Triple Step
Bouncing, bubbling, boiling with laughter, unabashedly unapologetic when a beat is missed, a foot stepped on. Look around and everyone is doing the exact same thing. This is what learning Lindy Hop and living in a new language felt like.
My first week of French summer in the streets of Toulouse – the romantic greetings, singing words above my head, incredibly incomprehensible vowels- all alerted me a gripping realisation: I didn’t know any French.
And as part of my coping-mechanism for moving to France, I had decided to learn Lindy Hop dancing, to meet people and learn the language.
The following week I rode a bus to my first class and was extremely nervous. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to join the class without knowing, a least a little, French, The bus ride into the unknown Lindy Hop world felt more terrifying the decision to move countries.
Rather than being turned away for not speaking French, I was shown the dance floor. In the space of an hour, since arriving in France, I felt a sense of belonging and community. I chased the feeling and joined the course.
Dancing reflected my integration into French life. Some weeks, I had two left feet on the dance floor and couldn’t string sentences together. Other weeks I hopped in synch and conversed about Maine Coons, Beluga airplanes, and Spanish holiday houses in the new language.
My friend Aurore had introduced me to Lindy Hop the night before leaving for France. She told me, when you move to a new place you can be anyone you want to be, you have the chance to try everything anew.
Learning Lindy Hop forced me to get over inhibitions for trying something new or feeling like an outsider. It led me, dancing and hopping, into the city I had chosen to call my new home.
by Vivienne Askey
Featured photo by Lu Davidson
Supportive comments are welcomed.
This is awesome!!
I love this approach to diving into a new culture! I have a similar experience with trying tango in Argentina but I was not brave enough to return after stepping on too many people with my heels. BUT you have inspired me to not back down from a worthy challenge. Thank you so much for sharing.