Choreography transcription: Al Minns Shim Sham
Movements:
1/2 break -
1-2: Step forward on right, step on left
3-4: Kick ball change on right
A video of it being performed as a performance
A) Boogies
1. 8-3: Boogie forward
4-7: Shuffle back
2. 8-3: Boogie forward
4-7: Shuffle back
3. 8-3: Boogie forward
4-7: Shuffle back
4. 8-7: Full break
B) Suzy Q pushes
1. 8-7: Suzy Q (push and push and cross over)
2. 8-7: Suzy Q (push and push and cross over)
3. 8-7: Suzy Q (push and push and cross over)
4. 8-3: Suzy Q (cross over)
4-7: Suzy Q (cross over)
c) Tacky Annie with Triples
1. 8-1: Kick ball change
2-3: Triple step
4-5: Triple step
6-7: Triple step
2. 8-1: Kick ball change
2-3: Triple step
4-5: Triple step
6-7: Triple step
3. 8-1: Kick ball change
2-3: Triple step
4-5: Triple step
6-7: Triple step
4. Full break
D) 1/2 Breaks + Run-runs
1. 8-3: 1/2 break
4-7: Run-run run-run (Right/Left)
2. 8-3: 1/2 break
4-7: Run-run run-run (Right/Left)
3. 8-3: 1/2 break
4-7: Run-run run-run (Right/Left)
4. Full break
E) 1/2 Breaks and Eagle Slides
1. 8-7: Two 1/2 breaks (“on” right)
2. 8-1: Eagle slide on right
3: (Turn around) Step left
5: Step Right
7: Step left
3. 8-7: Two 1/2 breaks (“on” right)
4. 8-1: Eagle slide on right
3: (Turn around) Step left
5: Step Right
7: Step left
F) Snake Hips
1. 8-1: Snake Hip right
2-3: Snake Hip left
4-5: Snake Hip right
6-7: Snake Hip right
2. 8-1: Snake Hip left
2-3: Snake Hip right
4-5: Snake Hip left
6-7: Snake Hip left
3. 8-1: Snake Hip right
2-3: Snake Hip left
4-5: Snake Hip right
6-7: Snake Hip right (with clap on 7)
4. 8-7: Hold (transfer weight to left)
G) Fall off the log and Heel-Toes
1. 8-7: Fall off the log (start right), turn around
2. 8-1: Heel-toe
2-3: Heel-toe
4-5: Heel-toe
6-7: Heel-toe, end with weight on left
3. 8-7: Fall off the log (start right), turn around
4. 8-1: Heel-toe
2-3: Heel-toe
4-5: Heel-toe
6-7: Heel-toe, end with weight on left
H) Crazy Eagle Slides and Suzy Qs
1. 8-1: Stomp both feet
2-3: Step right forward, step left
4-5: Eagle slide forward
I) Jump Charleston
1. 8-7: Jump Charleston (first kick forward is on 1)
2. 8-7: Jump Charleston (first kick forward is on 1)
3. 8-7: Jump Charleston (first kick forward is on 1)
4. 8-7: Full break, on 7 heel-toe out
J) Linked Up Exit
(Link arms together, exit)
1. 8-1: Small kick out on right
2-3: Small kick out on left
4-5: Toes in
6-7: Toes out
2. 8-1: Small kick out on right
2-3: Small kick out on left
4-5: Toes in
6-7: Toes out
3. 8-1: Small kick out on right
2-3: Small kick out on left
4-5: Toes in
6-7: Toes out
4. 8-1: Small kick out on right
2-3: Small kick out on left
4-5: Toes in
6-7: Toes out
Choreography transcription: Tranky Doo
Choreography to the Tranky Doo (Original choreography: Pepsi Bethel)
I am trying to write this down as we follow the class being led by Jason Platt of the Hartford Underground
Notes:
A. Starts on 8, with right foot
B. Each point below is an eight count
First Phrase:
1. 8-3: Fall off the log (right to left)
4-7: Fall off the log (left to right), step on left foot on 7
2. 8-1: Shuffle forward
by 3: Lunge on left with leg
by 5: Lunge on right with leg
by 7: Lunge on left with leg, with right foot free by 7
3. 8-3: Fall off the log (right to left, 8-3)
4-7: Fall off the log (left to right, 4-7), step on left foot on 7
4. 8-1: Shuffle forward 8-1
by 3: Lunge on left with leg
by 5: Lunge on right with leg
by 7: Lunge on left with leg, with right foot heel up on 7
5. 8-3: Shoe shine on left foot
