#31Days, Episode 4/5: Swing Kids

Hello friends and welcome to Episode 4/5 of #31Days to the Lindy Hop, the writing challenge linkup hosted by The Nester. Pull up a chair, grab a cup of coffee, and enjoy a story chock full of joy, jive, and jazz!

I first caught the swing bug when I saw the movie Swing Kids, waaaayyyyy back in 1993. I was in middle school (um, yep, I just dated myself).

via Pinterest

I poignantly remember seeing the dance scene for the first time: my eyes got buggy, my jaw dropped, and my heart starting pounding in my chest. I wanted to do exactly what they were doing and I wanted to do it right then and there.

Being in middle school and living in small town suburbia were not very conducive to finding swing lessons, of course, so I just made up my own moves. I couldn't help it--I most definitely could not sit still. I began buying big band music and I would dance all over my kitchen like a crazy person, trying hard to mimic the actors in the movie, and doing a doozy of a job at that--Frankie would probably have stood there shaking his head at me, ha!

I can't help but smile at middle school me now, thinking back to that movie and how cool I thought it was, how amazing I thought the dancing was. Now that I know how to Lindy, the dancing in the film is really not that great. Of course, they're doing all the flashy tricks, spins, and jumps, but as I said in Episode 1, this does not a dancer make.

It's all good, though. Swing Kids, bad dancing and all, was my start on a journey that I still treasure. In fact, the fever that started when the swing bug bit me back in 1993 is still with me. I haven't been on a social dance floor in over a year (which will change soon--more on that in a future episode!), but when I have Pandora set to my Louis Armstrong station, my poor downstairs neighbors are in for a lot of pounding. Sorry guys.

I guess I will forever be a Swing Kid.

xoxo

J

#31Days, Episode 3: From world headlines to a new dance craze

Hello friends and welcome to Episode 3 of #31Days to the Lindy Hop, the writing challenge linkup hosted by The Nester. Pull up a chair, grab a cup of coffee, and enjoy a little story chock full of joy, jive, and jazz!

Yesterday I told you that today I would be sharing about my first forays into the world of the Lindy Hop, but I've decided to switch gears. More about me later.

Have you ever wondered where the name "Lindy Hop" came from?? I mean, who or what or where is "Lindy"?

Well, "Lindy" was a who (haha, that sounds so Dr. Suess)...

The quick 'n dirty rundown: swing dance evolved in the late 1920's alongside jazz music. Dance and music do go hand in hand, after all. Well, dance marathons were hugely popular in the ballrooms of the day, and couples would compete for days and days and days against other couples, hoping to be the last couple standing at the end. What this looked like, if you can imagine, was each person leaning up against his or her partner so they would remain upright and dancing (more like sleep-dancing). If you sat or fell down, you forfeited.

Okay. So, during one particular marathon, a man by the name of George “Shorty” Snowden was dancing with his partner, Big Bea. They had been dancing for a long while and nothing exciting had happened... Until! Shorty noticed that there were reporters nearby. Hoping to grab their attention and make himself and Big Bea stand out--he really wanted to win that marathon!--he pushed Bea out, she did a little twist of her hips, and then he pulled her back in. The reporters went crazy! They declared a new dance move and demanded to know what it was called. Shorty had to think quick on his feet. He remembered seeing headlines about Charles Lindbergh's flight across the Atlantic Ocean in newspapers, exclaiming “Lindy Hops the Atlantic!”

Discovered via Google Images and also seen here

So, with all the cool in the world, he told reporters: “That? Well. That ain't nothin' but the Lindy Hop!”

And the Lindy Hop was born.

** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** 

I am not a historian. This story was gathered over years of swapping tales with my fellow swingers. If you have cold, hard facts that boost my story, please share! I'd love to connect.

 xoxo

J

Influence + #31Days sneak peak

Oh, where to begin?​

I just returned from the Influence Conference and my heart and my head are so, so full. There is so much I want to share--so much--but I'm going to divulge in a slow stream over time, as things come to me, rather than one big heart dump.​ That would just be a mess.

So much inspiration. 

Lara Casey and Jeff Goins both caused a major paradigm shift in how I think of myself, my dream, my why.  

Shauna Niequist reminded me that my work is my responsibility. She gave me permission to do my thing with my brand of crazy. She also dropped this truth bomb:

"The lie is scarcity; the truth is abundance."

There is plenty of room in this world for more art, more creativity, more beauty. No artist should be hoarding her gifts. Preach, Shauna.


Oh, there is much, much more. More inspiration, more encouragement. Seeds have been planted--ideas, friendships, truth. More to come...

** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

In the spirit of the conference and in honor of one of these seeds, I'm joining in the 31 Days link-up hosted by The Nester, which kicks off tomorrow, October 1. The linkup is a writing challenge to post every day in the month of October, talking about one topic, any topic. My #31Days topic is where it all began for me, my roots.

I cannot wait to share this story with you.

Join me tomorrow for the kick off!

 xoxo

J