Lindy Jazz

[lorrainescottydog]

Anyone done lindy jazz?

I read something about how it's good for keeping fit, but there seems to be lindy hop, lindy bop, etc. and I'm wondering if you need to be super fit to do any of them?

[Wuffleflump]

Bit old, but thought no harm in replying!

I've just started doing Lindy Hop: 7 weeks now.

Lindy Hop is a style of swing dance. As far as I can tell from a quick search, Lindy Jazz is just a brand of lindy hop style dance.

Lindy Hop is a leader/follower partner dance: the leader decides what moves to do and the follower interprets their moves and follows, at least when both are working well together.

It's 'harder' to learn as a leader because you need to know the moves and decide which ones to use. But as I found out at my first social dance yesterday, there are problems with being a follower too: you can't control what the moves are and can end up doing things you don't want to do because it's someone else's decision. OTOH you might end up learning new moves by partnering someone with more experience.

It really comes into its own if you are willing to go to social dances: mixed ability dances, often in clubs and pubs, as a social occasion where you dance with strangers.

I have been very fit in the past but I'm not at the moment. Swing dance tends towards the fast, and after a particularly fast track I have sat out the next one. You don't need to dance every dance if you don't want to.

In a classroom setting you won't tend to get that tired, because you're stopping to watch, then copying, and often not to music, so it's slower. My brain turns to mush with the new moves before I'm physically tired.

I am, sort of, doing it for exercise, but I'm skeptical as to how good it is as exercise, unless you're going to social dances several times a week and dancing most tracks. But I really enjoy it, so if the alternative is doing nothing, or you can't get motivated for anything else, it's worth a try.

Also, as with other activities, if you find your fitness is limiting your ability or enjoyment, it might be good incentive to get fitter in order to lindy more.