When I first started dancing I somehow got the impression that it's impolite to refuse when someone invites me to dance. After some experiences with creepy men though I decided that I don't owe anyone a good time. Now I say no if I don't want to dance with someone. I don't make excuses, and I don't feel like I have to explain why (though if asked very politely and non-passive-aggressively I will often give the most honest answer that I can manage). I think real meaningful consent is very important and if at any point the lead or the follow (regardless of gender) feels uncomfortable, we should feel empowered to openly address that. How about we make this part of the new attitude in the lindy community?
Showing posts with label Swing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Swing. Show all posts
Thursday, 29 January 2015
Sunday, 18 April 2010
Friday, 21 March 2008
Taiwan Swing Dance Movement: Contd.
I recently became a part-time worker, which has given me some much appreciated breathing space. I do 3 days a week, get to spend 3 days up in my mountain abode, and 1 day to do swing in town. Yesterday we took advantage of the decent weather (look! no rain!), and built us a bed. Later on Toph designed flyers for the Taiwan Swing Dance Movement for an event on Saturday.
He got the information from the flyers off the Taiwan Swing Dance Movement blog. I sent it out to the other organizers (Maria & Jon, now that Claire has left us to go back to Germany) to be verified. Turns out some of the information was wrong. At the same time that I found this out, I also realized that Maria and I seem to have fallen out of the habit of, well, organizing things together.
While I was working full time I had very little opportunity to spend time on the Swing scene. I guess now that I have more time I need to catch up on developments. One of the developments that I had missed out on is that Maria's lesson times and location have changed. I didn't realize this, so the information on the blog remained much the same as before. Another thing I didn't realize is that Maria and Claire have another blog, Swing Island, also about the Taiwan Swing Dance Movement.
At this point I began to wonder if our fledgling scene had already schismed.
Sometimes in one city you get alot of little different scenes, without much interchange between them. There's even been cases where the dancers boycotted one anothers' classes and dances. It seems a little bit crazy, I know, but it happens.
Obviously we're not at that kind of stage. But I still think that it's time we brought each other up to date on what's happening, and perhaps consolidated things a little. I mean, because I didn't know about the Swing Island blog, the Taiwan Swing Dance Movement blog doesn't even link to it (whereas the Swing Island Blog links to TSDM, but it's a broken link).
I guess my goal is to have a scene that's not too fractured - especially in terms of communicating information. Luckily we still share the same Google Group, so when things happen, everyone should know about it. It's just that I was under the impression that we were working together, but lately I've begun to wonder if it's really working the way it should. Perhaps my past record of being unavailable to help out with things (also my working schedule, which effectively kills any kind of social life) has hindered things a bit. But surely it's not too late to catch up?
He got the information from the flyers off the Taiwan Swing Dance Movement blog. I sent it out to the other organizers (Maria & Jon, now that Claire has left us to go back to Germany) to be verified. Turns out some of the information was wrong. At the same time that I found this out, I also realized that Maria and I seem to have fallen out of the habit of, well, organizing things together.
While I was working full time I had very little opportunity to spend time on the Swing scene. I guess now that I have more time I need to catch up on developments. One of the developments that I had missed out on is that Maria's lesson times and location have changed. I didn't realize this, so the information on the blog remained much the same as before. Another thing I didn't realize is that Maria and Claire have another blog, Swing Island, also about the Taiwan Swing Dance Movement.
At this point I began to wonder if our fledgling scene had already schismed.
Sometimes in one city you get alot of little different scenes, without much interchange between them. There's even been cases where the dancers boycotted one anothers' classes and dances. It seems a little bit crazy, I know, but it happens.
Obviously we're not at that kind of stage. But I still think that it's time we brought each other up to date on what's happening, and perhaps consolidated things a little. I mean, because I didn't know about the Swing Island blog, the Taiwan Swing Dance Movement blog doesn't even link to it (whereas the Swing Island Blog links to TSDM, but it's a broken link).
I guess my goal is to have a scene that's not too fractured - especially in terms of communicating information. Luckily we still share the same Google Group, so when things happen, everyone should know about it. It's just that I was under the impression that we were working together, but lately I've begun to wonder if it's really working the way it should. Perhaps my past record of being unavailable to help out with things (also my working schedule, which effectively kills any kind of social life) has hindered things a bit. But surely it's not too late to catch up?