4-7: Shoe shine on right foot
6. 8-1: Boogie forward with right leg, use arms
2-3: Boogie forward with left leg, use arms
4-5: Boogie forward with right leg, use arms
6-7: Boogie forward with left leg, use arms
7. 8-3: Shoe shine on left foot
4-7: Shoe shine on right foot
8. 8-1: Boogie forward with right leg, use arms
2-3: Boogie forward with left leg, use arms
4-5: Boogie forward with right leg, use arms
6-7: Boogie forward with left leg, use arms
9. 8-1: Apple Jacks starting on right
10. 8-1: Apple Jacks starting on right
11. 8-1: Rock babies, with right foot back (front-back)
12. 8-1: Rock babies, moving forward
13. 8-1: Boogie back, starting on right
14. 8-1: Shorty George forward, with kick ball change on right
15. 8-1: Shorty George forward, with kick ball change on right
16. Break:
8: step right,
1: tap left foot behind right
2: step left
3: step right behind left
4-5: bring right foot, wrap in front of left
6-7: twist around to come around back to front
Second phrase:
1. 8-1: Knee slap on right, foot down on 1
2-3: Shuffle to right
4-5: Knee slap on left, foot down on 5
6-7: Shuffle to left
2. 8-1: Knee slap on right, foot down on 1
2-3: Shuffle to right
4-7: Bend down, low walk half time to right (left foot down on 5, right foot down on 7)
3. 8: Up (contrast), clap hands above head, left foot by side of right knee
1: Hold
2: Right foot down
3-7: Suzy Q towards the left
4. 8-1: Kick forward-back Charleston style with right leg
2: Tap left foot by the side of your right foot
3-7: (Arms stretched out, bring them in for angular momentum help. Also use bent right knee to help turning) Hop/turn to your ledft side, on right foot, face front again
5. 8-3: Fall off the log, front to back, starting with right foot, do a 180 degree turn on your left side
4: Use 4 to get feet together
5: Slide feet out
7: Slide feet back in
6. 8-1: Kick ball change on right foot, step down on left at end
2: Step on right foot
3-4: Eagle slide on right foot forward, left foot down on 4
5-6: Kick ball change on right, such that left leg crosses in front of right
7: Kick with right foot to bring it around the left
7. 8: Use the twist to turn around on the left, face forward again (again, use outstretched arms, bring them in to get help from good ol’ angular momentum!)
1-3: Step right foot out, thrice, once on each beat. Take top part of body with it, use arms
4: Bring left foot to right, face left
5-7: Step left foot out thrice, once on each beat. Take top part of body with it, use arms
8. (Cross Steps):
8-3: Step back with right foot (on right side), get left foot together, cross in front with right foot
4-7: Step back with left foot (on left side), get right foot together, cross in front with right foot
9. 8-3: Step back with right foot (on right side), get left foot together, cross in front with right foot
4-7: Step back with left foot (on left side), get right foot together, cross in front with right foot
10. 8-7: (Paddles) Paddle with right foot, weight on left foot (go right to left anticlockwise)
11. 8-3: Fall off the log, starting with right foot (front to back, face front again by 3)
4-7: Hop on right foot, going backwards
12. 8-1: Staying on right foot, start trucking forward
2-7: Truck forward (left, right, left)
13. 8-7: Truck forward (right, left, right, left)
14. 8-1: Step down in front on left.
2-7: Hop on left foot, going backwards
15. 8-1: Step down on right
2-7: Kick steps, alternating leg, moving forward
(8 8 counts of basically do what you want!)
