Now attending jazz festivals to dance is something that has been mentioned to me in the past, but I have always come up with some kind of excuse not to show up. (Also known as being too lazy to organize friends to go as a group.) I learned the hard way that I was missing out on an amazing resource. It is not often you can dance to 5+ bands in one day! Even though not all the music was ideal for dancing, moments like the Titan Hot 7 playing “Sweet Georgia Brown” simply rocked. A bonus was this Jazz festival was held indoors at a hotel, so nearly every room had a decent floor to dance on.
My advice though, if you get wind of a jazz festival is hitting an area near you.
Find out if they take volunteers: At the OC Classic Jazz Festival for a few hours of volunteering you get normally a $90 dollar pass, for completely free!
Spread the word and organize a crew: When I went I was lucky enough to run into random Yehoodities and other swing dancing members of the community there. Best not to leave it to chance though and bring friends you can dance with along. (Facebook event is a great resource for this)
Do not block view of the band: The majority of attendees to these events came to enjoy the music, not to watch you dance. Be kind and please do not obstruct their view of the band.
Don’t be afraid to take breaks: Some songs will go for 5+ minutes or the band may play things that are difficult to dance to. This is especially true if it is not a classic jazz festival and includes more modern jazz. So if you are fatigued or completely lost just take a break, sit back, and relax.
For those of you who were not in California this past weekend, it was the thirteenth annual Camp Hollywood. A three day, four night camp with; daily workshops, live bands every night (and spontaneously during the day and in the halls after midnight), an underground contest at 2 AM, and even a vintage bathing suit contest this year.
What I have always liked about this event is it features something for everybody. You want to learn? A variety of workshops for Lindy Hop, Balboa and Collegiate Shag. You want to compete? Competitions galore. You want to party? You can catch people in the jacuzzi or poolside pretty much 24/7.
Anyways this year I felt attendance was smaller, but there was a lot more energy at the camp. Having Jonathan Stout and whoever had a musical instrument jam during lunch and after live bands ended, in the hallways, brought a great dynamic to the event. Also the classic division (a competition with more emphasis on quality of dancing instead of on flash) was a step in the right direction in my opinion.
Competition this year was pretty intense though, especially in the Pro Lindy, Team Division, and Showcase Division. The placements for all the contests are listed here. Also I would like to share some videos with you below from the event.
Team Division
1st Place: The Fly Rites
I have literally seen every performance these guys did before Camp Hollywood and always found something new to enjoy about it everytime. If you notice at the end of their performance they recieved a standing ovation, the judges noted it as well because they were unanimously decided as first place on the score sheet posted afterwards.
2nd Place: Swing ConneXion
It seems like Canadians are getting everywhere these days in the competitive world of swing dancing. This video, courtesy of Patrick and Natasha shows a great piece in which there is a nice contrast between the beginning and end of the performance. Also note the tricks that involved transfers between two people.
(Note: There were a total of seven teams in the division, if you would like to see the rest they are easily found on youtube)
Pro Lindy
Spotlight
All Skate
One of the youtube comments said it right when they wrote, “For this comp in particular though – this is a contest won in the air.” Due to Camp Hollywood judging 50% the three T’s (Timing, Technique, Teamwork) and 50% showmanship, you will probably not see more flash or air thrown in any competitions in the US.
The placements are listed below:
1st – Nick Williams & Laura Keat
2nd – Mike Pedroza & Nikki Marvin
3rd – Kevin St Laurent & Angel Jenkins
4th – Marty Klempner & Delilah Williams
5th – Ceth Stifel & Tiffiny Wine
Showcase
1st Place: Jo Hoffburg & Kevin St Laurent
Great song choice combined with a clean and entertaining performance (especially in the solo section).
2nd Place: Patrick Szmidt and Natasha Ouiment
If you have ever taken any of Patrick & Natasha’s online lessons, you will be very familiar with the beginning of this song. Notice at 1:31 the double cartwheels, this was one of the visuals that was stuck in my head all weekend.
François Paré & Nadine Gagnon
Even though this couple didn’t place, I though enjoyed how they did a Balboa showcase that was enjoyable to watch and it seems they really put themselves into it. I hope to see more from this couple in the future.
The placements are listed below:.
1st – Kevin St Laurent & Jo Hoffberg
2nd – Patrick Szmidt & Natasha Ouimet
3rd – Doug Silton & Angel Jenkins
4th – Marty Klempner & Delilah Williams
5th – Joel Plys & Valerie Salstrom
(Note: Like the team division there were several showcases, if you would like to see the rest they are easily found on youtube under Patrick and Natasha’s channel)
So this past weekend a bunch of other local Orange County swing dancers and I were drafted for a performance gig for the Noble Cause Foundation. Its a non-profit organization run by Cornell Iliescu that works to honor veterans of the United States.
