Week 4: Swing Dancing

In a previous post, I wrote a bit about the process of Life Energy Valuation and my quest to simplify my life in order to make more time for the things that bring me great joy. Swing dancing is one of those things.

I came across swing dancing unexpectedly. It was 6 years ago this August, at the PNE of all places. My husband, Michel, and I had gone to see Colin James play at the amphitheatre. I have loved Colin James since his Little Big Band days in the 90’s, not realizing at the time that there was a swing revival happening under my nose. (I was firmly entrenched in so-called Grunge music during this era and I don’t regret it a bit.)

We were sitting in the stands watching the show, and my eyes kept wandering over to a small group of people who were dancing on the floor level. It looked super cool and they seemed to be having a lot of fun, so I said to Michel “We should take swing dancing lessons next year!” and he agreed. I don’t know why I’d said next year but within a few days I was looking up swing dancing and I quickly found out that there was a weekly dance every Friday, just a few blocks from our house. Less than a month after the concert, we were regularly attending Royal City Swing, taking the beginner lessons and then struggling our way through a few songs at the social dance afterward. Totally hooked.

 I’ve read that people, in general, are really terrible at understanding what makes them happy. When they feel happy, they misinterpret the cause and then when they try to recreate that happiness at a later date, they can’t understand why it’s not working.

With that being said, I can admit that maybe I don’t fully understand what it is about swing dancing that I love, but I can make some educated guesses. Here are a few things that I enjoy about being a swing dancer:

Challenge – I’m putting this one first, not because it’s the most important, but I think this is what initially kept us coming back. It takes a while before you can stop counting in your head and worrying about every move, and just enjoy yourself. When we first started attending dances we would watch from the sidelines, admiring all the dancers that looked so good and were clearly having a great time, and we really wanted to experience that.

It’s one of those things though, where the more you learn, the more you realize you don’t know. I’ve had lots of comments from my non-dancer friends (and yes, that’s how I categorize people now) that because we’ve been dancing regularly for a few years we must be experts. And actually, if they saw us dance they probably would think we’re experts, but we’ve been to some big swing events and we know we are small fish and we have a looonnggg way to go. We could spend the next 20 years working on our dancing and not be as good as we want to be. The continual challenge keeps things from ever getting boring.

Community – This one was a surprise to me and I don’t know why. For some reason, it had never occurred to me that people just went out dancing as a social activity. I knew it was something that my grandparents did when they were young, but I guess because I had never heard of anyone in my parents’ generation doing it I just figured it wasn’t a thing anymore. I actually don’t even know what I expected to do with my newfound swing dancing skills once I’d completed the lessons I was so eager to take.

Finding out that people still went social dancing was like finding a doorway to a secret, magical world. (I’m pretty sure all new swing dancers try their hardest to get everyone they know to come out and join them though, so why it remains so under the radar, I have no idea.)

Swing dancing brings together a wide array of people of all ages and backgrounds, who are interested in having a fun time with folks they barely know. Inevitably, you end up getting to know people better, but it’s an amazingly low pressure way to meet new friends because you can interact for the span of one song and there’s no expectation of anything after that. Even aside from dancing with someone for a song, you can be standing at the side chatting and then when a new song starts one of you leaves to dance and it’s not rude at all. When else can you talk to someone for 3 minutes and then just walk off and leave them there? It’s an introvert’s dream, I tell you!

Another magical thing about this social activity is that it’s not based on alcohol consumption. As a person that has always been a non-drinker, it has been my experience that almost all evening events revolve around booze, which is not super appealing to me. It also doesn’t revolve around board games, the only other option for non-drinkers apparently, and not my thing at all.

Music – In my youth, I never went ‘clubbing’ and I’ve never listened to Top 40 radio. I’m pretty picky about music, although it’s always been an important part of my life.

*Note: I have been using the generic term ‘swing dancing’, but I am specifically referring to Lindy Hop, East Coast Swing, Balboa and Collegiate Shag, which are danced to swing jazz*

I won’t get too into the topic of jazz music because it is too vast and I am far too uneducated to discuss it, but I really do love it. Since I started dancing, I have become aware of the live jazz scene in the Lower Mainland and it is impressive. We have incredible talent at all levels, from college musicians to the grandfather of Vancouver Jazz, Lloyd Arntzen who is still playing at 91.

I can’t believe anyone can fully enjoy this music while staying still.

Spontaneity – My role in the dance is as a Follow. The other option is to be a Lead; I have taken a few classes as a Lead, but at this time, I really enjoy the freedom of following. This doesn’t mean that I don’t have to think, but it does mean that I should not be anticipating what comes next; I should only be reacting to the moment.

Until swing dancing, I had never really been able to just be in the moment. I am always planning and making lists and schedules, and organizing my time and projects, and other people’s time on my projects… that’s just what I do. Not that I don’t enjoy it, but it sure is nice to have an activity that forces me not to think ahead. When you are making an effort to pay attention to the present – the music, the movement, your partner, other people on the floor – it has a way of clearing your mind of any lingering worries or problems.  

For the sake of not turning this into a 10 page essay, I have only chosen a few key things I know bring me joy, but this is by no means a complete list. My goal, for this post and as a general life process right now, was/is to analyze the various things in my life to try to understand how they are adding to or taking away from my happiness. I know for sure that swing dancing is adding to my life, but it’s interesting to try to break it down and understand why.

I recommend giving it a try.