Line dancing!
May. 24th, 2024 08:18 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jajalalaI went to a line dancing event at a bar!
From what I can tell, line dancing is pretty accessible in terms of the moves. A lot of it is focused on the legs, usually just shifting weight, stomping, turning or the like. They put a bunch of moves together, and then you repeat that combination of moves a bunch of times during a song. My girlfriend said it's a dance that's "designed to be possible while holding a drink" ahaha. The hard part is putting it all together and remembering it! Especially since most the dances seemed to rotate around, so like you would start the dance facing one wall, and then when you finish the moves cycle you end up facing 90 degrees left, and start the dance over again facing that direction. I kind of liked that doing that provided a little challenge--I spent most of the night trying to follow other people, so since I was on the outskirts I would have a great view of the other dancers for 1-2 cycles, then I'd spend 1-2 cycles doing my best to attempt it myself XD (Badly).
The format at this place included some beginner's lessons, but a bunch of dances they just played the music and people came onto the dancefloor somehow knowing all the moves. Each song seems to have a unique series of moves, so I'm impressed by people who could remember so many! I did okay at the beginner's lessons (with some mistakes still lol), and abysmally when I attempted to learn on the spot during the un-taught dances XD (it seemed acceptable for people to try to follow on the sides). I think the hardest part for me was the way the dances would "spin" around, especially if some of the moves involves some degree of spinning as well... I found it hard to anchor what direction I was supposed to be facing and where the cycles of the dance began/ended. There were a few that had REALLY clear anchors (like a huge double-foot stomp where everyone would pause for a few counts to shake their hips) and that helped a lot to orient me and get me back onto track, but some dances were so busy that I couldn't get anything straight.
Still, was overall fun! I only stayed for an hour, but I can see how it would be super fun if I went more regularly and got more used to the specific moves and began to memorize particular dances. This location was a little trip away from me, so I don't think I'll be a regular at all, but I would do it again with an excuse for sure.
Now I miss my swing-dancing, though. A few of the songs were "partnered" dances, and idk if there's specific choreography for partnered line dancing, but most the people looked like they were just kinda doing their own thing, but they were doing it great! Line dancing was mostly individual which was great in its own way, but I wanna have a fun sexy time spinning my girlfriend around XD. Both of us weren't confident enough to join the partner dances at line dancing, though.
Fortunately: I finally got into a Lindy Hop swing dancing class! There's one I've had my eye on for awhile, but spots fill up so fast I kept missing sign ups. I finally caught it during an open enrollment period and signed up. I'm signed up to learn just follow for now. I'd like to learn lead so when I take people out dancing I can dance better with them and teach them fun moves, but it's probably good to start with building foundations in follow, and then I can take the class again as a lead in the future (hopefully, if I can catch the sign ups)
So I'll have that class every week for a month or two, hopefully it's helpful! As always, going out dancing has confirmed that dancing is my favorite form of exercise.
From what I can tell, line dancing is pretty accessible in terms of the moves. A lot of it is focused on the legs, usually just shifting weight, stomping, turning or the like. They put a bunch of moves together, and then you repeat that combination of moves a bunch of times during a song. My girlfriend said it's a dance that's "designed to be possible while holding a drink" ahaha. The hard part is putting it all together and remembering it! Especially since most the dances seemed to rotate around, so like you would start the dance facing one wall, and then when you finish the moves cycle you end up facing 90 degrees left, and start the dance over again facing that direction. I kind of liked that doing that provided a little challenge--I spent most of the night trying to follow other people, so since I was on the outskirts I would have a great view of the other dancers for 1-2 cycles, then I'd spend 1-2 cycles doing my best to attempt it myself XD (Badly).
The format at this place included some beginner's lessons, but a bunch of dances they just played the music and people came onto the dancefloor somehow knowing all the moves. Each song seems to have a unique series of moves, so I'm impressed by people who could remember so many! I did okay at the beginner's lessons (with some mistakes still lol), and abysmally when I attempted to learn on the spot during the un-taught dances XD (it seemed acceptable for people to try to follow on the sides). I think the hardest part for me was the way the dances would "spin" around, especially if some of the moves involves some degree of spinning as well... I found it hard to anchor what direction I was supposed to be facing and where the cycles of the dance began/ended. There were a few that had REALLY clear anchors (like a huge double-foot stomp where everyone would pause for a few counts to shake their hips) and that helped a lot to orient me and get me back onto track, but some dances were so busy that I couldn't get anything straight.
Still, was overall fun! I only stayed for an hour, but I can see how it would be super fun if I went more regularly and got more used to the specific moves and began to memorize particular dances. This location was a little trip away from me, so I don't think I'll be a regular at all, but I would do it again with an excuse for sure.
Now I miss my swing-dancing, though. A few of the songs were "partnered" dances, and idk if there's specific choreography for partnered line dancing, but most the people looked like they were just kinda doing their own thing, but they were doing it great! Line dancing was mostly individual which was great in its own way, but I wanna have a fun sexy time spinning my girlfriend around XD. Both of us weren't confident enough to join the partner dances at line dancing, though.
Fortunately: I finally got into a Lindy Hop swing dancing class! There's one I've had my eye on for awhile, but spots fill up so fast I kept missing sign ups. I finally caught it during an open enrollment period and signed up. I'm signed up to learn just follow for now. I'd like to learn lead so when I take people out dancing I can dance better with them and teach them fun moves, but it's probably good to start with building foundations in follow, and then I can take the class again as a lead in the future (hopefully, if I can catch the sign ups)
So I'll have that class every week for a month or two, hopefully it's helpful! As always, going out dancing has confirmed that dancing is my favorite form of exercise.
no subject
Date: 2024-05-24 01:39 pm (UTC)I hope you get to joyfully spin your girlfriend around soon :D
no subject
Date: 2024-05-24 07:54 pm (UTC)Yay for getting into the Lindy Hop class!
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Date: 2024-05-26 12:40 pm (UTC)At this place at least there wasn't really a dress code as far as I could tell, BUT I will say I saw a lot of denim and cowboy boots on all genders XD. Definitely plenty people just in their regular clothes as well though.
no subject
Date: 2024-05-26 12:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-05-27 02:32 am (UTC)Anyways line dancing sounds kinda challenging - especially the memorizing all the moves part - but it's great that you had a good time regardless :D