Blue Suede Souls

A Very Fancy Weekend

2012-01-24T07:52:00.002-05:00

And it was. Living in Indianapolis gives us many dancing options, including events at, as Gary would say, some grand old dames. Unlike many larger cities, Indy has preserved some lovely ballrooms. This weekend we danced at The Scottish Rite Cathedral and our beloved Roof, two such venues that escaped the wrecking ball.

The Roof was fabulous as always; going often does not diminish the overwhelming sense of grandeur with a whiff of do I really belong here feeling when I step through the ornate doors. It’s that gorgeous, from its Spanish/Moroccan décor to the giant disco ball hanging from a ceiling full of stars.

The Scottish Rite Cathedral doesn’t have many public dances, saving most events for their members. So it is a wonderful occurrence when we can dance on probably the best dance floor around. It’s a floating floor, which means it’s constructed with so much give your feet never ache at the end of the dance. Combine that with a décor that is right out of the Middle Ages, complete with the biggest chandelier I’ve ever seen. If Merlin walked out during intermission I wouldn’t be surprised.

It’d be so cool to see Merlin do a cha cha, don’t you think?

These dances are more expensive than our club dances at around 15 bucks a piece, but when you don’t have to stay all night they’re affordable. People travel great distances to dance at both these venues. To have them almost at our doorstep makes us feel very lucky indeed.

A Very Old-Fashioned New Year

2012-01-01T11:37:00.003-05:00

I’ve experienced many New Year’s Eve celebrations, from the sublime to the, um, Party-ROCK. I’ve enjoyed every one of them. If you believe whatever you do on the eve is what you will be doing the next year, then that is what Gary and I want to be doing when the countdown begins.

A New Year’s dance can be very expensive, and this year we are watching our budget. Another factor in our choice is that we like spending that holiday with my parents, who also dance They are members of a community center in Raleigh, Indiana, who have been having a dance every Saturday night for 50 years. I’ve mentioned them before. We like it there.

But what would Raleigh be like on New Year’s? Gary and both like glitz and glamour, especially on that night. We arrived around 8:30; admission was 15 bucks a piece and a covered dish. Doesn’t get much better than that. The decorations were wonderful; glittery stuff hung from the ceiling and a fat holiday tree to the side. Very retro. The people, as always, were warm and welcoming.

Gary and I danced and danced. Many of the people there were older, like really older…over 90. They told us they used to dance like we do but now they couldn’t. As we drove home under a three quarter moon I was reminded that life is NOW. And as our favorite DJ Ron Fentz says, “Let’s dance.”

Happy New Year to all. If you dance, I hope you do it more often. If you don’t and have always wanted to, I wish for you the courage to try this year.

Guitar Noir

2011-12-29T13:06:00.003-05:00

One of my favorite gifts this year from Gary was a CD by my favorite surf band, the Aqua Velvets. Their new CD, Guitar Noir, is...the best ever. As I sank down into a post-holiday bath, wine glass in hand, the music took me to some far away shore, dancing under the moonlight and swaying palms.

They never leave the west coast. I don't blame them. It would be a dream someday to dance to their gorgeous sounds. It's hard to describe...surf, with a dash of Latin and middle eastern flavor, mysterious, yet tongue in cheek. I don't know how they mix all of that in there, but it works.

Listen to some of the liner notes...as I stared across the water I saw a school of mermaids dancing and singing in the moonlight....I closed my eyes and danced a slow dance with a fast girl...I sat in the dark corner of a smoky basement subterranean dive while a couple dressed in black broke into a mysterious mambo slicing the thick, sultry air with steps of passion...

Yeah. Someday.

Here they are doing the first track off the CD.

Holiday Dances

2011-12-23T13:27:00.004-05:00

There's something warm and fuzzy about dancing to holiday tunes like Jingle Bell Rock or the Christmas Waltz while Karen Carpenter sings fro-STED window panes. I grew up with most of the songs played at the annual Brickyard Boogie and Indy Dancers holiday dances, yet I never thought about dancing to any of them. So...these songs are both nostalgic and new all at the same time.

Here we are at the Indy Dancers...a little sweaty, but very very happy.

Happy holidays to all. We're looking forward to an old-fashioned New Year's dance at Raleigh, Indiana.

The cutest ever...

2011-12-20T13:56:00.001-05:00

Nightmare

2011-12-14T11:44:00.002-05:00

Gary and I watch this move Yuletide instead of Halloween, hence this post. I believe our vintage foxtrot would work! The clave would too. Maybe a tango. Who knew this song was so versatile? :-)

I couldn't agree more...

2011-12-11T14:30:00.002-05:00

I love Danny Kaye, and Vera Ellen is one of the most beautiful women to ever grace the screen. And yeah, she can dance. :-) Here they are from the movie White Christmas.

Christmas and Buckets

2011-11-30T21:15:00.000-05:00

December is filled with traditions, mistletoe and sleigh rides, jingle bells and Yule logs, dancing and buckets. You’re not familiar with the bucket tradition? Well, it comes around every year with the first snow. Less than an inch of snow and the buckets come out at one of our usual dance venues. They catch the drips that come through the ceiling, creating what I affectionately call a “water feature”. In actuality I think water trap is more like it.

There’s a strange thing that happens whenever there’s any kind of obstruction on the dance floor. The skill of the dancers on a floor is directly proportional to the size of the floor. So, with each inch you lose, people dance worse. That’s amazing, since there are always fewer dancers on the floor when the weather’s bad. Dance physics, I guess.

The Christmas Waltz

2011-11-22T12:22:00.004-05:00

Used to be there were many different varieties of the waltz...in this video of Karen Carpenter you can see a few bits of the Skater's Waltz.

Ahhhhh. What lovely way to start the holiday dancing season. I still miss new songs by Karen, but at least we have her marvelous classics.

Time Warp 1960s Concert and Dance

2011-11-20T13:21:00.003-05:00

The Time Warp Dance given by The Pride of Indy Jazz Ensemble at the Athenaeum was indeed transportive; I really felt like I was in a 1960’s lounge. The band was fabulous. The song list was varied which I like; they played everything from jazz greats to holiday music. My favorites were Caravan and Santa Baby. And not only were the musicians great, the singers were too, from a couple of band members that did double duty to their guest singer, Brenda Williams. OMG, could that woman belt out a tune! My favorite of hers was At Last, which I think is the hardest song to sing ever.

Gary I enjoy dancing at benefits; for us it combines something we love with being able to help a cause we believe in. I don’t ever want this dance blog to be our own personal soapbox because part of dancing for us is to escape individual and world problems, but let’s just say Gary and I are on the side of groups we believe haven’t always been given a fair shake.

When you think that the band members are all volunteers and so probably all have day jobs as it were, the level of professionalism was pretty amazing. They play for the love and joy of music, the same reason we dance…we clapped for the singers and musicians and they clapped for us.

If you have a chance to catch this band do so. The music is mostly danceable, the people friendly, and they welcome dancers. We will be seeing them again.

Here they are from last year’s event…enjoy.

Thanksgiving Dance at Indy Dancers

2011-11-12T14:25:00.003-05:00

I don’t think I’ve ever been in a situation where food wasn’t within an arm’s reach…at home, at friends and family’s homes, at work, at events, everywhere I go there’s food. I’ve never been hungry or without in my life, and although I’m rather embarrassed to say it, never given that much thought.

What hit me at the annual Thanksgiving Day dinner/dance with Indy Dancers was the abundance; there was every kind of dish imaginable. All of it was fabulous, and you could have as much as you wanted. After I finished I sat there watching everyone else enjoy their dinner and felt very blessed to live where I live, to be able to spend time with other dance fanatics, and most of all, to be with Gary.

We’ve had a hard year, but through it all we’ve had each other, good health, plenty to eat, a place to live, and dancing.

I feel very thankful.

Rockaboogie!

2011-11-12T13:47:00.000-05:00

I’ve said this before, so I hope you’ll indulge me. I’m always amazed when I see Terry Lee in concert. Terry and his band never seem to have an off night. I’ve had the good fortune to see a number of long-touring big bands and in some great venues and many of them have come across flat. That doesn’t happen with Terry Lee. The band is fantastic, driven; they move you from your seats and onto the dance floor. If you love the music of Jerry Lee Lewis, rockabilly music, our just going out for a good time, go see Terry Lee and his Rockaboogie Band

Halloween Dance at the Atrium

2011-11-01T08:27:00.004-04:00

The annual costume dance sponsored by Indy Singles was fab!! It was a packed house, but they opened up another section of the floor so everyone had plenty of room. The costumes were wonderful…my favorite was a Christmas Tree. I’m not sure how she saw outta that thing, but she did manage to dance. And…she won the contest, which Gary and I helped judge. Here she is with a neck-braced Payton Manning. NOT funny, BTW. Kidding. But still. Anyway, here's the tree:

Gary and I were cats this year; in honor of our Ocicat, we went spotty. I made Gary a mouse watch fob which was pretty funny because he kept twirling it like a gangster.

We really did have a great time. It’s nice to know we have so many dancing options even when we don’t leave town. On to Christmas. I’m still dreaming of that perfect winter wonderland to dance in….

Dance!!!

2011-10-27T21:44:00.002-04:00

OK, I'm thinking a little west coast cha cha cha in the driveway...

Boo But No Boohoo

2011-10-26T18:42:00.006-04:00

When Gary and I first realized our budget would not allow for an away trip this Halloween I was sad. I love trying new places, especially on Halloween because that’s out anniversary. And it’s Halloween, the night where you can be and see anything.

But I didn’t stay down long. First, my anniversary is my anniversary no matter what, and I’m married to the best guy on earth. Second, Halloween is spooky and magical wherever you are. And third, Indy is a rockin’ place if you dance; you could go every night of the week if you wanted to.

Our first Halloween party this year was with Indy Dancers. We always attend this event even when we do travel. As usual, it was really fun. Great costumes and a wonderful zombie inspired exhibition. Here’s a picture of my favorite costumes:

And then this weekend we are attending a Halloween dance at the Indy Singles that we’ve never been to, so home still has venues to discover. Can’t wait!!!!

The Other Brother

2011-10-23T10:48:00.003-04:00

As A kid I remember a story about the biblical Prodigal Son. Essentially, there were two brothers. One was “good” and did what the parents said, the other was “bad” and ran off. When the Prodigal Son returns the family rejoices and they have a big dinner. The good son is like hey, you never did that for me and I was always good, and the dad says you are being selfish so shut up and be happy over your brother’s return.

I always felt sorry for the good brother.

You may think I'm veering off in another direction but wait for it...I love the Grateful Dead. But seeing them in concert was a roll of the dice. You always wondered if a concert would be good; Jerry Garcia was known for forgetting lyrics, and sometimes the band was just not as stellar as they could be.

So what do you say when a band is always, consistently, good every time you see them? A band that thinks about their crowd and adjusts for who is there and what sort of venue it is? Whose selections of songs is vast and varied? Whose members are all talented and skilled? Who are friendly and talks to everyone?

What you say is wow. These days when gas is expensive and ten bucks a pop to get in hurts more than it used to, it’s wonderful to know that your experience is always going to be good. Like the rest of us, sometimes band members may not feel it some nights and I’m sure they have problems just like the rest of us. But dang, Terry Lee and the Rockaboogie Band delivers every time.

Thanks guys, for a fabulous evening. Just like last time. And next time.

Crossing and Stepping

2011-10-14T15:35:00.002-04:00

Gary and I have really been getting into our cross step waltz. We had a breakthrough ourselves a few weeks ago on the dance floor, and our beloved Melissa is now helping us integrate ballroom waltz moves into the CSW.

At some point we want to take a few lessons with Richard Powers, world renowned CSW (and many many other dances) instructor. He believes in creativity and individual style, as demonstrated from the excerpt below on teaching.

Wow.

Teaching experienced dancers

I'm sometimes surprised to see a professional dance teacher who apparently hasn't thought through the difference between teaching beginning versus experienced dancers. Where do I see this most clearly? In the strictness of detail demanded when it comes to personal style. Beginning and advanced dancers have very different needs and wishes in this area.

When teaching beginners, who are a clean slate, of course you'll teach them the version you think is best, with all of the stylistic details for your preferred form.

But when your students have been dancing for years or decades, they've already developed their personal style. First, they're probably happy with the dancer they've become, and they're taking your class to learn more useful variations and partnering tips from you, not dismantle the dancer they've become. Secondly, they probably couldn't change their personal style if they tried.

The aware teacher will work from this platform (their personal style), giving their experienced students useful new material for them to integrate into their dancing. The unaware teacher will dismiss their students' accumulated style as "incorrect" and attempt to tear it down, hoping to rebuild their student back up in the teacher's preferred style. That's not going to happen! If you attempt to do that, they'll think, "I can't learn from this teacher!" and not come back. And they'll justifiably resent the disrespect of a teacher dismissing their personal style.

You may find it difficult to be patient with experienced dancers who appear to be "doing it wrong," which often means they're merely dancing in styles different from your preferred style. So how should you respond? (A) Dismiss their dancing style, making them wary, defensive or resentful? Or (B), see the class from their point of view. Why are they taking your class? Probably to learn new figures and become better dancers, based on the dancer they are. I recommend approach B.

I'm Going!

2011-10-11T17:07:00.000-04:00

Brickyard Boogie Dancers

2011-10-11T08:09:00.002-04:00

Happy 9th birthday! It was a year ago last Saturday that our beloved Boogie club closed due to lack of funds. I'm happy to report they are now thriving. We had a fab pitch in dinner and of course, out-of-this-world dancing.

Thanks, Ron, for not giving up.

Halloween Tango

2011-10-08T16:48:00.000-04:00

The tango's kinda spooky anyway, don't you think? :-)

Wecome Autumn

2011-10-02T15:34:00.000-04:00

Ah, fall's back again. Summer is great with the warm weather and vacation at the beach and all of that stuff, but fall is a dancing season. The cool air fills the body with energy and wearing a jacket and tie isn't a punishment designed to be especially hard on those who dance with a little energy. And that doesn't count the coming holidays, masquerade parties, Christmas, and New Year's Eve are all wonderful times to dance.

I especially like Halloween and New Year's because they're associated with costume balls. An opportunity to become someone else for a few hours should never be passed up, especially when mixed with good music and good company. It's a transformative time and with all that's passed throughout the 2011 I'm looking forward to some change. So, here's to fall. Here's to change, here's to transformation, and here's to the coming dance season. Hopefully, I'll get to spend a little more time writing for the blog and thinking about dance.

Second Time Around

2011-09-29T18:51:00.002-04:00

Gary I returned to The Atrium Sunday Night Singles Dance (Indianapolis) last…Sunday, of course. We visited the venue about two years and were both decidedly “meh”…it wasn’t bad, but the floor was linoleum, aka, slick as glass, and they played a lot of disco-y WCS music. It’s hard to imagine a time when Gary and I didn’t do WCS, but the last time we went we didn’t.

So we decided to give it a go again. The floor is still slick, even dancing in a pair of rubber sole dance sneaks. The next time I’ll be wearing shoes with treads. I know it sounds crazy, but trust me. You know how it is walking across the kitchen floor in sock feet? Yeah, it’s like that. But I do think more tread will work.

They played a nice variety of club music, so we worked in all of our respective swings, a rumba or two, and some cha chas. No waltz. Or foxtrot. Lots of line dances. Which was sometimes interesting to maneuver around a whole floor full of folks doing that. But mostly people were polite dancers. And as far as being a singles dance, I didn’t think it was any more “single” than the other clubs we attend…there were lots of singles, but couples too.

Just proves most dance venues are worth at least a couple of shots. I’m glad we tried the Atrium again. It was fun. We’ll be back. With treads.

And they have a Halloween dance!

x

2011-09-21T13:47:00.003-04:00

X is my favorite punk band, and there were lots of good ones coming out of the late 70s to early 80s. I've seen more than a few including the Clash. But I have to say for me X tops them all. The two lead singers harmonize just inside of sync, which makes their music haunting, beautiful, and in my opinion, never duplicated. Probably no surprise I love this music...Gary and I dance in much the same way, at least the playing around with timing part. :-)

Our lovely dance teacher Melissa has been doing her hair kinda like the female lead, Exene, did back then. Melissa's is way better. :-) But anyway, that conversation got me thinking about X, and so I found this song, Because I Do, starring Exene as a ghost. It's campy, but cool at the same time. Perfect for this time of year.