For class,
8-7: Pimp walks
8-7: Pimp walks (come back facing front by 7)
8-7: Jazz squares
8-7: Jazz squares
8-7: Jazz squares
8-7: Jazz squares
8-7: Jazz squares
8-7: Jazz squares
Notes:
1. Dancing to the song starts with piano rolls (After “Hello Mama,…”)
2. Movements start on 1
3. Each point described below is an eight count
Movements:
“Foot rubs”: (2 counts per foot rub)
Weight on one side of the body, use the core to move the other side’s hip and thus, other side’s foot forward/back in 2 counts, while moving to the side where we have the weight. Embellish by using hand movement on the side we are moving towards (Brush off clothes, trucking motions etc)
“Swing out with eagle slide” (8*1 = 8 counts)
1-4 similar to swing out, except more pressure on leader’s left/follower’s right. Open up on the leader’s right and on 5-6, kick ball change out to the leader’s right side. As the foot comes down, eagle slide out on 7, land right foot down on 8.
“Yes” (8*1 = 8 counts)
(In choreography, follows the swing out with eagle slide)
Follow and leader’s face each other, weight on leader’s left, follow’s right. Leader’s right foot is out, slide it in, sliding the left one out, while the right arm stretches out forward. A 2 count move.
“Tabby Cat” (8*2 = 16 counts)
Leaders walk (or small kicks) forward, starting with left. (Each foot forward is a 2 count). By end of first 8, twist 90 degrees forward on the right (facing your left side) tap left foot behind right foot. Using the left foot pivot around, bring right foot around again (by 4) and bring hip in a “tabby cat” swivel up by 8.
First Phrase: Solo Movement
(Foot rubs)
1. 8 counts of foot rubs to the left
2. 8 counts foot rubs to the right
3. 4 counts foot rubs to the left, 4 to the right
4. 2 counts of foot rubs on right, 2 counts on the left, twice.
(repeat)
5. 8 counts of foot rubs to the left
6. 8 counts foot rubs to the right
7. 4 counts foot rubs to the left, 4 to the right
8. 2 counts of foot rubs on right, 2 counts on the left, twice.
(Solo jazz: Kick ball change, boogie back, Apple jacks, Fall off the log)
9. 1-2: Fall on left left foot
3-4: Kick ball change on left
5-6: Fall on left left foot
7-8: Kick ball change on left
10.1-2: Fall on left left foot
3-4: Kick ball change on left
5-6: Fall on left left foot
7-8: Hold
11. Boogie back on left, ends with Apple jacks on left
12. Apple jacks, ends with Shoe Shine
13. 1-4: Shoe Shine on left (extend back arm in line)
5-8: Shoe shine on right (extend back arm in line)
14. 1-4: Fall off the log (right to left)
5-8: Fall off the log (left to right)
15. 1-4: Fall off the log (right to left)
5-8: Fall off the log (left to right),
16. 1-4: Ending in Tranky Doo style circular shuffle forwards)
5-8: Ends with left leg out, use to that sweep left to right in a circle (Girls move more forward than the boys)
Second phrase: (Solo Jazz, 20s Charleston, call/response, Suzy Qs)
17. 1-8: (Girls only, Guys do minimal movement at the back) 20s Charleston left to right, jazz hands
18. 1-8: (Girls only, Guys do minimal movement at the back) 20s Charleston right to left, jazz hands
19. 1-8: (Girls only, Guys do minimal movement at the back) 20s Charleston mostly in place, jazz hands
20. 1-8: Girls: push around 1 turns, until guys come up and catch up in front
21. 1-4: Guys reach girls, girls do half push turn
5-8: Guys basket turn her back, Guys eagle slide forward, Girls go back
22. 1-8: Both Guys and Girls do Suzy Q’s right to left
23. 1-4: Guys: Rock step into savoy kick-tap
5-8: Guys: Charleston kick into back slide – Girls: small 20′s Charleston to the “dingle”
24. 1-8: Guys rock step back with their left, triple step in front, to the right, kick ball change on right
25. 1-4: Guys slide forward, cross legs in front
5-8: Girls prepare to come forward
26. 1-8: Girls come forward to the guys in a turn, guys turn around bopping
27. 1-4: Guys catch the girls, down up, ending in both being one leg forward the other
5-8: Hold
28. 1-4: Hold
5-6: Guys turn around starting under the left arm
7-8: Guys turn around the girls starting under their left arm
29. 1-8: Prepare for sailor kicks (Rock step, block turn connection into back to back
30. 1-7: Sailor kicks forward, stop on 7
8: Hold
31. 1-4: Reverse sailor kick
5-8: Continue reverse sailor kicks, turn her out
32. 1-8: Rock step her inside turn into side by side connection
Third phrase: (Partnered dancing)
33. 1-8: Swing out at 45 degrees (from closed)
34. 1-8: Swing out at 45 degrees
35. 1-8: Swing out at 45 degrees
36. 1-8: Swing out with eagle side
37. 1-8: 8 counts of yes’s
38. 1-8: Rock step back together, move forward together, go into hand to hand Charleston, leader does not move, fakes her into going into hand to hand.
