Footloose Dance Ithaca NY Jumpswing Lindy Hop Swing Dance

[jack887]

That's about as cool as it gets! I love this video, I watch it and just smile and smile... Really cool!

[LilMissMaria7]

Fail.

[softerworld42]

Blah.

[54spiritedwill54]

wicked awesome :)

[Edgeof17]

So much energy in this dance, it looks like this couple was having fun! Congratulations and thanks for posting, really put a smile on my face :)

[809chica]

she is cute! nice dancing, both of you.

[decker230]

swingxpert is right it is not the original song cause i have it downloaded

[swingxprt]

This music has been edited from the original. Why? A valid choreography should always use the exact original song. Another criticism: all swing uses triple steps. I see none.

[lindyisthebest]

Your comment is ridiculous, and just as stupid as your comment on their Beach Boys performance. Your knowledge of choreography and swing dance must be so myopic as to be unbelievable. Get out of the box! The idea that you need triple steps to have swing dance is absurd.

[MrAwesomer]

Dear swingxprt,

Choreography, no matter how bad it may be, is still choreography.

Also, Swing dancing, even if performed by special education students (God bless 'em) is still Swing dancing.

A Ford Pinto, no matter how beat down and ill performing is still by all definitions a car.

I applaud these brave kids, and you sir are a terrible soul.

[defdakilla41]

I agree you. swingxprt is a bum

[shpwrckF03]

Mr Expert, not all Swing uses triple steps. In fact, FRANKIE MANNING (remember him???) Didn't do triple steps in his "fast Lindy". Neither does Yuval Hod (you know 5 time world Lindy Hop champion). I know this because he taught me. Stop trolling or you will get smacked.

[swingxprt]

I fail to see the merit in this argument.

[n3cessary]

Really? All swing uses triple steps?

Of the "swing" dances I know of only later versions of Lindy Hop and it's descendants (Jitterbug, East Coast Swing, West Coast Swing) have triple steps.

Charleston, Early Lindy hop, Balboa, and Shag basics don't have any.

[defdakilla41]

no they don't. Stop crying better than them doing drugs. Man people cry too damn much.

[flybenji]

That was a great dance & this couple has a lot to be proud of. I give it an eight & that is excellent. There are only a few that can get tens doing The Lindy Hop to foot loose which is not a good swing song anyway.

[hnbcomet]

omg....so freaking awesome!!!!!I wanna lean all those moves .....too coool! I'm still a beginner myself, but i love it!!! that jumping back in a single line that the gal does is so cool , and of course the aerials are stellar!

[jumpjojo]

heyo lindy hoppers! don't forget the point of social dancing is to have fun. takes a lot of hard work and courage to put together a dance routine and perform in front of a hall full of freshmen-- kudos to kurt & erica and i hope you keep spreading the joy of dance! --jojo

(and for the record, i was involved in the early choreo for this piece and appreciate the credit. cheers!)

[Birchakn937]

Ok, I agree with most, nothing special. To comment on sistermoon108 when I think jump swing I think Natalie and Yuval look up their traffic Jam routine that is a swingin video. One thing that people have failed to mention is the lack of connection between the dancers, I think if something were to be worked on it would be connection it would make the whole performance look a lot smoother. But like someone said earlier, You guys went out there worked on it and did a good job =)

[sistermoon108]

thanks for your comment. yeah, i was really nervous for this gig! erica has much more performance experience than me. it was the first time i had been on stage in over 10 years (same annual event, & i really did horribly in 1997!) We ain't big pros, just very small fish, so to even mention our all-time heroes Nathalie & Yuval is a thrill! thanks for the encouragement.

[15swingeroo]

Speaking on behalf of the lindy community, I say "Whatever!!" In one sense, the dancing and music here is not what you will see at a lot of lindy events. However, they have used a lot of lindy old-school moves. And after all it is a choreography, not a social dance. So, I give them credit for doing SOMETHING! They had an idea, they worked it through, they didn't try to overstep their abilities, some parts are executed better than other parts. But hey! Go for it! Congratulations!

[PokeAlexB]

My mistake; I was confused by the date as I thought Jojo had already moved out of the country at that point.

[LindyCompound]

The title is misleading. They are not dancing Lindy Hop; calling it that is like serving Spam and saying that it's filet mignon.

If you want to see some good Lindy Hop, search for Todd and Naomi, The Silver Shadows, or Skye and Frida (to name a few of my favorites).

[sistermoon108]

yes, Skye is one of my teachers. He is truely great. Of course I am not in the same league as he, not even close. Are you? Are you one of the broadminded, accepting, loving types, or one of the narrow-minded self-limiting types, who see Lindy Hop only in terms of some self-imposed definition that has no basis in history? But all comments are good, so thanks!

