We were lucky to have our international guests Mary Travis and John Wentz from Seattle (sleepless) Washington, to stay with us for just over a week. Boy! did they keep us on our toes! The highlight of the week was its conclusion with the Jazz Club Ball on the Sunday night. There were many big bands to swing to and we claimed a corner of the dance floor and had the best time ever!
John left for the Whitsunday Islands to rest on a boat and Mary left for Sydney and to do some more dance lessons before she left the country. We were sad to see them go as we felt like we'd known then for years as they fitted in so well.
There were about 35 people who attended the workshops and we learnt fifteen or so Lindy Hop moves and some fun line dances: the Shim Sham and the Madison. The people who attended the workshop will agree, although it was a lot to get through in a short time, it was great fun.
We will continue with John & Mary's good work on Monday nights 7.30-10pm at Greenslopes Bowls Club with an hour of tuition, followed by social dancing, $5 admission.
We are hopeful of conducting more workshops later in the year. Rob Bloom formerly of London now living in Sydney can come up to Brisbane and teach some more Lindy Hop. As well there are several USA couples keen to come and conduct workshops in other styles not just Lindy Hop. If the numbers interested are sufficient, we can easily get these people over and Mary assures us, that, from her experience these workshops can be even more fun.
There will be a Lindy Hop workshop in Sydney late September with international Instructor Sing Lim from Singapore. Sing has been dancing for about 10 years, of which she spent five in London with the London Swing Society. She has attended workshops all over the world and has danced with the big names in the scene. Details for the two day weekend workshop can be obtained from Rob Bloom, we will convey information as soon as we get it If there is enough interest we may be able to get a group together to perhaps hire a mini-bus and organise cheap accommodation to do a trip down to Sydney. Or alternatively, if there is a lot of interest we can organise Sing to travel to Brisbane to do a workshop for us. Please let us know if you are interested, so we may organise something. Whatever happens we won't be missing out on this one!!!
Martin and Lucy please take lots of pictures because we want to see them when you get back. Hopefully Martin & Lucinda will be able to show us a few new moves when they get back. Have a great trip, we are all jealous!!!
If anyone is travelling interstate within Australia or in fact overseas and would like to know the hot spots for dancing or like some contact names to find out whats on and when, contact either Kim, Alby or Wayne and we will pass on what we know. We currently have contacts in London, Washington Seattle, California, Sweden, Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra and Adelaide.
OK, so not all the moves were crisp; heck, some weren't even smooth. But every single newly christened Lindy Hopper was having a ball! It was the 16th annual Jazz Ball hosted by the Brisbane Jazz Club, and eight different big bands were really swinging.
The Jazz Ball had put the closing touches on a week of Lindy Hop tuition. John and Mary - two esteemed American instructors - taught Brisbane how to swing, to Shim Sham, even to Madison; but most importantly to have FUN with their dancing.
John and Mary's infectious enthusiasm, that was their teaching - and living - style, carried the entire group through two fantastic evenings of dance.
So, a normally sedate Riverside Ballroom swayed with those enjoying a jazz waltz, but literally shook when the Lindy Hoppers took to the floor: if it was too fast to swing, a frenzied Charleston had to do - no one would stop dancing! In the not so distant past, Lindy Hoppers and other such "wild" jivers were traditionally cordonred off from the rest of the dancers - perhaps some of the Jazz Ball patrons thought that should still be the way?!
DONNA
Shorty's partner, Big Bea, towered over him and they often ended their routines in a signature comic move in which she carried him off on her back. Frankie Manning says that this move inspired him to create his first air step, in which his partner started out on his back and then she flipped over his head and landed on the ground.
Frankie Manning remembers his idol and sometime competitor at the Savoy this way, "Shorty was a great comic dancer who knew his art well, like Jack Benny on violin and Victor Borge on piano. He brought comical moves to Lindy Hop plus intricacies of footwork." [from World Lindy Hop Federation Archives & Archives of Early Lindy Hop written and researched by Judy Pritchett assisted by Frankie Manning]
"Shorty" Snowden who claims to have invented the "break-away" - and was made to give up dancing by his doctor in 1938 because his feet had been pounded shapeless (thank science for modern footware) - made the following scathing remarks in a 1959 interview:
"Lindy Hopping today seems to be mostly acrobatic tricks". " The kids don't stop to learn the fundamentals first - they just want to start throwing each other around. To be done right, the Lindy is mostly footwork, and now there's no real footwork any more. And they can't do it fast, they have to dance half time". [from the book JAZZ DANCE]
All revolutionaries mistrust the purity of those who come after them. We owe the dance the honour of earning the masters blessing.
Frankie started dancing in his early teens at a Sunday afternoon dance at the Alhambra Ballroom in Harlem, from there he moved on to the Renaissance Ballroom, which had an early evening dance for older teens, finally he 'graduated' to the Savoy Ballroom, which was known for its great dancers and swing bands. Frankie was competitive as well as gifted and became a star in the informal jams in 'Cats Corner' of the Savoy. He frequently won Saturday night contests and was invited to join the elite '400 club' whose members could come to the Savoy in daytime hours and practise alongside the bands that were booked at the Savoy.
