Source
r/SwingDancing•
FlippantFish

What Exactly IS Slow Lindy?

I've been a Lindy Hopper going on five years now and I've become increasingly aware of a "slow" style that I'm interested in learning. The few videos I could dredge up on YouTube appear to be some fusion of Blues/Lindy; if anyone out there is experienced or informed with this dance, is that actually the case or is there some other underlying technique to it? I'm looking to be pointed in the right direction to start learning slow Lindy, even if that just means being pointed to any number of Blues workshops.

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Cheers!

Posted Jan 6, 2019, 2:19 AM UTC

1014
PolarTimeSD•

Slow Lindy isn't Blues dancing. BUt if you want to learn some Blues dancing, Brickhouse Blues, Lindy Diversion, BluesShout, and BluesGeek are all great events.

Slow Lindy is just in the name, doing Lindyhop slow. In a similar vein to Fast Lindy, there's nothing too special about it, but it can be difficult to be consistent about rhythm, footwork, stretch, and connection without practice. It's just, like dancing at a tempo faster than normal, that dancing at a slower tempo than normal can throw people off without practice. To practice, just start dancing to tempos that slower than you would normally dance with and be conscious about pulse, rhythm, whether you're rushing, whether your connection still feels good, etc.

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FlippantFishOP•

Very informative; thank you!

3
xtfftc•

I'd add that one of the reasons people even talk about "slow lindy" is because slower songs are rarely played by most DJs (and most bands). Usually they play the comfortable mid-tempos people are used to with the occasional faster song or blues.

So it's come to the point where even playing a slower song suitable for lindy is something unexpected and it has become a bit of "a thing".

Also, it's not uncommon to see people dancing "slow lindy" while others dance blues because a) they don't dance blues, or b) there's some overlap in the music. I think that's perfectly fine by the way.

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swingindenverUnderground Jitterbug Champion•

I like this video for the contrast of styles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vo-tRA4DUO4

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ukudancer•

Is this smooth style Lindy?

2
PardonMeImSparkly•

I see everyone has pretty much explained, so I won't also do that, but I do want to say that I enjoy slow Lindy better than moderate or fast Lindy. I just love being able to really gush into the swing outs and get really technical with it.

4
ardothewan•

Lot of styling time too!

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taolbi•

Mechanically, slow lindy, to me, has a higher "energy" in the connection between the two dancers.

Since we're not really "bouncing" as such, the energy is more like a groove.

If you're more curious about it technically or mechanically, I can share more.

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FlippantFishOP•

Please do!

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taolbi•

Great! Give me some leeway on my thoughts about it. Even though I label it technical/mechanical, there is still some subjectivity involved. I want to do it justice because it's a different beast than regular tempo'd lindy.

Like, you'd think slow lindy is just "slower" lindy.

If you dance it like that, it's gonna look like you zoomed into a picture. The pixels are painfully obvious. Blues can definitely help with you becoming more aware of your body parts and how it relates to rhythm. It is really awkward dancing slowly for the first time because it feels as it takes a long time before the next thing/beat/move happens.

How I dance it, I try to make sure that every muscle has a purpose. Why do we do rock steps? Technically, it helps to create direction by making a sling shot effect so that you go the opposite way. In slow lindy, we still have that but the "rock step" feeling can be made with just creating that stretch/space with your hips. This would be a small example of that energy that persists through the dance. When you let that energy go, it travels from your hip area, through your upper body > shoulders >upper arm > lower arm > fingers > partner.

If blues and west coast had a baby, I think you'd have something similar looking to slow lindy. Blues' tempo and west coast's connection. But I hope this up for affirmation or rejection from others.

I hope this made some sense!

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FlippantFishOP•

It does; thanks for elaborating. :D

The idea about "pixellation" make sense, since you need to find ways to occupy your time with movement rather than just doing the step and waiting for the next beat to come up.

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ukudancer•

Blues / WCS is quite fun. I've had that as a switch dance during a fusion exchange in Montreal. I had more of a Blues / Tango base while he had a WCS / Contact Improv base. I gotta say it was one of my favorite dances last year.

1
Extrospective•

Slow lindy is exactly what is says on the can, lindy hop dance, which is usually higher tempo, to a more blues like tempo. It allows for a couple of things that normal lindy doesn't - less exhaustion at the end of a dance, more awareness of floor space (allowing for a more creative use of the space), more flair on the swing out, and an easy transition to blues dancing on the close. It's also a good place to practice connection with your partner, as you'll be able to see problems in your dance that you usually can just power through at higher tempos.

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ukudancer•

Lindy at a Blues tempo looks and feels clunky to me. I'd rather just do Blues / blues-y tango.

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