Hip Hop meets Lindy

[ckn]

Back to the other part of the question. Should requests for Hip Hop from dancers be ignored? Or is it OK to play one once in a while.

I not sure. As a dancer, I don’t mind testing my skill to other styles of music, but as a DJ, I feel such a change in musical style would disrupt the flow of the set almost beyond repair.

[Toon Town Dave]

We were still doing Charleston and dancing to Indigo Swing back when Gene Harris et.al. was the popular "Lindy Hop" music in most bigger places.

Whats wrong with doing Charleston? Just look at Montreal

Back in 2001/2002 in the groove era it was pretty rare to find dancers who could actually do Charleston. Thankfully that's changed for the most part.

As for Hip Hop requests, I treat it like I would any novelty request. I won't not play the request but it will more likely be late in the evening when I don't have to worry about p*ssing off the majority of the audience. Most of our dancers do westie as well so if it's westie-able its not as far out to lunch.

[Lawrence]

As for Hip Hop requests, I treat it like I would any novelty request. I won't not play the request but it will more likely be late in the evening when I don't have to worry about p*ssing off the majority of the audience. Most of our dancers do westie as well so if it's westie-able its not as far out to lunch.

I pretty much agree, but this gets into a discussion of how to handle requests, in general, not whether Hip Hop fits. Requests are ususally very selfish in nature, and I treat them as such. If I can work it in without making the other two hundred people present suffer, no problem, but if I can't don't expect me to cooperate in making everyone suffer through your poor DJing-by-proxy.

[LindyChef]

Back to the other part of the question. Should requests for Hip Hop from dancers be ignored? Or is it OK to play one once in a while

Does it swing?

No?

Straight onto the do-not-play list for the regular set. If I like it, maybe as my novelty song at the end of my set.

[falty411]

i love it when people create dances in labs

take a little bit of the lindy gene and splice it with the hip hop gene and bam, a new dance form.

correct me if i am wrong but hasnt every single dance form that ever had any substance and lasted for any amount of time been created organically?

i just seems rediculous to make these things up. I still haven't figured out where you are supposed to dance hip hop lindy. At a lindy event? The music is wrong. at a hip hop event? i doubt most people would even have the courage to try and swing out in front of the lockers, poppers, breakers etc at theses clubs.

If hip hop music inspired partner dancing, don't you think that someone would of came to that long before lindy hoppers decided it would be cool to combine these dances.

[Lawrence]

i love it when people create dances in labs

correct me if i am wrong but hasnt every single dance form that ever had any substance and lasted for any amount of time been created organically?

i just seems rediculous to make these things up. I still haven't figured out where you are supposed to dance hip hop lindy. At a lindy event? The music is wrong. at a hip hop event? i doubt most people would even have the courage to try and swing out in front of the lockers, poppers, breakers etc at theses clubs.

Big surprise we completely disagree, again.

Quite the contrary. Most people I know who like to dance Lindy patterns to Hip Hop music actually heard Hip Hop playing somewhere and just tried it out, and it fit with a bit of adjustment. To borrow from your comparison, I actually suspect that most opponents of trying to Lindy to Hip Hop are keeping Lindy Hop confined to a laboratory, themselves, due to pre-conceived notions of what is "appropriate" or not.

Regardless of where it was created, it works, and makes the dance even more accessible to mainstream people... unless, of course, your goal is to keep Lindy Hop in a little underground laboratory of your own. I prefer anything that helps spread it out, even if it means allowing it to evolve.

[Mr Awesomer]

I prefer anything that helps spread it out, even if it means allowing it to evolve.

I don't think anyone is trying to prevent it from evolving... they just know when to stop calling it Lindy Hop.

[CafeSavoy]

I don't think anyone is trying to prevent it from evolving... they just know when to stop calling it Lindy Hop.

So would that be Lindy Hip?

[Mr Awesomer]

I don't think anyone is trying to prevent it from evolving... they just know when to stop calling it Lindy Hop.

So would that be Lindy Hip?

I think most people already call it "Hip Hop Lindy" much like "Groove Lindy" has become a fairly common term.

[Pocail]

Whats wrong with doing Charleston? Just look at Montreal [quote]

Yeah We Loooove to dance Charleston. It has great Dynamics and you can also add your own Jazz steps to it. Can be done smoothly but also mix it with Balboa.

We,ve just finished a workshop called "Crazy Charleston Challenge" were we would learn great Charleston solo steps and also a couple of styles (Scarecrow, Collegial, Basic ) 5 hours of courses and it was great!

By the way the 11 of August we have a 2 floors Party in a Bar! Main floor will be 70's & 80's and on the 2nd floor 30-40-50's. It's in MOntreal here are some info.

Hope to see you there and Charleston with us

http://lepetitmedley.ca/affiche.htm

C yaaaa
Daniel (Pocail) Champagne

[julius]

Most people doing lindy hop to hip hop music are double-timing it.

I think that is pretty much the first and only necessary clue that the dance doesn't really fit the music.

But if that's not enough, I think the janky '1, 2, 3, rest' rhythm of hip hop doesn't really flow like the '1 2 3 4' of a classic swing pulse. I don't think the pulse of the two musical genres are comparable at all.

[GemZombie]

I call it dancing to the music. The fact that the only dances I know how to do are Lindy and related swing dances means that I'm going to use that background to dance to whatever hip-hop song someone throws on.

As an occasional thing, I think it's fun.

But otherwise I agree with Reuben on this one... and especially what falty said: It doesn't seem like a very organic evolution in these terms. Though when you look at what the folks in SF did (Loose Change), I think that's pretty cool.

With all that said. Please keep Lindy Hop music at Lindy Hop events. The occasional funky thing at late night is cool I suppose, but otherwise...

[main_stem]

Crumpin'

[mousethief]

Limpin'

Kalman

[Lawrence]

But otherwise I agree with Reuben on this one... and especially what falty said: It doesn't seem like a very organic evolution in these terms. Though when you look at what the folks in SF did (Loose Change), I think that's pretty cool.

What if someone said that to Whitey and Frankie back in 1935, just when they started scratching the surface? "What you're doing is pretty cool, and maybe fun late at night, but let's stick to the Foxtrot at dances."

But if that's not enough, I think the janky '1, 2, 3, rest' rhythm of hip hop doesn't really flow like the '1 2 3 4' of a classic swing pulse. I don't think the pulse of the two musical genres are comparable at all.

Perhaps we're talking different rhythms, then, or I'm using the wrong terms. The hard "Rap" rhythm (what I call a "Rap" rhythm) you described that emphasizes the "3" is contrary to a pulsing swing rhythm, but that rhythm works with Bal, doesn't it? Also, the "thump-thump" of the songs I mentioned on the previous page create the same/similar pulsing rhythm as swing music: the same toe-tapping pulse that is the "chonk-chonk" of the rhythm guitar in Ellington's and Basie's music. The beat is just more pronounced in modern dance music (call it hip hop or whatever) and the tempo is slower than what I know you would prefer. But the pulse is there.