Time Traveling in the University Gym

Ljósmynd/Rizza Fay Elíasdóttir

Translation: Kjartan Ragnarsson

We all know how important it is to pull ourselves away from our studies and do something good for our bodies every once in a while. At the University Dance Forum (Háskóladansinn), which is open to both university students and others, you can choose from a variety of dancing styles, including Lindy hop. A Student Paper journalist met up with dance instructor Fanney Sizemore at the university’s gym to learn more about it. Fanney’s fellow teachers Anna María Guðmundsdóttir and Magnús Pálsson were also present and more than willing to educate our readers about the history and culture of Lindy hop.

Straight out of Harlem

Lindy hop can be traced back to Harlem, New York in the lead-up to the 1930s. “Lindy hop came out of several other dances,” Fanney says. “It began when swing music was becoming popular, and the steps are based on tap and Charleston.” They say the music is one of the best parts of Lindy hop. “It’s mostly swing from the 30s and 40s,” says Anna. “We dance to the music of Ella Fitzgerald and Count Basie a lot, to name some names. The tempo of the song doesn’t necessarily matter that much, as long as it’s got a swing to it.”

There are some opposing theories on the origin of the name Lindy hop, the most popular being that it refers to Charles Lindbergh, who successfully flew across the Atlantic to Paris around the same time that Lindy hop was developing. “Lindbergh was nicknamed ‘Lucky Lindy’ because he ‘hopped’ over the Atlantic,” Fanney explains.

Just like swing music itself, Lindy hop has its roots in African-American culture. Early on, though, others started showing interest in the dance, which led to the opening of a club called the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem, where Lindy hop first flourished, and it became one of the first public places in the US to let people in regardless of their skin colour. “Not everyone was happy about it,” says Magnús. “Many found this type of racial mixing immoral. The fact that the dancers made physical contact with each other was a source for concern, and large taxes were placed on the club in protest.”

Swing music later evolved in different directions, and as a result, Lindy hop as good as died. It was later revived in the 1980s and grew in popularity, not just in the US, but in other places like the UK and Sweden. “One thing that in particular led to Lindy hop’s comeback was that people saw the dance in old movies and wanted to learn to dance like that,” says Fanney. “This was before the internet, and in Sweden, they had people investigating and trying to figure out jut what sort of dance this was. When they figured it out, they brought in dancers from New York to come teach them Lindy hop.”

Sort of like LARPing

Lindy hop isn’t simply a set of steps, though. “It’s really more of a particular culture,” says Fanney, noting that the style of clothes plays a large role in the dance’s popularity. “It’s a bit like LARPing [Live Action Role Play]. You dress yourself up in full Lindy hop attire and everything. So in a way, it’s almost like time travelling while you’re at it.”

The instructors say that it’s easy to get to know people through dancing, and Magnús points out that people who’ve moved to Iceland and decided to come dance Lindy hop with them have all quickly made new friends. “There’s always a community that forms around Lindy hop, no matter where you are.”

When asked how big the Lindy hop scene in Iceland is, they say it’s quite small but has been growing in the last two years. Lindy has devoted fans all over the world, though. “It’s huge in Berlin, for example,” Anna says. “I know Lindy hop is also very popular in Montréal, and in London there are dance nights at a variety of clubs every single night.” During these dance nights, people gather with the sole purpose of dancing Lindy hop. “Whenever we go abroad, the first thing we always do is think, ‘Where can we go do dance?’” says Fanney, laughing.

Lindy hop festivals, focused almost entirely on the dance itself, are held around the world. “A few of us went to a festival in the US together this summer. They had Lindy hop classes during the day and then dances in the evenings.” Fanney reminisces. “There’s a bunch of these festivals held all over the world. Just here in Iceland there are two, Arctic Lindy Exchange in early autumn and then Lindy on Ice in February.” 

No longer “Jack and Jill”

Lindy hop is a so-called social dance, meaning that one person leads and the other follows without any choreographed routine. “One of the things that’s so appealing about Lindy hop is that, even though one dancer is leading and the other following, the follow still has a lot of freedom to do what they like. In that way, Lindy hop is really very much a conversation between these two individuals. In many types of dancing, the lead controls what the follow does for the most part, but not with Lindy hop,” says Fanney.

Traditionally, the boys led while the girls followed, but this has changed a lot in recent years. Today, it isn’t uncommon to see people dancing in pairs regardless of their gender. “At Lindy hop competitions, they often compete in what’s called ‘Jack and Jill,’ which is when a lead is paired up with a follow without the two of them knowing each other,” Fanney explains. The name has come under scrutiny in recent years, though. “People want to get rid of the inherent gender connotations that a name like ‘Jack and Jill’ reinforces,” Anna explains. "The lead and follow positions are no longer strictly associated with one gender or another, and, these days, people often talk about ‘Basic March’ or ‘Partner Draw’ instead. Similarly, many enjoy being able to dance both positions and Fanney says for example that she wanted to learn how to lead simply so she could dance in more ways. “I had already learned how to dance as a follow and then signed up for another basic course where I could learn how to lead as well. You learn as a result what a lead wants to see from a follow and vice versa.” It is clear that even though Lindy hop dancers want to stay true to the dance’s history and roots, they are also ready to let the dance evolve and redefine itself in light of changing times.