Frankie Manning Foundation Ambassador Scholarships 2018

The aim of the Frankie Manning Foundation is to fulfil Frankie's dream of spreading the joy of Lindy hop around the globe.

The tireless passion of the FMF to realise this dream is occasionally underappreciated (and I hope to soon write an article specifically about them!) but one of the key ways in which the FMF have ensured that their labours bear fruit is by awarding scholarships to dancers from across the world.

These dancers are not only people who the FMF believe share Frankie's vision but they are also dancers who represent communities the FMF believe would benefit from extra support and who can serve as ambassadors for Lindy hop within their own local communities as well as within the global swing family.

As such, the FMF plays a crucial role by ensuring that anyone can be reached by Lindy hop and also by ensuring that Lindy hop is kept within reach of its roots.

Accordingly, these scholarships especially target those from African-American communities throughout the USA (who are chronically under-represented despite the celebrated origins of Lindy hop), those from geographical areas outside the USA where Lindy hop is in its early stages, and dancers who have participated in FMF youth programs.

As well as the honour of receiving such an accolade, ambassadors are awarded fully-paid scholarships to attend one of the world's leading dance camps (Herräng Dance Camp, LindyFest, Beantown Camp, ILHC, Swing Out New Hampshire) and are welcomed into a supportive community of alumni that offers as much help and wisdom as the dance camp itself.

But something that is often overlooked is that anyone can apply to be considered!

Applications for the 2018 Scholarship Programme opened last month and shall close on the 31st December 2017 so there is plenty of time to apply, and as someone who feels incredibly chuffed to have been awarded an Ambassador Scholarship in 2015 I cannot emphasise enough what an incredible experience it was and continues to be.

As I have mentioned, the FMF are keen to support dancers from some communities in particular but they welcome all applications and will consider each on its own merit, so for further information visit the Frankie Manning Foundation website.

A one, and a two, and you know what to do...

Herräng Survival Guide

With just under a week to go until this year's [2016] Herräng swings out for the first time, I thought I would share a bit of self-anointed wisdom based on my own experiences.

For people travelling from big scenes it's probably easy to ask a savvy someone for tips but as I didn't know another sinner from Northern Ireland who had ever been to Herräng before, it was a mad case of the unknown.

Herräng is hardly the uncharted tropics but as an animal behaviour researcher - having spent weeks living in tents in the back of beyond getting little sleep, battling mosquitoes and alternating between sun-cream and waterproofs in the same day - I can safely say the similarities with Herräng end there.

I did a bit of googling before my trip and that helped a bit (unsurprisingly, other people have been to Herräng and written about it), however, there are quite a few blog posts that simply instruct you to pack comfy dance shoes, a "say yes!" attitude and to "bring your best self!". hashtagsmileyface

Now, call me a cynic, but I can tell you that a bit of effervescence bubbling behind some pearly whites is just not going to stave off hunger or the Herräng flu. I do of course encourage you to head off to Sweden with a positive attitude (not terribly difficult for Lindy hoppers) but I thought I'd extend the list a tad and pad it out with a few tips that are are a bit more... tangible.

So whether this is your first trip, or you've been before but need a few reminders, here we go...

So you know what to expect, this is 'downtown' Herräng (courtesy of Google Streetview). That red building on the left houses the Kuggen and this is the most built-up area in the town.

Cash

There are no ATMs and nowhere does cashback, so whether you bring it from home or exchange at the airport, you really want to have enough Swedish krona (and NOT EUROS!!) with you. And more than you think. There are no hidden costs for the dancing, but some people, especially non-Europeans, were a tad shocked by the price of food and drink. FYI: it's not capitalist extortion, it's just Sweden being Scandinavian.

For larger purchases in the office, Lindy Hop Shop or in the Kuggen (the grocery store in the centre of Herräng) cards are accepted but for everything else, you need cash: cafes, laundry, bike hire, internet access, pop-up food wagons, bedding rental (all accommodation is bring your own bedding so you will need to rent that if you arrive unprepared).