39. 1-8: Continue hand to hand, last 2 counts, big kick out at end
40. 1-8: Big rock step back, hand to hand Charleston with Savoy kick break, big kick at end
41. 1-8: Rock step back, lead her in, catch her by hand, leader faces audience.
42. 1-4: Shimmy out
5-8: Shimmy back in
43. 1-2: Rock step
3-6: Turn out (one circle)
7-8: Step out
44. 1-4: Walk back in, turn the other way as before
5-6: Leap up as in the “gaze afar” of the Big Apple
7-8: Kick out with inner leg
45. 1-2: Eagle slide forward
3-8: Walk forward, last step forward is on 7, pivot back on 7, step 8
46. 1-8: Walk back to where we started, with a quick turn (to our outside), face audience by 7 (is a rock step on left for leaders, girls fake it)
47. 1-8: Guys – normal Charleston
Girls – (end on wrong foot, just wait for leaders to kick out), they kick out with them
48. 1-4: Charleston usual way
5: As we kick back, slide back with the force of that kick
7: Step down with right leg onto spot we just vacated because of having slid back (almost a fall)
8: Hold
Fourth phrase: (Call/response, partnered dancing)
49. 1-8: Girls shimmy/boogie to left (Guys point to girls, focus on them)
50. 1-8: Girls shimmy/boogie to right (Guys point to girls, focus on them)
51. 1-8: Guys do the tabby cat walk
52. 1-8: Guys finish the tabby cat hip swivel
53. 1-4: Guys twist/swivel to their left
5-8: Girls come forward in hops or twists
54. 1-4: Guys twist/swivel in place (or slightly forward)
5-8: Girls catch up using hops or twists
55. 1-4: Rock step, inside turn, change of place. The turn is constrained since the leader’s arm blocks the follow and both leader and follow face the audience
5-8: Leader and follow do taps with the inside foot so now both are wound up
56. 1-4: Follow is wound up, leader simply turns her forward, lets go. She switches place
5-8: Partnered 20′s Charleston (Leader facing left side)
57. 1-8: Partnered 20′s Charleston (Leader facing left side), By 7, start reversing sides
58. 1-8: Partnered 20′s Charleston (Leader facing right side)
59. 1-8: Tuck turn her out
60. 1-4: Bring her in, double turn, side to side by end of 4
5-8: Both hop backwards on the inner leg
61. 1-2: Nice chunky rock step with outer leg that was still in the air
3-8: Finish off with swing out from side by side
62. 1-8: Swing out
63. 1-4: Like a swing out
5-8: Bring her in on the leader’s right side, circular rock step her back on 7-8
64. 1-4: Tuck turn her out
5-8: Bring her in (single turn), drags
Notes from Diana:
The Blue Moon Ball – Part 2
On a personal level, I DJed the band breaks. I was happy – many folks came up to tell me they enjoyed the songs I played. This included several band members as well! It always gives me a high when musicians I admire so much tell me they enjoy the tunes I chose to play. The ‘set list’ is at the bottom of this post – since a whole bunch of folks asked.