At 8:00 AM we met up in Long Beach, California and boarded the SS Lane Victory, a WWII ship. Definitely one of the more interesting and nostalgic locations I have danced at. After meeting up with Cornell, a Romania WWII bombing survivor who organized this gig, he showed us to our quarters to use a dressing room. For us guys, we had provided army airforce uniforms [1] in which we had to meticulously check to make sure we were dressed in accordance to military regulations. (This is due to apparently one of the favorite hobbies of military veterans is to point out mistakes that civilians make in wearing the uniform.)
SS Lane Victory
After changing we learned one of the benefits of being a performer on this ship was unlimited beverages. Ranging from water and sodas to beer and wine. For several of us this elevated this from a fun event to the best performance gig ever.
Around 9:00 AM the boat took off and the cruise went out to Catalina Island, circled it and then headed back to Long Beach by 4:00 PM. During the cruise there was several things going on such as a memorial ceremony for fallen soldiers, a catered lunch, a sub-plot on the boat involving an escaped German spy (aka Cornell being paraded around in a German officer uniform), and more impressively a recreation involving the ship’s gunners ward off a Luftwaffe air attack. However when those things were not going on we and the tap dancers Cornell brought along provided entertainment with the live band on the main deck.
Being the entertainment was pretty easy going though. how we worked it out was every other song the tap dancers and us would take turns performing. However after lunch break we had a blast because we started our performance together side by side both doing the Shim Sham, with us doing the swing version and them doing the tap version. Then we had a jam circle in which we all cut in, the crowd seemed to really like it.
I also need to give credit to the band on the ship as well. They were watching the tap dancers and us, in result adjusted the songs accordingly and made it easier for all of us to do our thing. Extra props for them playing Honeysuckle Rose after one of our follows complemented a horn player on throwing part of it in on one of his solos, in another song.
Anyways, favorite parts of this gig:
The band playing the song Avalon, while the boat was sailing in front of Casino Ballrom, in the town Avalon on Catalina island.
Free lunch and unlimited drinks (including alcoholic beverages).
WWII veterans saying how they were glad there were people who still did the dances and appreciates the music from their era.
The fact that if I timed my slides in Balboa with the movement of the ship deck, I could cover a lot more distance then I normally could.
With the German Luftwaffe attack they actually had live planes circling the boat, with actual Navy recruits firing blanks out of the anti-aircraft guns on deck.
Did I mention I was on a boat?
Casino Ballroom, the West's answer to the Spanish Ballroom in Glen Echo Park.
Overall it was a great experience. The veterans and their families seemed to be entertained and I enjoyed dancing to a live band on a historical military ship.
Footnotes:
1. For us leads it was important to know that our uniforms were from a time when the Air Force was still part of the Army. Reason being is a lot of people get confused when they see Air Force symbols on an Army uniform and in result ask us about it.
A friend of mine from college was kind enough to send me the clip below that she recorded when she was attending a Caravan Palace concert in Quebec, Canada.
At the beginning couple on the right is Max Pitruzzella and Annie Trudeau, the couple on the right is Thomas Blacharz and Natasha Ouimet.
What I find inspiring about this clip is the fact that they combined Lindy Hop, Charleston, classic Jazz steps, and Balboa all into one routine that won over the crowd. They did an amazing job at bringing swing dance to a modern audience.
Edit: Thanks to MQAvatar on Yehoodi, the second couple was not just identified but also we now have a full clip of the performance.
Edit Deux (Two): Apparently I made a rookie mistake and didn’t search out the world wide web to see if this was covered already. Lindy Dandy already beat me to the chase on this one. Instead of deleting this post, I will leave it up because I figure Max, Annie, Thomas, and Natasha will not mind extra advertisement for them.
If I have learned anything from hanging out with swing dancers at bars, it is they like things cheap. Luckily some instructors in the swing dance community are generous enough to provide online resources at no cost to the viewer. Many of these online videos are a great tool for reviewing and cleaning up routines like the Big Apple. Below I have created a list of sites that have free online instructional videos.
List of Free Swing Dance Resources
Building the Community with Patrick and Natasha:
Patrick and Natasha
Description: Even though the blogs Lindy Dandy and Shuffle Projects beat me to the chase with this on the online blogging world for the Big Apple, this resource is so nice I do not mind listing it again. At the youtube channel PatrickAndNatasha the lovable Canadian Couple Patrick Szmidt & Natasha Ouimet provide high quality in depth videos that break down The Big Apple, The Shim Sham and The California Routine. They have also mentioned on yehoodi of possibly filming the Dean Collins Shim Sham or the Tranky Doo in the future.
What you get for free: Everything!
