Before Class: Quick Reflection
Before Class: Quick Reflection
Before our Lindy Hop class, please take 5 – 10 minutes to casually think about below ideas.
Your tiny mission
- Pick at least 2 points from Sawyer (group flow) and at least 2 from Csikszentmihalyi (individual flow).
- For each one, just imagine how it shows up in your Lindy Hop, a moment where you felt a sense of flow.
That’s it! Bring your thoughts to class, and we’ll unpack them together.
Keith Sawyer (group flow)
Don’t overthink it, just notice what feels familiar from your social dancing.
- The group’s goal: shared purpose, so everyone steers the improv toward the same thing
- Close listening: moment by moment attention to each other so you can truly respond
- Keep it moving forward: accept what’s offered, then build on it (“yes-and”)
- Complete concentration: full absorption together; distractions drop away
- Being in control: a felt sense that the group can shape what’s emerging without strain
- Blending egos: individual ownership fades; ideas belong to the interaction, not a person
- Equal participation: contributions are distributed (no dominating, no withdrawing)
- Familiarity: shared experience/trust gives you a common language and faster coordination
- Communication: fast, clear signal and feedback loops that keep everyone aligned in real time
- The potential for failure: real risk heightens focus and commitment, raising the energy of improv.
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (individual flow)
While reading, think: when have you felt this in your dancing?
- Challenge-skill balance: the activity is challenging but achievable
- Clear goals: you know what you’re trying to do moment to moment
- Immediate feedback: you get unambiguous feedback right away, so you can adjust instantly
- Deep concentration: you’re so involved that everyday worries drop out of awareness
- Merging action and awareness: you’re not self-monitoring, you’re just doing
- Sense of control: you feel a sense of control (control without forcing)
- Loss of self-consciousness: concern for the self disappears
- Transformation of time: time feels different (hours pass in minutes, or vice versa)
- Autotelic experience: the activity is rewarding in itself, independent of outcomes.
Who are these people?
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
A psychologist who studied why some activities feel so absorbing and satisfying that you lose track of time and stop overthinking.
His idea: “Flow” is a mental state where you’re fully engaged because the challenge fits your skill level, you know what you’re aiming for, and you get fast feedback so the activity becomes intrinsically rewarding.
Keith Sawyer
A psychologist who studied creativity and improvisation in groups (like jazz bands, improv theatre, and great teams).
His big idea: “Group flow” (or collective flow) is flow that happens between people; when a group becomes highly responsive and creative together, supported by things like close listening, “yes-and” building, clear shared goals, balanced participation, and strong communication.