Food

There are several food options in camp. Heaven's Kitchen is the main food hut/tent, whilst Café Blue Moon, Bar Bedlam and the Ice Cream Parlor (ICP to the cool kids) offer lighter alternatives. I really recommend buying a food card as it works out quite reasonable, the food is hearty, it's no hassle, and communal dining is a huge social activity in and of itself - last year I had dinner with Norma Miller, Dawn Hampton, Chazz Young, Chester Whitmore and a handful of the pros. That's some premium namedropping right there but my point is how open and convivial this place is and this time next year you too can write a smug blog post about it.

NB - vegans shouldn't expect a huge selection but they are catered for.

There are also a handful of pop-up food wagons in and around Herräng that offer pizza, noodles, and burgers, and the Kuggen is also there for your basic grocery needs.

clockwise from top left: outside one of the tent dorms, inside one of the tent dorms, private (bring your own) tents, laundry

Accommodation

As I've already said, you will need to bring your own bedding no matter where you're staying, but for those in any of the tented dorms be aware that you also have zero privacy. If you're a light sleeper, bring a sleep mask or ear plugs because it will be noisier and brighter than you're used to. If you are lucky enough to get a bottom bunk, some folk managed to attach spare sheets to the edges of the bunk above to create a slightly private partition but that will be the height of it.

Also, whilst the vibe in Herräng is overwhelmingly friendly, be aware that, yes, even in the Lindy hop community, there are unsavoury wazzocks with sticky fingers and valuables occasionally go missing, so take the necessary precautions or use one of the on-site lockers (although you must bring your own padlock).

Clothes

What you choose to wear to most Herräng socials/classes is entirely up to you and on any given night/day you could be surrounded by an impeccably dressed 1930s gent, a 1950s gal, some dude in a football shirt and tracksuit bottoms, a potential lumberjack, or a girl that looks like she just walked off the pages of a Zara catalogue. People generally opt for whatever makes them feel most comfortable and this is exactly how you should approach things too, but I also suggest bringing twice as many tops/pairs of underwear as you're thinking, or be prepared to launder, and for classes especially I really recommend light shorts or skirts and avoiding anything cotton (it gets wet and heavy). If you haven't yet considered buying a good sports compression vest, consider it.

That said, there are two nights that require more planning. Slow Drag Night (AKA blues night) on the Tuesday and the new Savoy night (replacing the Friday costume parties) are occasions for high vintage fashion so bring something a little special to avoid feeling out of place. On the Friday nights, smart dress (i.e. no jeans, tshirts etc) is now compulsory.

Shoes. Similar to what clothes to wear, your shoe choice is again entirely personal preference but if you can forgo style for a few hours a day, do it. Your feet will never have experienced such a pounding and if they don't want to dance, you won't want to dance, so look after them! The most comfortable shoes you own are the ones you want to wear to classes (although make sure they don't have too much grip or you will feel it in your knees).

Also come prepared for different dance floors. The dance tents (where most of the classes are held) have temporary floors that have a nice spring to them but can be rough and uneven, whilst the main ballroom in the Folkets Hus, especially if you experience it just after waxing, can be like polished glass.

Non-dancing gear. Something to saunter about in, something to sleep in, something to swim in, warm clothes, warm-weather clothes, wet-weather clothes. Bring the lot.

Health & Herräng flu

I fancy I've a decent immune system (years of drinking unpasteurised milk will do that) but after operating for two weeks critically under-slept, I definitely had a tickle in my throat and a cough for a few days towards the end. The best precautions you can take are: nap when you can (although I think I tried to nap every day I was there and every time I just ended up lying in bed thinking about dancing!), wash your hands regularly, and eat properly.

You may also want to pack cough-medicine, sun-cream and mosquito repellent but they usually have all you need at the Kuggen or Kiosk.

Definitely pack an antiseptic cream like Savlon - whether for mosquito bites, skin chafing or something else: I guarantee you will be glad you brought it.