Advantages: High quality videos, routines performed occasionally to songs of different tempos and seperate videos to break down each move.
Disadvantages: Currently only three lessons. (More in the future though)
Recommendations: If possible throw a donation to their paypal account at the link: Support Building the Community with Patrick and Natasha. Normally for DVD’s on the Big Apple or Tranky do you would be paying a good $15-$30 dollars.
RhythmJuice:
RhythmJuice.com
Description: Created by Dax Hock, RhythmJuice is a website for learning and assistance in swing dance related topics. The description reads off the website reads as follows, “RhythmJuice is a place to get inspired, learn, and take your dancing to a whole new level. We offer unlimited access to an ever evolving learning environment filled with lessons from top internationally acclaimed instructors. Are you aiming to become a better social dancer, teacher, competitor, or are you just taking your first dance steps? Either way, RhythmJuice has content to suit your needs!”. While most of their content requires you to become a paying customer there is still a decent ammount of free lessons on the website.
What you get for free: The lessons under the free tag, about ten of them.
Advantages: Quality lessons in terms of excelent breakdown of technique and moves. In addition if you ask the instructors questions about their lessons, usually responses are fairly fast.
Disadvantages: You have to register for the website and most of the content is for paying customers. (From what I have heard, fairly worth it though.)
Recommendations: If you got the spare cash lying around and a partner who is willing to spend time with you, test out the lessons for a month.
Danceonline.tv
danceonline.tv
Description: A creation by Daniel Newsome, Danceonline.tv is an amazing resource for swing dancers. I think Daniel says it the best in his yehoodi post, “So, for everyone, free Basic Lindy moves, basic blues dance, Big Apple, Trankey Do, Shim Sham, and more. Over 400 videos and adding more every day, all free.” One can (and I have) literally spend hours learning with this website.
What you get for free: An almost excessive ammount of free lessons.
Advantages: Videos are well filmed, there are a lot of them, and the instructors are through in the technique and moves they are trying to convey.
Disadvantages: You have to register for the website.
Recommendations: If you get a lot of use out of the videos, support Daniel’s donation to the community by purchasing one of his DVD’s.
Advertisement is one of the biggest factors in running a successful event, whether it is a one time workshop or a weekly venue. One event that has caught my eye is the event Hot Mess, for creatively utilizing youtube in an advertisement campaign.
Hot Mess commercials are below:
For contrast other events such as do make promo reels, as shown below.
How Hot Mess differs though is by creating commercials which entertain people and make them think about the event. Or even ideally talk about it when they are out for the night dancing. This is in contrast to the Camp Hollywood reel which tries to market it based on the impressive flash, fun/high energy atmosphere, and competitive environment.
Just like with any type of promotion the number one thing you want people do is to talk about your event. The folks running Hot Mess out in Philly have figured out a creative way through youtube to do that. Another event in the past that has done this effectively was the College of Swingology that was held in Charlottesville, Virginia. A sample of one of their assortment of videos is shown below:
The College of Swinology which had a college related theme used their videos to besides advertise for the event, reinforce the idea of their theme.
So if you are having an event youtube is a way to creatively appeal to your potential attendees. If you know any great commercials for swing dance events or youtube advertisment ideas, please feel free to comment below.
A popular line dance performed world-wide in the swing dance community, as many of you reading this will know as the Shim Sham. Originally a tap dance routine, it was adapted by swing dancers and popularized by Frankie Manning. However there is a large variety of Shim Shams besides the standard one performed by most swing dancers and I am listing as many as I could locate for your viewing pleasure.
Shim Sham (Tap Dance)
Soft-shoe performance by the Killer Dillers at the Swing Brother Swing Festival in Bologna Italy. Courtesy of David L in the comments below.
Shim Sham (Swing Dance)
Dean Collin’s Shim Sham
Performed by Dean Collins himself and Bart Bartolo. Some good notes are in the comments section about this clip by Peter Loggins.
This time Peter Loggins performs it himself along with Lisa Ferguson.
Al and Leon Shim Sham
Slip Slop Shim Sham
*Check out David L’s post in the comment section below for an excellent link to Jerry’s blog in relation to the Slip Slop Shim Sham.
Hat Trick Shim Sham
A new take on the Al and Leon’s Shim Sham, performed by Tips, Taps and Tops (Kevin St. Laurent, Jeremy Otth and Shesha Marvin)
This performance at the 9:20 Special out in San Francisco is interesting because of the contrast provided by the guys doing the traditional swing Shim Sham to the left.
Girls’ Shim Sham
This is from one of my favorite workshops/events, Steven and Virginie in Rochacha (Rochester), NY. If you haven’t gone, you should seriously visit.