Afterlife Dance

2011-09-19T10:42:00.001-04:00

I'm in. Just hope I can still manage a cute dress and maybe some sparkly eye socket shadow. :-)

It's coming....

2011-09-05T15:29:00.001-04:00

It's never too early!!!!!!!!! Mohahahahahahahah!!!

Ouch

2011-08-23T14:06:00.005-04:00

Injuries are a part of any sport. And dancing, while beautiful, is very much a sport.

About five months ago I hurt my shoulder. I ignored it, thinking it would get better. It didn't. So I finally went to the doc. I had rotator cuff issues plus a dash of frozen shoulder. I didn't know I had a rotator cuff, and who knew body parts could freeze??

But after many months of therapy and a big ol' cortisone shot, it's almost completely well.

Learnings? One. If you hurt yourself go sooner rather than later. My shoulder would not have gotten as inflamed had I done that. Two. Don't get discouraged. It took a long time for me to get better. There were some moves I couldn't do for awhile. Three. Be careful. I haven't stopped doing jumps, leaps, and drops, but I approach them like an athlete now, which means I learn them slowly and don't do them when I"m tired. Or Gary is tired. :-)

There will be injuries. There will probably be more the older I get. But I intend on doing the lindy hop way past when people think I ought to. I'm just like that.

Here's a pic of us doing a drop. It feels so good to be able to do them again. Thanks Dr. Sallay (Methodist Sports in Indy), and Scott (the PT). I may not be a professional dancer, but dancing is one of the most important things in my life

Just Right

2011-08-22T07:03:00.002-04:00

Since none of our close friends dance, Gary and I either sit by ourselves at dances or with family members. We’ve met some really really nice people, but our priority is dancing, not socializing, which I would say is generally true of most folks who come. Also, most venues we attend the dances are a couple of hours. Gary and I get in, dance, and come home exhausted. It’s a good thing.

The Indianapolis Roof is a little different. Those dances are four hours. And you sit at big round tables. It can feel…lonely. It wouldn’t if Gary and I got a small, two person table, but those are on the balcony, far away from the dance floor. When family members come it’s fabulous, but that doesn’t always happen.

We tried different tables. Some were filled with terrified people. Others were occupied with folks who helped make those people feel terrified; critical of every move and outfit that passed by them. Where, we wondered, were the fun people? The ones who dance for the pure joy of it?

We found them. We first met Jack and Bev, the couple whose wedding we attended a few weeks ago. Then Jack brought his brother. Last night they took a man celebrating his 91st birthday…still dancing I might add…and a charming woman. Other couples who sit at this table have either joined in the revelry, or they don’t return.

And we do have fun. Last night was no exception. Jack and Bev did a samba with new steps they’d been working on and we cheered. Gary and I did a west coast swing and they clapped for us. We women pick out the prettiest dresses. Lou told us all about the last time he’d been to the Roof…70 years ago!!! We laugh at Jack’s jokes. But when the music starts and someone wants to dance, we dance.

What no one at the table does? Criticize others. And that, as Goldilocks would say, makes our table just right. Ahhhhhh.

Happy Birthday Lou

2011-08-21T21:47:00.000-04:00

We had the good fortune of sitting with Lou tonight when we went to the Indiana Roof. Today was Lou’s birthday – his 91st birthday. In fact, the last time he visited the Roof was back in January of 1941 on New Year’s Eve. Pause to imagine that for a moment. 11 months from the day he first visited the Roof, the Japanese would bomb Pearl Harbor. Shortly after, he’d be off to the war, risking his life for his country and traveling to a lot of places he’d never seen before. It’d be seventy years before he’d return to the Roof, I just feel lucky to have had the chance to sit at the same table as he did.

Every time I meet someone like Lou I’m left sincerely hoping that, at the age of 91, I’ve got the wherewithal and health to keep dancing. I hope that, no matter what life throws at me, I’ll keep going. I hope that I’ll remember what it means to dance, how to let the weight of life drop long enough to enjoy a good band and an afternoon with the one I love.

Irony Instead of Dance

2011-08-18T17:55:00.000-04:00

I guess the thing about irony is its unexpectedness. I mean, you can’t really be prepared for irony, there can’t be planned irony. It’s the sort of thing you have to stumble into, that you have to find stuck to the bottom of your shoe. Consider the case of last night’s visit to the Indiana State Fair as an example. With the tragedy of Saturday’s stage collapse fresh in my mind, I expected the crowd to be subdued and the mood to be somewhat somber. No surprises on those points. The irony came with seeing the makeshift memorial to the five persons who lost their lives sandwiched between one of Indy’s swing clubs on the east and Terry Lee and his Rockaboogie Band on the west.

Maybe this is the nature of life. Maybe life recognizes relief has to be contained inside sorrow. I’m not sure and, if I were, this dance blog wouldn’t be the place to expound my views on philosophy. All I can say is that, sitting on a bench in the shade, watching people come to the memorial in ones and twos to leave their tokens behind it felt right to see expressions of joy on both sides. It seemed to say that out of peace and happiness, sorry arises but it ultimately will be replaced by new (if altered) peace and happiness. Things never will be ‘the same’ but then they shouldn’t be. If we shrugged everything off and returned to what had always been normal we’d be a lot like wildebeest – a lion might have taken one of our heard but given time we return to stupidly grazing on the savannah.

Amalgamation

2011-08-15T07:20:00.002-04:00

A friend sent this to me and I watched it in awe. Talk about dance blending! Are they acrobats? Ballet dancers? Both yes, but together something more than the sum. Wow.

Swango

2011-08-01T13:08:00.001-04:00

Our dance teacher Melissa has learned yet another dance for us…Swango! Gary and I have wanted this dance for awhile now. First we ordered a CD and tried to teach ourselves. Swango is a combination of west coast swing and Argentina tango. We know WCS but not tango. We taught ourselves a move. It was OK, but something was missing.

Then we gave the CD to Melissa. We hate doing this because Melissa has enough on her plate without us trotting out yet another dance…and she’s already learned and taught us rockabilly and numerous moves we’ve sent her via youtube. But in the end we did ask, because we knew she would make us look beautiful and she graciously agreed.

The way we learned the move was clumsy and awkward compared to her delicate yet powerful interpretation. Now I’m seriously wrapping one leg around Gary’s and then flicking the other through his feet. Wow. We can’t wait to learn more!

It’s a fun respite to all the jumps and dips we’ve been learning. Swango has reminded us that dance progression is not all about leaps.

Some WC swingers think Swango is dumb. Some tango folks say its sacrilege. But I think Swango is a lovely amalgamation of two dances.

Slipping Away

2011-07-31T19:53:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I feel like I’m fighting an irresistible tide. I’m promoting wall-mounted telephones with curly cords; coming out in favor of quill pens in the era of the word processor. The world moves by, time grinds the slow under its wheels, and things slowly become extinct just when I’ve realized their value.

Dancing has acquainted me with the pangs of seeing dear things rudely pushed aside. It started with realizing how many great venues have been replaced by parking garages or dull modernist boxes of concrete and glass. Houses of joy replaced by storehouses for machines we were told would deliver the American dream; prisons for people slaving away to earn the cash they’re told measures their success. The simple things, the pleasures that could be taken for granted, slowly get mowed down.

The latest possible example of this is the Raleigh Community Center. On Saturday we had an opportunity to make the hour-and-fifteen minute drive out into the cornfields east of Indianapolis to the tiny town of Raleigh. The Community Center isn’t grand, just a concrete block building with a great dance floor and a small stage for the house band. It also has been the center of the small farming community since 1944 (at least they’ve been having a Saturday night dance for that long). Just think how many first encounters have taken place during those sixty seven years. How many relationships have started with a waltz across that floor? How many last dances? How many ships have passed on that hardwood? So, I felt good going there on Saturday. I felt we were doing what I like best, honoring the past while keeping up with the present. So you can imagine now I felt when I heard the place might be closing down.

The reasons are the same as the reasons companies close down – money. Guests feel the pressure of the bad economy as much as businesses and that means fewer show up. Also there’s the seasonal sag in attendance – during the summer fewer people dance, they go camping and do things that don’t involve sweating. The thing is, when you don’t support a thing it doesn’t stay around. Think of the hundreds of small dance halls that have been bulldozed and paved under. Think of the drive-in theatres that used to be the setting for cinematic and romantic tension. Think of all those places and things that only exist in nostalgic memories now.

I guess I’m writing this as a kind of open letter to people out there who love dancing like we do. This is about priorities. You save what you love and if you love the classic dance venues in your community, support them. It isn’t all about money. You can volunteer. You can spread the word. You can think of your favorite venue when you have an event. You can introduce new people to dance and take them to the venues that mean a lot to you. There’s no guarantee that any of this will save a venue like the Raleigh Community Center – but if it doesn’t, at least you’ll be able to say you tried.

White Space

2011-07-19T10:53:00.004-04:00

French composer Claude Debussy said, “Music is the space between the notes.” And if you listen to his music you know exactly what this means. Debussy is the master, in my humble opinion, of this concept. The “unused space” within his music is deliberate without seeming so, beautiful, and haunting. He leaves notes hanging, drifting away like a cloud into nothingness. It leaves me wanting, aching, for that next phrase, balanced on the edge of a cliff, and then…there it is.

I like to think about this concept in dance. When I first started I was concerned about steps, technique, “getting” the leads, and not falling on my butt. As Gary and I have expanded and grown into our own personal style, we've experimented with the concept of white space.

White space isn’t exactly timing differences…although I believe these are interesting too…white space is what Debussy said, the space between. In dance, that would be between steps. It’s hard to explain. For me it could be holding a step until the very last moment, and then making a snap turn. It’s sinking down into a drop…holding it…and oozing back up slowly, again just in time for that next step. Sometimes it’s a full stop with a finger snap. Or a slow sway that ends at my fingertips. Sometimes I do it all by myself. Other times I match what Gary’s doing.

But we don’t often mimic each other, and that’s OK. Feeling those musical spaces is individual. Even Debussy, while creating a stop within a major theme might carry on with a background melody. When Gary and I do stop at the exact same place it’s powerful, but it can’t be forced.

But then, dancing should never be forced.

I know I’m a worn out record on these two, but watch Tess and Miles in this clip. It’s easy to get lost in their fabulous moves, exquisite stylings , and innovative chorography, so watch it twice…or more. Note their white spaces. It’s a beautiful thing.

Dance of Love

2011-07-19T08:43:00.003-04:00

About six months ago we met a charming couple at the Indianapolis Roof, Bev and Jack. Over the months we all sat at the same table and in between dances got to know each other. From the way they danced and spoke with one another we assumed they’d been married for years…the fondness for each other was evident in every word, gesture, and dance move.

So we were quite surprised to find their love was fairly recent. After a number of personal and physical hardships, they found one another on the dance floor. We were honored when they asked us to come to their wedding reception.

It was held in a renovated old building in Terre Haute, Indiana, the Ohio Building. Lovely spot. We had a fabulous time. Seeing Jack and Bev dance together was wonderful. Seeing two people in love…even better.

Here they are. This is Bev’s salsa dress. She had a waltz dress too. Exactly what I would have done for my wedding had I danced back then. :-)

"Please send me your last pair of shoes, worn out with dancing as you mentioned in your letter, so that I might have something to press against my heart."

~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

The Spice

2011-07-01T09:28:00.003-04:00

Gary and I dance in lots of different venues; we like variety in all things: music, dance styles, environment, people, you name it. Some venues we attend specialize in a particular kind of dance and music, such as Latin, swing, or blues.

We experienced this at a new venue we tried this week, Smee’s in Indianapolis. Smee’s is a local restaurant with great food and atmosphere. They have an adjoining room with a nice wood dance floor that they allow one of the west coast swing clubs in town to use for free, hoping dancers will eat and drink at their establishment, which we did.

The music started promptly at 7 o’clock. The selection was good… slow and funky. Perfect for a slower version of WCS. We danced a rumba or two, a cha-cha, and ECS, but really, the music was better suited for bluesy WCS. All of it.

We love WCS and it’s one of our fave dances, but after an hour or so we were jonesing for some real Latin, a snappy ECS number, or faster WCS music. Even our beloved Terry Lee mixes up the ‘billy with different rhythms and tempos.

I’m not saying the Smee group should change…the dancers seemed perfectly happy doing WCS all night and that’s cool. What Gary and I realized is that we will always want variety in our dancing…no matter how much we love a dance we don’t want to do it all night, even if we know a million moves.

The great thing about watching specialty dancers is they know tons of moves in that dance. We picked up a few. There were some really good dancers there, albeit the styles didn't vary that much.

And that is a downside to being free birds; since our dancing doesn't conform to any set of dancing rules or style we tend to stick out. I heard one man say after we did a rumba that ballroom dancing is for old people. Which I found hilarious. Us? Ballroom dancers?

But that's OK. For us, dancing lots of different dances really is the spice that keeps us trying new things and new venues.

And I'm still giggling over the ballroom comment. Too funny.

Just Dance

2011-06-12T08:43:00.001-04:00

Gary and I like to keep our dancing blog light and happy, because that’s how we think about dance. We are both happy people and we choose to live our life doing things that that bring us joy.

Saying that, no one lives a pain-free life, no matter how hard you try. Gary has been going through some hard times with his job lately…fortunately he's not there anymore and we can now start to put the unhappy past behind us.

Through it all, we had our dancing. Dancing brings you so close. You are literally in each other’s arms. Dancing together is a safe and loving place to be. We always enjoy that, but during this crisis we needed it.

Also, as Gary has said, when you are doing rapid spins, jumps, and dips, your mind had better be on what you are doing or someone’s going to get hurt. Dancing forces you to be in the moment. You can’t think about anything else. Not won’t…can’t.

Our troubles may have been there as we got ready for the dance. The situation leaked into our brains afterwards. But during…ahhh. Sweet peace and relief.

Dancing. It’s more than fun. It’s therapy.

Get Up Offa That Thing...

2011-06-11T19:03:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure how long it's been since I last wrote. Too long, that's certain. I've just walked out on the worst boss I've ever had in my life, bar none. This is a dance blog, so I'm not going into any gory details, I'll just say that it came down to a sanity call - keep my sanity or not.

So, at T+1 days after severing my ties and even with the beginnings of worrying about finding another job, I can say I'm already feeling better than I have in months. Sure, I'm still shell-shocked. If that wasn't true, then the whole thing wouldn't have been a problem because I wouldn't have cared. There have been moments of clarity during the storm, especially in the final weeks. Times when I suddenly found myself saying, "Wait, this is craziness…", but the only times I've felt free were the times I spent on the dance floor. I stand by my mantra, dance takes you somewhere else - somewhere things aren't so bad.

So, in honor of putting the horror behind me, here's a little sentiment from Mr. James Brown.

Waltzing it Up

2011-05-23T15:08:00.003-04:00

Gary and I have been moving along with our cross step waltz which we both really love. It is a beautiful dance, and much more delicate than the ballroom variety, if a dance can be delicate.

But sometimes we've found we need to whirl around quickly like the ballroomers do. This need became apparent to get out of the way of said whirlers, but we quickly realized that we also do, in fact, like the ballroom variety of the waltz when we do it our way, e.g. no reverse poise and no mathematical positioning ...that happens naturally believe it or not. So...we now like it.

But could it mix in with our cross step? Why yes it can. We've found it isn't hard to come in and out of each, as long as the follower knows when that is. Gary signals me by squeezing on my right palm. Works perfect.

So now our waltz can be delicate AND whirly. :-)

Blues Dancing

2011-05-01T09:44:00.003-04:00

Sometimes I wonder if our dance posts seem like Toady from Wind in the Willows; if you are not familiar with this book by Kenneth Grahame (wonderful), the character of Mr. Toad was known for flitting from one hobby to the next. We do explore many dances and some of them we end up not liking, but most we’ve kept and expanded. So I think we’re more like the adventurous Ratty (in the book). Just so you know.

Yesterday we had our first blues lesson with Mike Legett and Dan Rosenthal. Wow. First, they are a very cute couple…the connection they have is electric and they are fabulous dancers. We’ve experienced teachers who, although good dancers, were not the best instructors. This was not the case with Mike and Dan; they explained blues dancing very clearly and were able to teach something that is organic and mostly improvisational. Quite a trick, teaching something like that. But they did it.

