Johnny talks to J. P.

I didn't expect the interviews to be full-blown, but Johnny Wu has done a great job of getting some good questions in there. He interviewed a dancer named J. P. (I would guess that it's J.P. Babiera?) and got probably a good minute's worth of conversation down. This is a great example of how just a few simple questions can turn into a decent amount of information.

Great work, Johnny! Hopefully this has given you some food for thought.

You might not have a digital recorder on you, but just get some thoughts on paper. That's all that's required for this assignment.

Dancer: J.P (Last name unknown)

Johnny: You've got some smooth chops on that dance floor.

J.P: Thanks man!

Johnny: How long have you been swing dancing?

J.P: About 10 years

Johnny: I see. Did you start from scratch doing the Lindy or did you do other kind of dancing before that?

J.P: Well, I pretty much started from scratch, right to Lindy Hop swing with no prior dance experience.

Johnny: I see. You must really love it.

J.P: Totally. Oh yeah. Lindy Hop is so much fun!

Johnny: Very cool. How long did it take your to realize that you are a good dancer?

J.P.: I haven't realized that. LOL! Probably about 3-years, after I won a Jack and Jill contest

Johnny: Nice! I'm still trying to learn my basic steps while fine tuning my techniques.

What advice do you have for a novice like me?

J.P: Go social dancing as much as possible and just practice, practice, and practice, there is no other way around it. Try take classes and learn some cool routines if you can.

Johnny: I am, and have been. But I still have to think about all the moves before I do them. I would like to pull them off naturally, without having to think about it you know.

J.P: Don't worry, that is totally normal. It's part of the phase that you can get out of it eventually. What helps me is to somewhat visualize what moves you're planning to use in this dance in the beginning of the song, so you don't have to pull something out in the last second.

Johnny: Hmmm...,that is a great advice!

J.P: Having said that, don't forget to relax your muscles and feel the music. Don't get overly hung up on doing "the moves". ALWAYS AIM TO BE SMOOTH for your follows--not FLASHY!!

Johnny: Make sense. I've always felt that I need to impress my follow with some fresh moves and not bore her with the same, generic moves like the lead before her, guess I was wrong to think like that?

J.P: Well, perhaps some follows will like the flashy moves BUT ONLY IF YOU CAN PULL THEM OFF CORRECTLY, otherwise, I'd say just stick with basic moves but be smooth. You can almost never go wrong with that unless you smell bad, hahah! I think most follow would prefer the simpler stuff more.

Johnny: Hahah, I hear ya!

That's why I always make sure to wear my "Brut".....hahah!!

Johnny: Hey thanks again for the input, J.P.

J.P: No problem--anytime