Note: If I have missed any feel free to contact me and I will add them to the list. The only one I know currently missing is the the rhythm juice Shim Sham since it only exists on Dax’s website to my knowledge.
A friend of mine has (as he refers to it), “an almost religious habit, which you shouldn’t make fun of me for man” where he watches the clip below on a daily basis.
For him it has paid off, he recently placed the finals of a Jack and Jill where there was some stiff competition. He greatly admires Nick’s dancing and claims Nick’s musicality makes the songs Nick dances to come alive. That in turn inspires him to train hard and continuously hone his technique and dance skills.
Below are two clips that, while not daily, I watch fairly often.
The reason both these clips inspire me are the energy and the uniqueness of each dancer. Often in competitions these days I see people who look extremely concentrated and occasionally look like caricatures of their instructors. When I see people compete or perform, even when I dance myself I want to see who that person is as an individual and the joy of the dance in them.
Clips whether from recent events or back in the 30’s or 40’s can be powerful tools of motivation and inspiration in many aspects of ones own dancing. I also have another friend here in Orange County that before every competition he enters, watches his favorite clips to inspire himself and keep his spirits high.
If you have any favorite clips you like to watch consistently or are inspired by them in ways I have not mentioned, feel free to comment below.
The title of this post is the one statement you do not want to be making as an organizer for an event. One of the pitfalls I have seen at workshops/events or at the first few weeks at newer venues is when responsibilities are ambiguously or poorly delegated.
The expression you do not want to have at your event.
A personal anecdote of mine is, when I was one of the organizers for a workshop at my college. We delegated a volunteer to be the “Volunteer Coordinator”. However until the end of the Friday night welcome dance, we did not know that we did not have any volunteers to take down the equipment. It was a faux pas on us, the organizers behalf because we clearly did not outline what the responsibilities of the “Volunteer Coordinator” were. Luckily one of the organizers and her friends she was hosting was willing to do take down, but it was one additional responsibility for someone who was already in charge of running things that weekend. Below I will list some tips I have, to ensure something like this is less likely to happen for yourself.
Guide to Properly Delegating Responsibilities
1. In writing, clearly outline responsibilities: When writing this, you want to make it reasonably detailed as possible and leave no room for ambiguity. Also ensure that this person and yourself both have a copy of this. That way they do not need to bother you if they forget what to do and you know who is in charge of what tasks. I know some people prefer to do this vocally, however putting it down on paper prevents potential arguments afterwards (especially if someone is volunteering for a comp) and unnecessary distractions to both the organizers and volunteers/workers. [1]
2. The day before the event remind those who have the potential to forget responsibilities: As an organizer this has the benefit of giving yourself a peace of mind that you have double checked every person helping to run the event knows what they are responsible for and act as a reminder for those who may have lost track of what they are in charge of. This is especially in the case of volunteers who often are dealing with travel, finding their host for housing, and other issues besides knowing where they are supposed to stand, and what type of wristbands to check for.
If you have any tips or ideas as an organizer or an attendee of events, please comment below!
Footnotes:
[1]: As an organizer, when you have four different things running in your head while you are trying to set up for a dance or classes that morning for a workshop, last thing you do is have a person come up and derail your train of thought with a question of something they should already know about.
The title of this post is the one statement you do not want to be making as an organizer for an event. One of the biggest pitfalls I have seen at workshops/events or at the first few weeks at newer venues is when responsibilities are ambigously delegated.
The expression you do not want to have at your event.
While reading practice tips on a website for guitar lessons I came across the quote below,
“The more you think, the more you stink (practice until it becomes instinct).” – Justin Sandercoe
This stuck out to me as a lead, because in my mental inventory of moves I have two types; moves I lead almost flawlessly and moves that sometimes work. For example, thanks to some help from Nick Williams I am extremely confident in leading six count side-passes and they are a bread-and-butter staple of my dancing. This contrasts to a swingout with a double inside turn which only works probably 70%, and flows smoothly 40% of the time.
Why I tell my students to practice after lessons...
When I lead a sidepass, it is a move I don’t spend a second thinking about. It almost comes to me naturally as breathing. Unlike the swingout with the double inside turn I mentioned earlier. Getting my hand on the follows back early enough, keeping my steps small, not letting my shoulders collapse forward, and other things are distractions I have to constantly pay attention to when leading that move.
I find when I have to think about things when I dance, it often causes hiccups that cause my follow and I not to look smooth. My advice is if you want to have dancing that looks smooth, practice until you can do things without having to think about them. That is when you truly own that motion.
While reading practice tips on a website for guitar lessons I came across the quote below,
“The more you think, the more you stink (practice until it becomes instinct).” – Justin Sandercoe
This stuck out to me as a lead because in my mental inventory of moves I have three types; moves I can do almost flawlessly, moves
It's The Way That You Do It 