(Part 2) Best products from r/SwingDancing

I could totally relate. I wrote this in response to Rik's blog post and have written several blog posts about my experiences since moving to a small town south of Austin:

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I too, took a break from dancing weekly, (kids, move across country, knee surgery). As I get older, it's harder to feel relevant.

To fill the void when I couldn't dance, I wrote about it. I wrote one novel, THE GIRL IN THE JITTERBUG DRESS, and then couldn't stop (writing several more with dance as a central character/theme), along with a blog about vintage and everything 1920s-1950s.

Because I couldn't dance, I tried to capture those feelings of when I first learned, and the thrill of a skirt wrapping around a warm thigh on a crowded dance floor. The excitement when you follow a lead you've never danced with before and get most of it right. I lived vicariously through my words.

Since my knee surgery, I've gained a lot of weight and am afraid to go out to well-known dance venues. I'm afraid of being ignored. Afraid of not being like the characters I write about. 

I'm trying to find my way back to the dance floor. I don't want to just write about it. We've started a small group of dancers in my little town. They only know the fat/old Tam, not the girl in the jitterbug dress I used to be.  

Starting a scene is different than coming back to an old one or even integrating into a new one. I  moved from SoCal to Texas eight years ago and barely ventured out.  I hope starting small will lend me the confidence to go out to the bigger venues again, but for now, I take beginner steps.

I haven't tried moleskin, but I love this stick on suede. It's not $2 but it's not $30 either if you have prime.

I like bike shorts (not the padded kind!) like these. Many times I'll just go with my cotton undies though, if the skirt is long enough, because I like the airflow.

I'm also not a doctor but I agree with this. Foot strength is important for dancing (and living). I recently read a few books which make the point that the tissues in our bodies need to be stressed to stay strong and protecting them from stress, like we do when we wear shoes with lots of support, only further weakens them. I liked this one in particular - Move Your DNA, and the author appears to have a couple of books specifically about feet.

I tend to stay away from the typical vintage styles worn by many in the scene(eg victory rolls), because they don't work on my hair without a lot of damaging back combing and hair spray.

You don't say what length / type of hair you have, but it's important to get hair pins that work for you. Bobby pins are useless if you want a hairstyle to last all night. Try some of these:

Goody spin pins / hair screws: https://www.buzzfeed.com/peggy/easy-hairstyles-with-spin-pins

U pins

Magic grip hair pins

Specifically made for dancers Bun heads pins

Generally braids tend to be more secure and I like buns so everything is pinned up and out of the way of me and my partner. Here are a few styles you might like to try.

Rope braided crown: https://youtu.be/5wUthYQXES8

Sock bun or donut bun version 1: https://youtu.be/S3CryIfIyK8

Sock or donut bun version 2: https://youtu.be/mp9Ia1sKi84

Double dutch braid updo: https://youtu.be/Rn3eLrZ69Tw

Spring Flower updo: https://youtu.be/UVxXr_mh5BM

Milkmaid braids: https://youtu.be/LY6yzJrAXzc

Crown twist: https://youtu.be/E34z6ftUNMQ

Flower bun: https://youtu.be/J0uiyDEunXI

Nope. I dance is rubber soled shoes too, but I wear these

I think it depends on the floor and depends on the dancer and dance. I do wear "fast" leather soled shoes when dancing balboa, but when dancing Lindy I prefer to be able to push off the floor, and it becomes more difficult when wearing "fast" shoes. I also think that too many dancers get lazy with their footwork when they aren't forced to pick up their feet. The draw back is that I've never really learn how to do proper slides/heelslides, although I don't really have an interest in them. It's some peoples thing, but I rather work on some sweet Lennie Smith footwork. :-)

I am very selective in choosing dresses to dance in. The magic combination for me is sleeveless, lined and sheer over layer. Something like this is very nice. The lining catches/absorbs most of the sweat and a sheer layer will evaporate any that gets through very quickly. Fans are also a godsend.

I highly recommend getting a hidden passport holder so you can keep your passport and a credit card on you at all time. They make ones that go around the waste or under the arm. They even make athletic wear that has hidden pockets. It's the best way to do it if you are staying in hostels, or don't necessarily trust the people you stay with.

I have one of these: https://www.amazon.com/1byone-Bluetooth-Wireless-Bathroom-Visceral/dp/B01FHELB56

And it will tell you if you are gaining fat, muscle or retaining water, and allow you to track a graph over time. Very handy to see if you are gaining muscle, or just eating more because of increased appetite due to exercise.

Also, any kind of bent leg posture like African dance or Lindy Hop will shorten the hamstrings and cause lower back pain. It's just something you need to keep counteracting with stretching.

The standard for streaming is the Logitech 920. Looks like it's on sale right now too. I've since upgraded to the Sony A6000 but that's probably overkill for what you're looking for. If you are looking for video quality (at a cheaper price) I agree with most others, use your phone. It most likely has a higher video quality for point and shoot and quick reviewing. My pixel 2 video quality is far better than my webcam.

That's the Ella Fitzgerald & Her Famous Orchestra version, the album is called Live at the Savoy 1939-40 (Amazon Link). I recommend that whole album, it's really good (and for some reason quite overplayed at Balboa events this past year - at least the ones I went to)

I recommend these in the strongest possible terms. The light protection is enough for most live band nights and still lets you have a normal conversation. (I play brass and I can play with the light cores installed.) I have two sets because I lost one.

https://www.amazon.com/Alpine-MusicSafe-Hearing-Protection-Musicians/dp/B000VO8PR0

Swing Shift is a great book that goes into this in depth!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EDIWQQ6/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

You get a radio-controlled hotshoe. One piece mounts to your camera hotshoe, the other to your flash unit. Then have your assistant bounce the flash off the wall or ceiling near your subjects. The flash is synchronized to your shutter. If you don't have an assistant, you can mount the flash to a tripod.

http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B002W2DPYC

However, the advice by /u/JSAlmonte is probably more useful than mine -- bouncing the flash is more important than having it off-camera.

I'm sure they'll be some Youtube videos out there but this dvd from Daniel Newsome and Giselle Anguizola definitely covers them.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ultimate-Lindy-Hop-Fundamentals-Essential/dp/B003B56IE8/ref=sr_1_8?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1549891120&sr=1-8&keywords=swing+dance

Chelsea Crew shoes are super comfy for dancing! I have a few pairs that have held up for years.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B015DFNZFS/ref=mp_s_a_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1487854536&sr=1-8&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&dpPl=1&dpID=317cEqws1kL&ref=plSrch

You could buy the CD here for $19.99. That whole album Goin' to Lindy Land by Peter Davis was very popular in the Lindy world and created specifically for dancers. You could hear an interview with Peter Davis on the Sept 2006 Mister Jesse podcast.

If you like that, there's a whole series of similar songs compiled into albums like "Those Dirty Blues", "Copulatin' Blues", "Eat to the Beat", "Reefer Blues", etc.

• https://www.amazon.com/Those-Dirty-Blues-Various-Artists/dp/B002ZZHGXW
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Reefer-Blues-Vintage-Songs-Marijuana/dp/B002ZZRNXA/
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Copulatin-Digitally-Remastered-Sidney-Bechet/dp/B002ZZHGXC
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Eat-Beat-Dirtiest-Dirty-Blues/dp/B000GLL1S8