Chichester Lindy Hoppers are celebrating their tenth anniversary – and are wanting to spread the joy.
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00:00Good afternoon, my name is Phil Hewitt, Group Arts Editor at Sussex Newspapers. Lovely this
00:06afternoon to talk to Ellie Duffett. Now Ellie, you are the creator of Chichester Lindy Hoppers,
00:13co-creator of Chichester Lindy Hoppers, and you're celebrating your 10th anniversary.
00:17That's fantastic. And you got off to the very best start, slightly unexpectedly. You did
00:21well right from the start, didn't you?
00:23We really did, yeah. I mean, it's been unbelievable, really, that we've been going for 10 years.
00:28When we first started, we just knew that there was no Lindy Hop in Chichester. And
00:33we just wanted, we're so passionate, myself and my dance partner, Mark Whale, who I teach
00:37with, we just wanted to get something going. And so we spoke to the new park and they had
00:42just recently opened some of their newer buildings, and they had space on a Wednesday evening.
00:47So we just thought, well, give it a try. We'll see who turns up.
00:49Go back a stage. What is Lindy Hop then? What's the difference?
00:54Lindy Hop is a partner dance from the 20s, 30s, and the 40s. It originated in New York,
01:01in Harlem, and it originated amongst the African American communities. And they danced in lots
01:07of dance halls, but they were dancing to the big bands of the era. So sort of Chick Webb,
01:11Ella Fitzgerald, when the bands used to play in these places live, and they used to have
01:17these amazing dance-offs between different dancers, and the bands would have sort of
01:22hand-offs between each other. And it was just this amazing melting pot of culture where
01:29people were starting to mix in the dance halls, the different, you know, the white and the
01:34black would come together. And it's just really, that has sort of stayed with Lindy Hop now.
01:40And it really continues to break down barriers. So it's a partner dance, but a lot of people
01:44think, well, I've got to come with a partner.
01:46For you, it's a fabulous buzz. And it's a moment of peace in your mind, isn't it?
01:52Despite the speed of the movements.
01:54It's amazing, because you watch it, and it seems crazy, and it's this loud, fast music.
01:59But I find personally, when I dance it, it's like the rest of your life just falls apart.
02:03Everything just simplifies, and all you've got to, you know, enjoy is this lovely three
02:07minutes of dancing. And it really does send to me in that way, which you wouldn't necessarily
02:12think from sort of dancing. But for me, it's, yeah, it's just so much fun.
02:17And how accessible is it? Is it tough to get into, tough to start?
02:21I think sometimes when people see it, they think, oh, gosh, you know, is that for me?
02:25Especially if it can be danced quite fast. But there's lots of different ways you can
02:29do Lindy Hop. And we've got our beginners course coming up at the beginning of October.
02:34So there's a really perfect place for people to start. Everyone's a beginner.
02:38So no one's got anyone else to worry about that's got years of experience.
02:42You're all in there starting it from scratch.
02:44And that starts October 2nd, doesn't it? At the New Park Centre?
02:47At the New Park Centre. That's right. And we do it as a course.
02:50So it's a seven week course. And that means that you can build week by week.
02:55So, yes, starting on the 2nd of October and then it will go through.
02:59But it's really lovely because you can just build week by week.
03:02And we do it at a really nice pace, make sure everyone's got it together before moving
03:06on to the next bit. And for this course, we're actually accompanying it with some
03:11tutorial videos as well, because often you'll come to class and everyone's really excited
03:15and they go home and think, oh, what did I learn? I can't remember which book started with that.
03:19So we've got some videos to accompany the course as well this year, which should be quite good.
03:23Fantastic. Well, Ellie, you're making it sound very appealing, even to those of us with two left feet.
03:29No one has two left feet. We've heard a lot of that.
03:32Have you?
03:33Yeah, everyone says that.
03:34But congratulations on the 10th anniversary and the training course.
03:39The course starts on October 2nd at the New Park Centre.
03:43Really lovely to speak to you again. Thank you.
03:45Thanks, Bill.