Quoted from "Penguinbob"
I don't know where they got rock and roll from, but that routine bears even less resemblance to rock and roll (which I danced for about a year prior to finding lindy hop) than it does to lindy hop. Maybe what you yankees call rock and roll isn't what rock and roll is down under though.

AFAIK there's something that goes by the name of "rock and roll" or "boogie woogie" in Europe that more or less don't exist in the US. It more closely resembles competitive cheerleading then a dance form IMHO. Is that what you're referring to?

Quoted from "Penguinbob"
Rock and Roll is a very popular dance (particularly amongst the 40-50s age group) in Australia. Here is an example http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=UPzkKhcl7nY I think it stays fairly close to the original rock and roll dance of the 50's and 60's which was heavily influenced by lindy hop. See: http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=tI4qO5Y9M1Q&feature=PlayList&p=9789854B9013383C&index=0

Ok so it's late and I've had a few but that second clip is just later era lindy hop. It's not a separate dance.

And no offense intended, but the first clip is just bad beginner lindy hop with a lot of aerials thrown in for good measure. In fact, a lot of the aerials look very well rehearsed and like they have pretty good technique. If those dancers woulda spent more time learning better dancing instead they'd probably just be good lindy hoppers. As it is they're decent aerialists and mediocre swing dancers.

So yeah, as far as I'm concerned, "Rock and Roll" isn't its own dance at all. It's another one of those phony, forced divisions (like "East Coast Swing") made up to make money, that people only acknowledge because that's what they've been told. Not because there is actually a major recognizable difference in what's really being danced.

I'd be happier with SYTYCD and DWTS if they'd just say "swing" as a catch-all umbrella term allowing the pros to choreograph whatever motion matches the crazy music they're handed without having to follow the rules of any particular style within in the swing dance genre.

But maybe that's just me.

[quote="mouth"]

Quoted from "Penguinbob"
And no offense intended, but the first clip is just bad beginner lindy hop with a lot of aerials thrown in for good measure. In fact, a lot of the aerials look very well rehearsed and like they have pretty good technique. If those dancers woulda spent more time learning better dancing instead they'd probably just be good lindy hoppers. As it is they're decent aerialists and mediocre swing dancers.

I'd actually agree with you there. It is just bad lindy - which is why when I found lindy hop after doing rock and roll for a while I was like "Yeah, now you're talking!". Except rock and roll dancers are quite adamant that what they do is rock and roll. This clip is probably a better example than the above http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3U4mFO2xxs&feature=related

In my opinon rock and roll as a dance has a different aesthetic to lindy hop, because its danced to different music and that makes it a different dance - despite there being very similar patterns. But if patterns is all we're talking about we can lump many, many dances together. See: http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=cbaNYWkQYYA

Here in Australia the scene's are also very different and the dances are taught very differently. And I think that has something to do with why the dances are different and why when I dance with rock and roll dancers they do follow and feel different to lindy follows (same with westie follows - they feel different).

Quoted from "Toon Town Dave"
I'm not sure where the "Lindy Hop" was. I saw a couple of swingout like figures but for the most part, I'd say it's some sort of modern/contemporary dancing with some partnered lifts and tricks.

Sounds like the WCS that Benji choreographs, too...

:disguise:

I think you people are nuts. The dance was advertised as "Punk Rock Lindy Hop," which for the most part satisfied the description. It had a nominal amount of technique, but there were a couple of Lindy patterns, a lot of great aerials, and was really high energy. While I'm not much of a fan of what Benji does, even what he's good at, I think he fulfilled what was demanded of him. It's no worse than all the body rolling we did all over lindy hop for six years.

Quoted from "NEON"
I think you people are nuts. The dance was advertised as "Punk Rock Lindy Hop," which for the most part satisfied the description. It had a nominal amount of technique, but there were a couple of Lindy patterns, a lot of great aerials, and was really high energy. While I'm not much of a fan of what Benji does, even what he's good at, I think he fulfilled what was demanded of him. It's no worse than all the body rolling we did all over lindy hop for six years.

i think the concept was badly choreographed and executed.

"Punk Rock Lindy Hop" does not mean bad lindy hop. for example, the clip i posted had a good example of "Punk Rock Lindy Hop".

OMG now I agree with Zenin. First Shana, now me... Wait, lemme check and make sure the world isn't suddenly spinning the other direction. :wink:

Quoted from "Zenin"

Quoted from "mity"
"Punk Rock Lindy Hop" does not mean bad lindy hop. for example, the clip i posted had a good example of "Punk Rock Lindy Hop".

Well to be honest it was a better example of Pop Rock Lindy Hop. Fall Out Boy isn't punk... :spineyes:

If they are willing to call that dancing lindy hop, then i can call that music punk.

Zev, I <3 you.