Blues dancing covers a big territory…I had thought it was only a slot dance. I only found the stationary kind in my research. It can be that, but it’s a whole lot more. Mike and Dan demonstrated the slot variety, but also a traveling sort of blues dance.

They did show us some unique steps to the blues which was very cool, but the best part was their understanding of the fierce connection it takes to dance this dance. Gary and I came away with techniques that will help us with every dance. For example, the special blues hold we learned could work with the vintage foxtrot and perhaps the cross step waltz.

As far as the blue steps go, most anything can go into blues dancing, it’s the way it’s done that matters…stuff from the lindy, WCS, and even some Latin moves will work perfectly…as long as it’s done blues-ily.

This dance is hard to explain, but for me dancing the blues means you are connected by your soul to the music which is expressed through your body which is then shared back and forth with your partner if that makes sense. I think that’s true of all dances, but especially this one.

We’ve come a long way as far as how we are able to learn…from the ballroom one, two three put your foot exactly here, to Shayne’s Latin bop bop bop, to Rosie’s demonstrational technique, to Mike and Dan’s body kinetics.

We like knowing we can learn from anyone, but it is especially nice to find instructors like Mike and Dan who truly understand teaching is a different skill from dancing. I have a feeling they can adapt to anyone…if we’d wanted numbers and more structure I believe they would have given us that. Whatever your dance style I think these two would be helpful just for the connection advice. Even, dare I say, for ballroomers.

BTW, blues dancing is SO romantic. Sigh. Oh, and here’s their website:

www.livinghistorydance.com

Good Manners

2011-04-29T20:05:00.001-04:00

On the heels of my jabby-jab post and a counter-balance to a post Gary wrote about the pressure to change dance partners, I have a nice addition.

Recently three people have commented about how lovely it is to see us dance together, and/or what a sweet couple we are. I’m ambivalent with compliments in general; not that I don’t recognize admiration for our dancing as a gift, it is, but compliments make me a little uncomfortable.

But compliments about Gary and my relationship seems different. I like that people can see how much in love we are. And I also was happy that perhaps people, at least three anyway, understand that choosing one dancing partner is just as valid as dancing with many.

At the very heart of our dancing is our relationship. We dance because it’s a fun way to spend time with one another…our dance evenings are our date nights. We support people who want to change partners. So it was very nice that we are supported for our choice.

I knew dancers were cool. :-)

Arms and Kicks and Lunges OH MY

2011-04-14T14:50:00.003-04:00

This post is about manners. Gary usually covers this topic, but I’ve been bounced, butted, and run over more often than usual so I felt the need.

I’m like to begin with a statement about how Gary and I dance. We are energetic dancers. We often dance to very fast music. We know quite a few “tricks”, e.g. jumps, spins, dips, patterns that take up a lot of room. BUT…we never, ever do any of these when it’s crowded, and we tone down our exuberance when we need to. We also get out of the way, even when the reason we have to get out of the way is because someone is being rude.

Some of the worst offenders are ballroom dancers. Part of this is not their fault. They are taught that “correct” form means arms akimbo and steps that sometimes take a pair across the floor. And I even heard a ballroom instructor say about big flourishes “if there’s an empty space go and claim it!”. Really? Even if that empty space is part of the slot someone else is dancing in???? Apparently yes, to both the space and the wild arms. Shane, our Latin teacher, once said that arms can go up, arms can go down, arms NEVER go out. Latin clubs are crowded. And they detest what they call ballroom jabs. Me too.

I almost got run over a couple of weeks ago by a couple cha chaing right into the very small space Gary and I were dancing in. I turned and there they were, arms raised like two predatory birds, and heels ready to come down on my toes if Gary hadn’t pulled me away in time. Seesh. And no apology, either.

And if you think I’m just ranting about ballroom dancers, there are also a contingent of club dancers that do different, but no less rude, things. WCS dancers in particular. Dips over the head are lovely, but not at the edge of the dance floor and over our table…no joke. I could have put a swizzle stick down the woman’s front.

I know some of you ballroomers believe you must stick that arm out to be silvery level perfect. Clubbers...I know if you’ve just learned a fancy WCS move you wanna do it. We’ve felt the same way. But if there isn’t room there just isn’t. That’s what social dancing is.

There's a couple who come to the Indy Roof sometimes...they are definitely ballroom dancers, and really, really good ones. They do lots of fancy steps and even little routines within their social dancing. They are very flashy. But I’ve never seen them get in anyone's way. If they have room for their bling they do it, otherwise, they don't. A class act.

I'm not saying Gary and I never accidentally get in someone's way. We aren't always practitioners of perfect manners. But we try our best to be polite. And we always say we're sorry if we goof.

Ok. I’m done now.

Da Blues

2011-04-11T10:19:00.002-04:00

I love blues music…those sweetly sad melodies slicked over a sexy, slow beat…whew. Gets me every time. Gary and I usually do a slinky style of west coast swing to that kind of music, but it never quite fit. Not…bluesy enough.

If you’ve read our recent posts, you will know we fell in love with Zydeco dancing. We’ve incorporated a few of the moves into our other dances, but to learn any new dance Gary and I have found we do need someone to get us started. After that we’re cool, but those first few steps having an instructor around really makes the difference. Sadly, the nearest Zydeco lessons would be way south of Indiana and with gas prices and budget to adhere to this summer that just wasn’t in our plans.

But we were feeling itchy for something new. Something different. And we found it. Yep, there’s a specific dance that has arisen to do to slow bluesy tunes, called simply enough, blues dancing. Some people call it American tango; of course, purists in the tango community call this sacrilege.

Oooooooooh. Rebels. We like them even more.

Blues dancing does, in fact, incorporate lots of Argentina tango moves. And some batacha. And some lindy. WCS. It is very inventive and improvisational. And very VERY smooth and sexy. Best of all, the Midwest is a veritable cauldron of the blues scene, so we found a place close to us (Cincinnati) that will teach us.

So we’re off to learn this new dance style at the end of the month from one of the best blues dancers around, Mike Legett. Here she is. Yes, Mike is a girl. And there’s no doubt of that when you watch this video. We can’t wait!!!!

Indy Dancers Anniversary Dance

2011-04-04T18:51:00.003-04:00

24 years. That’s a long time for any club to survive, let alone considering most folks these days think long and hard about what to spend money on. Gary and I really like this club. They don’t have, in our humble opinion, the same funkiness as the Brickyard Boogie club, but they are extremely well run, they play a good variety of music, and the people are friendly.

We attended their anniversary dance last Saturday at a beautiful old Indianapolis venue, the Murat Shrine Temple. Here we are, a pretty good pic, except that I look like gigantor woman.

This building has many wonderful spaces; the room we were in has a sixty-ish lounge feeling, complete with a fabulous twinkling star ceiling. You can actually get these installed in your house. The lights themselves cost around 500 bucks, and no telling how much to install so not for us. Maybe someday.

I can just imagine them over our dance floor….

Curtains

2011-03-14T13:00:00.005-04:00

No, not curtains to our dancing. Or anything else bad. Curtains as in the ones I had in my bedroom growing up.

I remember a lot about them: they were colorful, silly, and were filled with animals. My mom gave them to me a few years before we started dancing. I figured I’d make something out of them someday.

So I was thinking about them the other day and dug them out. Everything was exactly how I remembered except one thing: the animals are dancing! Highly recognizable and specific dancing, like the cha cha and the swing. And just in case observers can’t recognize the steps, the names of each dance are clearly labeled. I looked at the images and got chills.

I decided to frame one panel. But plenty of material remained. I cut some of the animals out and sewed them onto a skirt.

Once again I’m reminded what a wonderful childhood I had and how grateful I am to a mother that, perhaps even without her knowing, keeps inspiring me.

Ain't Got No Home

2011-03-07T13:42:00.000-05:00

March is the time for all things green...so here's the Frogman!

Terry Lee, Single Swing, and Zydeco

2011-03-07T09:41:00.002-05:00

Sounds like a stew, huh? It is. Dance stew.

Gary and I saw our fave band Terry Lee and the Rockaboogie Band Friday at Mike’s Dance Barn in Nashville, IN. As always, they did their usual great show. This time they added in some waltzes, 50’s rock and roll, and even some surf music. Very cool. Especially the surf music. Maybe next time some Dick Dale. But anyway, a good time. We even did our cross step waltz.

We’ve realized…again…that for the lightening fast numbers there really isn’t any substitute for single time swing. Unfortunately, I’ve never liked STS…to me the basic is bonky, and for the really quick tunes lindy timing becomes, well, too fast for me. But…if you take out lindy timing, double turns, and intricate triple step moves, what have you got? Not much, in our case.

So. I’ve been doing some trolling around on Youtube and found Zydeco dances. As with most dance genres, Zydeco dancing covers a whole lot of territory…there’s even a Zydeco waltz. These dances, like the Cajun culture, reflect French and Afro-Latin influences. We found two styles we really like. The first is fast…very fast. See the video below. What we’re going to do with this variety is take some of the moves and put them into single swing. This Zydeco dance is meant to be fast, and so depends more on fancy footwork, free spins, and non-led bling.

But…we also found another Zydeco style we liked. This one is slower and groovier…you can really see the French courtly dance influence in this one. We’re taking the bows and the beautiful arm stylings and putting some of that into our WCS. Take a look…really pretty.

And maybe at some point we can make it down to Louisiana for some true gator stomping. The Zydeco community seems free, spirited, and a whole lot of fun.

Scratchin' Circles

2011-03-04T15:28:00.000-05:00

Ah, February and March wear on a fellow here in the gray Midwest. The first quarter of the year is all about the cold wind, snow, and skies that might as well be made of concrete. Couple that with doing seven days worth of work in the span of five and you got a recipe for misery. By the time the weekend arrives a fellow needs a little time - time to blow of some steam, time to shake the blues, time to pick himself up.

Tonight we're heading south to Mike's Dance Barn again. We're going to spend some time with Terry Lee and his Rockaboogie Band. It's a much needed pick-me-up. There are too few things in the world that can make you forget your troubles and listening to Terry happens to be one for me. There's something about Rockabilly music, some kind of magic booze for the soul. Like a good stiff drink, a good rockabilly band can make your troubles fuzzy and forgettable. All the woes of the workplace still exist, they'll be there in the morning (along with a few extra aches and pains), but for the moment they sink to the bottom of your priority list.

Music can do a lot of things but one of the most important seems to be to act as a salve, to ease the weariness the soul. We're not talking Land of the Lotus Eaters here - trouble informs good music so listening to good music means taking in the troubles of the world. The thing is good music transforms the trouble of the world, metamorphoses it into rhythm and harmony which the dancer turns into motion. Like a voodoo ceremony, the music inhabits your body and you're moved to a transcendent state. So when JD McPherson sings about Scratching Circles, he might just be talking about magic circles.

I Won't Dance

2011-03-01T13:42:00.000-05:00

The thirties were a time of musicals. Maybe the Great Depression drove people to escape from reality and there's nothing more unreal than the musical genre. While the guys who used to put up skyscrapers are standing on breadlines, for a nickle you could watch chorus lines, extravagant costumes, and thinly defined plots reel out in black and white.

In 1934 one such musical came out in London. The Three Sisters, written by Jerome Kern and lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II, had only 72 performances. However, one of the songs featured in the play, I Won't Dance, was reused in the highly successful 1935 film Roberta. That version of the song, the one commonly sung thereafter, featured heavily revised lyrics by Dorothy Fields and Jimmy McHugh. Otto Harbach had had a hand in writing the lyrics for the original version with Hammerstein. Kern's music remained the same for the film rendition.

I Won't Dance originally was intended as a duet, portraying a dialogue between a woman and man, the former telling him what he is missing by not dancing with her, while the reluctant man gradually caves into her charms. The version of I Won't Dance I first encountered had been rewritten for solo vocalist and possibly the best known version is by Frank Sinatra. Regardless, I get swept away by the music and lyrics and find myself singing along (with various degrees of lyrical accuracy and little or no ability to carry a tune) every time I hear it.

I won't dance, don't ask me

I won't dance, don't ask me
I won't dance, Madame, with you

Say, you know what? You're lovely
You know what? You're lovely, but oh, what you do to me
I'm like an ocean wave that's bumped on the shore
I feel so absolutely stumped on the floor

When you dance you're charming and you're gentle
'Specially when you do the Continental
But this feeling isn't purely mental
For heaven rest us, I'm not asbestos

And that's why I won't dance, why should I?
I won't dance, how could I? I won't dance
Merci beau coup, I know that music leads the way to romance
So if I hold you in my arms I won't dance

National Geographic Article

2011-02-27T12:55:00.000-05:00

In July 2006, National Geographic did an article on dance titled Shall we Dance? It's a quick read, I think four paragraphs, but most of us pick up National Geographic for the pictures anyway. Take a look. It's inspirational to see other people dancing their way through life. Makes me glad that Kelly and I started our trip around the dance floor and ready to strike up the band again.

The Adagio

2011-02-26T12:58:00.001-05:00

In our quest for vintage dance moves I found this video. Yeah, it's slowed way down, but still very wow.

Belated Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-22T10:27:00.000-05:00

I'm way behind in my writing. That's my way of saying sorry for being MIA from the blog. It's a good thing I've got Kelly to take up the slack or people would figure I'd dropped off the face of the planet! So, that said, I'd planned on writing something for Valentine's Day. I mean it's a dance holiday what with all the romance and making googly eyes at one another. With dance being the social lubricant and introducer of couples it is, there's no better excuse to pen a few words on the subject of getting out on the floor with your significant-whatever! Unfortunately, work (the woe that it is) has been preoccupying me of late and I let the day slip by without writing anything (mind you I didn't forget it, that would just be foolishness!).

Anyway, here is something I found on Shorpy. A creepy little cupid roundup.

Clave and Surf

2011-02-19T12:16:00.005-05:00

Nope, not a new seafood dish. :-) Gary and I finally found something to dance the clave to that we both really love...surf music! We've been having some trouble with this dance...we know the clave pretty good, but not good enough to dance it to the rocket fast salsa songs played at Latin clubs. And besides, we like to dance the clave to a more romantic, dreamy Latin sound...which we found in surf music.

You might be thinking surf? And Latin dances? Really? It does seem weird at first. But I've always heard a whiff of the Latin in surf tunes; even the Beach Boys have it if you listen closely. Then I discovered the king of surf, Dick Dale, had an Uncle who introduced him to Latin and middle eastern music.

So there you are. Latin infuences. Even in the Beach Boys. However, although I do love the Boys (you can't be sad listening to their music), I prefer my surf with a bit more of that exotic flavor. There are many good surf bands out there, my favorite one is the Aqua Velvets. The clave (along with the rumba and tango and I'm sure many others) fit this music perfectly.

Listen to the video below. You can almost hear the palms swaying on some distant shore. I imagine myself dancing with Gary in a Moroccan nightclub at the edge of the sea bathed in moonlight...

Valentine’s Day

2011-02-14T08:34:00.002-05:00

Gary and I attended two dances over the weekend, the Brickyard Boogies and the Continental's weekly Sunday dance. Of the two, the Continentals put on the one specifically labeled as a Valentine’s Day dance, although many people were dressed in red on Saturday, too.

There’s something very sweet about seeing most folks in red for this holiday, and dancing to valentine-inspired music just makes you want to stare into your partner’s eyes even more, sigh. We had a wonderful time. The Continentals can be counted on for giving a dance for every holiday, which we like. It’s fun to dress for the occasion; it's special and old-fashioned.

Here’s a picture of people doing a Greek number at the Continetal dance. It’s not exactly valentine-ish, but the flaming outfits are.

Have a happy, happy day.

Raleigh Community Dance Club

2011-02-09T18:39:00.004-05:00

We're in the news! The Knightstown Banner did a story on the Raleigh Community Dance Club. They interviewed us, filmed us dancing, and took some pics (we are in the little one the left and in the middle in the bigger one). The video is below, a couple of photos, as well as the link to the paper. Wow!

http://www.thebanneronline.com/

Triple Two and Foxtrot, Too

2011-02-04T13:18:00.004-05:00

I was thinking of Tippecanoe and Tyler, Too for this post. :-)

Gary and I have been moving along nicely with our 1920’s foxtrot. It's very adaptable. You can use many timing combination for the basic step...the ballroom slow slow quick quick, or slow slow quick quick quick, or slow quick quick, anything you would like that fits the music. In 1920’s foxtrot there is no side step in the basic, which sounds easier but we’ve found it harder, because you don’t have that “square up” step at the end.

