Lindy Hopper's Delight 2014

my workshop class from the weekend

Lindy Hopper's Delight is the title that Galway's November swing weekender goes by and it is bang on the money.

I'd mentioned before that I was excited to visit Galway after hearing a number of ringing endorsements about the swing scene and about the city but most of all about the people and, for me at least, the latter is key - not only because it's why I most look forward to visiting new spots but also because it's why I choose to revisit them; and I know I'll definitely be back in Galway.

(and that's not just because Skye and Frida will be there in April!!)

My weekend in Galway got off to a later than scheduled start as my university graduation was the very same Friday and, as that was in Scotland, by the time my delayed flight to Dublin had arrived and Anna, dance partner extraordinaire, had very kindly collected me from the airport it was close to 2:00 am before we were able to check into our hostel and quietly sneak into our dorm room causing as little disturbance as possible.

Although, as one temporarily terrified roommate can testify, it seems we were somewhat unsuccessful with the latter. Sorry, David!

At breakfast we met a few familiar faces from the Cork lindy hop scene and that set the tone for the rest of the weekend as about half of the people there had either visited events in Belfast or else our paths had crossed at other weekenders, and the small size of the classes meant it was very easy to get to know the rest.

A lot can be said for the more intimate teaching environment they had in Galway and I know we all benefited from it because at some stage I'm sure every person there received individually tailored advice from the pros on one thing or another.

That's not to say you don't sometimes get that in bigger classes, but often time is a constraint and it's not always possible to give specific tips to every person in attendance. So, what then happens is you get more general advice, like "I can see a few people doing this but what you should be doing is that..." - which often causes a whole load of people (often the ones that that advice is targeted at) to nod their heads in affirmation whilst silently scoffing "huh, well, I know he's not talking about me..."

clockwise from top left: Michael & Evita, Sarah (with Éamonn O'Sullivan), and front and centre of the most fun lindy hop photo out, David

The teachers for the weekend were Michael Jagger, Evita Arce, David Zilkha, and Galway's own Sarah McHugh and everything they taught was fun and fresh. I have a long way to go to get to where I want to be swing-wise but after nearly two years of learning lindy hop it's rare that I can go to that many consecutive classes and learn that much novel content.

It wasn't just that they were sharing new moves but also new techniques and tips on floor craft - which may have been a consequence of my first foray into a higher ability-level class - so if I really take them all in, the little chestnuts offered here and there should have a much more profound effect on my overall dancing than just being able to add a couple of new moves to my repertoire.

One of the things that most stood out to me about the teachers was the smoothness of their dancing - something that I find more synonymous with west coast swing and doesn't always get the same emphasis in lindy hop - and David's style in particular, perhaps due to his background in contemporary dance, focused less on large ostentatious moves but more on creating visual contrasts in the size, speed and height of his lead (and therefore his follow) which resulted in a hugely varied display every time he danced that was fantastic to watch.

However, as much as I truly enjoy classes it is socials where the fun really happens and what a social it was.

Again reflecting the smaller size of the workshops the social wasn't huge - even though the numbers had been swollen a little bit by the arrival of other Galwegians who hadn't been to classes - but I found this to be a virtue rather than a shortcoming; especially for someone like me who enjoys the challenge of trying to dance with every follow in the room at least once but often finds that to be a futile aspiration at large events

The music started well and just got better as the night went on (with a sprinkling of my favourite stuff - rock'n'roll - towards the end to really finish on a high!) and as I had lost time to make up for, having completely missed the social the night before, I was determined to stay on the floor for as long as possible. This was made an incredibly easy task by the fantastically fun dancing that was to be had and as some of the tunes played were especially conducive to more animated interpretation, with a few of them even coinciding with a couple of dance crushes here and there, I can honestly say it was one of the best nights of dancing I've had.

Away from the dancing, Anna and I attempted to make the most of our weekend in the West of Ireland so as well as going to a few jazz socials in local bars on the Sunday and Monday nights and another (solo jazz) class led by Sarah, we also took the opportunity to go to see the Cliffs of Moher. Or at least that was the aim as the rain and coastal fog conspired to soak and obscure all who approached them. Consequently I monopolised a hand dryer in the visitor centre toilets for about half an hour as I took off and dried just about everything I was wearing (key info: I was in a cubicle) and it was one of those rare occasions where I was glad they had an old fashioned jet-engine type hand dryer and not one of those funky Dyson Airblade yokes.

All in all, it was a wonderful weekend and I would encourage everyone to take a trip to Galway if they can - although, if you'll allow me to be selfish, maybe not all of you at once or it could mess with the intimate vibe that makes it so special...ha! A huge thanks to Paul Neary and Sarah McHugh for organising, Galway Swing for hosting, the fantastic teachers: Sarah, David, Michael and Evita, and the amazing dancers from/visiting Galway who made the weekend what it was and I'll hopefully see you all again in April!

And finally, I also want to give a quick mention to Sheila for telling me she has been enjoying reading this blog! I've been incredibly grateful for the feedback and tips I've received so far as I get to grips with this blogging malarkey but it means that little bit more to hear it for the first time from someone I've never previously met and so was under no obligation to say nice things to a friend! ...and all being well, my head will have suitably deflated in time for my next blog post...

In fact, there is going to be another post about Galway to follow shortly with some photos courtesy of the fantastic Anita McGarry Photography so you can all have a shufty at what was going on!