While deliberating on which songs to play, I kept the following considerations in mind:
- The Boilermakers have a tendency to really keep the energy of the floor high and I wanted to make sure I did not let this energy flag during the band breaks.
- I knew there would be lots of people attending, so I knew I had to still mix it up, since different people like different types of music
- I was DJing the band breaks – so obviously, I did not want to play music from other contemporary bands.
- Moreover, I was DJing at a dance where the Boilermakers were playing. So, the challenge was: I had to play songs that kept a ‘similar’ vibe to that of the Boilermakers, but still make sure that the songs I played had a different enough sound from that of the band
- From past experience, I knew the members of the Boilermakers definitely pay attention to the other music being played. I knew, for instance, Paul Cosentino, the band leader loves listening to different clarinetists during the break. So I decided to play one of my favorite tunes from the one and only Jimmie Noone. I also know the band has origins in good old traditional jazz, so I tried to find some Nawlins stuff they’d like (and much to my gratification, they did!)
- Last but obviously not the least, in fact, the most important – I tried my very best to keep an eye on the floor and see what the dancers responding to, and how the songs I was playing affected them. This to me, of course, always has to take precedence over almost anything else
So keeping all that in mind, here are the songs I played:
- Begin The Beguine (Porter), Woody Herman and orchestra
- Cole Slaw, Jesse Stone & His Orchestra
- It’s Tight Like That, Jimmie Noone’s Apex Club Orchestra
- Sad Sap Sucker, Fats Waller
- Corrine Corrina, Red Nichols
- The Mooche, Joe Salzano & The Blue Devils
- New Orleans Bump (Monrovia), Jelly Roll Morton
- Short Dressed Gal, Preservation Hall Jazz Band
I do regret – however, not being able to fit in a Django Reinhardt tune that night – I just could not find a spot for it. It was the great guitarist’s 100th anniversary and I wanted to play something as a tribute to the man who has inspired generations of jazz guitarists and nearly spawned a genre of his own! I did request the band to see if they could play something by Django, but I guess they could not, either. I was surprised that they left out their own version of Minor Swing, a Django classic.
The Blue Moon Ball – part 1
It has been so very long since I blogged about anything regarding dancing. But we recently had a fantastic dance event happen in CT in which I was very actively involved, so this event seems as good an excuse as any to resume blogging.
Hartford Underground organized the Blue Moon Ball on Jan 23, 2010. The dance had so many things that could go well, and not only did most of them go well, it was the manner in which they went well that was so pleasing.
This dance was the first major one they put on, and they decided to bring in the Boilermaker Jazz Band for it. This turned out to be a great move. The band is a big name – many dancers, from several states turned up. The Boilermakers are one of my all time favorite jazz bands to dance to. They have such an authentic vintage sound, yet they do never sound dated. They always sound so professional and so tight. They absolutely killed it that night – I saw dancer after dancer go up to them and thank them and rave about what a good time they were having. I saw dancers both experienced and inexperienced enjoying themselves so much that they stayed till the very end, not wanting to miss a minute of the band. Not only did they stay, the dance floor was busy till the very end – all very good signs that the band and their music were a huge success. I do hope they come back sooner rather than later to a dance in CT.
The were four performances overall – two from Providence, one from New York city and one from members of Hartford Underground themselves. These were all really well received – if one goes by the resounding applause and cheers each group got. I was part of the Hartford Underground’s performance, and it being the home base – I (perhaps biased-ly) felt we got the loudest cheers!
Here are the performances:
Downcity Strutters (Providence)
The dance was followed by visits to a local bar – that had specials on Blue Moon and there were also not one but two late night rooms where people could keep on dancing. One was a ‘fast’ room while the other was a ‘slow’ room. We had asked eight DJs from three states to play music. Admittedly, the number of people who stayed on was much smaller. But the ones that stayed, stayed late into the night and danced to the great tunes the DJs played.
All in all, it was a very successful event. I do hope the energy created by this dance stays on in CT – we definitely need it! The scene has slowly been flagging in energy but there are sure signs of a revival and like I said I do hope this event provides a good impetus forward.