Frankie was inspired by first-generation Lindy Hoppers such as George 'Shorty' Snowden and Leroy 'Stretch' Jones. However, in order to beat these two dancers in the competitions, Franky developed his own unique style which included the first ever 'airsteps'.
In 1935 when Herbert White brought together the top Savoy Ballroom Dancers into a professional performance dance group called Whitey's Lindy Hoppers, Frankie created the first ensemble dance routines. [summary of artiicle from World Lindy Hop Federation Archives & Archives of Early Lindy Hop written and researched by Judy Pritchett assisted by Frankie Manning]
Frankie retired from dancing at the age of forty to get a "real" job and raise children with his wife. He didn't start dancing again until the age of 80 years when he was coaxed out of retirement by Erin Stevens and Steven Mitchell who wanted to learn Lindy styling and the finer points of the dance.
Frankie Manning and Erin Stevens have since gone on to release a set of 5 instructional video tapes which are available for sale through the London Lindy Hop Shop. Three of the tapes are excellent instructional tapes with one dedicated to Shim Sham (a 30's Tap group dance) and the other tape is a biography of Frankie Manning's life and the history of Swing.
"All the ills of mankind, all the tragic misfortunes that fill the history books, all the political blunders, all the failures of the great leaders have arisen merely from a lack of skill at dancing".
(Published in Flagstaff Swing Dance Club, Inc. Newsletter, November 1993)
(Published in NTA (National Teachers Association) Newsletter,
February 1994)
Copyright 1973-1996 by H. Leon Raper. All Rights Reserved.
| Sundays | 5-7pm | Jazz Track | ABC FM 102.3 |
| Tuesdays | 8-10pm | Jazz | 4MBS (103) |
| Tuesdays | 9-11pm | Lady Jazz | BAY FM RADIO 100.3 |
| Tuesdays | 10pm-12am | Blues | 4MBS (103) |
| Saturdays | 9am-12noon | Wonderful World Jazz | RADIO 99FM |
| Saturdays | 5-7pm | Jazz Track | ABC FM 102.3 |
And last but not least Hope Island Radio will play Jazz and Swing 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from May 11 - June 5,'96 then won't be on the air again until October this year (can only get a 90 day licence). Unfortunately we don't have a dial number for you, but please try and find it and let us know your thoughts when you do.
Sun. Jun.2 Cloudland Dance Band with Irene Bartlett
Brisbane Jazz Club
Sat. Jun.8 Glen Miller in the Mood
Sherwood RSL June Ball $20 per head incl. Supper
Sat. Jun 8 Bob Massey's Mainstream Swingtet
Brisbane Jazz Club
Sat. Jun. 8 Swing Easy (5 Piece)
Kedron Wavell Service Club
Sun. Jun.9 Brisbane Big Band with Paul Goode
Brisbane Jazz Club
Sun. Jun.16 Jazz Factory (4 Piece)
Bongaree Bowls Club, Bribie Island 2-5pm
Sun. Jun.16 Cloudburst (Swing & Latin)
Brisbane Jazz Club
Sun.Jun.23 Swing Easy (5 Piece)
Kedron Wavell RSL (12-3pm)
Sun. Jun.23 Brisbane Big Band with Anna Rys
Brisbane Jazz Club
Sat. Jun.29 Glen Miller in the Mood
Redcliffe RSL
Sat. Jun.29 Mal Jenning's Jazz Giants (Louis Armstrong Tribute)
Brisbane Jazz Club
Sun. Jun.30 Swing Fever with Cheryn Lomas
Brisbane Jazz Club
Fri. Jul. 21 Noosa Jazz
Bongaree Bowls Club, Bribie Island 2-5pm
Sun.Aug.18 Swing Easy
Bongaree Bowls Club, Bribie Island 2-5pm
Sat.Aug.31 Glen Miller Big Band
Maroochydore RSL 7.30pm
Fri.Sep. 13 European Connection
Redcliffe RSL 7.30pm
Sun.Sep.15 European Connection
Bongaree Bowls Club, Bribie Island 2-5pm
Sunday afternoons each week - Up the River Jazz Band 2.30-6pm at the
Story Bridge Hotel - Bomb Shelter
Friday nights each week - Rock'n'Roll Band with Swing/R&B/Jive in the breaks at the Stones Corner Hotel.
Di & the Boogie Boys (Swing ,Boogie and R&B) - a must see Browns Plains Tavern June 15,22,29; Sunnybank Tavern July 6,13,20,27
These dates/venues were correct at time of print, however, we would recommend that you confirm these dates with the venues so that you do not have a wasted trip! Keep on Swingin'.
Swing Tuit is a Dance Society consisting of members who are dedicated to the Swing Dance Style. We would like to state that Swing Tuit in Brisbane is not a club but a group of people who are passionate about this dance form and like to go out and be social and most importantly have fun!
Our current members range in age from 22 to the more mature age of 60 something. The beauty of this style of dance is that you go as fast and hard, or as cool and laid back as you please and you do it with style! Age is no barrier.
Geographic area is also no barrier as the Society has International connections with Professional Swing Teachers in California, Washington, London, Singapore, Sydney and even locally in Brisbane. These connections are expanding as our Brisbane Society becomes better known.
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