Best/Worst of 2008

The time for lists is upon us! Yes, that time of year when every television station has some kind of 'best of/worst of' program scheduled for the week leading up to New Year's Day. I never had the chance to actually do one, I mean - when in your day-to-day life do you get a chance to rate anything you didn't just buy on eBay? So, yes, I do realize it's totally artificial and generally meaningless because we've all got our own opinions - but then I'm into meaningless so here goes!

Top Ten Dance-Related Things of 2008

10. The Paramount Theatre, Anderson, IN

Way back in March we made the hour trip up to Anderson, Indiana…potentially the ugliest downtown in all of central Indiana. The ugliness hid a small gem, though - the restored and preserved Paramount Theatre with its tiny upstairs ballroom. The band was, well…one guy and a synthesizer…but to put my feet on those historic planks was truly thrilling. Worth the drip for a Sunday afternoon and maybe next year we'll be able to make their annual Christmas Dance among the trees.

9. Indy Dancers/Brickyard Boogie Dancers

I'm not a joiner. I don't go in for clubs because at heart I'm a shy and reserved person (I'm also handsome, talented, and witty - this is my story) and I usually don't go in for socializing for its own sake. We joined both the Indy Dancers and Brickyard Boogies to take advantage of at least one dance a week at the Starlight Ballroom but soon we also were attending every-other-week dances at 8 Seconds Saloon too. The Dancers and Boogies have made dance a part of almost every weekend and sharpened our skills immeasurably in the process.

8. Rockabilly

So, swing can be a little like a costume party…especially when you're into some of the historic styles like Lindy Hop. Well, Rockabilly is the costume party you wish you got invited to. The music's fast, the dancing is loose, and the women dress like Bettie Page - the down side would be? Okay, so the Rockabilly crowd can be a bit of a monoculture and eventually you get a bit burned out on long sideburns, slicked back hair, and lounge shirts…but it's a hell of a lot of fun getting there, baby!

7. West-Coast Swing

I went into Left Coast Swing (my term) with some trepidation. I love East Coast Swing because it goes with the music I love, Big Band. West Coast rolls in jive and Latin influences to create a funkier, smoother dance that makes up for the loss of bounce with soul. We started West Coast some in the last quarter of '08 and it's quickly moved up the list of our favorite dances. I'm looking forward to getting better at it as the months go by.

6. Lindy Hop

The mother of swing, the Lindy is my very favorite dance to watch when it's done right. We throw Lindy into our EC Swing and knowing the basic Lindy Hop has made West Coast a snap. It's definitely the most aerobic dance we do and well worth the time we've spent learning it.

5. Casa Loma Ballroom, St. Louis, MO

What can I say about a place where you can do the Conga with transvestites? We went to the Casa Loma Masquerade Ball this year and it very well may be an annual pilgrimage. The neighborhood is awful - I mean post-holocaust awful - but if you can get past that fact you'll have a great time.

4. The Indiana Roof Ballroom, Indianapolis, IN

The Roof holds a special place in my heart. It's a historic ballroom that hasn't matured into an island amid economic and social despair. The ballroom is pretty much the way it was back in the 40's when Glen Miller and Benny Goodman made stops to play the room. Usually the floor is in great condition, the sound is wonderful, and there's a thunderstorm during the set break (insiders will know what that means). It's one of my favorite places to dance.

3. Starlight Ballroom

The Starlight is nothing special in terms of appearance. Look at our Flickr feed if you need to see what I mean - you could mistake the place for a small warehouse with ease. Inside, though, is a wonderful floor - spacious and maintained by people who know dancing - and (for us) it is amazingly close to where we live. This means every Friday night we can hop over for the Friday practice session, we can catch both Indy Dancers and Brickyard Boogie Dancers events, and we don't spend a fortune in gas money to get there!

2. Classes at Dance Master's

Without Melissa and Mark at Dance Masters we wouldn't be as good as we are - take that as a compliment or an insult. Melissa has been our long-suffering instructor for over a year now and during that time she's put up with our decision not to waltz, she's learned Lindy Hop, and she's fixed all the bad habits we picked up at swing festivals across the Midwest. I'm sure she's a saint of some sort.