Re-hydration chat can sound a bit 'personal trainer' but have a listen to me anyway - you want to bring an isotonic drink. Water may suffice for your standard weekly hour-long dance but it won't cut it when you're doing such a high energy activity for so long. Stand back, here's the science:

Drinking high volumes of plain water won't quench thirst but will make you feel bloated and will stimulate higher sweat and urine output. This depletes your electrolytes (sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, chloride, bicarbonate, phosphate, sulphate... all those things that are listed on the side of your average bottle of multivitamins) as they're what's oozing out of your pores and making your eyes sting; if you don't top them up you definitely will flag.

And do not rely on high sugar energy drinks - they will give you an ephemeral kick and then the extra build-up of lactic acid will leave you worse off. Look for a drink that includes carbohydrates (that's where your energy comes from) and best of all, look for it in powder form: last year, I took a single container of isotonic drink powder and it lasted for my entire trip.

Shower regularly. This sounds obvious but even if you are absolutely wrecked, have a shower before going to bed. Not only will you beat the rush in the morning but it will also reduce your chances of skin irritation (less chafing!) and means you are not climbing into an increasingly dirty bed each night.

clockwise from top left: approaching the checkpoint and looking up at Folkets Hus, looking down from the centre of Folkets Hus at the queue for the Daily Meeting, Dansbanan at 7am, Folkets Hus ballroom during the Hot Sugar Band set: dancing room was nonexistent & breathing room was a luxury

Additional tips

I really enjoyed the 9pm Daily Meetings but so did most people. So much so that the queues for them were huge; make sure you get there early (at least 20 minutes early).

The social dancing starts not long after the daily meetings and there are obvious peak social dancing hours when the floor is absolutely mobbed. Go earlier in the night, 9pm-11pm, and there is more space and it is more beginner-friendly, between 11pm-3am most people will be on the floor and your dance etiquette and floor craft needs to be on point, 3am-6am there are fewer people but the music can vary considerably between DJs, 6am-10am it's diehards running on steam but I had some of my favourite dances after 7am when some of the music got a bit wilder.

Notebooks are very useful as not all pros give video recaps and you definitely won't remember everything you've been taught.

Bring a needle and thread. If you need an explanation why, you probably shouldn't be handling anything pointy.

You do not have to dance at every available opportunity. Coming from a small scene and wading into Lindy hop mecca where the level is high, partners abundant, music fantastic and socials never-ending it was incredibly tempting to dance every given second. Depending on how long you are going to Herräng for, and whether or not you are taking classes, there is no shame in taking a break now and then. In the end, this is one of the things that will help you get the most out of your experience.

For any who can't bear to be without their mobile phones or internet, there is signal and there is also wifi (for a fee) but a lot's to be said for leaving the electronics somewhere safe and just interacting with those around you. Old school.

The Lindy Hop Shop stocks a host of vintage gear and dance shoes so if you come from somewhere where this kind of stuff is hard to come by, Herräng may be the place to get it. There is also a vintage hairdresser/barber on site and a sauna - you're in Scandinavia after all.

There is generally a two-dance standard in Sweden (something that doesn't exist in my own scene) so check with each partner to avoid confusion and/or insult. And this can work both ways - a partner sauntering off after the first dance can trigger a brief existential dilemma, whilst a partner continuing to hold hands and eye contact after one song has finished can cause an altogether different uncertainty.

And finally:

• hej - hello
• hej då - goodbye
• ja - yes
• nej - no
• tack - thanks
• fika - coffee break (very important!)
• ursäkta - sorry
• skål - cheers
• får jag lov? - may we dance?

Ha så kul!

The SwingSlate Awards: 2015 in Review

Maybe next year, Leo. Maybe next year...

March is just about to saunter off and April is chomping at the bit to get started yet here I am, finally, getting around to writing my review... of 2015.

First of all, I am sorry for leaving you in the lurch. I had most of this article already typed out in my mind well before December but the end of last year also brought with it two hugely significant moments in my personal life and caused me to rearrange my priorities.

On one hand, I met someone who I'm hoping will play a central role in my future, but on the other was the gradual and devastating loss of my grandfather who was absolutely central to the entirety of my past and will continue to be the model for my future self.

