Concerns about 'gatekeeping'

I love Lindy hop and I love the Lindy hop community.

Both have brought me so much joy since I first discovered this amazing dance a few years ago, but I have become increasingly saddened by some of the comments I read online and occasionally hear.

Every so often someone shares a video or something else that brought joy to them and they want to share it with everyone else. Or maybe they just bought their first vintage outfit and tonight is its social debut. Perhaps they asked someone else after class “…who is Frankie Manning?” Or maybe they requested that the DJ play Elvis or Sinatra.

If someone is not yet versed in all of the intricacies of Lindy hop or swing dancing history, or Swing Era music, or the fashion trends of the 1920s-50s, it is possible that they may overlook a detail or two. One of the benefits of a community is that is offers the opportunity to educate and to be educated - I have learnt a lot from reading things written or shared by others better versed than I am, and by listening to more experienced dancers share a little about the history of the dance I love.

But there is a way to inform and share opinions that does not involve scoffing, being patronising or just being rude. A current McDonald’s advert illustrates this perfectly.

I came to Lindy hop through listening to Buddy Holly, Frank Sinatra and electroswing; by watching the dancing in Grease; and, though not directly related, by thinking I should have been a greaser. I know now that none of those things shares much (if anything) with the Swing Era or the birth of Lindy hop, but that is the path I took and I imagine there may be others who were not born into Count Basie, Frankie Manning and swing outs.

I know that I am going in hard on the Lindy hop community, here. I have commented before that self-styled ‘purists’ exist in all dances and walks of life, but sadly the greater something's provenance the louder the snobs. Within Lindy hop I am very grateful that the people I am aiming this post at are very much in the minority. But as they are often some of the more experienced and vocal within our community, they stand to do it the biggest damage due to the status they are afforded.

Frankie stated that he and his fellow Lindy hop pioneers were subjected to dismissive and pejorative statements from event organisers, agents, and other dancers who all viewed Lindy hop with utter disdain throughout its early years. Frankie’s goal was to elevate Lindy hop into the global dance pantheon alongside ballroom and ballet, and he and others had to fight against all forms of discrimination to achieve that.

Furthermore, and based upon the hard work of Frankie and others, the Lindy hop community has developed a reputation for its inclusivity and progressive stance on a number of important (social) issues. So, to hear or read sanctimonious comments from within our community mocking the authenticity in someone’s outfit or music choices, the accuracy of their terminology or historical knowledge, or even just their dancing aesthetic – especially if that someone is at a much earlier stage of their Lindy hop adventure – saddens and sometimes enrages me.

It is antithetical to inclusivity.

I understand that in order for Lindy hop to be recognisably preserved then a curriculum of sorts must extend beyond teaching footwork and technique. There is much to learn about swing dancing, the Swing Era, and the many figures who feature prominently, and much of it is objective, historical fact that is not subject to differences of opinion.

Everyone could do with learning a little more, and some more than others. But, as with all learning, I have always found that positive feedback keeps me hungrier than negative feedback. I know that my students agree, and I am fairly certain that others would too. 

Nearly everyone I have met in the Lindy hop community has been kind, warm, and overflowing with a passion for their dance and for those who share it with them. Do not be the exception.