1. Terry Lee and his Rockaboogie Band

Doubtless the most fun you'll have sober…and being sober is optional. Terry Lee and his Rockaboogie Band tear up some classic Rockabilly pieces, do Jerry Lee Lewis as only the Killer himself could, and generally put on a show worth seeing for a song. Add to that the fact that the leader of the band is personable and actually circulates among the fans, thanking you for attending and what can you say? He's the best thing that happened to us in dancing in 2008 - he inspired us to learn Rockabilly swing dancing, and he'll actually be playing a couple dates at Fountain Square in '09 - grab your dancing shoes and hit the doors folks!


What list show would be complete without a worst of? Heck, the worst is usually more fun to watch than the best because after it's over you feel a little less like a clod, right? I'm only going four deep though and I'll try to be merciful…see my halo shine?

The Worst of 2008

4. Drama Class Baby

So, I know that dance is the least natural thing on the planet aside from maybe Twinkies and spray cheese. People don't move in unison to a tempo set by instrumentation in an environment that isn't contrived. Still, number four goes to those people who seem to think the dance floor is their private stage and everyone else upon it mere shadows that they can dance through. Hey, if you're a contestant in the national whatever contest, do me a favor and dance there - I don't need you clogging up a public dance floor with your choreography.

3. Its Called Sheet Music

I've danced to great bands (see my best of list) - they make the evening, set the tempo, and keep the energy high. I've also danced to good DJ's - maybe the energy isn't quite the same but they still keep the hall bouncing. The problem is when you get a band composed of members who ought to be DJs. I've heard some bad renditions of In the Mood since I started dancing…I can only hope the people who rendered them will seek professional help in '09.

2. And Who's the Host?

So, you throw a party and as it gets going you realize you have half the amount of booze you need - what do you do? If you're a keen host you arrange to either have a friend play mercy grocer or you pawn the hosting duty off to your spouse while you make an emergency run. It's called hosting and it involves taking responsibility for the comfort and enjoyment of your guests - and frankly it applies to parties you pay to enter too. It's great when lots of people are attracted to a dance venue but with lots of guests the host's responsibilities grow geometrically…in the case of a dance party it means maybe passing out 'even/odd' numbers to limit the number of people trying to dance at once. Otherwise you might as well stand in an alley with a shot-filled sock 'cause you're stealing money from your guests.

1. Ms. Manners Says…

Oh, and though number two was about the responsibility of the host don't believe that as a guest you're free to do whatever the hell you like! Hey Mr. Crazy Knees, how about becoming aware that there actually are other dancers on the floor with you? How about getting your elbow out of my date's ear? How about learning to dance small because being in control is being good. The Worst of '08 goes to every clod who thinks it's okay to do a flying back flip on a crowded dance floor…just because they can.

So, that wraps up my entries for 2008. The first year of authoring Blue Suede Souls has been a lot of fun and I'm sure the second year will be twice as much! I hope you have a wonderful New Year. Drink a few strong ones, eat some good food, sing Ald Lang Syne, and kiss someone you love at Midnight - I hope your 2009 will be wonderful, rhythmic, and generally speaking a real blast.

Winter Wonderland

I want to go to a winter wonderland dance. You know that old song, It's a Marshmallow World? That's what I want.

The venue, I think, needs to be an old one. Like the Indy Roof, but something different because I've been to the Roof lots. I love it, but my winter wonderland fantasy needs to be a place I've never been. This venue has to have plenty of room, because there will be and lots of decorated trees all around the dance floor. Not evergreens. I want bare branchy trees with white lights. Snow is heaped under the trees and softly shimmers. It can be cotton. As long as it shimmers. Hanging from the ceiling are giant white snowflakes that gently glow. Don't ask me how to make them glow, I just want them to. Kind of that Harry Potter look in the first movie at the holiday dinner. On the dais a band is playing. The band members are in white tuxes. A female singer wears a silver sequined dress. They are in perfect tune and playing all my favorite holiday dancing music, most of which is on this blog. Probably not Smashmouth though. Behind them is a ginormous tree, this one is a holiday tree, trimmed to the nines with everything imaginable. Oh, and the bar is serving Champaign cocktails. They are complimentary, of course. It's my fantasy, OK?

