| *Beginning Charleston 6:30-7:30 Intermediate Swing 6:30-7:30 Intro to Swing 7:30-8:00 *Students must register by 9/7 to take this class
Classes in October: | | *Beginning 6:30-7:30
Intermediate 6:30-7:30 Intro to Swing 7:30-8:00 *Students must register by 10/5 to take this class. | ![]() | | Swing Events This Month: | | 9/7 - Dance Card Sunday 9/24 - Dance Night at the Wright Brothers
9/28 - Birthday Jam Remember, you can always pick up a flier with this month's events at the front desk on Swingin' Sunday! | | Travel Opportunities: | | There are still a few events to travel to before the winter slump! Check out: Cowtown Jamborama in Omaha, NE, September 11-14 Sundance Swingout in Ft. Worth, TX, October 17-19 | The Funny Section: | The Effect of Quality Improvisation on the Dance Floor: 
| | | | | | September Classes Begin Tonight Good morning, dancers! Hopefully you have signed up for whichever of September's classes most tickles your fancy. If you can get to the front desk just a minute or two before 6:30 tonight, there is still time to register! Bonny and Isaiah will be teaching Charleston for beginners.
Isaiah and Bonny
Just about every other instructor will be collaborating to teach Intermediate Swing. Tonight's class will feature Nick and Chelsea.
Nick and Chesea
Members can register for the WHOLE month of classes for $20. (Non-members for $30.)
 The Intermediate Swing class will be held EVERY MONTH for the forseeable future.
Students MAY take the Intermediate Swing class on a drop-in basis. Drop in admission is $6 for members and $8 for non-members.
It's going to be awesome.
| | Editor's Note: Improv Respect Oh hi hello. It's been a while since I've foisted my opinions upon you, but the time has come once again! If your Facebook feed is rife with Lindy Hoppers, than you may already be aware of the buzz currently surrounding the role of improvisation in Lindy Hop. Even newer dancers may know that the social component of the dance, the part that means you can dance with someone for the first time and still be able to lead/follow that person, is a core and essential one. Nobody wants to ask an instructor "How do I lead that?" and have the answer be "both partners just have to know it's coming." That just isn't how we roll. Lindy Hoppers want to be able to lead anything, and follow anything, with no gimmicks or verbal warnings necessary. Not only is it beyond cool, it fosters endless opportunities for improvisation.
Improvisation is what makes dances surprising, adventerous, funny, and risky. It's what allows for that "I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT JUST WOKRED" feeling on the dance floor, and its close cousin "I MEANT TO DO THAT." It's also what makes Lindy Hop so versatile that it can be molded perfectly to ANY swing song. Dancers who dare to improvise AND who have a great sense of musicality are the ones who make the most magical dances happen.
So, what's the buzz about? Well, recently, choreography has been spreading through various hihgh-profile swing competitions. Choreography is the opposite of improvisation, and that's not a bad thing! Team routines have to be choreographed; multiple couples simply have way of "socially" performing together. Showcase routines are choreographed too; it allows for the couples to cherry-pick their best and favorite moves to perform, and provides ample opportunity for revision and fine-tuning. Performing choreography is like being in a play. Everyone knows their own lines, the role they play in the overall piece, and the message they want to convey.
The eyebrow-raising phenomenon of late is the appearache of choreography in stricly and jack & jill competitions. In a strictly, a few counts of choreography from each couple isn't unexpected. In a jack & jill, it definitely smells of shenanigans. And if competitors choreograph their entire spotlight, it completely changes the nature of the competition. You see, doing a jack & jill, or even strictly, is like performing on Who's Line is it Anyway. Nobody knows their lines. Nobody knows the scene. They just know the game, and believe they can make it awesome.
Check out couple dancing last in this competition. Great stuff, right? The judges thought so too. That couple placed well enough to be automatically entered in an invitational strictly at the same event. Here's that competition, with the couple of our focus dancing fifth. Notice anything? Quite a few people at the event noticed that they did the exact same choreography.
For contrast, here's a different couple at a different event, clearly improvising.
What do you prefer watching? What do you prefer doing? I encourage you to form your own opinions about the roll of improv in Lindy Hop and share them on Facebook using #ImprovRespect. You can also search for that tag and see some of the most respected dancers in the world discussing the subject.
| | | | | | | | This Month's Music Brought to you By: | | | 9/7 - Chelsea 9/14 - Sonya 9/21 - Evan 9/28 - Sonya We need YOU: | | The WSDS is looking for volunteers to help us manage Sunday nights! If you've been dancing with us for a while, and would like a chance to give something back to the scene, please email us and let us know! We will really appreciate your help. There might even be a hug in it for you. | | More Swing Dancing in Wichita: | If you want to take your swing dancing to the next level, check out the Lindy Bombers! This local dance club has been meeting every Monday evening for years, working on swing dance vocabulary, technique, and musicality. The Lindy Bombers can also put you in touch with the Shiny Stockings and Five Moes Named Guy, Wichita's solo-jazz troupes. And, if you're REALLY motivated, the Lindy Bombers are also your gateway to Hot Rhythm Revival, Wichita's competitive swing dancing team. There are lots of options out there, come check them out! | Video of the Week: | I'm going to put this video in the Editor's Note as well, but in case you're too lazy to watch in there, watch it here. | | |
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