That's a pretty heavy statement to kick off an otherwise trivial article but I wanted to share nonetheless as it was for these two very different but important reasons that my spare time, when I normally write my articles, was otherwise occupied. But now, lets get things back up and running.

As far as swing dancing goes, I honestly don't think I'll ever top 2015. I brought in 2015 swinging out in Calgary, Canada and then departed for 2016 whilst teaching a group of friends the Charleston Stroll in Metzingen, Germany. In between I visited 16 countries, swung in 11 of them, attended 10 international events and I'm willing to bet a hefty sum that I'll never have another year like it ever again.

However, and despite all my raking around, last year didn't involve any hefty sums at all.

To begin with, at the start of last year I was given an obscene amount of unwanted airmiles that had to be spent before the end of October or they'd expire, so rather than blow them all on a single big trip I decided to see how many little weekends away I could squeeze in. Apparently, quite a few.

Once February was out of the way, I didn't pay for another flight all year, and add in that I had won passes to a couple of events and that I was fortunate enough to also be hosted by local dancers at several of these, the cost for my year of swing bliss actually wasn't too bad after all.

And on top of it all, and easily the highlight of my year, I was awarded a Frankie Manning Foundation Ambassador Scholarship that included an all expenses paid trip to Herräng Dance Camp.

I've reviewed most of the events I went to last year (a few still need written up!) so I won't go into any major detail again, although you can follow the links if you're curious, but I thought I'd at least try to put together an award list of sorts and I've arranged them by style.

Lindy hop

events attended
Galway Lindyfest
Herräng Dance Camp
Paris Swing Workshop
Dublin Lindy Exchange
Oxford Lindy Exchange

teachers
Norma Miller • Ryan Francois • Thomas Marek • Max Pitruzzella • JB Mino & Tatiana Udry • Henric & Joanna Stillman • Mattias & Hanna Lundmark • Peter Strom & Naomi Uyama • Vincenzo Fesi & Katja Hrastar • Mikey Pedroza & Jo Hoffberg • Manuel Micheli & Serena Rizzo • Nick Williams & Sylvia Sykes • Juan Villafañe & Sharon Davis • JeongWoo Hong & Crystal Lee • Anders Sihlberg & Marie N'diaye • Trisha Sewell & Martyn Nelson • Lucille Pinteaux & Marcos Agote • Skye Humphries & Frida Segerdahl • Nicolas Deniau & Mikaela Hellsten • Adam Brozowski & Valerie Salstrom • Remy Kouakou Kouame & Ramona Staffield

favourite event, teaching: Herräng Dance Camp, Sweden

It has the world's best teachers in one hallowed location. That cannot be topped.

favourite event, social dancing: Herräng Dance Camp, Sweden
It attracts some of the world's best students and when there aren't classes there are parties so you can pretty much dance 24 hours a day. Add in that you don't have the fear of work starting in 48 hours (in comparison with weekenders) and this place was just immense! Heaven on earth.

favourite teachers: Mattias & Hanna Lundmark
close contenders: Vincenzo Fesi & Katja Hrastar, JB Mino & Tatiana Udry, Peter Strom & Naomi Uyama

Considering the number of pros that I took classes from last year, this was not an easy decision, but with special mentions for the three couples also listed, Mattias & Hanna just snuck to the top of my list.

There is no denying that almost all of the pros appear very much still in love with their trade but some show it a lot more than others and Mattias & Hanna are one such example. Add in that they added a lot of theory and history to their classes, which were also challenging and yet still really fun (a 1-2 combo that not all pros seem to manage), and they were my favourite Lindy hop teachers of 2015.

favourite scene visited without event: Calgary, Canada
These guys made a solo traveller feel incredibly welcome and helped me kick off 2015 in style at a brilliant NYE party with swingouts and a lot of craic.

my favourite events & teachers of 2015, clockwise from top left: Herräng Dance Camp, Mattias & Hanna, HolyLand Open, Jordan & Tatiana