So I'm dancing out on the floor with my husband (in a tux 'cause I know he would look hot in one), surrounded by other dancers who are all well mannered. They all have gorgeous clothing. I'm wearing a white velvet dress that is perfectly clean without any smudges. It stays that way all evening too. It twirls out nicely as I spin. Just as the music plays Santa Baby, snow begins to fall. Again, don't ask me how to do it. I just want it. I guess it can be fake.

At the end of the dance my man tell me he loves me and gives me a diamond something.

Sigh.

At least one of those things happen at every dance. And hey, I love rhinestones if this dream ever happens.

It's a marshmallow world in the winter
When the snow comes to cover the ground
It's the time for play, it's a whipped cream day
I wait for it the whole year round.

It's a yum-yummy world made for sweethearts
Take a walk with your favorite girl
It's a sugar date, what if spring is late
In winter it's a marshmallow world.

You're So Fun!

The Yule holiday has blown past with its usual whirl of wrapping paper and festive engagements. It's always a bittersweet thing, part of me is glad for things to slow down a little - I get to go into that winter hibernation I so dearly love. Another part of me is sorry to see the season pass…hey, I like Christmas ham and getting gifts as much (or more) than the next guy!

During the spate of parties, though, I noticed something that I thought was worth bringing up. We go to several holiday dances - some swinging parties, some ballroom dances - and during one of the more ballroomy events I received what I think is a compliment. I say that I think it was a compliment because - well - I'm just not so sure. We'd just finished an EC Swing and on the way back to our table someone stopped us and remarked that we were 'fun' dancers.

Fun? Fun how? Fun like a clown? Fun like a rollercoaster? Can someone else dancing actually be…fun? In the spirit of the season I took it as a compliment but the longer I thought about it the less I was certain that it actually was intended to be one. Something about it struck me as the sort of thing you'd say to a fifth grader after they'd portrayed a potted poinsettia in the school Christmas pageant…"Gee Tommy it sure is fun to watch you act!"

Then I wonder - in this context what's the opposite of a fun dancer? A dreary dancer? A serious dancer? A stoic dancer? Should I ascribe to be less fun in my dancing? Maybe I should throw in a few good frowns or glares to let everyone know that I mean business when I plie? Maybe I should contact the Dance Curmudgeon to figure out how to be taken more seriously.

Or maybe I should just be happy with being 'fun'? I think that's my course of action because - seriously - who wants to be so wrapped up in propriety that you can't have fun? I mean, why do you dance anyway? It sure as hell doesn't pay the bills (lord, with my taste in shoes and clothes it does the opposite) and I'm not going to win any contests (I'm fine with that, trust me). Aside from getting a good cardio work out about the only thing that's left is having…fun.

So to all your serious cats out there on the dance floor - all of you who are sweating the bend of a knee or the extension of a pinky - relax and look at me. I'm having fun!

Girls Only

Be warned. This is a girly post. Of course, if you boys out there are looking for some socking suffers, read on.

As I said way back when we started this blog, I think dancing encompasses everything. Or maybe it's just a good excuse for me to blather about anything I want. So. You've seen some posts form me concerning dresses and shoe pads. Now here's one about makeup. I love makeup. I love how I can look tired and decidedly lack luster when I get up, and somehow by the magic of makeup, look pretty good when I leave. I use lots of products to achieve this transformation, but very little of each. On a normal day it doesn't take very long. Hey, I've been doing it for 30 years. What else do I do every day? Brush my teeth?

When I go out dancing, I like to look more dramatic, and OK, it's an excuse to go back to the glittery makeup I wore in my twenties. Not as much...I think as one gets older one should tone it down. Smoky eyes look cool on a twenty year old, kinda scary for most of us in mid life. Dancing has some unique problems with makeup. Namely, you sweat. Nothing like a big 'ol streak of mascara running down your face to destroy that fetching look. Something I've been looking for a very long time is an indestructible eye liner, preferably not black. See my comment on smoky eyes above. I've used a few with varying success, some are too hard to apply, some don't last, some don't come in the colors I want.

I have now found the perfect eye liner. And with a few caveats, you too can have it. Let me first state I love makeup, but I don't love high prices. Don't get me wrong, I've over indulged at Sephora and loved it, but felt very guilty afterwards because of the price tag. And, my scientific side says most of the high prices are not justified...the formulas for cheap and expensive are not that different. You don't think so? Get a bottle of drug store shampoo. Now get a salon bottle. Look at the ingredients. See what I mean? I'm sure your hairdresser will argue amounts of said ingredients, but really, shampoo for the most part is shampoo. Same for nail polish. And other stuff.