So anyway, we’ve been going along when I realized that the slow slow quick quick timing is exactly the same as the Texas two step. We’ve always known these two dances looked very similar, and now that we are playing around with foxtrot the same way we play around with other dances, it’s been fun to put Texas moves in the foxtrot, and vice versa. Who knew we were getting two dances for the price of one when we switched to 1920’s foxtrot?

In my quest to find Texas two step moves on You Tube I discovered a variety called triple two step. The basic is exactly like triple EC swing only it moves…triple step, triple step, one two. Here’s a video of it. We both think it’s fun and really beautiful, and will further spice up that foxtrot. Yee HA!

The Crystal Ball

2011-01-28T14:09:00.000-05:00

I wanted to start off this post with an apology for being so lax about my contributions of late. The usual suspects are to blame: work, work, and work. I've also been musing over exactly what to write about Crystal Ball 2011. I wanted to say something different than what Kell already has covered and I didn't want to be kitsch or predictable…resisting phrases like 'it was wand-erful' in spite of the fact it kept coming to mind.

It's really hard to describe an event like the Crystal Ball from the point of view of a pair of dancers who went to a Harry Potter festival. Obviously it'd be unfair to complain about the dance floor or the dancers on that floor because…it's a Harry Potter event, not a dance. Yet, at the same time, the organizers did a pretty darn good job throwing a dance! In fact they did a lot better than a few dance clubs we've visited! The floor at Landoll's Mohican Castle's event center was adequate, linoleum over concrete is rough on the feet but resists the eventual baptism with beer (or in this case butter beer) well but it's very unforgiving. Still the atmosphere was literally magic.

I also wanted to dwell for a moment on the attendees. In the past I've used this forum to vent about 'floor manners'. Many people, and I'm talking about people who have taken dance lessons, don't have an inkling of how to dance socially. They overreach, they take up too much room, they are overly aggressive, and they ignore the people dancing around them with the end result being a lot of mashed toes and bruised feelings. However, at the Crystal Ball, pretty much everyone had wonderful floor manners. They made room, danced small, and were respectful to those around them. This got me thinking about manners - maybe having good floor manners depends on avoiding arrogance. Maybe having some small portion of yourself know that you're not 'all that' makes you more humble and respectful. Maybe the sin of mashed toes and the sin of hubris are one and the same? I don't know, I'm probably reaching as I'm want to do but it's worth thinking about! All I can say is I wish more people who dance were like the folks at the Crystal Ball. It'd make maneuvering the floor a lot less stressful!

As for the venue, Landoll's Mohican Castle in northern Ohio is an amazing place. I searched without luck for history on the crenellated oddity just outside Loudonville, OH but without any luck. Even the hotel website doesn't provide background information on why Mr. Landoll decided to build his castle in the American hinterland. Maybe the idea stemmed from a European trip or a trip to the local cinema to see Sleeping Beauty, your guess is as good as mine. What I can say is that the collection of towers and cottages amid the rolling, wooded countryside formed the perfect backdrop to the fantasy of Harry Potter. As we strolled to the evening's event a sparkling snow filled the frigid air, dusting everything with a magic glitter.

Whomping Willows

2011-01-26T14:00:00.002-05:00

Had a request for some WWW...Whomping Willows Wrock!!!!

Aww Spinach!

2011-01-26T13:42:00.000-05:00

I promise I'll be writing a Crystal Ball post shortly but this afternoon I've been having a time with network connections and this song happened to play on Live365 and it lifted my spirits. I thought I'd share, it's a lovely little foxtrot from a band I love.

The Crystal Ball Aftermath

2011-01-23T15:57:00.004-05:00

Sigh. The Crystal Ball, hosted by the Ohio Harry Potter Group was fabulous. The people were very friendly, the costumes right out of the movies, the decorations to DIE for, the food great, and the castle setting…oh my. Not sure how they arranged it, but snow was gently falling as we wound our way down the enchanted path to the dance. Maybe they used Harry’s wand. But anyway, a perfectly magical evening. Here's a pic of the castle:

We both love Harry Potter, well, me probably more than Gary. But I wouldn’t say Harry Potter is part of my daily life. This group feels about the Harry Potter books and movies the way Gary and I feel about dancing, so the event was less dance and more Potter-esque activities, but we knew that going into it. It was fun to dance with such a group of fascinating people. Our favorite was dancing to the Deatheater’s Tango. Wickedly delicious. :-) We even saw a waltz demonstration that was different from the waltzes we know; essentially it was the cross step waltz without the cross in front. Very pretty, with a bow after each basic. Here it is:

One of the many cool things about dancing is that it causes us to venture to new places. We would never in a million years have found Landoll’s Mohican Castle if we hadn't of found the Crystal Ball. And we would never know about Wizard Wrock, either. (Music based on all things Potter…really fun.)

Essentially, we stepped into another world for an evening; an evening of enchantment and magic, but also another social world with its own language, culture, and dress. Some people do this kind of exploration by other means: world travel, reading, movies, etc. And though we do some of those too, dancing is the usual way we stick our toes into foreign waters.

Wrock on, Whomping Willows. The Luna song was my favorite. :-)

2011-01-15T12:07:00.006-05:00

Gary and my birthdays are in January, rather nice, because we usually decide to do something together along with our separate celebrations. Now that we dance, that something usually is a dance, hopefully a destination dance.

We both search the web often for unusual or historic venues; as much as we love the tried and true, venturing out to new places hold a shivery excitement. If you’ve read our blog long you’ve realized we’ve managed to find quite a few interesting venues, even within the confines of the Midwest. However, you’ve also probably seen how I’ve longed for a fairy ball, coming to understand that most of those were on either coast, or in the UK.

Well. I was scouring around for something unique, and low and behold, I found the Crystal Ball, modeled after the dance of the same name in the Harry Potter books. I read on rather morosely, thinking how cool, if only there’d be something like this in our neck of the woods when lo, I saw where it was... Ohio!!! And in a castle!! Who knew? Here it is, Landoll’s Mohican Castle:

So next weekend we are off to the Ball. I’m so excited. The dress code is either Muggle formal or Wizard-ish. We decided on Wizard. :-)

Cross Step Waltz

2011-01-09T14:16:00.002-05:00

Gary and I had our first real lesson in the Cross Step Waltz last Saturday with Rosie Lempkin of The Flying Cloud Vintage Dance Troupe in Cincinnati. We are both officially in love with this dance.

We tried the waltz when we first started dancing, but neither one of us liked it. The ballroom version is beautiful, don’t get me wrong, but we didn’t care for the reverse poise, the calculated positioning, or the formalness.

The cross step waltz is nothing like the ballroom variety and is infinite in its application. In fact, its very nature lends itself to experimentation. Want to put tango moves in? Go ahead. How about a swing move? Works perfect. The basic timing is indeed one two three, but at any time you can put a cha cha cha in there or stop completely for drama. It’s all up to …I was about to say the lead, but in this dance the lead is often “given” to the follower. How cool is that?

The basic step is deceptively simple…the feet cross in front, the woman’s as well, even when she is going backwards. It is simply breathtaking. And something else happened with that dance too, something that has never happened to me before. At one point Rosie asked us to separate while doing the basic step. It was so romantic and beautiful that I started to cry!

I am not a crier in general, and certainly not (gasp) in public. But something happened when I danced that dance, something magical. I now understand why the waltz is called the Mother of All Dances.

Rosie just laughed. Yeah, she said, it’ll do that.

The Mother of All Dances. I get it. For me, at least the Cross Step Waltz is.

New Year’s Eve

2011-01-01T13:37:00.003-05:00

Well, another wonderful New Year’s Eve dance at the Greenwood Moose: the food was great, the people friendly, and the band fabulous (The Marlinaires). Gary and I danced our respective you-know-whats off and today I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck, but last night was well worth today’s pain. We danced and danced until we couldn’t dance anymore.

We missed my sister and her family being there this year…I had no one to twist with, as my niece Ruthie was my twistin’ partner last year. Here’s a pic of the crowd doing it, though.

After the balloons dropped at midnight the floor degenerated into a littering of shredded balloons, noise makers, (human and mechanical), and a huge bunny hop. I like a good conga line as well as the next, but we were beat. Gary and I gathered up our stuff, wished my parents a happy new year, and made the long journey home.

Sigh. I love New Year’s. It’s almost as good as Halloween.

Blow Off the Stink

2010-12-26T16:13:00.002-05:00

When I was young I had a wonderful babysitter named Mrs. Johnston. She was a feisty, sometimes a bit ribald, older woman who always treated me more like an adult than a child. I loved her for that. We remained friends even when I grew up; I never tired of hearing her stories of playing with a big band. (She even played for USO dances.) She was the essence of cool.

One of my favorite sayings of hers was “get out there and blow off the stink.” She used this expression when she believed I was lolling about the house too much and needed some fresh air and exercise.

Tonight Gary and I are attending a Continentals dance. There won’t be a band, but there will be CDs and lots of dancing. With too many cookies under my belt and a New Year’s Eve marathon just around the corner, my lungs, legs, and feet need a good workout.

It’s always kinda sad to take down the holiday decorations, but it also feels good to get things cleaned up and back to normal. For us, that means dancing several times a week and perhaps a bit less butter and sugar. :-)

The Best and Worst of 2010

2010-12-26T12:14:00.000-05:00

Another year has passed, 365 days nearly gone by and the earth has just about completed one more revolution around our average-sized sun in the unfashionable corner of the universe we call home. It's been another big dance year for Kelly and I; another year of discoveries and lessons, many pleasant and some not so much. Last night after the hubbub of the Yule festivities died down, Kelly and I took a deep breath and enjoyed the peacefulness of our own kitchen for a little bit and as we relaxed the subject of the year gone by naturally came to the fore. Auld Lang Syne always catalyzes a million lists. Probably the most common are the litany of resolutions that most of us voice but never effort. It's easy to swear you'll lose fifty pounds, read all the classics, and start volunteering at local charities but, for most of us, sometime around January eighth we start to realize passing on the pound cake, slugging through Melville, and spending every weekend shoulder-to-the-wheel isn't nearly as easy or fun as it'd sounded while basking in the glow of a saucer of bubbly.

Possibly more popular is the best/worst list. While cruising the TV listings I've noticed one or two 'Best and Worst of 2010' shows cropping up. I feel a little like a 12-stepper for admitting these shows attract me. Not because I sit back nodding in agreement with the self-appointed experts and their assessment of the worth and quality of the various-and-sundry of the year gone by. For me it's a bit more shaking my head and nay-saying the process of comparing disparate things and implying they can be judged against one another. I mean, come on, how can there be a 'best news story of 2010' or a 'greatest sporting moment of the year'? It brings up that whole apples/oranges thing.

Yet, I'll admit, I'm just as list-bound as every other human being on the planet. Yes, I've made some resolutions and as I sit here at my keyboard I'm asking myself "what were the best and worst dance-related events of 2010?" I poured over the blog entries of the last three years only to realize that I haven't done a best/worst list since 2008. The first year of Blue Suede Souls is the only year I authored the list. Part of me wants to stay away from creating a new one. That halo-adorned fellow on my right shoulder is saying, "Dude, let it go." However, the horned gentleman on my left has already tallied up the possible contestants and began ranking them. Who should I listen to?

Best of 2010

10. New Old Venues - Through 2010 we had an opportunity to visit some classic venues that we hadn't had an opportunity to dance before. We visited The Blue Lantern Ballroom in New Carlisle, IN - one of the whistle stops visited by the big bands of the Chicago area back at the beginning of the 20th century. We also had an opportunity to dance at the Irvington Lodge as well as a Valentine dance at the Athenaeum here in Indianapolis.

9. The Moo - Speaking of reviving the old, there was a day when most men in the United States belonged to a fraternal order of some sort. The names range from the imagined sinister (the Masons) to the obscure (the Odd Fellows) to the religiously motivated (the Knights of Columbus) but most men belonged if not for the benefits of the organization, for the social aspects. In 2010, though our dance clubs, we've had the chance to dance at a couple Benevolent Order of Moose lodges in Indianapolis and we're planning on spending our New Year's Eve at one. In general the dance floors have been great (if sometimes small) and the people decent, hard working, and friendly.

8. Reunited - There was a time when I thought we might have taken our last lesson with Dance Masters (aka. Fred Astaire, South). We'd had some rather bad bumps in our relationship and I wondered if we could get back to where we started. When we worked out the issues and re-fashioned our relationship with the studio it felt a lot like coming home again.

7. Clave - In 2010 we decided to try to experience Latin dances within the culture that bred them so, we found Shayne and started learning the Clave. I'm here to say that the Clave is one of the hardest dances I've ever tried and that there's little I'm more proud of than having learned even the basic step of this dance. It bolstered my dance confidence even while it drove me crazy on more than one occasion.

6. Vintage Foxtrot - I'm addicted to anything from the 20's and 30's. I honestly believe in a previous life I had to have been of a certain age in both decades. Late in 2010 we started learning the vintage Foxtrot and I'll never go back to the ballroom variant. The genuine lightness of the vintage dance reminds me that this was a living dance that drew in pieces of other dances to give it vitality long before there were school figures and accepted patterns.

5. Rockabilly - Still, in my opinion, the most fun you can have on the dance floor.

4. Taking to the Air - In 2010 we learned our first aerials, the Number 9 and the Frog Hop. Since then we've started adding the Baby Doll Drop and the Death Drop to our arsenal. Suddenly I feel moderately young again.

3. Terry Lee and his Rockaboogie Band - I'm biased, I'll admit it, however I love a band that can show up and play their music wonderfully every time you see them. Terry and his band never seem to have an off night, their tunes don't drag or race out of control, they're on key, and they're alive. Terry's personable and accessible and he always seems to be up, having fun doing what he does which is nothing short of rocking the joint.

2. Dancing through the Pain - In 2010 I had the misfortune of having to close down the place I worked. I kept a job with the company (that I'm still trying to adjust into) however, I witnessed a lot of good people lose their livelihoods as the economy continued its slow-motion train wreck. Through the misery the two things I could rely on was the understanding of my wife and being able to blow off steam on the dance floor. Dance carried America through the Great Depression and it carried me through mine.

1. Freedom - Through 2010 I think the one thing we learned that will give us the most joy is that dance is freedom. Yes, there are steps to learn and you can even go in for patterns if you want, but in the end you're the artist and the dance floor is your pallet. This isn't paint by numbers, folks. You own your dance and you should do it in a way that makes you happy. If you want to toss tango into your WCS, do it. If you want to dance fast rumbas, dance them. Do whatever the music moves you to do.

Worst of 2010

5. Dancesport (Heartland Dancers) - There's a saying about corporations: the company's culture mimics that of its executives. This means if the executives are unethical, cruel, and egotistical the culture of the company will be…guess what? The same is true of dance clubs. So, when the reaction to our showing up at a Heartland Dancers event was a look down the nose and whispered comments about what sort of shoes we wore, well we knew it wasn't the club for us.

4. No Show - I'm a staunch supporter of local dance venues, big and small. I think that it's important to go out and dance at as many local venues as possible because your patronage makes it possible to have these venues. So, in August, when we went to Mike's Dance Barn to attend the Car Show and Rockabilly Dance that they'd advertized only to find no show and now dance, it a little more than disappointing. We travel over an hour one way to support this venue and to have them simply not show up kind of shook our confidence. I'm not saying that we've stopped supporting the Dance Barn or any other local venue - however when we see an advertisement for one of these functions at the Dance Barn, we're more likely to ask ourselves if we believe it'll really come off or if we'll be sitting in an empty parking lot again.

3. Still with the Manners - Three years after the first Best/Worst list and this one still makes the five worst features of dance. Unfortunately, it seems poor manners have spread from the clods who don't understand how to dance socially and now its invading the gallery. This year we've been seated with people who have moved to a new table after we sat down (without an explanation - but they did move to another EMPTY table so it wasn't to join friends), had our seats usurped by a moron who then had the nerve to ask us to move our stuff, and had another person both badger us to sell tickets for their dance club and flash her ring under our noses asking us how much we thought it cost.