West Coast Swing
events attended
Budafest
Italian Open
Swingtzerland
Holy Land Open
Midland Swing Open

teachers

Coleen Man • Cameo Cross • Andrew Shellard  • Joshua Sturgeon • Arthur & Colleen Uspensky • Maxime Zzaoui & Torri Smith • PJ Turner & Tashina Beckmann • Ben Morris & Jennifer DeLuca • Kyle Redd & Sarah Vann Drake • Jang Wilder & Sylvie Burgnard • Lee Easton & Fabienne Henshall • Michael Kielbasa & Catriona Wiles • Maxime Zzaoui & Virginie Massart • Jordan Frisbee & Tatiana Mollmann • Maxence Martin & Virginie Grondin • Chuck Brown & Nataliya Kharlanova • Mario Robau & Melanie Stocker Bucher • Brennar Goree & Crystal Lambert-Auclair • Myles Munroe & Tessa Cunningham Munroe • Alexandre Peducasse & Christelle Antenucci

favourite event, teaching: Budafest, Hungary
Without even considering the fact that it's hosted in a beautiful 5* hotel that you can stay at for buttons, the teachers at Budafest are some of the best, the event is one of the biggest and it's one of the very few events that can actually manage student ability levels properly.

favourite event, social dancing: Holy Land Open, Israel
I cannot glow about the warmth of this event enough. The passion of the Israeli WCS community for their dancing is one thing but I don't know another scene that makes you feel quite as loved. Dances do not end with forced smiles, they end with hugs and genuine thanks. Every time. I. Love. This. Place.

favourite teachers: Jordan Frisbee & Tatiana Mollmann
close contenders: Maxence Martin & Virginie Grondin
Jordan & Tat are regarded as the Greatest Of All Time for a reason and their teaching isn't too shabby either! Maxence & Nini consistently give more individual attention to the students in their classes than any other pro couple I've learnt from, which really cannot be appreciated enough, but as I happened to be at two different events where they taught the same class, Jordan & Tat just nick it as every class I had with them was something new to me.

favourite scene visited without event: Reykjavik, Iceland
Maybe it's because I think this city has a lot in common with Belfast's nascent WCS scene, as it's passionate but small and friendly and not the easiest to get to from the major European swing hubs, but I really enjoyed my visit to Reykjavik and hope to get back again soon!

Additional Awards
overall highlight
receiving a Frankie Manning Ambassador Scholarship (it couldn't have been anything else!)

favourite pro moment
dancing with Katja Hrastar (Lindy) at Herräng and getting to see those swivels first hand

biggest pro fail
lacking the testicular fortitude to dance with Virginie Grondin (WCS)

best live act
Hot Sugar Band (Lindy). These guys are insane. Their performances were effervescent in the extreme and they 'overstayed' their allotted time at Herräng by a measure of hours. Immense.

best DJ set
Remy Kouakou Kouame's (Lindy) stint on Slow Drag night at Herräng was the funkiest set I've ever swung to. Utterly incredible music and I am devastated I didn't have Shazam on the rip!

favourite songs to dance to
Trying to choose only one song is impossible, and especially for WCS where I have a real love for so many (especially anything by Sia, Bieber, Ed Sheeran, and Sam Smith), but I've gone for three each... for now... and I feel inspiration for a much larger playlist-based article coming on...

Lindy hop: Charlie Barnet - The Right Idea  • Lionel Hampton - Lavender Coffin • Amos Milburn - One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer

West Coast Swing: James Bay - Let it Go • Betty Who - Missing You • Ellie Goulding - High For This/Omega Remix

favourite venue: Folkets Hus, Herräng.
close contender: Oxford Union, England
I don't think there is a more iconic building - still standing - in the Lindy hop pantheon, than Folkets Hus, however, getting to dance in such an historic venue as the Oxford Union at OLX was not far behind.

saddest moment: Paul & Sarah Neary leaving Galway
To see the progenitors of swing in Ireland leaving our Emerald shores for life anew in Birmingham was tough but I'm excited to experience their new scene in Brum soon!

most bizarre dancefloor moment: dancing off a girl's bra
It was Belfast Culture Night, it was a pretty up-tempo Lindy number and we had much of the floor to ourselves. We set off at a rare pace and fairly early in the dance, one of my partner's shoulder straps came loose on her bra. She rejected my offer to pause so she could fix it and instead, with a quick flick, she had the strap off and flung to her friend in the corner. A few moments later, and perhaps unhappy at having to do all the work on its own, the other strap also gave up and was immediately discarded in a similar fashion.

