What is Simon’s Swing Notes?
Swing Notes is a weekly article where Simon, who started Swing dancing in 1982, muses about life in the swing world, commentates on what’s going on and more often than not, the why & how you can get the most out of your dancing. Diving into the annals of history & traditions that have been handed down to him, the aim is to be educational, thought-provoking & occasionally controversial, sharing his personal thoughts on the dance, music, history & today’s swing dance scene.
Be warned – Swing Notes will seriously improve your dancing!
Check out some selected articles below or sign up today for free to receive them straight to your inbox!
Swing Notes Articles:
Simon's Swing Notes Vol 326: What level are you? (26 January 2025)
Are you a beginner, intermediate, or advanced dancer? Perhaps you now mostly enjoy social dancing and only dip into special workshops occasionally. Or maybe you’ve reached a stage where you’re happy just to dance without worrying about advancing further.... Read Full article
Simon's Swing Notes Vol 324: Looking back – 2024 SN Highlights! Part 1 (29 December 2024)
Writing Swing Notes as we near the end of the year is my cue to reflect on why I do it and what value they bring. They started as a primarily personal project, partly to have a record of my knowledge and experience as a Swing dancer and teacher, and partly for me to reflect on my life as I was going through some turbulent times. In time however, these Notes have developed into what I hope are useful prompts, to guide you, dear reader, in your development as a dancer and (as dance is a reflection of life) also beyond the world of dance. In the end, it won’t be the Swing Notes I have written themselves that will be remembered, but hopefully the legacy they leave behind in the impact they have had on you..... Read full article
Simon's Swing Notes Vol 321: Interpretation, Improvisation, Interaction. (29 September 2024)
Lindy Hop, with its Afro-American origins, is rooted in the tradition of improvisation. Rather than adhering to rigid, pre-defined steps, like you might find for example in sequence dancing, we are encouraged to put our own style and creativity into the dance, which is why no two dancers will ever look alike. This is also why even after 40 years of dancing Swing, I can honestly say I’ve never once grown tired of it..... Read full article
Simon's Swing Notes Vol 311: History and evolution of swing dance – the Texas Tommy! (7 April 2024)
When veteran dancer Frankie Manning was asked one time about where the Lindy Hop came from, I remember him mentioning several dances that came before the Lindy.... Read full article
What people say…
"I love receiving the Swing Notes email from Simon. It's my favourite dance related newsletter of the week and I always make a special time with a nice cup of tea when I read it. It's an event, in itself and makes me think about dancing, not just my own, but how dance fits into life, for me.. and those around me. Its always enjoyable. In this weeks edition though there seems to be even more between the words, something really quite profound and I wanted to write to say how much I appreciated it. Simon talked about his first Dance Teacher, and Anna added her own experience. Given the years they have spent within the dance world that in turn relates its own story. My own experience is something I have spent the last hour or so thinking about. I want to thank Anna & Simon for sharing their thoughts and feelings in Swing Notes. If anyone reading this is not already subscribed... you should be. You'll learn a lot about dance, life and yourself." Aaron Savage