CTLX 2008!
CTLX 2008 just ended – and it was absolutely fantastic! There might be a bit of a self congratulatory bias in that assessment but I believe most folks had a great time. I am going by numerous facebook status and google chat status messages that state the attendees’ contentment from the exchange!
As an organizer, I had my doubts:how many people will attend, how they would respond to the venues and music, will each dance have its own energy? Will people have fun? Thankfully, it all worked out quite well.
We started with The Fried Bananas playing for the Friday evening dance at St. Mary’s Church in New Haven, CT. The dance space was beautiful with a really good floor. Despite them being a Boston based band that has played in several local and regional events, somehow I always end up missing the dances where they have played at. They have a really nice, clean lounge/hip-swing feel to them. They seemed technically sound and did not compromise on having a definite swing in their sound. After my initial apprehensions as to how the dance was going wore down, I relaxed and had several fun dances. It was really good to see some old friends I had not for a while and met some awesome new folks.
After the dance many folks went to the Athenian diner near the late night venue to grab a bite before the late night. The DJs at the late night did their bit really well. My friend Camille started the late night, continuing with swingy tunes before the blues/groove/soul mix took over for the rest of the night. I did not dance much that night – I was very tired from it being Friday night and from all the organizing.
The Saturday afternoon dance was a concern of ours: we thought nobody would show up – and the dance did start slow. But the venue was packed by the time I was into my set – the second set of the afternoon, despite it being really sweltering! The music flow was good, in my opinion: Camille and I had the first two sets. I concentrated on playing high energy, not necessarily fast paced stuff. Meghan mellowed it in her set while keeping to swing stuff and all this set it up perfectly for Loreto’s set- who took us home with a good mix of bluesy, groovy and funky stuff. On a personal level, I think it was this dance where I danced hard and found my own dance mojo back!
My guests and I returned to Norwalk – we picked up Rendang curry from my favourite Indonesian-Chinese place and napped before heading over for the evening dance. Solomon Douglas and his quintet were playing that night. I really enjoyed dancing to the band, although later some folks told me they thought the music was below par. I didn’t quite notice that and had some great dances. I was especially happy with surprise out of town visitor friends who came up for Saturday! The late night was a bit low energy for me: I was exhausted, so I went to the dance but kept it low key.
The Sunday afternoon and evening dances were at the African American center at Yale, and were also dances the organizing committee had feared would be poorly attended. But they were packed too – especially the afternoon one and I had a particularly satisfying DJ set myself. The crowd kept the energy up for the entire afternoon. The dancers and DJs fed off each other’s energy and over all it was a great dance! The evening was similar with obviously thinner attendance but there was still fantastic dancing to be had.
Between the two dances was a highlight of the event: a group of us went to a favorite Malaysian restaurant for dinner and were dismayed to find there were no bananas at the restaurant, and hence we could not have fried bananas for dessert. My friend Chandra promptly dashed to her car, found some bananas and the restaurant folks were cool enough to take them and prepare delicious fried bananas for us!
We’re already looking forward to CTLX 2009! All in all, it was a ton of fun. There was good dancing, I got to meet and befriend several dancers, there was good dining/socializing with my guests and other friends. Good times!
CTLX is coming to town!
I have not posted for a while – I suppose non dance things took over.
But today I am excited. CTLX 2008 starts in a few hours! I am part of the CT scene and this is our biggest event of the year. It seems an ideal point to revive my blog.
For months, we have prepared – found bands, DJs, hosts, venues, dealt with paperwork, created websites, bombarded dance forums with posts, and heck – personally traveled to dance events all over and literally handed people little cards advertising CTLX! And folks are coming – from 18 states, 4 countries: woot!
I can’t wait for each dance to be a success. I am looking forward to dancing with a whole ton of people that are coming. Me and my apartment might be hosting at least three dance friends.
