We are happy that people enjoyed watching Barb and I dance (our dance is the Lindy Hop but we love and admire all social dancing and dance in general) at the Northern Voice 2009 opening party at Federico's. It's always for us been about having fun with whoever we are dancing with and the music; not the steps.  People ask us how we did it or they wistfully say, I'd love to do it but can't because I don't have a partner or my partner won't dance with me or I don't have time or ...

Well this blog post is to say "YES YOU CAN"!

You don't have to be musical and you don't have to be a natural born dancer. You just have to practise practise practise practise.

The Lindy hop basic step ("the swingout") is difficult. It took us two series of dance lessons and social dancing with each other and lots of other people for six months two to three times a week to "get it". Which is to say 75-100 hours.

Then before the kid was born we danced twice a week, took more dance classes went to two Lindy Hop week long dance Camps (Swingout northwest 2000 and 2002) and so after about 1000 hours we are where we are at today. Able to dance with any Lindy Hop Dancer socially. Aware of the imperfections in our technique but having fun with the music and the dance on the rare occasions when we do get out. And all of this without either of us being dancers or having been dancers in our youth (which would obviously accelerate the process a wee bit although I think Barb's musicality and my obsession with swing music and Duke Ellington's music helped a bit).

So what are you waiting for? Find the time, and get out there and dance :-) ! Or develop software or fix bicycle flats or whatever you REALLY want to do that you have been puting off! Just make the time and do it! (And thanks to our awesome swing and Lindy Hop teachers: Graeme and Lisa and Elizabeth,  Tyler and Viva, JoJo, Toby and Tanya, and so many others! And thanks to those who we've had the pleasure of dancing with over the years!)

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