The tempo, however, was unrelenting and the whilst the main bit of the bra was doing its darnedest under the circumstances it apparently wasn't doing enough and must have been causing some discomfort because before I knew it the whole thing was whipped off; all without my partner losing connection or breaking rhythm.

and finally...
Reading this article, it sounds like I've had a brilliant time zipping about the place to learn from pros who do nothing but dance, and that's true, but it would be remiss of me not to give a massive thanks to my teachers in Belfast who also taught me both Lindy hop and WCS throughout 2015 after putting in full shifts at their jobs that same day: Sharon Matchett and Richard Turner.

There is no doubting the work that the pros have to do to prepare their classes (although for some that doesn't always appear true), but to come up with new class content on a weekly basis is not to be sniffed at.

Thanks also to my regular dance partner, Anna McLister, to Scott & Naomi Magowan for sharing their practice space and a lot of tips, and to Adib Ma'ani-Hessari and Carolyn Timpany for their teaching and event organising respectively !

2016 is already 3 months old but here's hoping it continues to bring great things!

Herräng 2015

Well... the issue is not where to start but how to finish before it becomes a thesis! I've decided to cheat by splitting my Herräng write-up into a few blog posts because I just don't think anyone has the stamina or desire to read a tome, and I'm certain that a single, short and sweet article just wouldn't do the whole thing justice!

Herräng was incredible. Utterly, utterly incredible.

I am sure people are used to me returning from a weekend workshop or something of that ilk and glowing about it, but Herräng was not just two days of dancing - I was at it for two whole weeks.

And after half a month of Lindy hop, swing and jazz with a sprinkling of slow drag/blues, shag, balboa, tap, street, and myriad other dance styles I'm not quite sure how to contain the hyperbole.

Forgive me if I sound as if I'm the first person to discover some previously unknown oasis - Herräng has been running for 32 years and with close to 5,000 dancers in attendance this year it is patently obvious that there are many others who have been there, done that and blabbed or blogged about it - but this was my first Herräng experience and it's impossible for me to be cool and nonchalant when it felt similar to my first excursion to Walt Disney World.

Arriving at Herräng! It was actually sunny most days - just not this one...

It got off to an interesting start flying out of Belfast when an admin error meant that 84 people attempted to check-in for a flight with only 78 seats. A few were convinced to wait for a later fight (there was no danger I was going to be one of them!) and we got away without too much delay but the knock-on effect meant arriving late in Amsterdam where I was told by an automated kiosk that I had missed my connecting flight.

Thankfully that wasn't actually true - the 'missed flight' notice is apparently just a  cruel prank  standard procedure when there is so little time between connections - but I was advised that if I actually wanted to make my flight I would have to adopt a considerably accelerated attitude to catch it.

I did. And we even arrived in Stockholm early, but then my luggage took an age to come out, leaving me just five minutes to navigate my way across five terminals in a strange airport in the hope of catching my Herräng shuttle - or else I would have to wait another four hours.

I arrived at the meeting point about 10 minutes after my shuttle was scheduled to leave and frantically searched for a waiting vintage horde, or a large sign, only to find nothing. So I made a dash for the coach stops in the hope I might see someone or something I recognised. Again I didn't, but what I did see out of the corner of my eye was a giant dancing banana enticing a merry band of travellers onto a small bus.

It was worth a punt so I legged it in their direction, legs flailing wildly, only to be asked as I approached "Are you Adam?!"

I have to thank Chris Gandhi for stalling the bus just long enough so that I could make it on, and after finding a seat beside the one person I recognised - Lucille Pinteaux, one of the pros from the most recent workshop I attended in Galway - we were off!!

The drive was a straight-forward affair but it allowed us to sample a bit of the bucolic Swedish scenery and eased us out of civilisation and into the beautiful bubble that is Herräng.

