Post about swing dancing, jitterbug, Lindy hop, Balboa, Collegiate Shag and music, Big Band, Jazz Swing, Hot Jazz, Western Swing, Jump Blues
~ Are You Passionate Enough to Try This Dance? ~ 4 Dancers. 3 Days. One World. An epic quest to seek out the world’s most difficult dances and the cultures which inspire them is the concept for the reality show: Uncommon Rhythm. Being a jitterbug and fellow adventurer, I had to share their story and […more…]
~ How we beat the end of summer blues ~ As another summer comes to an end, my mind reaches back to a wonderful end of summer when we were still living in San Diego, California… My haunches rested on cold asphalt, my son slept on a vintage wool blanket, another atop him. It must […more…]
~ How I Threw a Surprise B-day Swing Party ~ The impetus Driving over the Coronado bridge rain streamed down my window, Big Band belted from my radio, my hands smelled of smashed garlic, fresh basil and mint. I took a deep breath. Mixed with the rain it was heaven. I focused on delivering the […more…]
~ Shimmy Shimmy Shake: Magical Memories of Dance Joy ~ My chest was un-hitched, arms in open hug position. Breasts jiggled, nipples polished the inside of bras. Across from me, Ali had her chest thrust out, arms open, with a slight pelvic inward lean, she was “shakin like a polaroid picture.” Lizzy popped up and joined […more…]
~ Brightness: Swinging Blind ~ Mom had been blind for several years. The darkness came upon her in stages as the brain was dying from necrosis. The radiation that killed the tumor killed her sight. She had a new friend. Sure she’d had friends BEFORE she went blind, but this was different. Her new friend was […more…]
A Vintage Visit Home-Adventures in Dance Longing for Lindy My navy 30’s lace-ups clicked on the sidewalk as I walked myself to the dance for my visit home. The school auditorium perched between two rows of classes, creating a U-shaped courtyard. A vendor displayed t-shirts, shoes, stickers, and Lindy paraphernalia. I stopped and fondled the Remix […more…]
~ Rock the Casbah: Lindy Hop Mosh ~ The night started out good. I fit into a vintage creation I hadn’t worn in years, a spicy little pant jumper sewn from a late 1930s pattern done in red and white gabardine with blue striped trim, very WWII. We arrived at the infamous Casbah Club early, […more…]
~ Lindy Hop at the Historical Chisholm Trail Ballroom ~ Remembering the Night Smelling of mango and mandarin, I arise from a steamy bath pink, glowing and inspired. The Belgium White Ale softens the edges of a long week, permitting my recall of the weekend’s frivolity: the grand opening of the Chisholm Trail Ballroom in […more…]