Went to Hillel services and a local swing dance last night. At the dance, Paul and Jen--my favorite instructors--were teaching a lesson on Collegiate Shag. I got the basic shag step down, but my open position kicks needed work. After the lesson, Jen offered to help me with my Lindy. This gesture was quite gracious of her, but quite nerve-wracking for me. First, my mind was in Shag mode, and it took me a bit to transition to East Coast Swing. Second, Paul and Jen were the teachers at the five-week swing lessons I had recently finished at Princeton, so I was worried that my poor performance would reflect badly on her. Third, she was letting me lead--for real. Oy vey.
How did I do? Well, I was on beat, which in itself is a minor miracle for me. I was completely missing the 1, but I realize that will take more practice. I tried mixing the basic steps with some of the moderate moves I was comfortable with. Jen said that I wasn't leading "normal" Lindy patterns (though when have I ever been considered normal), but that I was leading nonetheless (ie, the signal was stronger than the noise). Progress, I think (I hope).
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