But...occasionally, very occasionally, a product will surprise me. And Jemma Kidd eye liners were one of those. I found them in Target. I love Target. I could spend a good part of an afternoon there. Anyway. First, the bright colors of these liners caught my eye, so to speak. Ha. A myriad of bright, dare I say, neon colors, with a soft shimmer. Oh my. I quickly grabbed six, then put three back. I settled on a lime green, bright teal, and coppery brown. No price that I could see, but hey, I was in Target. How expensive could they be? Big mistake.

Turned out these lovely liners were 15 bucks a pop. Whew. Blew my budget for at least a month. My husband, sweet thing, told me not to worry. A Yule time treat. That evening I tried one. I still was a bit growly over the price. These had better be GOOD, I thought. I eased the brush out. Nice and small. This is essential, because I have no real talent for applying this stuff, if it doesn't go on smooth the first try I can never get it right. I swiped near my lash line , the formula was smooth and went on perfect. The color...oooooh. VERY pretty.

I'd never seen anything like it. OK. So far so good...but would it last? I wore it dancing. No streaks. No smudges. Unfortunately during a vigorous lindy, I felt something in one eye. I wear contacts. Miserable if something flies in. I rubbed it. Oh no, I thought, there goes my liner. I visited the ladies room and...lo and behold, the stuff was still there, looking as neon green as it had earlier. Now I started to worry.

Would it ever come off? But it did later on, just as easy as the rest of my makeup via the wonderful Olay washing clothes (another cool tool). So there you are.

But now that we're on the subject, how about a few more make up products? How about blush? First I have to say is a bit embarrassing because of the name of my favorite. Who names a blush Orgasm? But it IS fab, the brand is Nars. I've seen it used by dark and pale skinned ladies alike to the same soft shimmery goodness. The shade is a wonderful golden peach that seems to work with everyone. Very nice. You can get it on ebay, which I wish I done with the eye liners but oh well. I have never found the color in any other brand.

Nail polish. They were all the same to me, except sometimes the expensive brands like Opi sometimes have better colors, and then I found...Nailtique. This is not a color, but a fixer. When you put this on first (I like formula 2) your nails Will Not Break. Or split, shred, peel. OK, so I still break one now and then l, but I was using my nail as a tool. For normal activities, this stuff is magic. Also available on eBay.

The third and last makeup item. For those of you who do not have a pink under tone in your skin, this is a cool tip. Up to now, I have never found foundation that worked with my skin tone. I have a decidedly yellow tinge, NOT pink. Also foundation to me is rather yuk, but there are a few places I need it. I found two perfect items. One is Physicians Formula cover up in Yellow. You can find it in most drug stores. It's supposed to be an under eye thing and it does work good there, but I use it to cover any other unfortunate place on my face that needs covering .A little bit does it. I also like a very light veil of powder to set everything, but again, up to now all I could find was pinkish beige (terrible on me) or "translucent", which made me look like a ghost. Model's Choice (eBay, again), has a nice yellow tinged beige that works great for those who have a yellow under tone. (I refuse to use the word sallow.)

Oh, and girls, try brown mascara instead of black, even if your hair is dark. It does the same job but looks much softer. See my smoky eye comment above.

Oh dear, I've done everything except lips. I'm not a lipstick girl, I like gloss. Gloss is good, except when you dance you do NOT want a sticky one because your hair will stick or your partner will at some point get it on his shirt. For dancing I like Bonne Bell (drugstore) in Dr. Pepper. It gives a nice soft red tint, it's not sticky. Sometimes I use TINY bit of Venom gold shimmer over the top (eBay), but not too much or it will get messy.

OK, I'm done now. Hair goo at some point in the future.

Swing, Swing, Swing...

I knew there were plenty of swings. I read somewhere at least thirty varieties. Right now Gary and I know EC, WC, Lindy, and sorta rockabilly. We are learning that from a tape (Ms. Sophia out of Chicago, she rocks). Unfortunately, a tape just isn't as good as a real live teacher, even though Sophia has lots of cool moves. Anyway. Gary and I set out last week to experience the Carolina Shag, the St. Louis Imperial Swing, and the Arkansas Street Swing. I say "experience", because no way can one learn a dance in one weekend. Well, at least we can't.