Saturday, 2 February 2008
Taiwan Swing Dance Movement
Some of you may know that I am one of the organizers of the Taiwan Swing Dance Movement. It's composed of four dancers who have full time jobs - so sometimes organizational time is thin on the ground. I don't get to do as much for the scene as I'd like to. It's gotten to the point where I sometimes get together with one of the girls to plan a lesson a couple of hours before we are set to teach. In a way it's a shame, but in a another way it's just how I like it. I've come to the full realization that I have only a small amount of time allotted to myself (I work 6 days a week and spend on average 3 hours a day commuting in the big city), and I have to prioritize things. So, the priorities of my time are: work (I am the breadwinner), spending time with Toph, yoga, swing, and then the many other things I don't actually get to do much gets lumped in the misc. category (go to the flower market, shopping, crafting...) The one good thing about being on the bus is that I get a lot of time with my BBC podcasts - but that's beside the point.
It's Chinese New Year next week, and in Taiwan, this is our equivalent of Christmas. It's the first time I'm spending new year at home since moving abroad 15 years ago. We're calling a 2 week hiatus to swing (we usually meet once a week on Sundays), as most folk will have family things to do. Besides, I'm going to be moving house (I've sent Toph to buy various household appliances/items and we even looked at paint swatches on line together) - so it's a pretty busy time.
I have to say that I am glad to get sometime away from swing. I've found that it's too much give give give. I am, I have to admit, a selfish dancer. What I mean is that I give very little back to the scene. For instance, in Edinburgh, I probably would have been perceived by newcomers as one of the cliquey dancers - because I don't spend my time trying to bring them into the fold, and dancing with them. The truth is that usually I can't be fucked. It's hardly ever fun dancing with beginners (there are some exceptions). When I go out to dance, I'm usually after that one or two (or three if I am lucky) good dances where I don't have to think - when I'm a mechanism of response to the lead and the music. I suppose this won't make much sense if you are not a dancer. It's like when I am climbing - the physical aspect of it is the same to me. Climbing is dancing with a very large, unmoving partner, with a very far away rhythm. The good thing about both (dancing and climbing) is that moment when the little voices in my head switches off entirely (I imagine them crowding together and hushing each other "Shhh... she's trying to concentrate!"). Do you know what I mean? Normally it's think think think all day. There's always a voice saying "don't forget the keys," "that's the 257 bus, I want the blue 2," "the pan-green party policy toward China-bound investment," "no sugar," blah blah blah. It's especially intense when reading, writing, or listening to words. Surely you know what I mean. Well, some activities bring total silence in my head, and those things are relaxing: climbing, dancing, yoga, cooking, crafting... That's that kind of experience I am after when I go out dancing.
So I don't make a lot of effort to chat. I talk to the people I have gotten to know and love (little by little over a long time), and I dance with the people I know can give me that hit. The rest of the time I am roaming around waiting to either have another dance or go home.
Starting my own scene has kind of changed all of that. Now I need to be present and on all the time - especially when teaching. I have to be patient and nice and I have to be encouraging - not all of these things come naturally to me (especially the patience). I suppose in a way it's good for my character. Though I have to admit sometimes it feels like I started a scene because I feel like I should, not because I actually enjoy it (though that's only my very low and tired nights).
There's also the added problem that I know I am not an exceptional dancer. I dance passably well, and enough to enjoy myself. I am also not a natural teacher. So the whole teaching thing is even more of a struggle - having to explain to people how it's done all the while knowing that if only someone like Bill Borgida were here, they'd learn so much better and faster.
Still, they will have to make do with what they can get, and so do I - that's where the all giving thing comes in. If only there were already a scene here, I could teach (give) and dance (get). But here, the number of experienced leaders can be counted on one hand (Uh, one, to be precise). As much as I like dancing with him, it's not ultimately fulfilling in the same way. So I find that going to PlanB on Sundays is sometimes exhausting, and has little pay-off in the way of fulfilment.
But the other day I got an unexpected email which brought me fulfilment of an entirely different form. One of my students (also salsa dancer) wrote about a lesson on his blog. He talked about what he thought of the lessons, about how we teach the lindy-turn alot (it's for your own good, because it is the fundamental basic), about how with such a small number of students it's almost a private class. He talked about how he learned to overcome his salsa habits (good), and how he learned to use the follower's momentum to move (even better). He appreciated these classes and recognized our efforts (give give give). I can't say I was moved to tears - but it is nice, to know that someone has learned something. Even better is the fact that I (and Maria also) taught him that something - and it was mine to give for free (yes! free! we only charge to cover costs).
It felt good.
