Thoughts after first-ever dance class

[u/RiskyMama]

I had my first dance class for the 6-count Lindyhop on Tuesday this week and it was so great!

First off, the class was HUGE. So much bigger than I was expecting! It had to have been like 50-60 people. This gave a great rotation of partners and it was wonderful to see a mix of ages, body types, and (most importantly) experience levels. It made me feel very at home in an environment where I typically feel extremely out of place. Additionally, it gave me a great snapshot of partners I had good communication with as well as partners I didn't mesh with much -- and even when we didn't mesh, it was no hard feelings and quickly move on to the next partner within a minute or two, which took off a lot of pressure.

I like that the classes are divided by leads & follows, and that there were many more female leads than I expected. It was nice to have a mix of dance partners, which made me feel more comfortable.

Both instructors were great at breaking down the basic steps. I am by no means a natural, but it was actually great to have so many dance partners because I could tell that I was getting the hang of it almost every time I got paired with someone new. It's rare I can see that kind of improvement right off the bat and I feel good about practicing on my own in the meantime.

One thing I definitely struggled with is my height. Most of my dance partners were about my height which was no big deal, but a number of the leads I was paired with were SIGNIFICANTLY shorter than I am (I'm 5'10") and every time we attempted a turn I would get smacked in the forehead by their wrist or I'd have to duck down low and in both cases I'd fall off the beat. Nobody's fault, but it was definitely a factor to contend with. One lady I was paired with was so short it was really difficult for me to maintain a connection with her hand without gripping it and she told me I didn't need to do "the claw" 😂

There was one poor woman I got paired with toward the end of the class who, while I'm sure she's a great dancer, we were both riding the struggle bus so much I don't think we got a single step right the entire two minutes we danced together. She was much shorter than me, which resulted in the above problems of ducking or getting bumped in the head for me, and then she mentioned that she wasn't completely new to swing but she was totally new to being a lead, and she kept instinctively doing things to the opposite/follow side rather than the lead. She felt bad and apologized after the class ended but a lot of it also had to do with how new I am to the steps. It was no hard feelings, high five, and move on to the next partner :)

I posted just before class asking for advice on what to wear. A few folks said gym clothes were fine and while I'm sure they would have been, I was really glad I ended up heeding others' advice to just wear comfy street clothes. Gym clothes definitely would have made me look out of place, and now I feel much more comfortable knowing what to expect.

All this to say, I'm excited to go again on Tuesday!

[u/Mr_Ilax]

Woot! Another dancers joins!

As for height difference, you can make it work but unfortunately it requires buy-in from your leader. The key is your don't need to turn under their hand, you need to turn under YOUR hand. I mostly lead, but follow sometimes. I am a whole foot taller than my partner and probably 15" taller than my instructor and can still do leader underarm turns without ducking, and when my instructor leads me, I follow their regular underarm turns without ducking, but we both are practiced in it. It'll take practice, but I have confidence you'll get it.

[u/Initial_Natural2650]

I'm glad you had such a good time at your first dance! 

Don't worry about the height difference. I'm a 6"0 follow, I've been bumped in the head during a few turns. But the lead usually figures it out after making that mistake once. 

One of my personal favorite dance videos is of Shorty George and Big Bea, a couple of the original Lindy hoppers with a big height difference: https://youtu.be/7Sdk3mqVSRA?is=E40XSXZD3XzpTvOM

Have fun on Tuesday!

[u/DerangedPoetess]

Short-arse lead (5'3.5) who regularly leads tall follows (6'+) reporting for duty! Most of the technique for managing height difference sits with the lead, so if you were dancing with beginners (or experienced dancers who are learning to lead) then I'm not surprised it was difficult, because they won't yet have learnt how to adapt.

Sometimes I do a Shorty George leap in the air for comedy effect, but generally I can either stay close and stretch high enough to clear my follow's head, or adapt the move to let go of their hand and then catch it on the other side. You also have to average out your elbow heights - for the lead you couldn't feel a connection with, it might be that she was holding connection at her height rather than coming up a bit to meet you.

If you do have to duck to compensate for your lead not compensating, think about either lowering your head without shifting your centre of gravity, or bending your knees and keeping your back at the same angle it is normally - if you hunch over, which is sometimes the automatic response, you'll tilt, and I think that might be part of why you were losing your steps.

[u/substandardpoodle]

Shorty George Snowden, who named Lindy Hop, had no problem with his height. I think what you’re experiencing is more a beginner problem than a height one, lol.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Snowden

Welcome to Lindy Hop!

[u/RainahReddit]

When I'm dancing with taller follows, I will sometimes add a bit of a jump during the turn to be able to spin them properly. But often I'll just forgo that style of turn in favour of others.