LOL. I will take this graphic opportunity to comment that I think following blues and following bal feel more similar to each other than either feels to following lindy. And it further seems to me that bal nerds transition to blues more naturally than your average lindy hopper, being more comfortable with close embrace and, for lack of a better word, subtlety.
I’d have to agree with you, Christina. I wonder why there is not a much bigger overlap since it seems so easy to convert Bal movements into Blues movements when the music gets slow.
regarding the lack of crossover btwn blues and balboa: i think it has more to do with the feeling of the music. people who like to dance to swing or charleston music tend to not like to dance to blues (especially modern blues). to me, the feeling of balboa is more “vintage” swing than bluesy. bal-blues is scary stuff….just sayin’
That might be true on some levels, but I’ve also danced balboa with several blues follows that connect in a strange and unhelpful way. It probably has much to do with some of those other dances or styles or dialects or whatever-you-want-to-call-them under the “blues” umbrella.
It might also be more fair to compare bal nerds to lindy hop nerds rather than average lindy hoppers.
I agree – although both are in close embrace, the posture is totally different, the blues follow molding herself more to the leader and allowing her hips to disconnect, and the bal follow keeping her own poster and only connecting with the lead at a certain point or points, almost like a fulcrum and not allowing her hips to disconnect.
I totally agree christina and have been saying that for years! I agree that the posture and embrace is different but as a follow the overall ‘feeling’ is the same. The emotional connection and the the follow headspace is very similar (for me anyways!) I have been desperate for someone to start running “bal & blues” nights for ages!
Well they both begin with ‘B’ and there’s an ‘L’ in there; there’s a strong focus on weight shifts but after that (for me) they’re different animals in a different habitat dancing to a different drum – hence the ‘tiny’ overlap.
Exited to see this post posted here. Love both dances so much, but cannot compare the shit I get for being a Blues dancer to being a Balboa dancer. I have always thought how much my Balboa helped me to become a better Blues dancer. Agree on that they are more closely related to each other than to Lindy.
Poor Balbluesers indeed… I’m curious, I suppose a majority of the dancers in the grey bit are also lindy hoppers. In my scene, you can have non-lindy blues dancers, but most of the hardcore bal dancers started out with lindy initially… Is there anyone out there that is a non-lindy, balboa-blues dancer?
Off topic of Balboa and Blues (sacrilege, I know!). But this is important: you have a Tardis netbook?! What is that, and where would I get one?!
HAHA fell over laughing because I couldn’t agree more. I love both and the shit I get comes left, right and centre. The major difference for me is that balboa dancers have better fashion sense.
[…] out from the written format this year in the form of Venn diagrams like “Friends” and “Balboa/Blues” and promotional videos like L1ndy Phocus Time and Swingin’ In the Rain. However, swing […]
Swungover*
26 responses to “Venn Diagram #4: “Balboa/Blues””
For some reason, I now want to motorboat somebody.
LOL – you could substitute West Coast for Blues too.
Except West Coast isn’t actually swing, soooo…
i agree with katie here, west coast isn’t swing
And blues is?
Ha ha, I’m one of those people in that little sliver.
When there’s a bouncy blues track, I find myself doing balblusing. It’s strange, fun, but most of all, it kind of works.
LOL. I will take this graphic opportunity to comment that I think following blues and following bal feel more similar to each other than either feels to following lindy. And it further seems to me that bal nerds transition to blues more naturally than your average lindy hopper, being more comfortable with close embrace and, for lack of a better word, subtlety.
I’d have to agree with you, Christina. I wonder why there is not a much bigger overlap since it seems so easy to convert Bal movements into Blues movements when the music gets slow.
regarding the lack of crossover btwn blues and balboa: i think it has more to do with the feeling of the music. people who like to dance to swing or charleston music tend to not like to dance to blues (especially modern blues). to me, the feeling of balboa is more “vintage” swing than bluesy. bal-blues is scary stuff….just sayin’
That might be true on some levels, but I’ve also danced balboa with several blues follows that connect in a strange and unhelpful way. It probably has much to do with some of those other dances or styles or dialects or whatever-you-want-to-call-them under the “blues” umbrella.
It might also be more fair to compare bal nerds to lindy hop nerds rather than average lindy hoppers.
I agree – although both are in close embrace, the posture is totally different, the blues follow molding herself more to the leader and allowing her hips to disconnect, and the bal follow keeping her own poster and only connecting with the lead at a certain point or points, almost like a fulcrum and not allowing her hips to disconnect.
I totally agree christina and have been saying that for years! I agree that the posture and embrace is different but as a follow the overall ‘feeling’ is the same. The emotional connection and the the follow headspace is very similar (for me anyways!) I have been desperate for someone to start running “bal & blues” nights for ages!
Hah!! Look, there’s my house! ; )
indeed. we are neighbors.
I suppose that I am both then too!
The Balboa is a dance that people do. Blues “dancing” is a way of behaving on the dance floor, but it is not a dance. No basic+no dance.
lol . . . “no basic no dance”? So tango isn’t a dance, then?
Well they both begin with ‘B’ and there’s an ‘L’ in there; there’s a strong focus on weight shifts but after that (for me) they’re different animals in a different habitat dancing to a different drum – hence the ‘tiny’ overlap.
Exited to see this post posted here. Love both dances so much, but cannot compare the shit I get for being a Blues dancer to being a Balboa dancer. I have always thought how much my Balboa helped me to become a better Blues dancer. Agree on that they are more closely related to each other than to Lindy.
Poor Balbluesers indeed… I’m curious, I suppose a majority of the dancers in the grey bit are also lindy hoppers. In my scene, you can have non-lindy blues dancers, but most of the hardcore bal dancers started out with lindy initially… Is there anyone out there that is a non-lindy, balboa-blues dancer?
Off topic of Balboa and Blues (sacrilege, I know!). But this is important: you have a Tardis netbook?! What is that, and where would I get one?!
Also: People who have Twice as Much Fun! Mmmm… slow Balboa…
HAHA fell over laughing because I couldn’t agree more. I love both and the shit I get comes left, right and centre. The major difference for me is that balboa dancers have better fashion sense.
[…] Love & Swing (2): Non-Dancing Significant Others vs. Dancing Significant Others Venn Diagram #4: “Balboa / Blues” Love & Swing (1): “To Meet Boys.” Venn Diagram #3: “Leader’s […]
Yikes. That would be me!
[…] out from the written format this year in the form of Venn diagrams like “Friends” and “Balboa/Blues” and promotional videos like L1ndy Phocus Time and Swingin’ In the Rain. However, swing […]