On a personal level, I shall be one of the featured DJs. I have DJed at local dances and for a workshop weekend, this is the first time I am DJing at an exchange. This means I get to DJ alongside several national and regional favorites. It’s going to be fun seeing how all our sets meld together to make entire dances. I am going to enjoy seeing how each DJ handles his/her set at different dances – what they play in the evening, at late nights and at afternoons, how they perceive the energy from the dancers, take it and accordingly play songs to keep folks going and keep them excited about dancing, how they keep a flow going not just within their set but with other DJs. I want to see what songs they play – will they be new stuff I’ve never heard before, will it be a lot of good old favorites? How will they mix them up?
I have definitely given thought to what I might want to play, how to be prepared for what mood the dancers would be in, how to keep a flow going, how to play off with other DJs. It’s going to be good – I’ll report on it.
For now, the CTLX cometh!
The Big Band theory
Last Sunday I was hired to DJ the breaks for the Steve Lord 18 piece Big Band that played at Vibz Uptown in Hartford, CT. It got me to thinking about the Big Band scene – or rather, the lack thereof.
Why do we not (or not get to) dance to Big Bands that often? Perhaps it is that organizing a dance with a Big Band and really pulling it off takes immense planning, more money, better sound systems, grander halls – that usually our local Lindy scenes cannot afford.
Who are the Big Bands in CT, or in the country in general that we present day Lindy Hoppers would really relish dancing to? How and where do we find them? Are there many Big Bands whose music we can access beyond the recording studios and big concert halls? Are they simply the survivors and alumni of the Big Bands over the decades that used to be led by all time legends such as Count Basie, Duke Ellington and their ilk? Are there newer big bands that are unfettered by the past, yet can beat out juicy dancey tunes? What could a ‘new Big Band’ sound be like? Personally, I like bands that manage the vintage sound while at the same time sound new and fresh. Of the newer bands that satisfy this criteria, I feel the Boilermaker Jazz Band, Loose Marbles and their break away Baby Soda Jazz Band, Cangelosi Cards much deserve their acclaim within the Lindy community. Of course these are smaller, tighter units. I am hoping there could be Big Bands that can mirror their success and musical accomplishment. Or do you think the newer big bands ought not deviate much from the timeless music and arrangements of the Swing era?
There’s definitely something very vibrant, chaotic yet harmonious about a big band that appeals to me. For example, as a dancer I like the opportunity to keep switching what instrument I am listening to (That is, using that instrument for inspiration to create moves or dictate the ‘feel’ of the dance that moment). On the music side, it must be a challenge making sure that all parts of the group come together well and then manage to sound greater than the sum of its parts. If you play for dancers, then there’s yet another dimension to worry about.
Are there fantastic big bands in your area you’d like to recommend? Would you want to dance to a big band? Have you been to such an event – what was your experience like?
And I am feeling ‘on’…
My friend Adam, (who with his wife Camille run the excellent Lindy League of Western Mass) picked up on my saying that I felt ‘on’ all weekend in my Boston Tea Party post. He wanted to know what I thought that meant. I thought it’s a good concept to blog about – most Lindy hoppers seem more satisfied with their dancing when they are ‘on’.
For people who have been dancing awhile, it should not be a big mystery. Another friend, Chris, from Albany summarized it as “…having (a) good connection with your partner, dancing to the music, timing your moves in sync with the music and your partner..”. I think I can safely say that most people would more or less agree with him, although I can see that feeling ‘on, may mean slightly different things to different Lindy hoppers.
For me, it means feeling comfortable. You know how teachers say, ’dance with your entire body’? That’s what it means to me. I feel ‘on’ when my entire body moves as one to the music, and with my partner. It means listening to your partner, catching on to what they are trying to do and responding in time to it, especially if they hear something in the music and want to express it, and want me to go along with them. It means being comfortable enough that my mind and body can listen – really listen to each song, sense the rhythms and beats in it at an early point and be able to move to it (no matter what the tempo) appropriately. Catch the nuances in the song – catch what the ‘feeling’ in it is and then let my body move organically to them. Another thing I have noticed when I feel ‘on’ is – regardless of the tempo of the song, I seem to have so much time during the song that I can create my moves in advance and really fill out my movements to the music and . So I suppose at various levels it is indeed about being comfortable with your dancing. And being connected – with yourself, to the music, to your partner, to the floor in general.
