I start this post by stating up front that I'm no expert. I feel as though I have been around and submerged myself into lindy culture and history enough to make an opinion, but in no way do I feel that my opinion is the end-all-be-all. Therefore, I want to encourage others to join in and add to this conversation.
Certain people hold very strict standards about what lindy-hop should be and look like, and I think I'm struggling with that way of thinking. If you have been around long enough, then you know about the distinction between what lindy-hop was in the late 90s/early 2000s and that of what it is now. I know that body-rolls and other favored moves of the time are now a faux-paux. That doesn't even begin to touch the distinction between the "Savoy" and "Hollywood" styles and the opinions that people have about these.
I'm not concerned about the particulars of the above subject matter. My thoughts wander more into the realm of: Isn't dance, including lindy-hop, meant to be an art form? Once one learns how to lead or follow, should there really be a right and wrong way to dance? In the world of lindy-hop, I admit that I have opinions about what looks like better dancing and what dance styles I prefer, but does that make other dance styles worse off? The more I think about it, I would have to say no to both questions.
Here is what another lindy blogger has written on a similar topic.
What do you think?
As an extra, this is a video that I'm currently enjoying of Thomas and Alice:
"Good Dancing" is entirely subjective. For me, it is merely leading and following well, incorporating time for personal improvisation. I agree that there should be no constraints on styling and appearance. When I started to learn and said something like "I want to dance and look like so-and-so" the response I always got was, "No, dance like yourself."
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