Can You Learn to Lindy Hop from a Video? Part II
Feb 25, 2020
In my previous post, I noted how, “Just because something has been watched a lot doesn’t necessarily indicate that it is helpful or accurate content.”
View count does not equal accuracy. I stand by that clearly not-very-controversial opinion.
Yet I do understand the mindset. If so many people have watched a particular video, it must work, yes?
Then again… perhaps the reason it’s been watched so many times is that it’s not so easy to understand in this format. People just keep rewatching it over and over again, hoping to finally “get it.”!
If you search youtube for a video on how to do the lindy hop, this is one of the most viewed. In fact, it’s been watched over one million times.
How many times would most people need to watch this to lindy hop? If your answer is much more than one million times, yes, you are correct!
Now, you say, what about a video like this?
Classic and awesome! The videos in this series of Frankie Manning & Erin Stevens were instrumental to my own learning.
However, even video instruction from the great Frankie Manning is likely not enough for most people.
Case in point: I actually encountered two people who happened to stumble upon these Frankie teaching videos. They didn’t know who he was or whether these were the right tools to use. His manner and spirit drew them in, so they went with whatever videos of Frankie and Erin that they could find. They watched these videos, and ONLY THESE VIDEOS, for several weeks, practicing every day.
When they came to a social dance, they could really move! Yet while they could copy sequences (they’d been running the same things over and over), they lacked a feel for the dance. They replicated steps, but didn’t really grasp the music and the partnering or why any of it was happening. It was certainly a challenge dancing when they attempted to dance with other people.
They didn’t have a guide to show them what to work on along with way or what might be missing. You get this kind of feedback and experience from a quality, live instructor.
The flip side is that, once you have some more understanding, you can look at a clip like this and really learn a lot.
I have spent hours and hours looking at this clip. Everything you need to know about how lindy hop is in it. But it’s only been watched a fraction of the time that “The Basics of Lindy Hop” video above has been viewed.
Don’t misread me here: I’m actually quite happy for youtube as a resource to help spread the joy of lindy hop. If it gets people curious about this amazing dance, all the better. But I don’t see a youtube video substituting for actual class instruction anytime soon. There’s just too many dynamics to cover in a format the rarely emphasizes patience and can provide no feedback.
*Sidenote: I recognize that not everyone has the time, resources, or geographic options to do lindy hop classes. Still, it pains me to no end that someone might look at video like “The Basics of Lindy Hop” and decide this dance is not for them. That’s why I hope that you, YES YOU, will continue with this dance and help spread it around!