[HogtownSwing]

Can I ask you if you have ever been to a Lindy Hop event? If you search for Lindy Hop clips you will see that this clip does not have Lindy Hop qualities.

I think what LindyCompound is saying is to label your clip to what it really is. I see charleston and east coast as well as alot of jumping around. I see no swing out or triple steps in which defines Lindy Hop.

[HogtownSwing]

I'm not saying that the choreography is bad or good, but Lindy Hop is being misrepresented.

I would recommend you physically go out and seek out Lindy Hop on your own before stating what you do is Lindy Hop.

[sistermoon108]

In our FOOTLOOSE choreography, there is a Charleston Swingout right at the beginning (a direct reference to the classics early Lindy film clip "After Seben", and a dramtic delayed swingout at the climax of the bridge, with the follower mirroring the leader - a variation! And triple steps do not define Lindy Hop - go watch the Lindy greats in Hot Chocolates, Hellzapoppin, etc. Fast Lindy Technique often does not use triple steps. Ryan Francois has entire DVD on that topic.

[sistermoon108]

A great opportunity to address these issues! i don't want to trumpet how many Lindy events and workshops/private lessons with the international greats (hopefully you know who they are) I have done, but quoting Frankie Manning - "Call it what you want: it's all Lindy Hop." Frankie has studied the Jumpswing DVD. West Coast Swing, Carolina Shag, East Coast Swing, etc. are easily traced to Lindy Hop of the 30s-40s. I am not the only amateur or even pro historian with this opinion.

[LindyCompound]

On top of everything, the song doesn't even swing. Why would you choose a song so far away from the spirit of Lindy Hop and still assert its authenticity?

[sistermoon108]

what a strange comment you have made! Listen to this song. Listen to the lyrics. Feel the spirit of the music. This is far from the spirit of Lindy Hop? OK, it is not Chick Webb or Count Basie, but can't you get below the surface, and dive into the joy and freedom of Lindy? And who said it was "authentic?" - we have attempted to express the MUSIC, using Jumpsiwng/Lindy ideas, not an attempt to demo someone's conecpt of a typical modern or vintage style Lindy Hop.

[15swingeroo]

I want to dance like the Erica!

[982ladyday]

sweet!

[809chica]

me gusta - no tan mal para los gringos.

[dancingqueen259]

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[molindy207]

someone please give NORMARAE1967 the hugs she seems to so desperately need! Erika and Kurt are a pleasure to watch! I love the lindy community, and i want to see LESS of the kind of attitude from Normarae in the community, and MORE like the right*on response to it. 'Lets just dance and have fun!'

[normarae1967]

Your ma ma should have taught you better. This is all after ten years of teaching?

[sistermoon108]

Norma, i am very amused by your post! Thank you! Dancing for only 15 years, i have found that more than repertoire, movement, art, creativity, musicality, connection, etc., the most important thing in dance is KINDNESS. Much love to you and all in this season.

[lindehopr]

the girl is a natural! ok, the guy is a bit ancient, but hey at 60 (!!!), i'd be happy if i could do 1/2 the stuff he is doing. it seems to be a kind of cross-generational celebration.... so keep rockin', sez i.

[vijayc]

it would have been much better if someone younger

had danced with erica, girl is too fast for the guy, anyways its ok considering his age

[kiro626]

This is very great

[SMACInc]

Congratulations Erica and Kurt !!! That was a very energetic and fun routine!! Good for you!!!!

[julcarp]

Jo Jackson denies any involvement with this choreography or performance.

[sistermoon108]

not Jo Jackson, it was JoJo Jackson got it started! thanks for writing in! love ya!

[PokeAlexB]

Jojo can't possibly have been involved in this.

[sistermoon108]

I have known JoJo for 10 years in Ithaca. She is a wonderful, kind person, and a delightful dancer. I contracted her professional services for this choreography in late summer 2007. We put over 4 hours into it before she left the USA. Afterwards, Erica and I ended up creating well over 95% of the piece. JoJo was not here to coach us, which I would have loved. But JoJos help was invaluable, both in letter and in spirit. It felt wrong to not credit her. I am sure that you can appreciate this.

[vigetofan]

wow, wicked awesome.

[lyndycyndy]

Congrats to Erica and Kurt on a charming routine. Really nice choreography. Well done!

[9936875]

That looked like so much fun....I want to learn how to do that!

[goofie237]

good job! loved the fast forward spinning :)

[crazyhairflyeboy]

Awesome dancing guys

[danby2]

Kurt: Great job you are very nimble for an old guy LOL