2. Indiana Roof Ballroom's Free-for-All Policy - In the past month there's been an unfortunate trend at the Indiana Roof. Lately the staff has been adding tables to accommodate all who want to attend an event. This is fine if the event in question is a concert but when you're taking away space on the dance floor AT A DANCE so that you can squeeze the admittance fees out of two dozen more patrons, well you've lost sight of the purpose. The quality of the floor at the Roof has steadily declined in parallel with the decline in management's ability to use common sense. I hope the trend doesn't continue, it'd be a shame to see the great old venue go into a new sort of decline.

1. The Demise of the Indy Boogie Dancers - The Indy Boogies quickly became our favorite club both for their music selection and their laid back approach to dance however in 2010 the economy and declining membership took their toll on the club and in October it closed its doors. A faint glimmer of hope lies in the fact the club did have a Christmas dance and we'll keep our fingers crossed that they will return in 2011 both reinvigorated and refreshed.

The Dance of Life

2010-12-20T11:29:00.003-05:00

Saturday morning I was about to write a fun, frivolous post about holiday dance attire; I had collected a Goldilocks assortment of outfits that were too short, too fancy, too tight, too casual…and just right.

Then I got a call from a close friend telling me her mother had died. I forgot all about the post. I even forgot about the holiday dance Gary and I had planned to attend the day of her mother’s calling. When I did remember I wondered if we should go dancing after such a serious and sad event. We could have made the dance if we’d wanted to, even if we stayed until the very end of the calling. And I knew my friend would want time alone after a grueling day.

As it turned out we didn’t go…we were both too worn out emotionally. But we had a nice practice on our own dance floor, just Gary and me. And I’m so glad we did. Dancing is a celebration of life and of our relationship.

I don’t want to think about losing my own parents, but my mother has already told me not to stop dancing after she is gone. She said she would want us to remember her in every step, twirl, and flourish, and that she would be right there with me in spirit. Hopefully that sad day is far into the future, as I believe my mom has many, many more dances left.

At the funeral home I saw a photo of my friend’s parents dancing at her wedding; her mother looked happy, free, and full of joy.

Here’s to you, Lillian…and the best egg dip on the planet.

The Boogies Return!

2010-12-12T10:26:00.002-05:00

Down but not out, The Brickyard Boogie Dance Club arose from the ashes and put on a fabulous holiday dance yesterday.

Gary and I were afraid they might try and change the format too much… the Boogies are a bop/swing club and we worried they might try to compete with other dance clubs in town. We were very glad to see the Boogies are still the Boogies…lots of swing of all varieties, with a sprinkling of other dances mixed in. This time the sprinkling was a bit more liberal…more Texas two step, cha chas, rumbas, waltzes, night club...there were even a few foxtrots.

We both liked it. Hopefully the slightly amended selection will keep ‘em coming.

And Ron still played, as Gary says, the traditional first swing. It’s the same song. Every time. But that’s OK. The song gives us both a warm feeling. It felt really good to be back on the floor with, in our opinion, the best dance club in town…where the music is funky, the people polite and non-critical, and the most fabulous cookies ever, except for Gary’s.

Yule Vintage Postcards

2010-12-06T08:57:00.006-05:00

I have not lost my love of vintage postcards. :-) Here are some holiday dancing ones for the season:

The Way It Used To Be

2010-11-28T12:58:00.005-05:00

I love fancy places to dance like the Indianapolis Roof. I love dancing at our club events. But there’s a whiff of artificialness to them, because most attendees “know” how to dance.

That isn’t the way it used to be. People grew up dancing; mom taught her son a few steps, girls got together and practiced the latest craze, and couples danced the night away at supper clubs. At a formal dance, some were better than others, but most everyone knew enough to get up and swing or sway.

Thankfully, those hallowed halls of yesterday are not all lost. Gary and I traveled back in time last Saturday evening to Raleigh, Indiana. We attended a dance in their Community Club, a place that has held a Saturday night dance since…1944. The place isn’t fancy from the outside, a long, low warehouse looking building and a simple sign that you’d miss if you didn’t know exactly where it was.

I felt like Dorothy going from black and white to color when I stepped inside: a fat holiday tree sat on one side, a plastic lighted crèche at the front. Vintage records, strings of lights, and old fashioned tinsel criss-crossed the ceiling. A mass of holly hung from the disco ball. And if you think there’s going to be a “but” you’d be wrong…the wood floor was immaculate and the band was good…surprisingly so for such a small town.

Best of all the people were friendly and understandably proud of their club. Dancing ability ran the gambit, but all were having fun. No one judged anyone else. I wish it wasn’t so far away, but we’ll be back.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Dichotomy

2010-11-23T08:39:00.000-05:00

This past weekend turned out to be one of extremes. We danced at two different venues to two different bands and I left both events with somewhat mixed feelings.

Saturday we went to see The Original Salty Dogs, a Purdue University spawned Dixieland Jazz Band, at the Robin Run Retirement Village. Now, when I heard about the venue I had suspicions about our ability to actually dance but it turned out okay. We were in a basement-level activity room with linoleum floors and an actual stage. The turnout was less than fifty people, all spread around various tables and unanimously there for the music. About three songs into the set the band scrubbed off a danceable tune and Kelly and I did our WCS.

Now, let me say that I don't object to being watched while I dance. Some people feel really self-conscious when they feel that they're being observed but I'm not one of those people. I figure that I'm there to have fun and though it's nice to be admired, I really could give a flying hoot whether onlookers think I'm a great dancer or a freak (in fact there are times I kind of like the freak designation). I hadn't prepared myself for becoming a commented part of the afternoon's entertainment. The song came to an end and then the leader of the band made a point of thanking 'Fred and Ginger' for their dancing. That was fine, I mean we were the only ones dancing and we were bound to be noticed not only by the audience but also by the band. I'm okay with being in the spotlight a little bit…but then the band leader proceeded to bring the subject up every time we danced. End result, I think we danced four numbers over the afternoon's time. We did, however, get many compliments which salves being made the center of attention. The question that sticks with me, though, is whether we were being called out because we were good dancers or if the guy figured we were stealing his limelight? I guess I'll never know and it really doesn't matter, in the end we had a good time.

Sunday we headed to the Indiana Roof Ballroom for the last dance of the 2010 Big Band Series and effectively the end of the Roof's 2010 dance season. I always wondered why the Roof doesn't have a December holiday dance. They've got the perfect space for it - large and grand, the kind of place that decorates beautifully. I suppose they rent their space out to various companies for holiday functions, I don't know.

Sunday the Russ Morgan Orchestra played the Roof. They're a really good band even if they have a gap in their tempo. The Orchestra tends to play fast swings, rumbas, and cha cha's and then kind of draggy foxtrots and waltzes. The end result was that we spent a lot of time plying our newly learned vintage foxtrot which also means I spent a lot of time feeling very awkward. I can say that I'm proud of our getting out on the floor and dancing a style we're not as comfortable performing. We did the basic step a whole lot but we maneuvered around and even avoided some of the senior-clots that tend to form around the edges of the floor.

The downside of Sunday in fact was the crowd and the way that the Roof managed the dance. Due to this being the last dance of the 2010 series it was busy and we wound up sitting at a different table than usual. This isn't a problem; I mean we were still on the floor which makes things easier when you dance a lot. Unfortunately, the luck of the draw put us with a less than pleasant couple as neighbors. Not only did they proselytize for helping them get enough buyers to bring the Guy Lombardo Orchestra to their event in Cincinnati by selling tickets at our clubs, they seemed incensed when we told them that the bylaws of our clubs forbid selling anything including tickets. Afterward they both implied we were immature while the female half, alternately, flashed her 50^th anniversary ring remarking repeatedly on its carat weight. There seems to be a pervading trend toward rudeness in the ballroom community recently. I hate to be that guy who complains that people no longer have manners but I guess I am and I should own it.

Another unfortunate trend is that the Roof has (seemingly) started selling general admission tickets and adding tables to accommodate the overflow on the fly. This results in a more crowded dance floor which means less quality dancing. I'm all for the Roof making money - that will keep the facility in top shape and allow booking better bands. However, this is a dance and when profit outweighs the dancing experience that the patrons have, then you've started a downward spiral. Also the tables that are being added aren't on the promenade, they're on the floor. This creates two rows of tables in some spots and in others, one row…so while you travel around the dance floor you encounter traffic jams and eddies of people trying to flow around the obstacles that the staff randomly place throughout the evening. Poor form, Roof - I hope you'll reconsider in 2011.

Poor St. Louis

2010-11-23T07:24:00.000-05:00

Unfortunate news for the Casa Loma, St. Louis was just rated as the 'Most Dangerous City in the US' by an NBC pole. Possibly a confirmation of this pole was part of our Halloween stay that I neglected to mention in my previous blog posting. On arrival we found that we'd left a couple of items at home and wanted to find a drug store where we could pick them up. We walked down to the desk and asked the clerk on duty if there was a drug store in walking distance. She told us that she wouldn't recommend walking anywhere in the vicinity of the hotel due to the danger of doing so. Something to be aware of if you choose the Casa Loma as a dance location.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

2010-11-21T12:33:00.000-05:00

Dance with the One That Brung Ya'

2010-11-19T09:32:00.000-05:00

I want to start this post with a disclaimer in the form of defining the very specific audience that I'm addressing. This post is not directed at those of you who are without a partner and who've entered dancing as a means of socializing and meeting people. It isn't aimed at singles for whom dance is a part of the romance of chance encounters. It isn't meant as an edict to people who enjoy changing partners throughout the course of an evening's dancing. Dance is about having fun and expressing yourself, and if changing up partners helps you do that then more power to you. Go out, swap often, and have a blast. Joy is joy and you should take it wherever you can get it.

It is directed at the small, vocal, minority that seems to believe there is only one right way to dance and that way is to constantly and frequently change partners. It is written on behalf of those of us who have a beloved partner; a partner whom no other can come close to equaling. It speaks for those of us who have a partner to whom we're committed. Frankly, this post is meant to reclaim the right of those I've describe to have an opinion which counts just as much as that belonging to the loud louts and self-proclaimed arbiters of 'good dance'.

A scourge has crept into the ballrooms and dancehalls of America. It's a sinister, undercurrent; a poisonous element that threatens the ability of many to enjoy the wondrous thing that is dancing. Worst of all, unlike many ills of today's society, this blight is not only acknowledged by many otherwise right-thinking dance enthusiasts - it is openly embraced and promulgated as the one and only right way to become a 'good' dancer. This stain on the dance community is openly promoted on websites, by instructors at dance studios, and through local dance clubs around the country. I speak of the baseless assertion you cannot be a 'good' dancer unless you change partners, doing your level best to rotate through every Tom, Dick, and Hildegard in the ballroom within the span of the night. I write to say the fanatic belief that dancing with as many different people as possible improves your dancing is not only based on false assumptions but that it amounts to (in my not-so-humble opinion) no less than an outright assault on a dancer's right to enjoy dance in their own way.

There is a basic assumption that troubles me. That assumption is that the reason you're dancing is to dance with many people. This assumption is what prompted my choice of titles for this blog post. The adage "Dance with the one that brung ya" has been co-opted by everything from sports to politics but when applied to the area from which it originated, its meaning is simple and clear. You should be committed and loyal to the person who brought you to the party. Literally, you should dance with them instead of flitting about with partners that seem momentarily more intriguing, know a few cunning dance tricks, or are brash enough to cut in on someone else's evening out. What part of being taken out for an evening of dancing necessitates being farmed out as some kind of dime-a-dance rental? What part of being true to the one you're with implies rudeness?

Truthfully, the practice of partner-changing regardless of arriving with a partner is an artifact of what I call Dance World - it's like Water World, drier but no less artificial. In the wild, you'd never go to a nightclub and pick the attractive young brunette who's with the burly football player, then go ask her to dance. Pardon my crudeness but you'd wind up wearing your ass for a hat. However, in a ballroom setting it's supposed to be 'normal' and refusing to accept this suspension of reality supposedly is a breach of etiquette or, worse, a comment on your lacking skills as a dancer.

You might think that last sentence is hyperbole. It sounds like a gross exaggeration, after all how could you being willing or unwilling to dance with people you don't really know be conflated with the inability to dance with anyone? Well, many clubs openly promote the idea that sticking with your partner is both a manners and a marker of ineptitude. I've clipped a few examples from the web and, in deference to their sense of superiority; I've decided to let them own their stupidity:

"By the third week, I had two groups. Twenty non-coupled people rotated in a circle on one side of the room while ten couples stayed at the other end preferring not to switch. The morale was pathetic.

The absolute nadir occurred when several ladies of the non-switching couples began to ask me to give special attention to their partners. It seems their husband's leads and footwork were weak. Since all individual help occurs naturally as my assistant and I rotate through the Circle, none of the non-switchers were being helped with their leads.

Quite frankly, no one finished that course in a very good frame of mind. I was so disgusted I vowed that even if I had to ask people to leave the class and refund tuition, I would do so rather than have people refuse to switch. Most people do not mind "sharing", but if even one couple doesn't switch, then the selfish side of human nature is tempted to appear.

I concluded that for Group Classes to work, switching is necessary." - Houston SSQQ

Rather than blame the few people who didn't wish to rotate partners, an accusation that seems to be a bit premature, why not consider some other possibilities. Twenty couples in a class is a lot. Think about it, that's forty people all learning something that's both physical and (I can only assume) totally new to them. This sets up, in the very least, a less than ideal learning environment. We can add to this the instructor's attitude regarding dedicated partners is apparent from the onset. It's very possible that it was just as apparent during the class sessions and that was the reason 'no one' finished the class in a 'very good frame of mind'. I also can't help but notice that the teacher specifically stated they didn't help those who didn't wish to change partners - if you ignore students, can you really be surprised when they don't perform as well? It seems a bit rich to chalk this up to the 'selfishness of human nature' unless we're speaking of the selfishness of an instructor who cannot bear the thought someone else's approach might be as valid as theirs. I'm also interested in the diagnosis that not wishing to trade partners while learning the basics of a dance is somehow a sign of the 'selfish side of human nature'. It seems like an interesting definition of selfishness, wanting to practice with the people you're going to be dancing with. Maybe it's a new definition that isn't in the dictionary. Frankly, it seems more selfish to hold onto a cherished opinion without regard for the feelings or points of view of others than it does to wish to learn with the partner you'll eventually dance with.
"Dancing one-out-of-three or one-out-of-four partner changes with your romantic partner is a decent ratio for couples who want to spend more time dancing with each other during class and still actually become good dancers." - Art of Dance

The recommended ratio seems interesting and I'm not sure if the author means dance one dance with your romantic partner to three or four with others or one dance with others and then the remaining three or four with your romantic partner. Assuming the former, lets do the math. Kelly and I are into fast dances - swings, rockabilly, and fast Latin dances. We're not the fittest of the fit but we're not wheezing octogenarians either, so we dance between 13 and 20 numbers in a night. So, let's divide that number by four for the worst case one out of four dances mentioned in the clipping. That means our romance amounts to 3 to 5 dances a night. Really, three dances with the woman I love is good? You're more accepting than I am. If we go with the latter case, the assumption is dancing 3 to 5 dances with someone else is actually sufficient to impact my dance skill? Really? Even accross the eight styles of dance I do (including two that nobody else does)? What if I dance with 3 to 5 bad dancers? Does that downgrade my ability? I'd like to see that assertion quantified. I also like the phrase 'actually become good dancers', it gives a window into the thinking that you can't possibly be a good dancer unless you hardly dance together. Somehow your unfamiliarity with your partner makes you better! Where else is that true? Only in Dance World.

"I don't care if you don't change partners, if YOU don't care if you don't learn to dance." - DPS

This has to be my favorite because it's so unilateral in its authority. The only way you can ever learn to dance is to switch partners and if you don't, you can't dance. I respond in video form:

Tap dancers really need DPS. They don't understand that they can't dance because they don't change partners. It's obvious this is an example of horrid dancing. I don't understand why they try.

What an awful dancers 'Snake Hips' was. If he'd only had DPS' partner changing plan maybe the lack of skill shown in this clip could have been remedied.

Oh what a wreck! If DPS had choreographed Swan Lake and been able to make sure there was partner dancing and that the dancers switched partners, the ballet might have been something that would have stood the test of time!

Finally, according to the geniuses at DPS this has to be the worst dancer of all times. If Michael Jackson would have only obeyed their edicts he might have been renown for his dance skills. Too bad.