It was a great weekend. Fabulous dancers, some of the best I've ever seen. The Shag was rather "meh" to me, it kinda looked like those Irish dancers that keep their upper body stiff and do the feet. The Shag is impressive, don't get me wrong, but maybe I'm just too bouncy for it. The Imperial Swing was cool and I liked the moved we learned, but I didn't see much difference from it and EC. The Arkansas Street Swing was another story. Loved it. Very slinky, and although we will be adding the move we learned to our WC, it was really different from anything we've done so far.

I find it fascinating that there are so many variations on swing, which I know there are that many on Latin dances too, and probably other ballroom dances as well. Which means that there will always be a new dance to learn.

Somehow, that's very comforting.

Old Home Weekend

Sometimes there's no place like home. I'm not talking about home where you sleep and eat and keep your stuff…I'm talking about those old, familiar haunts that you visit and revisit so often you know them as well as you know your own home. For us, the dance versions of these homes away from home are the Starlight Ballroom and the Indiana Roof Ballroom. If you've read my entries for the last month - and I encourage you to do that, I'm not writing for my health here - you'll already know that we've paid our last visit to the Indiana Roof for the year…sadly the Roof's New Years Eve festivities are only so-so even though they're held in spectacular surroundings. Tonight we're visiting the place we'll be spending New Year's Eve - Starlight Ballroom.

Starlight is kind of generic when it comes to the interior. It's just a square, new-ish building with a good floor - no points for style unless you call drop ceilings stylish. Still it's the location Indy Dancers calls home once every other Saturday and, therefore, so do we.

Really it's kind of funny when I think about having a 'usual' place to dance. I mean we've traveled from Iowa to Cincinnati to dance, we've attended workshops on Lindy Hop, Arkansas Street Swing, St. Louis Imperial Swing, and Carolina Shag, we're into taking chances with our dancing - yet here I am extolling the virtues of the same-old-same-old. Strange how wandering can wear you out. Maybe it's something about the time of year…Thanksgiving always has been a 'family' holiday for me and with Yule right around the corner maybe it's natural to start thinking about the kith and kin, home and hearth.

I guess that means for the rest of 2008 we'll be exercising the dance steps we've learned throughout the year on the floors we've come to know and surrounded by the dancers we've come to recognize (for good or ill). I'm good with that, really good with it when I think about it.

The Turkey Trot

So what do you do for Thanksgiving? A little turkey, a little dressing, maybe some mashed potatoes, and then a nap on the couch with the football game on the television? It's a good gig if you can get it - I'm all for the tryptophan and carb coma, in fact I often think about making my own turkey just so I can enjoy the leftovers! The turkey part got me thinking about a particular vintage dance that I remembered my father in law having a piano roll for (at least I think he does, I'm getting addled in my old age). The dance is the Turkey Trot and its part of the 'teens, ragtime fad for animal-based dances. Don't ask where the idea for creating all sorts of dances based on animals came from - I just know a walk through the list of dances will produce a veritable zoo. According to Mixed Pickles:

"The dance floor was turning into a barnyard. Rowdy new dances like the Turkey Trot, Grizzly Bear, Bunny Hug, and Chicken Scratch were invading dance halls. Like ragtime music itself, early ragtime dance steps and movements were born in the black community. Elegant European salon dances had always emphasized a quiet, erect carriage and dignified bearing. These dances, with their shoulder shaking, slouching and tight embrace were stomping and wiggling their way from rowdy west coast honky-tonks, bordellos and lower class dance halls to every ballroom across the nation.

Of course dance teachers were horrified. They saw these dances as vulgar if not downright obscene. Worst of all, these "animal" dances didn't require hours of expensive lessons, their simple steps could be learned by watching other dancers, or even improvised on the spot."

I'm getting off track, though…frankly I just thought it was funny to connect Thanksgiving with a ragtime era dance! Heck, you try to find a T-day dance! In the meantime here's what the Turkey Trot looks like. Go practice it and burn off one or two spoonfuls of mashed potatoes.