CCAs of NTU 25’: NTU LindyHop
Written by: Ang Yi Qi (Vice-Chairperson), Naydene Tan (Chairperson)
Introduction
On 596 Lenox Avenue in Harlem, New York City, in the thinnest shade of twilight, a marvelous music spills out onto the streets. Shadows of whirling figures blur past the windows without abandon. Your foot crosses the threshold onto a maple and mahogany floor, and you know it then in your soul — this is where life comes to happen.
(Photo credit to Andrew Lin Yi Kai)
Purpose
Here in NTU Lindy Hop we bring the lifeblood of the Savoy Ballroom to you. Who is Lindy, and why is she Hopping?
Hailing from the streets of Harlem in the 1920s, Lindy Hop is a lively swing dance with roots in jazz, tap, breakaway, and Charleston. It is danced primarily to swing jazz music, in both social and performative settings. As the pioneer swing dance club for tertiary students in Singapore, we warmly welcome you to delight in the spirit of jazz together with a passionate, tight-knit community.
No dance experience needed whatsoever!
What we do
Having previously only been involved in choreographed, individual dance forms, the improvisatory nature of Lindy Hop was a leap into uncharted territory. I had always greatly enjoyed partner dance sequences in notable productions like West Side Story, and had always admired the ability of the dancers to make an unplanned performance seem deliberate. With Lindy Hop, it became clear that this no longer needed to just remain a dream. Simply laying down the foundations of 6 and 8-count footwork was already sufficient to propel me on the dance floor. Soon you will find it is a dance like no other, with an infectious exuberance that is reflected in both the music as well as the movements and is sure to get your blood pumping.
Join us every Monday and Wednesday evening at Nanyang House Dance Hall A for our regular training sessions, from 6:30pm to 8:30pm for juniors, and 8:30pm to 10pm for seniors. Our trainings are led by our incredible Dance Captains and professional dancers from external Lindy Hop communities. It is never a dull year for Lindy Hoppers, for we participate in a wide range of events over the course of the academic year, including but not limited to Welcome Week, Open House, and the Joint Dance Concert (JDC). Every January, we host our very own social dance event named Back to School Socials, where current members connect with our alumni and Lindy Hop enthusiasts of the public.
As a club, we usually hit up Lindy Hop SG’s socials on alternate Sundays and Swingstation’s Swingfling socials on Mondays during the holidays. I love being able to improvise and dance with all my friends at socials, feeling the music and discovering uncharted combos together. Having meals together beforehand and afterwards is the best part of socials, as we work up a real appetite after dancing our feet off!
Never one to turn down a good opportunity to dress up and show out, we love going all out for our own Halloween party. It is a bone-chilling night of social dancing, spooky costume competitions and teeth-chattering good vibes.
Seniors and juniors spend 4 weeks preparing for their performance and cheer each other on during our Halloween party. After all the festivities and dancing, we house some pizza down and stay up all night chatting about everything under the sun.
Joining the Club
Drop us a DM on our Instagram, instagram.com/ntulindyhop or follow us to be updated on our recruitment process! We will send a link for everyone to sign up closer to the start of the AY!
Lindy Hop is easy to pick up and so we do not require anyone to have prior dance experience before joining us. As we like to say, all you need is to be able to walk and count to 8! If you are still unsure, you are invited to come for our taster classes in Week 2 and experience it for yourself!
Closing
Lindy Hop is a unique and adventurous dance form which will prove to be an enjoyable challenge for those with varying dance skills.
If you have ever wanted to start dancing, or try a different genre, NTU Lindy Hop welcomes you with open arms! Check our booth out during Welcome Week and we hope to see you on the dance floor!