I find it ironic that DPS offers to teach wedding dancing…isn't that the art of dancing (sometimes just a single dance) with one person? Doesn't that violate the stone-hard rule that if you don't partner swap you can't dance? Maybe getting paid changes the rules. Hmm…oh well, I guess it must be tough to live by such prejudiced rules.

The final unraveling of the bias against commitment to a single partner can be taken from the worlds of sports as well as dance. The most lauded and admired denizens of both these realms are the professionals who make their living through their performances. They are consummate perfectionists, relying on executing flawlessly every time they undertake their profession. To obtain this level of perfection they don't swap partners. A quarterback doesn't change centers every other snap just so he can 'get used to how other people snap the ball'. The manager of a baseball team doesn't swap pitchers unless they're failing in striking out batters. Fred Astaire wasn't famous for dancing with lots of partners; he was famous for dancing with Ginger Rogers. When you watch the International Ballroom Competition, there isn't a judging category for dancing with multiple partners.

In short, assertions that the only way you can be a 'good' dancer (or, alternately, that you can dance at all) is by switching partners as often as possible isn't even supported by examples from Dance World. In fact there is no quantitative evidence there is any improvement in dance through partner swapping. The propriety of swapping partners is an opinion and like all opinions it isn't necessarily shared by everyone. To those of you who believe not swapping partners is rude I'd ask you to look at your own behavior - is interrupting someone else's enjoyment of an evening out with their loved one rude? Is it rude to make assumptions about their aptitude based on your opinions? Is it rude to insult and defame those people who don't swap partners because they don't conform to what you'd like to happen? To those of you who believe anyone who doesn't swap partners isn't a good dancer I'd ask how you became the sole judge of dance quality.

Everyone is allowed an opinion. Sure, you can disagree - frankly it'd be nice if you did so privately. Your opinion is no better (or worse) than anyone else's. Your interpretation of what makes a good dancer isn't the limit and yardstick. Dance is about having fun and if that couple who share every dance together are having fun they're getting what dance is all about. If the couple who swaps partners ever dance is having fun, they're getting what dance is about. The two aren't mutually exclusive.

The Continental

2010-11-16T17:06:00.000-05:00

Back when dancing musicals were big money makers for the Hollywood film industry, oh say in the 1930’s, there was a brief fad for creating dance-song pairings. Maybe it was a reaction to the crushing effects of the depression – escapism as the remedy to financial ruin and an increasingly ugly political landscape. I don’t know, without having lived through the depression I don’t think I’m in a position to pass judgment either. All I can say is that the fad existed and out of it sprang a handful of dances that were temporarily popular but ill equipped for social dancing. They surged into the ballrooms of the mid-twentieth century and just as quickly ebbed into obscurity leaving only a few standardized patterns to be co-opted by American Ballroom Dance along with the films from which they sprang as evidence of their existence.

Once such dance is the Continental, described in all the eloquent obscurity typical to describing dances of this era by Streetswing.com as follows:

“The dance starts like a stately Minuet, where the man approaches the woman and bows and kisses her hand while doing the one step towards each other. As they come together, the Follower rest her head on the Leads shoulder and do a brief circular Foxtrot, while doing this the Lady lifts her head every other measure and gazes caringly at her partner...”

But I haven’t come to praise or bury the Continental; I’ve come to say that we attended a gathering of the Continental Dance Club last night.

There are some really nice things about the Continental Club. They dance every Sunday at the same time and in the same place. That means no searching for an obscure ballroom or adjusting to a new dance floor that may or may not be to our liking. Secondly, they dance at the Starlight Ballroom which is mere minutes from our doorstep – a real bonus for a dancing on a Sunday night when I really want everything to be very easy. And, most important of all for us as dancers, they focus on a different sort of dancing than we normally do: waltz, foxtrot, and rumba.

Though I’m all for dancing the dances you love I'm also aware that as a dancer you've got to stretch yourself. If you learned to dance the rumba, you've got to dance it to maintain your skills - even if it isn't your very favorite dance. Kelly and I are swing dancers. We enjoy bouncy, fast paced tunes that get the blood flowing and the heart beating. Though we're quickly falling in love with the vintage foxtrot, we're still in that awkward stage - a sort of clumsy dance adolescence that only time and practice can cure. So, the slower pace and wide-open dance floor of the Continentals is well suited to our needs.

So, for the foreseeable future we'll be dancing to the tune of a one-man band playing old dancehall standards on a synth and navigating a crowd easily twice our age. You dance the number played for you, I guess.

Cross Step Waltz

2010-11-14T14:35:00.002-05:00

Gary and I had another lesson of vintage dancing with Rosie; we did some more on the foxtrot and started a new dance called the cross step waltz. It is based on a very old form of waltz, but Richard Powers has added his own style to it; he blends in swing and latin moves. It sounds crazy, but it works beautifully.

We love it. Here is a video of Richard dancing with his partner Angela Amarillas.

Counting Blessings

2010-11-10T18:17:00.000-05:00

Ah, November! I love this month. That feeling that kids have waiting for Santa, well I get that same feeling waiting for Thanksgiving. Turkey, mashed potatoes, rolls, dressing, and a thousand other forbidden treats are laid out on the groaning board and the TV's tuned to a football game. Ah tryptophan, God of The Feast and Shepherd of Sluggishness! What does this have to do with dancing? Well, nothing really…I just wanted to revel in the anticipation of the feast to come.

Yesterday Indy Dancers had their annual T-day party. There's something familiar about the environment of the Moose Club and the folding tables loaded up with mismatched dishes filled with homemade goodies. My Thanksgivings never were of the Martha Stewart variety. Mom didn't make soufflé or construct miniature pilgrim scenes from construction paper and pine boughs. There was cigarette smoke and cards and a lot of really good, blue-collar food and everyone, more or less, was happy for it. Of course the big difference between the family T-day celebration and the Indy Dancers event was that at eight o'clock the DJ threw on an up-tempo swing tune and everyone was expected to get out on the floor.

Let me say there is no worse combination than mashed potatoes with gravy and swing dancing. Marathon runners don't chow down before they start the race and there's a really good reason for that! It plays merry hell with your ability to perform. The triple-swing becomes the trypto-swing and that's not a good thing. Some people naturally waddle around the dance floor at half the tempo of the music, they don't need an added excuse. Last night I saw things being done to the WCS that have to be a crime in every dance-minded state in the union. I shudder to remember it.

Still, the evening was great fun and the food was excellent. We had a great time as always. When I sit down to the turkey dinner with my family I'll have one more thing to be thankful for. I'm thankful for the time I had with the Brickyard Boogie Dancers and for still having the Indy Dancers to provide opportunities to get out and dance. I'm thankful that I've had the opportunity to travel to so many great old venues and to hear some really good music in those hallowed halls. I'm thankful for the people who've taught me how to dance from Melissa to Shayne to Rosie and right down to all those who held dance clinics here and there along the road. I'm thankful that I found the courage to take this dance ride with all its highs and lows. But most of all I'm thankful I've been fortunate enough to have such a lovely and talented partner to share the trip with. With blessings like these a fellow's bound to start to feel like the proverbial golden boy!

Catch Up

2010-11-10T17:49:00.002-05:00

They say that as you get older time gets away from you. Summer blends into fall and winter runs into spring and the year gets away from you before you've got the hang of it. I'd like to blame my lack of activity on the whirling calendar but that'd be disingenuous. There are tons of excuses for why I'm only just getting to writing about Halloween with November ripening into December, but I won't bore you with them. Instead, I'll focus on rectifying the situation.

As you know, we did the traditional Halloween Ball at St. Louis' Casa Loma Ballroom and it lived up to the raucous reputation it earned with us the first year we attended. There was rock and roll, there was drink, there were transvestites, and a good time was had by all including my in-laws. You've got to give it to a pair of octogenarians who are willing to brave East St. Louis on All Hallows Eve in a neighborhood like the one that the Casa Loma has matured into. They got out on the dance floor and shanked out a few WCS's before getting beaten back by the drunken revelers. I hope I'm doing the same at eighty but my inner crotchety old man tells me I'm more likely to be sitting with the wallflowers shaking my cane at the 'young hooligans' on the dance floor.

In spite of having a good time I believe we've decided to sample the Halloween revels at another venue in 2011. The Loma is a fantastic venue and it has an unparalleled pedigree but two years of ear-splittingly loud bands and beer-baptisms have taken their toll on our desire to dance there. This year the crowd was decidedly bawdier (one partier showed up dressed as a penis) and though it might be in my head there also seemed to be a lot more drunken foolery. I'm all for getting tight on occasion but when those getting wasted are also trying to dance, well…

So, in 2011 we're weighing our options. Maybe we'll decide on the Wilmington Ballroom outside Chicago with its haunted highway - remember all those stories about the lady in white hitching a ride by Resurrection Cemetery? Well, they originate from the Wilmington area, perfect for Halloween don't you think?

Kabuki

2010-11-09T12:32:00.003-05:00

Kabuki is highly stylized, traditional Japanese theatre; clothing and makeup are chosen to express a particular character. I just finished writing a book that has Japanese overtones, so that’s probably why Kabuki images have been flitting through my mind lately.

I also had an interesting comment on my dancing. A friend of mine recently saw us dance. You guys are great, she said, but you were, um, different. Different how, say I. She paused. You were flirty. I laughed and said yeah, that’s my dancing persona.

I still think she was weirded out.

I thought about that for awhile. This friend and I know each other very well. But she was surprised. I can see why. I’m rather shy in real life. And even if I wasn’t, flirty just causes too much trouble. And then there’s the fact that in real life I don’t do it too well. Once before I was married I tried winking at a guy. He came over and asked if something was in my eye. No joke.

So anyway, I do laugh a lot, but I can be serious. Definitely not flirty. But it is a side of me. Leonard Nimoy, of Star Trek fame, has done a wonderful set of photos called the secret self that my sister Quinn turned me on to. In them he attempted, with great success, to demonstrate that part of you no one sees, but is very much alive.

When I’m dancing, I can express my flirty side in a safe and non-judgemental environment. Like Kabuki, I choose my clothing and makeup to enhance that secret side. It’s very freeing. And a whole lot of fun.

Gary loves it. I'm glad. But I don’t do it for him.

I do it for me.

Halloween at the Casa Loma

2010-11-01T13:01:00.004-04:00

Here we are, Major Nelson and Jeanie sans the blonde wig. I knew it would fly off when dancing, so I opted for her dark evil twin. With short hair. :-)

Happy sigh. The happy because I love Halloween so much, the sigh because it’s over. Gary and I, along with my mom and dad, had a wonderful time at the Halloween Ball at the historic Casa Loma Ballroom in St. Louis.

The floor was crammed with the usual gambit of costumes from the sublime (a beautiful mermaid), to the funny (Tiger and several, um, blonde ladies), to the downright risqué (a giant male atomically correct part), to the creative (a group of bloody cooks from hell’s kitchen.)

The Band, Smash, was good, but waaaaaaaay too loud. I like loud. But when you shout and STILL can’t make yourself heard or hear anyone else, that’s too much volume. I don’t get it. The piped in music played during breaks was plenty loud enough to cover the partying, but as soon as the band started to play, the dial, as Nigel would say, was cranked to 11.

It was more crowded this year. And while I am perfectly OK with sharing the floor with non-dancers and various examples of individual expression, I am NOT OK with being slammed, stepped on, or shoved. People didn’t do this on purpose (many had been drinking…a lot), but still. Gary and I come to dance, so perhaps it’s time to sample something else.

Right now we have our eye on the Willowbrook ballroom near Chicago. We’ve heard tell they put on quite a Halloween bash….

Halloween Party Number One

2010-10-29T08:06:00.003-04:00

And exactly when we needed a pick me up, The Indy Dancers hosted their annual Halloween Bash. There's just something about seeing a grown man dressed like Zorro that forbids any sort of sad feeling. :-)

And Halloween is this weekend, woooHOO!

The Passing of the Brickyard Boogie Dancers

2010-10-26T12:09:00.000-04:00

Kelly has a favorite bluegrass tune that has an appropriate lyric for how I feel right now:

"There is a time for love and laughter
The days will pass like summer storms
The winter wind will follow after
But there is love and love is warm"

Saturday we went out for the usual. That is to say we made the short trip to the Starlight Ballroom for the Brickyard Boogie Dancers weekly get together. When we pulled into the lot, Kelly commented how she hoped things were going okay with the club. Attendance of the club’s dances has been dwindling lately and there’s been an ongoing effort by the leadership to attract new members and encourage the existing membership to come out to dance. We walked into the ballroom and found our seats, then put on our shoes while we watched the tail end of the group lesson that precedes every Saturday dance.

Things seemed pretty normal as the evening wore on. The tunes were familiar as were the attendees, we danced what we’ve affectionately deemed the ‘traditional first swing’ and then settled into the rhythm of the night. The Boogies always are good for moderate to slow tempo WCS broken up by the occasional Texas Two Step or Nightclub Two Step and a smattering of Cha-Chas and there were no surprises in Ron’s repertoire. We danced ‘till we sweated, then sat down long enough to catch our breath again before hitting the floor again.

At around nine thirty there was the usual break in the dancing and music. For those of you who belong to dance clubs the mid-evening break probably is familiar. It’s time for announcements, maybe a demonstration dance, and if your club is so inclined there might be a drawing for free tickets to the next event. Unfortunately, this evening’s break didn’t go as usual, though.

Ron started his announcements with “It’s been a good run…” and that’s never what you want to hear when you’re interested in seeing the ‘run’ continue indefinitely. He proceeded to give the glum news about the club coffers and the night’s door, including the fact that the club made less on Saturday than they paid out to rent the facility. In short, the Brickyard Boogie Dancers were within $80 of broke and until further notice there would be no further dance events.

It’s probably hyperbole to compare the closure of a club with a lot of the losses people are experiencing in these tough times. I’ll flat out say that it is harder to lose your job or your home or your insurance or about a thousand other things people have on the line right now. A club, after all, is the social equivalent of a toy – a diversion to pass the idle hours. The loss of the Boogies, though, is a loss and the psychological process must be similar if on a smaller scale. My psychologist wife might have to correct me, but I’m fairly certain that the grieving process is the same: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Maybe they’re ‘mini-stages’, passing in a few days or hours before the next stage begins…I don’t know and it really doesn’t matter (or maybe that just means I’m in stage four).

What I do know is that we’ll miss the Boogies. I’ll miss dancing with a laid back club that’s not ballroom-uptight. I’ll miss having a place where I can get out and dance without worrying about someone putting their elbow in my ear so that they can do their patented ‘double-back-flop-tango’. I’ll miss Ron’s “so…let’s dance…”. I’ll miss seeing our favorite couple looking the way I hope to look someday when I do the WCS. I’ll miss having a club that doesn’t do a ‘mixer’ or ‘snowball’ or any other enforced version of partner changing. I’ll even miss the predictable play-list that we’ve danced to almost since we joined the Boogies.

I guess I’ll just miss the Boogies.If you read this blog you’ll already know of the demise of the Brickyard Boogie Dancers, the club with the funny name that quickly became our favorite place to dance. I hope you’ll pardon my recanting the tale. Some part of healing comes from the retelling of sad stories and over time they become fond memories.

Goodbye to Brickyard Boogie Dancers

2010-10-24T08:07:00.003-04:00

It is with much sadness that Gary and I learned last night that our favorite dance club, the Brickyard Boogie Dancers, will be no more. I wasn’t completely surprised; attendance had been dropping over the last year or so, but still. It was very sad.

The reasons why could be as varied as the people who come. We filled out a survey where we listed some suggestions. If I had to sum it up I would say the BBD needs a stronger identity of who they are. Hopefully the club can return stronger than ever. In the meantime, there will be a giant void in our dancing venues.

If Melissa taught us how to dance, the BBD gave us a place to make dancing our own. People were friendly and accepting, and experimentation and individually was celebrated.

Thanks, Ron. We’ll miss you.

This Moment

2010-10-17T05:27:00.000-04:00

When I mention the foxtrot, you’ll probably think of a certain version of that dance. You’ll think about reverse poise, the man’s arms extended out and the woman draped over them like a garment with her face turned away from her partner. You’ll probably think of ballroom style foxtrot because that’s what most dance studios teach and it’s what the major brands (Fred Astaire and Arthur Murray would have you believe is the only way to dance the foxtrot. After Kelly and I made our Saturday trip to Cincinnati, I can tell you not only isn’t it the only way to foxtrot, it’s not even the original way of doing the dance.

