20 Things for a Lindy Hopper To Do when They Can’t Lindy Hop (Coronavirus Edition)
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As the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak continues, more and more dancers around the world are facing recommended and mandated “social isolation” to combat the spread. We definitely encourage you to follow your local health agency’s and goverment’s directives, so we can beat this thing.
Meanwhile, your local lindy hop dance, classes, and live music venues may have closed and you are feeling that lindy hop itch. What’s a lindy hopper to do? We’ve asked around and compiled 20 ideas for what you can do when you aren’t lindy hopping:
Host a virtual dance party! Organize a Google Hangout video chat with some folks, throw on some swing music, and jam on. Here’s one that PaulDances is organizing starting March 19.
Throw a dance video watching party. There are zillions of swing dance videos online that would be fun to watch together with a few friends. Check out the International Lindy Hop Championships channel to start.
Practice. You know you are bad at it. Plan a practice session with one person or a small group.
Work on your solo jazz. How much of the Jazz Alphabet do you know?
Listen to Swing music! Check out the latest recommendations from “Hey Mister Jesse.” Or search Spotify for "lindy hop" for lots of playlists.
Read Frankie and Norma’s Autobiographies. This is the perfect time to read or re-read the stories of two of the most legendary lindy hoppers of all time, Frankie Manning: Ambassador of Lindy Hop and Norma Miller’s Swingin at the Savoy.
Take a private lesson. Dance instructors could use the income right now. Some even offer virtual lessons.
Cross train: Check this post from four fitness and health professionals on exercises to help you dance longer, faster, and more efficiently.
Support your local musicians: Build up your collection of music and buy merch from contemporary swing musicians, who might be out of gigs because of the coronavirus.
Check in on vulnerable members of your community. If there are older dancers, or those with health issues, consider checking in on them to see if they need anything. We’re all in this together.
Learn a routine. There are lots of online tutorials to help you to finally learn the Shim Sham, the Tranky Doo, the Big Apple and more!
Check out another dance style. Tap, house, Bollywood, whatever inspires you.
Catch up on classic swing movies. Here’s a list to get you started.
Practice a musical instrument. Knowing how music is played and structured will help you as a dancer.
Go vintage shopping. Check out Lindy Shopper’s blog for inspiration.
Suede your dance shoes. It’s easier than you think. Here’s some instructions from Laura Glaess.
Catch up on podcasts. “Hey Mister Jesse” and “The Track” are two good places to start.
Thank your teachers. This can be a hard time for swing instructors, who may have had to cancel classes and are losing income during this time. Let them know how much you appreciate them.
Take care of your health. Get a flu shot if you haven’t already. Schedule a check up with your doctor if it’s been more than a year. You will want to stay in good shape when lindy hop dances resume.
Make dance goals for yourself. Now that you might have more time to reflect, think about where you are at in your dance journey. What new styles do you want to learn? What skills do you want to develop? What places do you want to go to?
Tranky Doo from “The Spirit Moves”
I’m sure there are lots of other great ideas out there, so let us know in the comments. While it can really suck not getting to lindy hop at your regular dances, you can get through this. It’s much more important that we’re all healthy and able to do this dance for a long, long time.
Hat tip to the 9:20 Special for inspiring this list and several of the items.
