One of the most common sentences I hear from mainly intermediate level dancers is,
I wish I could get better at dancing but, x…
Variable x can fall anywhere in the list of; I don’t have enough time, I am in an isolated scene, I don’t have someone to mentor me, I didn’t start young enough, and et cetera.
Newsflash, for the majority of dancers there are only two situations here:
You have other priorities in life that overshadow dancing, which is perfectly understandable.
You are just lazy and making excuses to cover up your lack of motivation.
Soapbox Rant (Don’t say I didn’t warn you)
To get on my soapbox for a bit, there are many dancers out there who I respect and they have a borderline, if not obsessive conviction that they will improve their dancing. In result they dedicate massive amounts of time and effort toward that goal.
One of my huge pet peeves is when people complain about how they don’t have enough time to improve or make other similar excuses. For the majority of them its not, they don’t have the time. Its they would rather watch House on their couch or Skype with friends then practice their triple steps and swing-outs.
Lazy Cat wants to watch House instead of working on swingouts.
When people make excuses, at least to me they cheapen the dedication and sacrifices those dancers I respect made, I find it insulting. [/end_rant]
About a little over a year and a half ago, I first came across the clip Jammin’ The Blues, which featured amazing dancing by Archie Savage and Marie Bryant.
I immediately got infatuated with the crazy switches he does at 1:05, in which he is almost touching the ground. After I went through a phase that I tried to lead them constantly on the social dance floor.
One night when I was dancing at a venue in California, I accidentally lost my balance and fell to the floor on one knee while trying to do Archie’s switches. Like most men when lost and confused, I pretended nothing was awry and kept going with the move. To my astonishment I found out it worked perfectly on one knee and my follow seemed to have a blast with it.
One quote that really strikes me for these type of situations is from the television series The Joy of Painting,
“We don’t have mistakes here, we just have happy accidents.” – Bob Ross
Who knows, maybe one day your “happy accident” will come in handy…
The other night while googling my club (Penn State Swing Dance Club) for fun, I found out we recently had a sister club pop into existence. This club was Penn State Altoona Swing Dance club, formed at one of Penn State’s branch campuses, about fourty minutes south-west of State College.
I was having a stressful week so I decided to take a mini vacation. So I grabbed three other members from my own club and made the trek down to Altoona. As expected it was a smaller club, with a lesson in East Coast Swing, and mostly neo-swing DJ’ed during the social dance. But I had a great time! Most of the people there absolutely new dancers that had a lot of positive energy, were excited to dance, and seemed happy to be there.
It brought me back to the actual lecture part from Mark Kihara’s LED talk (before the karaoke shannagins) at ILHC in which he talked about the importance of remembering its not how good/bad you or the other person is, how great the music is, but most importantly having fun during the dance. Often when I come back from big events like ILHC or even return from California, I unfortunately get this sense of snobbish bitterness because the music or type of dancing isn’t my preference. This trip was a great reminder to me of why I dance, to have fun and to share the joy of dancing with other people.
If you have been wondering for the last week why some people on lindy related internet sites or on facebook have been posting comments such as, “Yes, yes, yes, yes […], yes” or “Lets put the fork in the garbage disposal” or “Stop I lost my contact”. It was due to the last routine in the Cabaret division at ILHC, known as the Yes dance.
If for some reason you wanted to see 30 of the top Lindy Hoppers in the country get half naked and pretend they’re gay, the Cabaret is for you. It also included a small dog.
(Warning: May be NSFW)
Apparently my obsessive reading of every link the ILHC newsletter paid off, because I able to shout along and do half the dance moves while in the crowd.
If you want to see the original video it is listed here: (Warning: May be NSFW)
It feels almost odd going back into the usual routine of sleeping at regular hours and attending classes after the awesomeness known as ILHC (International Lindy Hop Championships).
ILHC
Several other people such as Rik from The Click Heard Round the World and Robert E. Lee the III Bobby White from Swungover have wrote about their experiences during or after the event. But I will give you my view, as my one friend put it, from a “bi-coastal” college swing dancer’s perspective.
Competitions
Like Rik wrote in his blog, each competition was a blast to watch. Unlike some other events where going to hang out at the jacuzzi may seem like a better idea then some of the competitions, I wanted to have a good view for every single competition that weekend.
I also pitied the judges, it seemed for the most part everybody were throwing down their best in each competition. Even Sylvia Sykes was complaining of how difficult it was to judge the Strictly Balboa finals during her LED talk on Saturday.
The biggest moment for me, which has been the buzz of the internet Lindy world was the “The History of Lindy Hop” performance by Andrew Thigpen and Karen Turman. Besides being amazing, receiving a standing ovation, and causing Steven Mitchell to peel over in laughter, one of the more important effects I have noticed not just in my local scene, but on a national level is people are researching dance clips due their performance. To have a routine have such a profound effect on the community is more important then any piece of plastic in my book.