We spent an afternoon with Rosie Lemkin of the Flying Cloud Academy. Flying Cloud is what’s referred to as a ‘vintage’ dance club, meaning they generally focus on the dances of the 1700’s, 1800’s, and early to mid 1900’s. This focus covers ragtime dances like The Grizzly Bear and the Turkey Trot as well as older styles like the Quadrille. Guess where the foxtrot falls into that mix? Well, the ‘fox’ part probably gives it away – the theory (at least Rosie’s) is that the foxtrot is a member of the family of animal dances that came about during the early 1900’s as a rebellion against the stiffness of Victorian social norms. In these dances not only did the dancers act out the aspects of the animals the names of which the dances bore, but they also (gasp) touched one another with more than extended fingers.

Thinking along these lines – that is to say, recognizing the animal dance roots of the foxtrot – it’s possible to start thinking about the dancer’s movements in a different way. In the vintage (20’s) version of the dance the footwork goes slow, quick-quick, slow, slow (as opposed to the ballroom slow, slow, quick-quick) and the motion includes a slight bounce with each quick. This bounce is meant to emulate a…trotting fox. If you’re not privileged enough to have witnessed a fox, think of a cat moving happily along. The bounce is subtle, not a hop or a jump just a slight bob with each step.

Personally, I love this version of the foxtrot. I think there are two reasons, really. Firstly it’s a dance of the twenties – that Wooster and Jeeves era that I love so much. When I tried the first steps of this dance I immediately felt transported to the twenties. I felt like a member of Wodehouse’s infamous Drones Club dressed up in waistcoat and cutaway and out for a night of jazz and champagne in the fashionable part of London. Secondly, there’s the fact that without reverse poise you’re left to look into the eyes of your partner. Yes, you came to dance with someone – there they are, right in front of you, so why not look at them? As Rosie said, “look into the eyes of your partner and get lost in the moment”.

To me that’s what dancing is all about, getting lost in the moment. It’s not about being the best on the floor, it’s not about showing off for the audience, it’s not even about knowing the steps to the dance. It is about enjoying the company of your partner and being totally present. Dance is a kind of Zen. The past is gone, the future not here yet, all you have is this dance – this stanza – this bar – this one note in this one moment. Look into the eyes of the partner you’re sharing the note with and get lost.

The ‘Billy and the Fox

2010-10-16T17:22:00.004-04:00

It was a very interesting dance weekend. Interesting…good.

We started off our dancing at Mike’s Dance Barn in Nashville, In., to the fabulous piano playing of Terry Lee and the Rockaboogie band. I know we sound like a broken record, but that band simply does NOT put on a bad show. Every time we’ve seen them they’ve been fab…and that’s not just Terry, but every band member. Rockabilly legend Art Adams was there too; we were sorry to miss him but we had to get up early for the last half of our dancing weekend.

Saturday morning we drove to Cincinnati, Ohio, to be instructed by Rosie Lemkin, a member of the Flying Cloud Vintage Academy of Dance to learn 1920s style Foxtrot. She was a wonderful, patient, and knowledgeable teacher. She packed an unbelievable amount into two hours. We learned a number of moves in two different rhythms.

1920s Foxtrot is very different from ballroom; no reverse poise, and it is much more bouncy. Gary and I both fell in love. Rosie also showed us a vintage style of waltz which we also really liked. But first we want to master the Foxtrot.

Check out the clip below. I posted a 1920s Foxtrot a few weeks back, this one is called The Baltimore, closely related. In fact, we learned a move today that is much like some of the swaying moves in this dance. The cool thing about these dances is that you can mix and match, create, and improvise. And doesn’t it look fun?

OMG, another vein of dance we’ve opened…

Rockabilly Options

2010-10-14T19:39:00.000-04:00

Ah, the fifties. I love the music of the fifties – Richie Valens, The Big Bopper, Buddy Holley, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, and dozens more all tearing it up with music that’s made for dancing. Kelly and I love rockabilly for its energy and spirit, it’s a part of the fifties that’s stayed alive and pure in its own little corner of the dance world. There are no ‘school figures’, there are no bronze, sliver, and aluminum levels, there’s just the music and the feeling you get when you’re out on the floor with the one you love.

So, if you’re in the market for a bit of old-school rock-n-roll this Friday there are a couple of options. Mike’s Dance Barn in Nashville, IN has the glorious, piano-pounding antics of Mr. Terry Lee and his Rockaboogie Band – geniuses in the style of one (face Louisiana and salute) Mr. Jerry Lee Lewis. Terry Lee and his band are a guaranteed good time and a guaranteed workout. There also is the Retro Rock at the Soda Shop held at Zaharakos Ice Cream Shop in Columbus, IN. Zaharakos is a place you really should visit if you have a chance. The ice cream parlor opened in 1900 and has an attached soda shop museum which is really cool. Unfortunately, I haven’t attended the Retro Rock event before so I can’t say what it will be like. We had to make the choice between the two and stuck with what we knew, Terry Lee…though it’s too bad we’ll miss the soda shop I know we won’t be sorry for seeing Terry Lee.

Time and Tide

2010-10-13T15:26:00.000-04:00

Memorial Day, 1893 and there's a buzz around the south shore of the Great Salt Lake. Imagine the thousands of Victorians, buttoned to their chins and sweating in the Utah summer swelter while they wait through speeches and ceremonial technicalities. Investors and LDS officials gather under the grand arch that marks the entrance to the great hotel and, though you can't see it, the ribbon is cut. A cheer goes up and the Coney Island of the West, the Great Saltair Pavilion has opened its doors.

The building is an architectural wonder - boardwalks and pavilions cantilevered out over the briny waters of the Great Salt Lake. The undertaking required the support of Mormon Church, the Las Angeles Railway Company, as well as numerous rich investors from Salt Lake City and the result of their investment was a marvelous gem sparkling on the shore of the Salt Lake. Workers drove over 2000 pylons into the salty mud and upon these pillars rose a house of music, amusement, and relaxation.

Thousands flocked to Salt Lake to see the Saltair to enjoy the novelty of the 25% salt water that lapped its beaches as well as a lineup of top-rated talent manning its bandstand. Summer nights brought ragtime serenades and the days brought soaks in the salt water and hotdogs on the boardwalk. The LDS church intended to be 'wholesome' and 'family oriented' however the Saltair soon ran afoul of its Mormon backers for selling coffee and tea and the establishment's being open on Sundays, all of which violated church doctrine. Regardless, the hotel and pavilion remained a success as America sought fun and music in the early twentieth century.

In its heyday, the Saltair advertized itself as having the biggest dance floor in the world. The vast wooden oval that accommodated hundreds of dancing couples would look like a football field to modern eyes. Overhead a forest of timbers supported the arabesque dome and wallflowers could enjoy a panoramic view of thousands of bathers enjoying the water which contained about twenty-five percent salt in solution. The salinity of the Great Salt Lake prompted the claims of 'You Can't Sink if you Try' that were painted on the Saltair's buoys, it probably was a great thrill for well-healed easterners to try that claim. After a day's swimming and strolling the boardwalk, guests would change into their dinner-wear to dine in the hotel's restaurant before spending the evening on the dance floor or taking a starlight stroll on the boardwalk. America's amusement park craze was underway and the Saltair stood at its forefront.

In 1925 a fire broke out in Ali Baba's Cave and, fanned by a stiff wind, quickly spread to other buildings in the hotel complex. The flames burned into the night, doing a half-million dollars of damage before being extinguished. An infusion of money from Mormon investors revived the Saltair , bringing it back 'bigger and better than before' but the '25 fire marked the beginning of the end for the Coney Island of the West. The world had changed in the thirty years that the Saltair had been in existence. Movies and radio dominated the American entertainment landscape and the population of the Tooele Valley (where the hotel was located) dwindled. Fewer people made the trek to the shores of the Great Salt Lake, choosing to spend their time and money on more convenient or more modern entertainments.

The Saltair struggled along until 1931 when an arsonist set it ablaze, doing $100,000 worth of damage. As if in collusion with the arsonist, that same year the waters of the Great Salt Lake receded, literally leaving its boardwalks and bathing beaches high and dry. The hotel's owners responded by constructing a railway line to ferry bathers from the hotel to the shores of the Salt Lake but even this measure couldn't forestall the tide of change brought the coming decade would unleash.

In 1941 the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and the US entered World War II. The draft took the men and boys who'd once worked at the Saltair and rationing curtailed the vital supplies needed to run a grand hotel. At the opening of WWII, the Saltair closed its grand doors for the last time. The hotel wouldn't reopen for forty years. During this time the hotel played host to a few special events including the 1962 cult film "Carnival of Souls" but having a hotel selected as the set for a horror film does not speak to the marvels of its preservation. The pavilions and grand halls had fallen into neglect and disuse and the once great Saltair had become a ghost of its former self.

In 1981 the growing population of the Tooele Valley and the proximity of Interstate 80 brought new interest to the aged Saltair. A new group of investors began construction on what would be called "Saltair III", bringing in parts of what had been an aircraft hangar for the construction process. Nature wasn't quite ready for a simulacrum of what she'd claimed and the new construction was promptly flooded by the waters of the Great Salt Lake which had receded from the site of the original hotel over forty years prior. Construction continued after the setback and today Saltair III is open and hosting events and concerts but it is a sad husk of the hotel whose name it bears. Perhaps it’s the old adage about silk purses and sows ears being paraphrased - maybe you can't make a grand attraction from an abandoned aircraft hangar. Whatever the case, I'm planning on making the trip to the site of Saltair I during one of my Utah trips. I plan to stand by the remnants of the boardwalk pilings.

When I'm there I'll cup a hand to one ear and listen for strands of Joplin and Goodman on the salty breeze and I'll look for spectral couples in tuxedo and evening dress, heading for the dancehall hand-in-hand. I'll smile and I'll think, time and tide wait for no one.

Flamenco!

2010-10-11T15:37:00.003-04:00

Gary and I attended a benefit event Friday evening for Joy's House in Indianapolis (alas, no viable public dancing), but we did get to see some fabulous flamenco dancers. I was absolutely enthralled.

The steps are very cool too, but I could not take my eyes off the women's hands...graceful swirls, passionate gestures, belly dancing-like wrist flips, salsa "holding the egg", all woven together into a style that is unique. I plan on working a few of the hand motions into my own dancing.

What I liked just as much as the dancing itself was the powerful feeling evoked by the women; female flamenco dancers seem to be saying I am strong, sexy, and elegant. And do not mess with me.

Check out the below video. The music is not traditional flamenco, but I chose this because the shadow style shows off the hands and body.

The Final Ball

2010-10-09T19:02:00.000-04:00

Its autumn and nostalgia has settled over the land - well, at least over me. Something about the smell of burning leaves and the approach of Thanksgiving sets me to thinking about the past. Not necessarily my past - that's both checkered and pretty pathetic - I'm talking about the past in an esoteric sense and all together Norman Rockwell sense. Anyway, when I get in that mood I peruse the web for history's spindrift: old photos of dancing, old ads with dancers, and everything dance related that sets me back in the middle of an era before I was born. The item that washed up on the digital shoreline today is this - a dance card from the 1940 'Final Ball'.

Something about that title strikes me. 1940, in one year the US would enter Word War II. The Nazis and their allies already held sway over much of Europe and the steady drumbeat of falling shells could be heard behind every aspect of American life. Many people had to know that it was only a matter of time before America entered the war, though few probably could have guessed at the carnage that would propel us into the conflict. Still, on the eve of war, life went on with all its frivolities. From New York to Las Angeles balls were held, music played, and young lovers danced the night away. In some circles it was proper etiquette to have a dance card, a printed list of the tunes that would be played through the evening which the ladies could use to reserve dances for gentlemen. It was the 'polite' thing to do and the origin of the phrase 'save the last dance for me'.

So, the Final Ball was held one night in '40 and on that night a lady donned her tea-length skirt, her cape-back coat, and her best hat before grabbing her clutch and heading out the door. Somehow, in the course of the evening the little dance card got forgotten, left lying on the nightstand or somewhere. She came home and put the dance card away and it got forgotten in all the joy and pain of the coming years surviving to this day as a token of an evening's expectations. An unspoken promise waiting for its moment without knowing that moment has long passed.

Maybe it's my age or my not being single but, unlike many things that I lament passing, the dance card seems like a thing whose time has come and gone. Now all of my dances are saved for someone. Maybe, when I was awkward and single, it would have been nice to be able to reserve three minutes to dance with a girl I liked. Maybe that would have been three minutes of bliss before the end of the Final Ball. Maybe, back in 1940, some dough-faced fellow reserved the second waltz of the night with our mystery girl. Maybe he toured around the floor, smelling her perfume and imagining that this dance could be the beginning of something, the kindling of a great fire that would burn through the decades until time made it mellow to embers. Maybe he carried that feeling home, buttoned up inside his coat. When the world fell apart, maybe he secretly carried it out of the landing craft and onto Sword or Utah beach where the cold water of the Atlantic and the misfortunes of time and place snuffed out the ember. Maybe eternity is a waltz, forever holding the one you love, forever living in that moment when your eyes meet and your heart skips - heaven is a thousand first dates, all of them better than you ever could have hoped. Heaven is walking home after the Final Ball with the smell of her perfume clinging to your coat, the harvest moon lighting your way, and the cool evening breeze stirring the rustling autumn leaves.

Casa Loma!

2010-10-08T08:34:00.003-04:00

Gary and I are headed back to the Casa Loma Ballroom for their annual Halloween bash. We're going as Major Nelson and Jeannie from the TV show, I Dream Of Jeannie. Gary is Major Nelson. :-) This year my parents are going with us. Not sure how they are dressing, but it will be fun having them with us.

WooHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Vintage Halloween Dance

2010-10-04T07:34:00.002-04:00

I love Halloween. My husband and I were married on this magical day. Halloween, in my opinion, has gotten a bad rap recently in some quarters as being evil. Sad. This day, or should I say night, is enchanted, but evil? Never.

Folks from yesteryear understood that ghosts and goblins should be given a healthy respect, but if well treated they could be interesting party guests. Much like living humans. :-)

Here is an old invite caption:

"At Hallowe'en a dance I'm giving, Come mingle with the dead and living; For I'm inviting spooks as well, Who will impart a magic spell."

And the accompanying graphic:

Now that doesn't look scary, does it?

Flutter and Blink

2010-10-01T09:23:00.002-04:00

Warning: Girl Post.

I’ve always wanted to wear false lashes; there’s something so glamorous about them. And, unlike others in my family, I was NOT born with a luscious fringe. Sadly, my lashes are thin, short, and sparse, even with several coats of mascara.

I’ve tried false lashes before. I didn’t have much luck. Patience is not one of my virtues. I either didn’t get them on correctly and half way through the evening I’d have a spider on my cheek, or else the glue was so strong I ripped out what few pitiful lashes I had at the end of the evening.

Well. Ether the glue and lashes have been improved or I’ve gotten more patient. I tried them again…and I LOVE them! I have a plain pair in brown, a couple with glitter, and a pair that looks like Cleopatra. You don’t have to spend big bucks; drug store ones at two dollars or so work fine, or there’s always ebay. Having tried them now, I have some pros and cons.

Cons

1) They do not work with glasses. If you wear glasses you will probably have to trim them, or else get used to the feeling of them brushing the lenses.

2) Most don’t look natural. I have a pair that is supposed to be realistic, but my husband, who isn’t best noticer (which BTW, I don’t mind…he thinks I look good in sweatpants), spotted them without me asking, as in, do you have fake lashes on?? If you want natural do those individual ones, half lashes, or wear mascara.

3) The glue dries fast. It says on the package wait until tacky, but I’ve found the time it takes my fumble fingers to get them on my lash line is plenty of time for tackiness to develop.

4) You can feel them. Well, yeah…something is stuck to your lids. You have to get used to that sensation.

Pros

1) Your eyes look huge and dramatic. For those of us who have never had long lashes, it’s awesome. And they come in a myriad of shapes, colors, some even have decorations. It would be very hard to glue rhinestones on your real lashes.

