So you’ve nailed your swingouts, mastered your Charleston, and can triple-step in your sleep. Now what? Advanced Lindy Hop isn’t just about more moves—it’s about elevating your dance into an art form. Here’s how to refine your style, deepen your musicality, and make every step flow like liquid jazz.
1. The Illusion of Effortlessness
Watch a pro like Skye Humphries or Frida Segerdahl—their dancing looks effortless, but it’s built on microscopic precision. Advanced dancers:
- Economize movement: Remove unnecessary tension (death-grip hands? Over-pulses?)
- Redirect momentum instead of stopping/starting
- Practice "slow-mo" drills: Dance a fast song at half speed to expose awkward transitions
"The best dancers don’t fight physics—they flirt with it."
2. Musicality Beyond the Basics
It’s not just "step on the beat." Advanced dancers converse with the music:
Layer Your Listening
- Primary: Bass/drums (skeleton)
- Secondary: Horns/piano (flavor)
- Tertiary: Vocal phrasing (story)
Try This Drill
Dance to Ella Fitzgerald’s ‘Oh, Lady Be Good!’ focusing ONLY on her scat syllables for one minute, then switch to the bass line. Notice how your movement vocabulary shifts.
3. Style Alchemy: Steal Like an Artist
Your unique style is just a remix of influences. Build a "swipe file":
Vintage Inspiration
Study Dean Collins’ razor-sharp angles or Jean Veloz’s playful body isolations
Modern Mashups
Notice how Nina Gilkes blends hip-hop grooves into her Lindy
Off-Dance Inspiration
How would a boxer’s footwork or capoeira roda inform your movement?
4. The Flow State Hack
That magical "in the zone" feeling? You can engineer it:
- Pre-Dance Ritual: 3 deep breaths while visualizing your ideal movement quality
- Focus Anchor: Pick one technical element (e.g., "follow the stretch") as your mental home base
- Embrace Mistakes: When you miss a step, make it jazz—improvise rather than reset
Pro tip: Record yourself dancing with and without this routine—the difference is often shocking.
Advanced Lindy Hop isn’t a destination—it’s a loving obsession with nuance. The dancers who truly captivate us aren’t those with the fanciest aerials; they’re the ones who make every weight shift, every finger flick, every micro-delay mean something. Now go play.
Your challenge this week: Dance to the same song 3x, focusing on a different musical layer each time. Share your insights with a dance buddy!