So I guess when our next PlanB lindy lesson comes round I'll try to wipe the weariness off my face, put my impatience in the closet, and try to do the things that I really can't be fucked doing. Why? I'm not sure. I guess I enjoy it - or rather, I know that this is necessary so that I will be able to enjoy it one day - in the future, when Taiwan has its own scene. I guess it's the same reason why I go to classes (very rarely) - because if I didn't, I couldn't enjoy dancing. But honest to God, I hate classes.
It's Chinese New Year next week, and in Taiwan, this is our equivalent of Christmas. It's the first time I'm spending new year at home since moving abroad 15 years ago. We're calling a 2 week hiatus to swing (we usually meet once a week on Sundays), as most folk will have family things to do. Besides, I'm going to be moving house (I've sent Toph to buy various household appliances/items and we even looked at paint swatches on line together) - so it's a pretty busy time.
I have to say that I am glad to get sometime away from swing. I've found that it's too much give give give. I am, I have to admit, a selfish dancer. What I mean is that I give very little back to the scene. For instance, in Edinburgh, I probably would have been perceived by newcomers as one of the cliquey dancers - because I don't spend my time trying to bring them into the fold, and dancing with them. The truth is that usually I can't be fucked. It's hardly ever fun dancing with beginners (there are some exceptions). When I go out to dance, I'm usually after that one or two (or three if I am lucky) good dances where I don't have to think - when I'm a mechanism of response to the lead and the music. I suppose this won't make much sense if you are not a dancer. It's like when I am climbing - the physical aspect of it is the same to me. Climbing is dancing with a very large, unmoving partner, with a very far away rhythm. The good thing about both (dancing and climbing) is that moment when the little voices in my head switches off entirely (I imagine them crowding together and hushing each other "Shhh... she's trying to concentrate!"). Do you know what I mean? Normally it's think think think all day. There's always a voice saying "don't forget the keys," "that's the 257 bus, I want the blue 2," "the pan-green party policy toward China-bound investment," "no sugar," blah blah blah. It's especially intense when reading, writing, or listening to words. Surely you know what I mean. Well, some activities bring total silence in my head, and those things are relaxing: climbing, dancing, yoga, cooking, crafting... That's that kind of experience I am after when I go out dancing.
So I don't make a lot of effort to chat. I talk to the people I have gotten to know and love (little by little over a long time), and I dance with the people I know can give me that hit. The rest of the time I am roaming around waiting to either have another dance or go home.
Starting my own scene has kind of changed all of that. Now I need to be present and on all the time - especially when teaching. I have to be patient and nice and I have to be encouraging - not all of these things come naturally to me (especially the patience). I suppose in a way it's good for my character. Though I have to admit sometimes it feels like I started a scene because I feel like I should, not because I actually enjoy it (though that's only my very low and tired nights).
There's also the added problem that I know I am not an exceptional dancer. I dance passably well, and enough to enjoy myself. I am also not a natural teacher. So the whole teaching thing is even more of a struggle - having to explain to people how it's done all the while knowing that if only someone like Bill Borgida were here, they'd learn so much better and faster.
Still, they will have to make do with what they can get, and so do I - that's where the all giving thing comes in. If only there were already a scene here, I could teach (give) and dance (get). But here, the number of experienced leaders can be counted on one hand (Uh, one, to be precise). As much as I like dancing with him, it's not ultimately fulfilling in the same way. So I find that going to PlanB on Sundays is sometimes exhausting, and has little pay-off in the way of fulfilment.
But the other day I got an unexpected email which brought me fulfilment of an entirely different form. One of my students (also salsa dancer) wrote about a lesson on his blog. He talked about what he thought of the lessons, about how we teach the lindy-turn alot (it's for your own good, because it is the fundamental basic), about how with such a small number of students it's almost a private class. He talked about how he learned to overcome his salsa habits (good), and how he learned to use the follower's momentum to move (even better). He appreciated these classes and recognized our efforts (give give give). I can't say I was moved to tears - but it is nice, to know that someone has learned something. Even better is the fact that I (and Maria also) taught him that something - and it was mine to give for free (yes! free! we only charge to cover costs).
It felt good.
So I guess when our next PlanB lindy lesson comes round I'll try to wipe the weariness off my face, put my impatience in the closet, and try to do the things that I really can't be fucked doing. Why? I'm not sure. I guess I enjoy it - or rather, I know that this is necessary so that I will be able to enjoy it one day - in the future, when Taiwan has its own scene. I guess it's the same reason why I go to classes (very rarely) - because if I didn't, I couldn't enjoy dancing. But honest to God, I hate classes.
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