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October Newsletter (Camp Hollywood Videos and Columbus Day)

Hey Medina Lindy Hop Swing Dancers,

It was great to be back teaching in Medina last month after a successful trip to Camp Hollywood in LA over Labor Day weekend. As I mentioned in the previous letter, I was there participating in two Lindy Hop competitions with Val Fleishauer. I’ll share videos of our individual and paired competitions below.

Lessons will continue tomorrow, Monday, October 2nd, and then we will take Columbus Day off.  See the full schedule below.

DJ Tommy Sprinkles will be back DJing our dance on Thursday, October 19th. Come join us for a wonderful night of dancing!

Here’s the news:

  1. October Dance: Our monthly dance in October will be on Thursday, October 19th.  This month DJ Tommy Sprinkles will be back to lay down some swinging hits for us. There will be a free lesson at 6:30 and the dance will go from 7:30 to 10:00.
  2. Lesson weeks changed for October: First Lesson October 2nd at 7PM and then NO LESSON ON COLUMBUS DAY. Progressive lessons will be held on Monday, October 2nd, 16th, and 23nd. There will be no lesson on Monday, October 9th due to the Columbus Day holiday.  Our three lessons this month will focus on the Lindy Swing Out and related forms. No experience is necessary for these lessons. Schedule (all lessons are at 7PM):
    1. Oct 2: Lesson 1
    2. Oct 9: Columbus Holiday (No Lesson)
    3. Oct 16: Lesson 2
    4. Oct 23: Lesson 3
    5. Oct 29: No Lesson
  3. Fall Dance Dates: Mark your calendars for fall dances: Thursday, October 19; Thursday, November 16; and Thursday, December 21. All dances start at 7:30 and begin with a free lesson at 6:30.
  4. Camp Hollywood Competition Videos: Val Fleishauer and I competed in two Lindy Hop competitions over Labor Day weekend.  They are outlined below.
    1. Amateur Classic Lindy: In this competition Val and I danced together to two random songs. These dances weren’t choreographed, but extemporized. We had worked together for nine months improving our individual dancing as well as our ability to dance well with each other. We were extremely happy with the resulting performance for the competition. The most important thing to us was to have fun, not worry about it being a competition, and let our preparation allow us to let the music inspire us.  Although we didn’t make the finals, we felt like we accomplished all our goals and so this was a huge win for each of us.  Here is the video from that competition. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkCFnj8CCd8&t=654s
    2. Amateur Mix and Match: In this competition Val and I competed individually and were paired with four random people for four random songs. I personally found this one a much harder competition. Nevertheless, it was a fantastic learning experience and I had some really fun dances.  You can see that competition here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syW_nYPqzLg&t=643s

Lindy Hop swing dance has helped me stretch myself beyond my comfort zone again and again. At Camp Hollywood I was surrounded by people whose dancing astonishes me with both its technical excellence and its effortless, spontaneous quality. I have a long way to go, but it’s also true to say that if I could’ve seen myself now, back when I was a beginner, I would’ve been amazed. Even better, Lindy Hop has stretched my community of friends. My hope for Medina Lindy in the Village is that swing dance can help you stretch both your dance confidence and your social circle, too. Please do come out and join us for lessons and for dances. We’re small enough that everyone who comes makes a difference. Bring a friend, bring a neighbor, and most of all, bring yourself.

That’s all for now. We’ll see you on the dance floor.

Thanks,

-Phil Berry