:
1. You learn the differences and similarities.
2. Your body learns new ways of moving.
3. You get new moves and variations you can include in your swing dancing.

26. Teach a taster class

While teaching, you get a different point of view to the dance.

27. Dress up for events

Style is king and encourages self-esteem.

28. Participate in a Strictly competition

Similar to Jack & Jill competitions. In Strictly competitions, the focus is on partnership: lead and follow, harmony etc. So, you usually sign up with your regular dance partner. This is another great way to improve your dancing, especially when you like competitions.

29. Learn the opposite role

Learn to follow as a leader and learn to lead as a follower. It not only helps you to improve your dancing, you also start to appreciate more your partner's skills!

30. Teach a regular class in your local swing scene

The same like teaching a taster class, while teaching regular classes goes much further. You have to be able to break down steps, moves and variations, to make it understandable and easy to learn from you. It's obvious, that your dancing will improve automatically.

31. Learn/Play an instrument

To play an instrument gives you another angle to the music. By the way, Herrang Dance Camp is offering a swing orchestra class in week 5 – for the third time in 2012!

32. Become a swing DJ

Why not spinning yourself from time to time? You learn a lot about music while discovering danceable tunes. If you are interested in swing DJ'ing, then you can sign up for my Swing DJ Resources emails.

33. Learn about jazz dance history & culture

That doesn't directly improve your dancing, but your alliance with the dance gets closer for sure.

Bonus

As I wrote earlier in this post, I asked my Facebook friends and Twitter followers for their tips. Here is a summary and some interesting statements.

Most mentioned:

  • Take privates
  • Music: listen a lot of music, enjoy music, feel the music, be the music, play with the music
  • Social dancing, practice, have fun

Interesting statements:

  • Alice Mei: “Become a better person!”
  • Tina Loppacher: “Don't judge yourself too harshly.”
  • Carl Nelson: “Dedicated and disciplined practice. Break your education down into parts while also developing a larger mental model of your goals.”
  • Jeanie B: “Learn to be generous.”

What tip would you give?

Now it's your turn! Let me know in the comment section below, what else could be done to become a better swing dancer!?

Filed Under: Dance, Most Popular Tagged With: How to, Swing Dance, Tips

Dance Teaching Idea: Ask & Tell

20.05.2011 by Chris

If you are teaching more advanced swing dancers (Balboa or Lindy Hop) this teaching concept might be interesting for you.

I didn't invent it, though. I got the inspiration from The Balboa Experiment, where it was used in several sessions.

In Ask & Tell lessons the students teach each other. I guess it even goes further: the students get inspired to watch other dancers on the social dance floor and to ask for a step, a variation or a move they like.

How Ask & Tell works

Teaching idea: Ask and Tell

There are different ways to use the concept, here is one possibility

  1. Divide the class in two halfs.
  2. Define a subject (look for foot variations, styling, pure bal, and so on); in this example we take foot variations
  3. Let one half of the class dance and ask them to use foot variations, the other half is watching, then switch and repeat. You can even rotate partners and repeat the whole procedure.
  4. Ask the students to call out a dancer whose foot variation they like
  5. The student who got called out shows now, how he/she is doing the foot variation and teaches it to the group
  6. Divide the class now in small groups of two couples and let them try to dance the foot variation and to give feedback to each other
  7. Option: If the class is on a high level you even could ask them to take the variation as inspiration and let them create a new variation (a variation of the variation). After a defined time, the small groups show their solutions to the rest of the class.

Role of the teacher

The teacher isn't teaching anything, he/she is coaching. He/she is leading the class and giving feedback. If nobody dares to call out a dancer (pt. 4) the teacher does it.


What do you think about this teaching idea? Did you use this or a similar concept already? Please share your thoughts!

Photo credit: melodi2

Filed Under: Dance, Education, Most Popular Tagged With: Balboa, Lindy Hop, Swing, Teaching idea

A Day At The Balboa Experiment

06.04.2011 by Chris

For many Balboa dancers, The Balboa Experiment is still a mystery. I'm one of the lucky attendees and I would like to give you an insight in the daily life at The Experiment.

The Balboa Experiment Beach HouseWhat is The (Balboa) Experiment?

The Experiment is an intensive Balboa workshop for high-level dancers from all over the world who spend one week in a beach house, where they live, work and dance together.

Mastermind David Rehm (co-host: Nick Williams) launched the workshop in 2009 with one week and 24 students. Meanwhile the event has grown to three weeks with 28 students each week in this year.

The Balboa Experiment at Topsail BeachSo, what's so special about this workshop? The concept is unique so far. It doesn't exist a “normal” teacher-student setup like in regular classes and workshops. It's rather an environment where students teach and inspire each other and where international teachers such as Kate Hedin, Laura Keat, Marie Nahnfeldt Mattsson, Bobby White and Jeremy Otth act as mentors and coaches.

New for this year are visiting special guests such as Head DJ Kyle Smith and others. Kyle for example will hold additional sessions/lectures during free time about balboa music and DJ'ing.

Sessions Instead of Strict Timetables

The day is usually structured as follows:

  • 10h breakfast
  • 11h morning session (usually feedback session) 90 minutes – 2 hours
  • 13h lunch – afterwards free time for dancing, discussing, hanging out
  • 16h afternoon session 2 – 3 hours
  • 19h dinner – afterwards free time for dancing, gaming (Rock Band!), resting
  • 21h social dancing until 2h (some nights include competitions)
  • 2h hot tub 🙂

As you can see, there is no strict timetable for lessons, it's all about sessions with flexible endings, they simply last as long as necessary.

Feedback is King

Competitions are a part of The Experiment because most of the attendees do competitions from time to time, but the main goal is not to elect the Experiment Champion, instead it's all about practising competing in a kind of secure environment and about feedback.

That's the most important part about The Experiment: giving and receiving feedback from fellow dancers. I've rarely got any feedback for my dancing, I actually had no idea where I'm standing within my peer group. The only hint has been maybe a ranking in a competition.

So, this is completely different at The Experiment.

How Giving Feedback Works

The Balboa ExperimentDuring the competion each couple dances a spotlight in front of judges (who are the coaches) and all the attendees. Everything get taped on video. The dancers who are not competing are writing down pros and cons for each couple.

During the morning sessions on the next day, we watch the videos in small groups and discuss about the performances of each couple. At the end, every single person has a video, lots of comments and written down pros and cons from more than 20 fellow dancers.

How great is that!

Bottom Line

Like I wrote before, feedback is everything. I hope, that the session concept will also be used more in classes. I know, that's not always possible,  because of lack of time or/and because many students just wanna learn new moves.

But this is another discussion.

Related Posts:

  • Dance Teaching Idea: Ask & Tell

Filed Under: Education, Most Popular Tagged With: Balboa, The Balboa Experiment, Workshop

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Welcome, I'm Christian Bossert. Since 1999, I‘ve been passionate about Swing dances as well as their culture and history. I‘m a Swing dance instructor and international Swing DJ Chrisbe, based in Zurich Switzerland. Read More…

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