Cicy's Projects

Since my vintage transformation is currently going super very slow, I decided to share what I am doing to keep in touch with the vintage vibes and lifestyle.

I am dancing. I am dancing SO MUCH and so often that it is getting a bit out of hand, one might say. My choices of dance? Swing dances! Particularly Boogie-Woogie, Rocky (some call it Rock’n’Roll, others call it Hobby Rocky), Lindy Hop, and the newest addition to this list, West Coast Swing.

So what are these dances? I’ll start with my favourite one: Boogie-Woogie. I started it years ago, but since I was in and out of Hungary, I could only attend classes every once in a blue moon. When I moved back home with my parents, I took it up again regularly. I adore the teachers who single-handedly taught me everything about this dance. There aren’t many people my age doing this dance, at least in Hungary, so it took me a while to socialise, but I finally made some lovely acquaintances. I love this dance because it is quite literally the happiest dance on earth. So upbeat, so happy, so energetic, so fun! Just the warm-up equals a whole cardio workout, and I’m always tired and out of breath, even before we begin the steps, haha. Those triple step, triple step, step, step, are very tricky to fast music!

This is what Boogie-Woogie looks like: Final – Boogie-Woogie World Championship 2012 – Fauske Norway

I’ve been dancing to Rock’n’Roll for as long as I can remember. My parents know how to dance, and I’ve watched them dance growing up. Lovely memories. When we were on the roads and a good song came on the radio, they would always stop the car on the side of the road and dance. Such lovely memories. After a while, Mom taught me the steps, and Dad started dancing with me. So my love for Rock’n’Roll music and its dance comes from childhood memories.

This is what Rocky looks like: 1950s Rock n Roll Dance 5 Fancy Moves

Lindy Hop is a dance that I picked up in the US when I was there for 5 months as an exchange student. You don’t understand how lucky I am to have started out my Lindy Hop journey in Lindy by the Sea (Dance school) and under the guidance and kindness of Rusty Frank and Ron Campbell. Rusty is quite literally the best dancer I’ve met, and she’s also the best teacher. Every class was filled with so much laughter, good energy, and an insane amount of learning. Not to mention her parties, where I danced so much I could not walk the next day. I learnt how to Swivel and I’ve fallen in love with Lindy Hop thanks to the community in Lindy By The Sea. I cannot wait to go back (if and when) to see them all.

Fun fact! I started Lindy Hop in Hungary… and…well… I swear to God it is like a different dance. 😄 In Hungary, Lindy is danced to much slower Jazzy-Jazz songs, whilst in the US, we dance to much more upbeat Jazz songs. And because the music is so different, it feels entirely different to dance Lindy Hop in Hungary and the US. Also, the steps feel varied and different as well. I can’t really put my finger on what is different, so this point goes in vain, but it is important to mention. Hand on heart, I prefer to US version, but I also enjoy dancing to songs in Hungary I didn’t realise were danceable haha

This is what Lindy Hop looks like (the dancers are my beloved teachers: the fantastic Rusty, the amazing Ron, and the great Ted): Rusty, Ron, Ted do a little social swing dance display at Rusty’s Rhythm Club

And the newest addition to my list of swing dances is West Coast Swing. There are similar steps to what we have in Boogie-Woogie or Lindy Hop, but they don’t look OR feel similar at all. I joined the West Coast Swing classes because we started chatting with the teachers once, and they seemed so lovely, I wanted to give it a go. Also, the teacher was moving with such beauty and femininity, I wanted to be like her, haha. The dance itself is great, and I enjoy it. Do I ever find the rhythm? No. Do I feel the music like I do in the other dances? Not at all. Is it fun to dance? Totally. This dance for me has nothing to do with vintage lifestyle, West Coast Swing feels like a very, very modern dance to me, but since the whole post started with swing dances, I had to include this one too, haha

This is what West Coast Swing looks like: 1st Place Improv West Coast Swing with Keerigan and Ashley

Disclaimer: None of the videos are mine. I found them on YouTube.

Live your truth. Express your love. Share your enthusiasm. Take action towards your dreams. Walk your talk. Dance and sing to your music. Embrace your blessings. Make today worth remembering by Steve Maraboli