First of all, welcome to the world of swing dancing! We think that you will find it to be an enjoyable experience, and that you will find this to be a wonderful community and an exciting new hobby.
Many new dancers come to us with questions. This guide is designed to answer the most common ones, so that you can show up on your first day of class excited and ready to dance!
Didn't find what you're looking for here? Be sure to check our FAQ for more general questions that you may have. If that doesn't answer your question, then send us an email at info@bostonlindyhop.com and we'll be happy to answer it for you.
Lindy Hop is the original Swing Dance, developed by the Black community to jazz music in Harlem, New York during the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s and 1930s. There are numerous other swing dances out there, but virtually all of them evolved out of the patterns and rhythms of the Lindy Hop. The dance still has a large and active following throughout the world today!
You can learn more about the history of the dance from this Yehoodi film.
There are two classes that are appropriate for beginners, which you can be take in any order:
New Lindy 1 series often begin every month, with the day of the week and time on a rotating basis, so you can find the schedule that works best for you. No experience is necessary for this class. However, many students take our Lindy 1 class series more than once before moving on to our Level 2 classes.
These classes are typically $80 for six hours of class.
So many places! Learn more here! (click for full size)
Our Lindy Hop classes do NOT require a partner. The majority of our students sign up without a partner and it is quite normal to do so.
Lindy Hop is a fundamentally social dance. On a typical evening at a dance, most people will dance with many partners. It is a valuable skill to be able to dance with many different partners, and learning in this way can also help you to learn faster and to break bad dancing habits. All of our classes rotate partners unless otherwise specified.
As noted in the previous question, all of our classes rotate partners unless otherwise specified. If, for any reason, you do not wish to rotate partners, you and your partner are welcome not to rotate. The instructors may ask you to step out of the main circle in order to avoid confusion.
However, we do in general strongly encourage new dancers to enter the rotation of the class. Our years of experience teaching dance classes and participating in dance classes ourselves have demonstrated that, overwhelmingly, people who rotate in class progress faster than those who do not. There are three key reasons why this is true:
Rotating allows people to find others in the class who are at their learning speed, and it encourages all dancers to remain focused on their own improvement without being too much impacted by the overall progress or specific issues of a single partner. Both members of a couple can then progress at a level that is comfortable for them, yet still get to dance with each other when they meet in the rotation. So please consider rotating. Of course, if you still prefer not to rotate, that's totally fine. Ultimately, we want you to be comfortable in class, and the best way to achieve that is up to you.
In partner dances, there are two roles, leader and follower. Typically, the leader "defines the shape" of the dance, determining the basic moves that take place and choosing the timing of the dance. The follower "fills out and interprets the shape" of the dance, interpreting those moves as they are led and providing additional context and style. Both leaders and followers have a critical role to play in the dance. In fact, a good dance among experienced dancers can be a sophisticated and nuanced conversation, with ideas passing back and forth between both dancers within the basic structure of lead and follow.
At Boston Lindy Hop, we encourage you to take classes as whichever role you prefer. However, if you are new to swing dancing, we ask that you pick one role for your first class series and stick with it to avoid confusion as you learn the basics.
Absolutely! We welcome all students, and ensuring that our classes are a comfortable environment for all students is extremely important to us. For more details on our policies, please see our Code of Conduct.
Yes we do. Black lives matter. We as a Lindy Hop studio — a place that teaches this fundamentally Black dance form that was created, shaped, and passed down by decades of Black artists — have a duty to our students, community members, and elders to speak up and take action.
You want to be comfortable and able to move in your clothes, and you'll want to dress in layers because you may get warm. Jeans and t-shirts are a great option, and there is no need to dress fancily.
Experienced dancers can be very particular about their footwear. However, as a beginner dancer, you should be able to start dancing with shoes that you already own. Your shoes should be comfortable and have a small amount of traction, but not too much. A well worn-in pair of sneakers will often work very nicely.
We do not recommend wearing shoes with overly-high heels, stiff boots, flip-flops, or other open-toed shoes that are not secure on your feet. Shoes that are overly-sticky can also be hard on your ankles and knees. However, feel free to bring more than one pair of shoes to try out on our floor.
If you've been dancing for a bit and you would like to invest in a pair of dance shoes, we've got plenty of suggestions over at our FAQ.
Some venues have specific requirements for shoes, in order to preserve and protect the floors. Please check the venue's and/or the event's shoe requirements, or ask organizers before you attend if you are unsure.
For example, the dance following our Monday night classes has special shoe requirements. If you are attending our Monday classes, you are welcome to wear whatever shoes you want, but if you stay for the dance (which we hope you do), you must abide by their requirements to avoid damaging the floor. Check out the Monday Night Practice FAQ for more info on what shoes you can wear to the Monday Night Practice.
Without a doubt, the best way to practice dancing is to go out and dance. The dancers who improve the fastest are the ones who go out dancing regularly. Luckily, there are many opportunities for dancing in the greater Boston area. If you need suggestions for where to go dancing, check out our FAQ.
If you want to practice at home, but do not have a partner, there are still things that you can do. Practice your basic footwork and any footwork variations that you know. If you have learned solo jazz movements from us, these are great to practice on your own, and the benefits of practicing them will bleed over into your partnered dancing, too!
Practice your basic footwork and any footwork variations that you know. See BLH's YouTube page for ideas, or look for other video lessons to practice at home.
Finally, listen to swing music! Lindy Hop is a dance that evolved in tandem with the music of its era. By listening to high-quality swing music, you will get more comfortable with the rhythms and nuances of the music that carry over into the way that we dance. Visit our Music page; we have plenty of suggestions at a variety of tempos.
The swing dance community is fun, welcoming, and friendly. We are fortunate to be part of a social activity that attracts people of all ages and backgrounds, and we hope that you will soon find that dancing is a great way to meet many wonderful people. However, our events are open to the public, and as with any social situation among adults, we cannot police every person's actions on our own, nor can we promise that every person will behave appropriately at all times. We are committed to maintaining a safe and comfortable environment at all our events, and this works best when we have your help and cooperation.
Boston Lindy Hop has a Code of Conduct that applies to all attendees at our classes and events. Individuals who violate the Code of Conduct may be asked to leave, or barred from future classes and events. If you ever have a question or concern, or if you witness a violation of the Code of Conduct, contact any one of our instructors or staff members. They will be happy to answer and/or help you, and they will take appropriate action against anyone who violates our policies.
Additionally, whether you are in a class or at a dance, please remember that you are never required to participate in any activity that makes you uncomfortable. It is perfectly OK to say no to a person who asks you to dance, to refuse to dance with a person in class, etc., and you are not required to give a reason for your choice.