I also ended up participating in the Open Jack & Jill, due to the deal I got with my registration. From an organizational standpoint I thought it was well run. They made sure everyone in my heat was in the right order, with the right number while the previous heat was out on the floor, and had multiple points of check-ins to ensure a minimum of no shows. I had a blast drawing a follow from New York, and two follows from Canada (It seems I can never run away from Canadians).
Classes
In total I ended up attending about six classes at ILHC, and watching two additional ones. Frankly I was surprised because for a competition weekend the classes were amazing. The bar was not lowered for any classes and even the intermediate classes were taught at a level where they expected you to know swingouts, a small repertoire of jazz steps and common moves. Probably having a killer lineup of instructors and the fact that the majority of dancers attending this event were fairly decent helped as well.
LED Talks
The talks were a great alternative to classes for those who wanted a break or preferred not to take them. I plan to do a later blog post about Andrew Thigpen’s talk about Thrifty Hopping a.k.a. how to attend more dance events. While most of it was common sense, was a good reminder of how laziness and last minute or impulsive spending can affect your attendance at swing events in the future.
Another memorable LED of the weekend was Mark Kihara’s talk on trying things in 3 minutes or lesson. This consisted of him giving away free beer and wine, then having open karaoke, which resulted in Nina Gilkenson singing the infamous Dirty Dancing song “I’ve Had the Time of My Life” and Andrew Thigpen and Bobby Bonsey reenacting the lift from the film. Hopefully that will be on the youtubes soon.
I could go on about the rest but it would take too much time, I can only hope they build on the talks next year.
Social Dancing
Having some of the best swing bands in the world (Jonathan Stout and His Campus 5 featuring Hilary Alexander, The Boilermaker Jazz Band featuring Naomi Uyama, and The Rhythm Cats & Gordon Webster helped to create some awesome nights of dance. I also liked how the sets were nestled in between competitions so you could dance your heart out then recover for energy during the comps. What was also awesome was how friendly everyone was at the dances, I had several follows who were at a much higher level of dancing and occasionally from different countries ask me to dance.
The only detraction I would say is the dance floor was smaller then Camp Hollywood, but you can’t have everything I suppose.
Fun Moments and Overall Experience
ILHC was a unique and inspiring event for me. One of the more amusing moments was when I wore my Quebec shirt I got from Benjamin Ricard in D.C. on Saturday, then having several people approach me and starting chatting in French.
For those of you wondering why the ILHC Cabaret division isn’t on youtube yet, i’m guessing its due to another memorable moment of the weekend known as the “Yes Dance”. (Apparently clicking every link in the ILHC newsletter was not a waste of time on my part.)
What was interesting was for all it had to offer, I never felt overwhelmed like I am at many other workshop weekends/exchanges/camps which is a testament to how well organized the event was.
If you missed out this year, I recommend you check it out in 2011.
So for those of you who have been living in a cave, this weekend is ILHC (International Lindy Hop Championships). Being my first time at this event, it is a blast and I am glad I chose it as my last hurrah before the college semester swallows me whole. But I will post some quick things that stood out for myself from the event below:
LED (Lindy Enlightment Dialogue) talks have been a nice break from classes. They have ranged from Skye Humphries explaining why Charlie Chaplin inspires him to Mark Kihara giving away free booze and having open mic karaoke.
Hearing people in the crowd cheering/heckling their friends in different languages. My attempts to learn French paid off when I somehow was seated in the middle of the French-Canadian section for the heckling/cheering en Francais during Pro-Am division today.
Dancing to live music from an assortment of musicians/dancers from 2 am – 4 am in the morning. Part of keeping the “street dancers” cred is apparently dancing in carpet next to the elevators instead of the main floor.
Learning a move called “The Bernie” from Stephen and Bethany, who learned it from Minn Vo, which is named after a dancer from San Francisco. How everyone in the scene manages to know each other never ceases to amaze me.
Having everyone in the Open J&J/Advanced J&J/Pro|Am/Balboa J&J for the day competitors meeting attempting to cram into a room intended for only about 70 people.
Hearing Bobby White Robert E. Lee the Third’s from Swungover full name pronounced in every other competition.
Anyways, Jonathan Stout and his Campus Five featuring Hilary Alexander will be playing tonight so I have to go prepped for that. Exciting since Josh Callazo will be in the mix after his hiatus this past summer!
Recently I have been trying to adopt a positive attitude when I take lessons which is, “No matter what the situation, give it my best attempt“.
Many students, including myself in the past have made excuses for not getting something out of a lesson. While those can be in reality detrimental conditions to your lesson, there are still things one can do to learn and improve regardless of the situation.
One of the best pieces of advice I got this summer was from a local instructor in California, James Bianco who said something to the effect of, “If you try you can make a group lesson into a private lesson for yourself.” I try to keep this in mind. If I am taking a lesson in something I have previously learned, I try to emulate the instructor exactly. That exercise can be insanely difficult but a great learning experience.
So if you are taking a lesson anytime soon, keep an optimistic view and don’t let excuses get in the way of your learning.
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.
It's The Way That You Do It 