2) They now make eyelash glue that dries black; it looks like eye liner! Perfect. NOTE: I ruined a pair using what was called “remover”, some kind of nasty oil. You don’t need it. The glue just peels off like rubber cement

3) You don’t have to use any other eye make up unless you want to. And since you don’t need mascara when wearing false lashes, it actually takes less time to remove makeup.

4) You feel flirty. Pretty. Long lashes just do that. Wink.

Save Our Barn...

2010-09-25T18:22:00.000-04:00

I'm not a guy for causes. Okay, scratch that, actually I'm not a guy for talking about my causes. I come from the particular branch of Indiana men who believe your opinions should be like your underwear - covered up while in public. This isn't because I have any less faith in what I believe, it's because the world has enough yelling and screaming in it and adding to the din won't do a thing to solve any of the very real problems we have. Now that I've said that, I'm going to violate my own principals and recommend you jump in to support a cause that should be dear to anyone who is an Indiana-based dancer.

This past week in my usual haul of email I got the schedule for upcoming events for Mike's Dance Barn in Nashville, IN. I gave it a look, knowing that one of my personal favorites Terry Lee and his Rockaboogie Band would be playing there in October. I read through the dates, noting events I might like to attend until I reached one particular entry on the calendar that caught my eye.

October 3rd, Save Our Barn Benefit. That got my attention - I read further:

"Mike is having a FUNDRAISER today to help in saving the Dance Barn from impending tax sale.

PLEASE HELP us keep our entertainment venue going for your enjoyment with all the great music and dancing that is done here.

Benefit starts at 2:00pm and a buffet will be served.

There will several bands to entertainment you for the day and a silent auction. Any donations of items for the auction will be greatly appreciated as well as any monetary donations.

Cover charge is $20 and will include the meal if you want to eat.

Thank you for all your patronage and support thru the years. - Billy and Carla"

There it was, another dance venue potentially going under. Personally I think the Dance Barn is one of the best spots to dance in Indiana. The floor's kept in excellent condition, the sound is good, and the bands fill a niche that isn't addressed anywhere else. Where else can you catch a band like Terry Lee, have a good meal on the cheap, and generally have a great time? There are a lot of ballroom spots in central Indiana but nothing that caters to the country-swing element while maintaining a good safe-feeling environment where the dancing is the main focus. Mike's place is one of a kind and I hope you'll read this and flood the building like George Bailey's living room in It's a Wonderful Life. After all, tis getting near the season…

Dancing on Stone

2010-09-25T18:04:00.000-04:00

I am an unabashed Andy Griffith fan. Somehow saying so makes me feel a little like it's my first night at the local meeting of some kind of twelve step program. Hello, my name is Gary and I watch The Andy Griffith Show…

Anyway, it was my fondness for the show that initiated the trip we took this past week. We drove nine hours from Indy to Mt. Airy, NC to attend the 50th annual Mayberry Days Festival in Andy Griffith's home town. I'm unashamed and I'm here to tell you I had a hell of a good time. We rolled into Mt. Airy on Wednesday evening just ahead of a thunderstorm and after we'd settled in, we took a late night walk around the town. I think I'll remember that walk for the rest of my life. Not because I saw the birthplace of one of my favorite television personalities (though I did) and not because I got to see the town that inspired much of the show (which I did) - it was something different, something internal that I'm not sure I can put down in words. All I can say is standing there under an umbrella on the deserted Main Street of Mt. Airy, NC felt special somewhere deep inside. Since this isn't a fandom blog, I'll leave it at that.

Thursday, September 23rd we went to a dance at Surry Arts Council's Blackmon Amphitheatre. The Band of Oz provided the music for the evening - disco inspired shag tunes that were passably executed and inspired a lot of enthusiasm from the crowd. The surface, though, was granite blocks - the same kind of blocks you see outside sporting areas emblazoned with purchased dedications (in memory of mama or something like that). Let me tell you, granite makes a great bathroom counter but it's nothing to dance on! Besides being really hard it's not particularly slick and no two blocks seem to be set on the same plane. The result is you can't shuffle your feet for fear of tripping. Add to that a crowd that's been buying bottles (yes bottles) of wine for about an hour and you get a real mosh pit. We didn't stay too long for fear of getting hammered and falling on unforgiving stone.

The up side was, as we were getting ready to depart on Friday we got to see ourselves on the local news channel's morning program. There we were, swinging it. Talk about something that'll make you self conscious! If Kelly or I manage to get a clip from the news station we'll air it here. That should show anyone they can dance!

There Is A Time

2010-09-25T08:40:00.002-04:00

There is a Time is my favorite song by The Dillards, the bluegrass band famous in the 60s and 70s (they still play), and also were featured in the Andy Griffith show (The Darlings). The song speaks to wanderlust, and how you need to do your roaming when you are young. To me, the singer is older, wishing he or she had done just that.

Gary and I traveled to Mt. Airy, North Carolina over the last few days, birthplace of Andy Griffith and the mythical Mayberry; it was the show’s fiftieth anniversary. TAGS, as it is known to its fans, is Gary’s favorite show. To him, Mayberry represents all that is good in humanity: caring relatives and neighbors embedded within a simpler life.

We had so much fun. We both agreed the first night was the best, the town, bathed in mist and moonlight, was empty. As we walked down the streets of Mt. Airy, we really could imagine Aunt Bee running out and asking us if we wanted pie. The next day we saw more of the town and visited the museum. We were both pleased that for the most part the town hadn’t been fancied up; it was worn in places, but still scrubbed and proud, and not just because of Andy.

One of the added structures adjacent to the Andy Griffith museum is the Blackmon Amphitheatre, which hosts many a band. It also has a dance floor. The Band of Oz, a beach band from South Carolina, played the night we attended. They did mostly shag numbers, but Gary and I danced our respective swings and a rumba or two. We had so much fun. Yeah, the floor was hard and uneven (granite), but the moon was full, the music great, and Gary and I were together. Happy sigh. The next day as we were eating breakfast in the hotel lobby we saw ourselves on the news, dancing away.

It was fun to get away, dance at a new venue, and to fulfill my husband’s dream of seeing Andy’s home town. But it was nice to get home. Tonight we will be dancing on the home hardwoods of the Starlite with our favorite club, the Brickyard Boogie Dancers.

Band of Oz. Funny. I guess there really is no place like home.

There is a time for love and laughter
The days will pass like summer storms
The winter wind will follow after
But there is love and love is warm

There is a time for us to wander
When time is young and so are we
The woods are greener over yonder
The path is new the world is free

There is a time when leaves are fallin'
The woods are gray the paths are old
The snow will come when geese are callin'
You need a fire against the cold

So do your roaming in the springtime
And you'll find your love in the summer sun
The frost will come and bring the harvest
And you can sleep when day is done.
- The Dillards

Dancing in the Streets

2010-09-19T08:47:00.003-04:00

Dancing on concrete floors isn’t much fun because it’s so hard. But if the space is meant for dancing, at least it’s slick. A street isn’t designed for dancing…it’s definitely not slick, and you can add uneven, sticky, and covered with stuff you’d rather not step in, like say, gum. You have to dance differently. You can’t spin, so you have to substitute little steps. It works, although that takes up a lot more energy.

Despite the less than perfect surface, Gary and I decided to attend Lebanon’s Back to the Fifties street dance anyway. We had a blast! The weather was cool and not a cloud in the sky. Good food, good music, friendly people. There were some really fine dancers there. We saw a fabulous example of The Stroll and the Hokey Pokey. People were enjoying themselves and there were bunches of kids hopping up and down. I love to watch kids dance. They are completely uninhibited.

There’s something very authentic about a street dance…block off the main square, grill up some burgers, all while the band warms up. As the moon appears over old buildings, music wafts out over the crowd and dancers take to the street. The town really isn’t that much different than the 1950s, and for awhile it felt like we’d gone back in time.

I’d never want to live in the 50’s for a number of reasons, but a fifties dance seems to crystallize and preserve the best parts of that era. And a street dance is the very essence of dancing in the wild, my favorite kind of venue.

Well they've got a new dance and it goes like this
Bop shoo-op, a bop bop shoo-op
Yeah the name of the dance is Peppermint Twist
Bop shoo-op, a bop bop shoo-op
Well you like it like this, the Peppermint Twist

Lebanon, IN - Back to the Fifties Weekend

2010-09-18T08:25:00.000-04:00

The Lebanon, IN Back to the Fifties Festival advertized their Friday night dance as a 'street dance' and there was truth in that advertizing. For the first time ever, Kelly and I did our thing on asphalt…in fact between the painted lines of a parking spot in front of the Boone County Courthouse. There's an art to dancing in the wild. The surface is imperfect and sometimes treacherous - it slopes in odd ways, there are bumps and grooves, there are oil slicks and discarded chewing gum and you're dancing right in the middle of this mess. Some advice: wear sneakers, pick your feet up, don't get too hung up on technicalities, and just have fun. The dance surface is imperfect, you're not going to be perfect, and that's okay! You're not putting on an exhibition - you're having fun!

The band (the Sunsetters) was decent, they kept a good beat going and played some quality fifties tunes. Personally I love the music of the fifties for dancing. It's got a kind of joyful spirit - all the enthusiasm of a youth culture that hadn't faced Nixon or Viet Nam, when all that mattered was a girl and a cool car. Something about even the sad tunes won't let you get too down.

We had a great time. Who knows, we might be remembering the fifties (okay I hadn't been born then and Kelly was too young to remember them) again next year.

Memories of Days Gone By

2010-09-11T18:52:00.000-04:00

Once upon a time in America people stepped out of their homes on a Saturday evening and took in the quiet evening air. They donned their hats and strolled by the light of streetlamps and picture windows, gravitating toward some street named after a President. There they'd meet neighbors and coworkers, the ones and twos would become fives and tens, a stream of humanity gravitating toward a common spot.

That spot would be the town square, a small patch of trees and grass surrounded by storefronts, civic buildings, and monuments. Through the patches of night that gathered under the big oaks and maples of the square would drift the sound of music, the pied piper melody to which they all were inexorably drawn. In the shelter of a small pavilion the band would tune up. They might be a travelling band playing the Midwest on a tour of bergs and boroughs, getting a percentage of the gate for gas and food and not much else. Or they might be a collection of moderately talented locals buoyed up by the sentiment of the townsfolk, their ready availability, and the ownership of instruments. Whatever the case, they'd warm up as the people filed in and found their usual seats.

After a little futzing, the music would start. Maybe the tune would be out of key or the tempo would drag at first but steadily building to the full measure of its potential. The usual couples would take the floor, breaking the ice for the shy and beginners. In twenty minutes there wouldn't be enough room for a dime to roll across the floor. Dancers old and young, talented and not, would fill the hardwood and the night air would be perfumed with music and laughter for a few hours.

Afterward weary feet would tread the sidewalks. Dancers would stop to window-shop by the light of the streetlamp, then continue strolling arm in arm and talking happily. Doorstop farewells would be said, maybe with a quick peck by the moonlight. Home would seem warm and still afterward, the ticking of the mantle clock a pale echo of the music that only played on in the dancer's memory. When the lights were turned off and the covers pulled up, the breeze through the bedroom window would bear dreams of strong arms, sure feet, and sweet music under the stars.

Dance Ephemera

2010-09-09T14:51:00.000-04:00

Just to round out the dumpster diving...

2010-09-09T14:31:00.000-04:00

My usual trolling of the internet for ephemera turned up this postcard of the Gloversville Dance Pavilion at Mountain Lake near Gloversville, NY. If you follow this blog, you know that I complained a little about the slick, concrete floors of the Moonlit Pavilion at Cincinnati’s Coney Island and how difficult it was to dance in that venue. Coney Island's got nothing on Gloversville - imagine having a freight train go by while you’re two-stepping! Nothing like a blast of desil smoke to take the starch out of your suit.

Coming from the Midwest, I’m no big fan of NY. I automatically think of the choked, polluted, crime ridden city instead of the state whose name it bears. It’s an error on my part – a lot of NY is rural, pastoral land with beautiful mountains and forests instead of tenements and tourist traps. The attached postcard (below) of Mountain Lake shows the extent of my misconception. The scene could be of a park here in Indiana, except for the mountains – we tend to specialize in flat.

Actually, I discovered the train that zipped by the dance pavilion was electric and not diesel or steam-powered. Still I can’t imagine the sound of a passing train of any sort being condusive to a good night of dancing. A web site about the area reads:

“After five years of daunting construction work, the electric railroad made its inaugural run from Gloversville to Mountain Lake on August 23, 1901. The line started near the corner of North Main and State streets and climbed 767 feet over a mere 4.76 miles.

At the summit, the company had built a hotel, rental cottages, a shooting gallery, a casino, an outdoor theater, picnic areas, and a dance pavilion on a 140-acre wooded park surrounding the lake. Visitors could swim, boat and fish on the spring-fed waters, and the shore was served by foot trails and a small steam launch.”

I couldn’t tell whether the pavilion still stands. Aside from a few post cards and mentions related to railroading sites, evidence of the place has vanished. Maybe that's a subject to delve into on some cold winter day when all the outdoor dance venues in the country have fallen silent and all the bandstand play host only to ghosts. Dancing has become a kind of archeological dig for me, unearthing parts of the American experience that I never had the opportunity to be part of. Then again, maybe this is my part in them.

Guy Post

2010-09-09T14:02:00.004-04:00

I just read an article that described a study in which dancing movements were analyzed to see which ones appealed most to women. Big surprise (not), the “I don’t want to be here” posture was not appealing.

I would add that partner dancing is especially attractive to women, for a number of reasons. Let me count some ways:

1) She is literally in your arms.
2) Others can see her in your arms, aka, others can see she is loved.
3) It takes time to learn. Women appreciate that.
4) She can’t be mad at you if you’re dancing.
5) Dancing is all wrapped up with romance and a big evening out, and women love that. In fact, if you go dancing that’s often all you have to come up with.
6) Have you heard the expression “dancing is the vertical expression of a horizontal wish?” ‘nuff said.

Some other reasons just for you:

1) You get to lead.
2) You can demonstrate how creative you can be.
3) On the dance floor you can do anything you want and no one will call you girly.
4) Ditto clothing.
5) If you are partnered see list above. If you are single, also check the list, and know there are many more single women at dance venues than men.

Males dancing is NOT is girly. This is a very Westernized notion. Ask a Latin man sometime if dancing is “girly,” and you’d better stand back.

Latin men know dancing is not only manly, but very, I repeat, VERY attractive to women. It’s a natural thing guys….most males in the animal kingdom do it to impress a mate. So throw those feathers around or take some lessons. You won’t be sorry.

Check out the below video. I don’t believe anyone would call this guy girly.

I certainly wouldn’t.

The Good Old Summertime...is Over

2010-09-06T15:59:00.000-04:00

Labor Day weekend, the summer's come to an end and a fall-feeling breeze is wafting in through the office window. Kids have already returned to school. On my way home from work I pass one of the local mega-high schools and each time I drive by the boys are drilling for football while the band sweats in their uniforms out on blacktop parking lot, running through formations. This is the shoulder season, spring's riotous growth has run its course, summer's flowers have bloomed and gone, and the air is filled with anticipation. It won't be long before frost and eventually snow and the long sleep, waiting for the wheel to turn again.

This weekend we headed for Cincinnati and Coney Island again. The Moonlight Pavilion played host to the Pete Wagner Big Band, a local favorite and apparently an acquired taste. The night was perfect; cooling off into the fifties by the time the band took the stage. We danced the night away and hardly broke a sweat in spite of it being early September. I imagine there was a time - a time long before air conditioned dance palaces - when every dancer hoped for a night like we had. The blessing of clement weather should never be overlooked.

Pete Wagner's band (we were repeatedly reminded) has been a fixture for sixty years in Cincinnati. Back in the fifties they played the Moonlight Garden, a slightly different venue within the Coney Island park. They're skilled - on key with a killer vocalist - however a bit draggy for our tastes. In the first set I don't think we made it past a song that qualified as WCS. In the second set they overcompensated by turning up the speed on In The Mood to the point it was a flat-out run to keep a single swing going. Complicating matters, the floor was hard and slick and the crowd had no idea what the meaning of floor-craft is.

Still, we had fun. The essence of dancing is to remember that it's all about the fun. Some days that means dancing with a bunch of people who know how to maneuver the floor and listening to a killer band. Other nights it means looking out across the scrum while the band beats the life out of some poor swing tune and shrugging. So long as you're with the one you love, hey - it's all good.