Woodside on the left, Folkets Hus on the right. Rather handy!

I checked into the camp and then moved into my home for the next two weeks at the Woodside - a purpose-built accommodation block which was about as close to luxury as you can get in Herräng as it was right beside Folkets Hus, where most of the action happens, and I only had to share four walls with one other person. And even then I only had to share for my first week as after that I had a private room all to myself!

My roommate was one of the other Frankie Manning Ambassadors, Tamisha Anthony from New York City, and she was incredibly sweet and a lot of fun to chat and hang out with (there were many failed attempts at naps when we were both in the room at the same time). As was a recurring theme throughout Herräng I was curious to learn how everyone's home scenes compared and it was really impressive to hear Tamisha's ambitions to establish herself in what is probably the most competitive Lindy hop market on the planet in NYC!! (all while also working as a freelance illustrator and designer - check out Tamisha's website: Puffed Sleeves!)

The queue for the daily meeting! With the Lindy hop shop in the background.

Tamisha and I then headed down to Folkets Hus to join the queue (at around 8:20 pm) for the 9 o'clock daily meeting and I must say that these meetings were one of the many highlights of the day.

They were compèred by Lennart Westerlund, whose slick hair and composed and shadowy initial presentation on the Folkets Hus stage elicited more than a passing resemblance to Hannibal Lecter before his fantastically dry and entertaining humour became evident and rendered him much more like a Swedish Dr Fraser Crane.

(It's worth mentioning that Lennart is arguably one of the most influential figures of the modern swing revival: he was one of the earliest members of the Swedish Swing Dance Society, a founding member of the famous Rhythm Hot Shots, one of the original masterminds behind establishing Herräng Dance Camp [and still very much a part of its organisation today], and the man responsible for bringing Al Minns and then Frankie Manning to Europe. He's also a peerless MC.)

The daily meetings served to share any important information with the camp (plumbing issues, taster classes and other activities that were on, schedule changes, guest speakers, etc.) but was also a variety show in its own right with live performances from the pros and the Herräng Chorus Line, video clips from days when swing and jazz were in their pomp, impromptu interviews with VIPs, and additional entertainment from Lennart, and it was all of a genuinely high production value that had me thinking that I should really go to see more shows at home.

Lennart with the results of the shoe survey!

As I was there longer than one week I was also impressed that none of the material was rehashed but was completely original every night. In Week 3 a theme of the meetings revolved around some genuinely interesting swing statistics that I am keen to share in a later article, many of which came from a PhD study by one of the dancers Ahter Sönmez (I thought my PhD was on cool stuff but doing one on Lindy hop is a whole other kettle of fish), but some of the research for these statistics was a bit more 'in house' including asking the female pros how many pairs of shoes they brought to camp: Alexandra Alhimovich topped the board at 14!

After the meeting concluded there was the option of either attending a talk in the Library, featuring one of the big names in attendance that week (Norma Miller, Chazz Young, Dawn Hampton, Chester Whitmore, Ryan Francois... Frankie Manning Ambassadors *ahem*), or going to one of the taster classes, of which there were usually three on any given night.

The tasters were led by camp attendees, often teachers in their own scenes, and covered all varieties of dance: slow drag, blues, balboa, collegiate shag, St Louis shag, solo jazz, tap, street, hip-hop, west coast swing, traditional Polish dance, as well as additional speciality classes on things such as 'dips on a crowded floor' and 'advanced flirting.'

And then after these had finished, normally at 11pm, beginners' hour kicked off allowing the less experienced dancers the opportunity to have the floor to themselves and music at a more accommodating tempo before the rest of us arrived and often stayed there until breakfast the following morning!

As for breakfast and other meals there were a number of options on-site or nearby with a couple of cafés and pop-ups all within walking distance. One of the perks of my Frankie Manning Ambassador Scholarship was that I was given a meal-card that covered breakfast, lunch and dinner in any of the on-site establishments (Heaven's Kitchen, Blue Moon Café, Bar Bedlam, Ice Cream Parlour) and it was immensely convenient - not only did I not have to cook or even think about what to eat but the food was of a pretty high standard (breakfast and dinner were also 'all you can eat!') and the dining tent was one of the best places in camp to meet new folk and get chatting.

