We laughed, we drank, and of course we danced. Everything was great up until an unfortunate incident took place on the dance floor. The incident involved a notoriously grumpy older
A number of people immediately got up from their seats to talk to us. One woman, who sounded quite livid, came up to us and said, “Don't you listen to him. That guy is an asshole. He thinks he owns the floor”. Throughout the festival others came up to send further messages of comfort. It became clear to me after hearing his outburst that this man has a serious problem. As another patron of the festival put it, “His last name starts with a capital A”.
For the most part, Lindy Hoppers are well-received by the jazz festival patrons; it's hard to get through a festival without being showered by complements and encouragement. However, as time goes on, and Lindy Hoppers become a more permanent part of these festivals, more and more comments surface from those who share the floor with us which are not quite so positive. There have been a number of times where others have approached us and we've been told, in so many words, “We love you guys, but you really have to change if you want to continue being welcomed here”.
The problems boil down to many factors. One of the biggest problems I see is ignorance. One example of this would be that Lindy Hoppers have no concept of line of dance. Although we see older dancers traveling on the outside of the dance floor it doesn't always occur to us to stay out of the way. Sometimes the speed of the music can consume mental bandwidth. Other times we are distracted by the great live music to the point where these things just slip our minds.
Those factors may also explain why it doesn't occur to us to dance small when the floor is crowded. Additionally, the skill-set of a couple can influence this greatly (I say couple because I know very well that follows can suck up space as easily as leads can). Lack of awareness is one thing, and getting caught up in the music is another – but add on top of that the inability to control ones body movements, and we've got a little bit of a hairball on our hands (gross).
Yet another layer of this problem is the misconception that festival-goers hold in which they believe that we are one cohesive group. I suppose we are, but only in that we do the same dance; Lindy Hoppers come to these festivals from different cities, and often times we don't know the dancers from the other scenes. Yet the most frequent question Lindy Hoppers seem to get from festival-goers is this: “Are you all a part of a club?” Typically this question is directed at the person that is assumed to be the leader of the pack.
The conception that we are members of one club, and further, that we have a single leader, is exemplary of the ignorance that occurs at these festivals. Misconceptions occur on both sides. One belief I held was the idea that Lindy Hoppers are the only ones unaware of dance floor etiquette. I suppose I knew the problem was more than just our dancers, but it may not have been so clear to me mostly because I do not have a sense of responsibility for the behaviors of the festival-goers at large, but for myself and other Lindy Hoppers who I feel are essentially guests in a scene not their own.
In an attempt to educate our dancers, my friends and I decided to make a flyer to circulate at festivals. I drafted up the flyer last week and we printed them up for the festival (click the images below to enlarge). The flyer was well-received by all sides. After seeing this flyer, couples of the older generation informed our group that we're not the only ones who need a little education. In fact, the director of the festival is planning to use the language in the flyer to create something similar to put into the festival packets for next year.
