My question is, how do you define having “learned” lindy hop. You can pick up a couple basic steps within a lesson or two — enough to get through the night with some semblance of familiarity with the dance. But it can take months or even years to get to the point where you’re dancing it reasonably competently, many more years before you reach an advanced level, and you can easily spend the rest of your life trying to actually master it. So I’d be more concerned with the time commitment than with the possibility of injury if I were you. But once you start, you might not mind that part. Don’t be surprised if you catch the bug!

As for whether or not I think you need to learn lindy hop in order to write about it: yes. Not only that, but you need to get to know the people and the culture. Now, I realize that you’re writing about the 1930s and not the contemporary lindy hop scene, but by getting to know today’s dancers, you can avoid many of the disastrous stereotypes we usually see plastered all over the media. We can also be a wealthy source of information about the way things were back in the day.

I am a Lindy Hopper in NY and can introduce you to a number of people who have avidly studied the history behind the dance and can help you with the process of starting to learn the dance.

Some of us found your website while checking out bing.com and searching “Lindy Hop”

I also happen to be a book blogger and recently did a fundraiser on my blog to raise money for BPL’s Save Our Shelves, so I’m thrilled to see someone combining both my loves for charity!

Usually when learning the Lindy, you don’t start with aerials, unless you can convince somebody with a gym mat and few scruples to throw you around. Generally speaking, you can have a fun and totally period dance without them. In my humble, humble, random-person opinion, getting thrown into the air in an empty studio is much less daunting than going out to a social dance where there are (lots of)Other People.

My two cents are tossed, have fun, and good luck with your book.

(Please dance slowly! We don’t want you hurt!)

If I don’t do it then I’ll cover the amount pledged myself. The NYPL won’t lose out.

Didn’t you post video of you tying a Windsor? You could always block out your face… I suppose if the idea of your body on film freaks you out though, well one horror at a time. Still, I’m guessing your pledgers will want some sort of juicy proof.

As for video. Over my dead body. I have an atavistic horror of being filmed. HATE IT. WON’T DO IT.

Someone with BIG ARMS.

caitlin: If I do this thing I will do it properly. I’m not going to cheat like that certain somebody.

Malcolm: Wow. What a generous offer! That’s a most amusing summary. There was some extremely dodgy voting on the original thread.

You spend years carefully cultivating a discerning audience of blog readers and commenters, asking questions and clearly reading the answers that are given. You’ve used this blog for research before and seemed pleased by the response (e.g. an early request for info about lying for what I guess turned into Liar). We, the readers, are, after all, only here to help. Well, there’s a little bit of sniggering that should be beneath us at time, but that’s usually when you poke fun at somebody else.

This time, you asked another reasonable research question. The regular readers commented. Even some of the more irregular ones did. Some of them went out and brought in more survey respondents via their own famous blogs and discerning readers. More people voted. Arbitrary rules like “one person, (only) one vote” were brought in to try and sway the result at the last minute, but to no avail. A disturbingly feminine-looking Abraham Lincoln even came out of hiding to vote (good old honest Abe — would he not tell you the truth?).

Now, you also tell us that if you don’t learn to dance, the library gets it, so to speak. How is this still an open question? Think of the homeless books. Some of them probably even have pictures of cute kittens in them.

I’ll add $400 to the pot. US dollars, too, as the Australian coconut don’t seem to buy as much as it used to these days.