It is also were a few of my Herräng highlights took place.

One of my first nights in Herräng Chazz Young announced at the end of the daily meeting that he wanted to speak to all of the Frankie Manning Ambassadors, so I accordingly introduced myself to him and was told that "Miss Dawn Hampton would like you to join us for dinner tomorrow night."

Now there's an offer I couldn't refuse!

Valerie Salstrom was also there and it was really great to get chatting to her, and the following week we also had dinner with Norma Miller and Chester Whitmore, as well as Sing Lim (the primary flagbearer for swing dancing in Asia), and Elliot Donnelley (one of the minds behind the Frankie Manning Foundation and a passionate supporter of Lindy hop).

Getting to pick the brains of Lindy luminaries on a one-to-one level was incredibly special, and I'm going to post another article about that shortly, but even just to hear some of their stories first hand was a fantastic experience. The library talks also facilitated that on top of a handful of lectures that were included in our class schedule from Dawn and also from Lennart.

Lennart's talk covered the background to the growth of Lindy in Europe and the beginning of Herräng whilst Dawn shared a bit about her own past and her love of Herräng before imploring us to always "let the music move you."

Dawn then put on a few of her favourite tunes and demonstrated this mantra herself, despite her obvious frailties at 87 years old, by dancing to Count Basie's 'Splanky' and Jimmy Lunceford's 'For Dancers Only' before queuing up one of the funnier moments of my whole trip with a bit of bhangra and then asking all of us to all get up and dance along with her.

Dawn dancing with Adam Brozowski

For these talks several classes were combined and in my case all of the advanced and intermediate-advanced classes were put together but, when Dawn hit 'play', you wouldn't have known it as an entire room of incredibly talented Lindy hoppers were immediately reduced to looking like an average wedding party. It was a fantastic equaliser to know how normal everyone was and it cracked me up.

Friday nights were the only ones that didn't have daily meetings but that was to accommodate the festivities of the big themed party nights and their associated activities and during my stay these themes were 'Become Your Opposite' and 'Invaders From Mars.'

I have to say, the whole 'Become Your Opposite' theme triggered a minor existential crisis and it was clear that plenty of people were similarly baffled by it as there wasn't much in the way of costume cohesion, aside from a few with their normal clothes on upside-down, backwards or cross-dressed. Either that or I was particularly unperceptive of the nuances in others' outfits but I figured that since I was surrounded by a whole load of folk who didn't know me, they probably wouldn't know who I wasn't... if you follow my logic!

The 'Invaders From Mars' party, however, was a lot more fun, was built up solidly throughout the week and it was obvious that people knew how they were going to turn out. And on top of that, they had bubble football!! I'd wanted to try that for ages so I was literally bouncing around with joy... and then mild concussion.

As for the actual dancing itself - socials and teaching - I'll talk about that in my next article!

Yeah... if you were expecting an article on Herräng to actually mention dancing you may now be feeling a tad shortchanged... sorry! But it's for your own good, seriously, this would have been far too long otherwise. Just believe me when I say that the dancing was rather good. And that would be a chronic understatement.

Also, it would be completely remiss of me not to once again thank the Frankie Manning Foundation for sponsoring my entire trip - flights, accommodation, food, classes, socials, the works! - through their ambassador scholarship but also for consequently putting me in a position to meet so many wonderful people that will surely have a huge impact on my dancing future and hopefully that of my home scene in Belfast.

It was an absolute pleasure to meet and hang out with the other FMF Ambassadors Tamisha, Brendan, Muriel, Josh, and Rafal, as well as so many other fantastic dancers, scene leaders, teachers and pros and I sincerely look forward to crossing paths with everyone again soon!

Frankie Manning Foundation Ambassadors 2015, L-R: Joshua Mclean, Rafal Pustelny, Brendan & Muriel Argent, and myself. Tamisha Anthony is missing from this photo but Frankie is also keeping a watchful eye over our shoulders!