Breaking Down Gender Roles in Swing Dance | Calvin Lu and Samantha Nguyen | TEDxGunnHighSchool

Samantha and Calvin share their enthusiasm and passion for the swing dance known as Lindy Hop, a partner dance originating from the 1920s and 1930s. They also talk about improving communities and their efforts to de-gender the dance and its dance roles. Calvin and Samantha both started dancing at UC Berkeley, where they quickly fell in love with the fun, energetic swing dance that is Lindy Hop. Starting their dance careers in Cal’s gender-neutral and “ambidancetrous” dance scene, the two learned to dance as both leaders and followers. Now more involved in the Lindy community than ever, you can find these recent grads teaching together, competing, and working to shift the dance community away from the paradigm where men must lead and women must follow. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx