This post was written by Lindy Shopper.
This is a unique year for gift giving – what do you buy the Lindy Hopper in your life when there’s no (or almost no) Lindy Hop because of the COVID-19 pandemic? Maybe you’re hopeful that we’ll get back to this soon and that pair of dance shoes is still on your wishlist. Maybe you’ve taken up a new/old hobby and you want things for that. Maybe you’re in need of any sort of injection of joy in your life. Maybe you need to get your booty moving in 2021, with or without this pandemic. Whatever your desires, I present some swing-related suggestions that may bring you joy and, perhaps, help others and bring joy to the community:
PRIVATE LESSONS
In my experience, the pandemic has made people more accessible than ever before, with potentially more flexible/free time to spend teaching via Zoom or other digital platforms to connect. The sky (or perhaps time zones?) is the limit! How fun/funny would it be to wrap up a photo of an instructor or set of instructors and have someone open this package on Christmas Day? As someone who has received private lessons as gift before, I promise it is a welcome gift at any stage in your dancing. Also, to connect with someone…anyone…Bueller?
SWING DANCE SHOES
We aren’t wearing out our shoes, but maybe this will give you time to break them in at your house and avoid those first dance blisters, troubleshoot any insoles you may need, or just wear them because you feel good in them. Some dance shoes are also great street shoes; for those that aren’t, you’ve got more time to wear them around your house. Need some ideas? There’s a search by category function on this blog – select “shoes” – I’ve written a decade’s worth of blog posts about all (am I missing any??) the swing dance shoe brands you may patronize this holiday season.
SWING MUSIC
This one is obviously near and dear to me in many respects. I am both a producer of music and an avid music collector. I usually have both going on at the same time! For those of us who aren’t able to dance with a partner during the pandemic, getting new music has been a lifeline, a way to keep things fresh, inspiring, and joyful. I like mixing things up, something old, something new – consider a Mosaic Records box set (because there was a time when this company was in danger of folding) with its impeccable liner notes (a book, really – check out eBay for out of print sets, too!) or dig into some modern swing bands who definitely could use some holiday music sales to brighten their season, as well. ILHC made it easy for me by compiling a list of modern swing bands, which provided all the music for Virtual ILHC 2020, and I believe it doubles handily as a holiday wishlist and beyond for adding new music to a loved one’s (or, let’s be real, your) music collection.
ARTISTS
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Go to Etsy and search for “Lindy Hop” and see what comes up – there’s a wealth of artists and craftspeople who are inspired by this dance and create wonderful gifts that are personalized to our niche hobby/lifestyle/obsession. I usually do this for my gift giving guide every year and pick out a handful of things to share and it’s one of my favorite things to blog about. Our community is so creative, we love this dance and the love comes through in both our movement and other creative endeavors, visual artists, and even face masks.
EVENTS
When I was in grad school I would always ask for Lindy Focus as my Christmas present. It was a lot of change to drop for someone subsisting on student loans and I never regretted that decision or felt like I was missing anything – if anything, the Lindy Focus FOMO would have been intense! There are some wonderful virtual events that have happened over the course of this pandemic, some of which have also doubled as fundraisers. Consider buying an event pass for your loved one, maybe watch it together, and as a bonus give a donation in someone’s name to an organization that is putting resources in the hands of people in our community who need it most.
A SONG
Along those lines, you could literally buy a song for your favorite Lindy Hopper – the California Balboa Classic is funding recordings of brand new swing music as part of their event and efforts to keep musicians employed. You could have the gratitude of so many people and bring joy to others, while having your name associated with a song forever. Check out this great list of tunes – one of these could be a gift for an individual, or maybe your community can come together and sponsor a song, a gift to the event, the musicians, and some community togetherness and love.
Cheers and happy holidays – see you on the other side!
Lindy Shopper 