At the end of the day, it is more personal than that. It is one of those things what you seek in a dance, and in an entire dance evening in general.
What does being or feeling ‘on’ mean to you?
And how to become one of those people that are ‘on’ most of the time?
Just take more workshops and lessons? Do a lot of social dancing? Naturally, more ability and more experience on the floor gives one more confidence in our own dancing. Get more familiar with music? That allows us to ‘play more’ with the music Keep fit? That will physically allow us to be more adept at handling higher tempos, not to say we get tired later rather than sooner! I suppose a bit of all the above. But for me, it’s also being relaxed enough at the beginning of an evening to really soak the whole thing in!
Thoughts?
May the ‘on’ be with you!
Boston Tea Party 2008 – Part 1
The Boston Tea Party is a national level swing dance event that encompasses workshops, competitions and fantastic social dancing. It’s a pretty ‘big’ event – and really kicks off the Spring for dancers and most people become regulars once they attend one. There’s West Coast swing, Lindy Hop and Balboa and as of the past 2 years, we have had the hugely successful Crossover room where people can dance to Soul music as well. The emergence of all that – and further history of the Tea Party – are best left to other bloggers or to a later blog, but that should be enough of an introduction to the event.
This was my third Tea Party and my favourite so far. It had almost everything I crave for in a dance event: really good workshops that gave me ideas to work on, fantastic social dancing, me feeling ‘on’ all weekend, the company of dance friends I have made from the US and Canada, watching high energy competitions and finally, the feeling that I competed well, myself. I think this would be a great event to start this blog off from.
Before I go into actual details, I wonder if anyone else feels that each Tea Party seems to have certain ‘theme’ to it: in the kind of music played for the dance evenings, in the workshops, in the kind of moves seen in the Invitational Jack and Jills – that seem to set a tone for the rest of the year. For instance, in the 2006 Tea Party, so many workshops were focussed around Tandem Charleston moves. In 2007, we seemed to have the ‘fast music’ theme: and the workshops were based on dancing to fast music and sure enough, the general tempo of music in the Lindy room was fast. Both years, the other events I subsequently went to, mirrored these things.
This year, on the music side, Artie Shaw seemed to be a favorite. The songs the DJs seemed to favor were his trademark punchy, driven songs that are overlayed with Artie Shaw’s typical vibrant clarinet playing. Songs like ‘Everything is Jumpin’ were played a lot, but the DJs seemed to eschew the more frantic ‘Traffic Jam’, ‘Carioca’, ‘Man from Mars’ that are the usual jam circle suspects. That seemed to me to be a feature of most songs played over the weekend: the songs were fast and pulsey, had a strong beat yet seemed suited more for the social floor than a jam circle, as perhaps was the case this year. I must say, in particular I enjoyed the sets Naomi Uyama played.
On the instruction side, I felt instructors in several workshops seemed to be keen to talk about ‘rhythm and syncopation’. It is a very neat idea on several levels. One can of course, just dance to the music, obey it, so to speak, as it plays. But just as jazz musicians like to fit improvisations, and different phrasings within each 8-beats, dancers ought to be able to create space for themselves within that framework. They should be able to take varied moves and movements and fit them inside the space of the 8-count. The easiest example, of course, is executing a little kick-ball-change within a 2-count. There are several variations thereof as well. That is an example of taking a small time-space, just 2 beats and filling it with something that goes by relatively faster. Kevin St. Laurent and Emily Hoffberg talked about this in one of the Friday workshops. Peter Strom and Ramona Staffeld on the other hand, chose to fill in quicker 8-count with moves that seem to (over)flow the 8 count. The move they chose to illustrate the point with quick stop on 5, then a seemingly long flowy turn of the follower.
I am looking forward to incorporating these ideas into my dancing – not just these moves, but the ideas and possibilities they can provide. It shall help to not just complement the music, but pay more attention to it and then being inventive within the phrases while staying in its overall frame. Isn’t that what jazz musicians do? So it makes sense as dancers who dance to swing and jazz music to do the same.
