A few folk had noticed that the look of my blog had changed but a few more were briefly confused if they had ended up on a completely different page altogether, so this is just a quick public service announcement to confirm those suspicions: the Swing Slate has been redesigned.
As to why - that is due to one reason in particular.
For my previous background I had made a montage of photos of the dancers who have had an influence on me and how I (hope I) dance. Some had influenced me directly through classes and workshops, some indirectly via videos online, and in the case of a few significant others it was my way of paying homage to historical figures who have played such a key role in establishing the dances that I love.
But recently, a couple of dancers on my background were identified as the subjects of a string of allegations and I certainly do not wish to lionise any such individuals so I thought it best to change things up. And I'd also like to apologise to anyone who may have been offended by the presence of those individuals on my background while it was up.
For my redesign I also thought I would give a bit of a nod to the music genre and era that I love above all else: Rock & Roll and the 1950s.
Adroitly this also allows me to side-step the issue of picking sides between a 1930-40s aesthetic that might be more reminiscent of the original Lindy hop generation, and a more contemporary theme to celebrate my other love of west coast swing.
So before any swing-era purists or WCS aficionados point fingers querying my blog allegiances, know that I am sitting squarely on the fence!
Interestingly, when I was doing a bit of research on period-authenticity I disappeared off down the wikipedia rabbit hole and found articles on gramophones/phonographs, microphones and all sorts of things that I may share later (e.g. the gramophone logo I had been using previously, had been modelled on the iconic Victor V and, like many gramophones, would have been extinct long before the swing era!).
Finally, if anyone finds any bugs or issues with my new site please let me know and I shall try to fix them as soon as I can!
As Belfast continues to blossom, and more and more new people come to classes and socials each month, it's always worthwhile asking a newbie for a dance or two.
For me, having a chat after (or during!) a dance is also largely unavoidable, and one of the things I usually end up asking is whether these newfound recruits have done any dancing before, often with my inquisitiveness driven by how rapidly the new dancers seem to pick things up.
Whether they are entirely new to dancing or have come from another style makes their nascent prowess no less impressive, but in the case of the latter, there are usually little giveaways as to their dancing background.
Salsa dancers have their hip sway, ballroom dancers are upright, ballet dancers are always on their toes, Irish dancers are upright and on their toes and have their arms straightened by their sides, and street/breakdancers have exaggerated rock-steps.
And I am sure that there must nuances of other dance styles that would seep into how someone swing dances (I don't know how to recognise them yet!) but nearly every time I ask if my hunch is correct it is misinterpreted as criticism. That couldn't be further from the truth.
I think of it in the same manner as having a chat with someone whose accent suggests they aren't speaking in their mother tongue - it's out of a genuine fascination that I'm curious to hear where they grew up, rather than any form of antipathy. And just as a slightly different cadence in someone's speech adds a little extra colour to their words, the unique colourful timbre of an individual's dancing adds to the myriad hues of a dancefloor.
In fact, speaking with an 'exotic' inflection doesn't even have to mean having origins in a different country - Northern Ireland has enough heterogeneity in its accents that you can tell when someone is from further than 20 miles away; and then it's considered polite to express amazement at how far they've travelled.
On top of that, accents not only reflect a dancer's background but can also reflect the background and culture of an entire community, country or continent, and the more I travel or watch videos online the more I start to recognise different aesthetics within our global swing family.
As a related historical note, two flavours of Lindy hop were considered to have developed in the USA in the late 1930s and early 1940s and were labelled as 'Savoy'-style and 'Hollywood'-style, as per their origins.
'Savoy'-style was so named for the Savoy Ballroom - the vaunted Harlem home of 'Shorty' George Snowden, Frankie Manning, Norma Miller and others, whilst 'Hollywood'-style became synonymous with Dean Collins: an erstwhile Savoy dancer who left New York in 1936 for the silver screens of Southern California and took his own brand of Lindy hop with him. (And depending on who you talk to, Collins is also considered the progenitor of west coast swing.)
The perceived differences between 'Savoy' and 'Hollywood'-style (and why the use of such labels has been abandoned by contemporary Lindy hop) have been thoroughly considered in an excellent article by Bobby White, but whilst these particular labels no longer hold water, I do not think I'm alone in recognising nuanced differences in the vernacular of current European, Asian and American dancers with regards to technique, styling and even demeanour.
What I', trying to emphasise, and especially to the new dancers, is that none of these differences has more merit than another: variety exists, and the global swing dancing community is all the healthier for it. So whether it's between or within scenes, on an international level or on an individual one, in all circumstances these differences celebrate the motley provenance of what is your own style.
We all speak the same swing language, we just do so with different accents.
After waiting for what seemed like an age for it to arrive, the inaugural Birmingham Bounce has already come and gone.
For me it very nearly didn't happen at all, courtesy of delayed flights and lost, then found but damaged luggage, so I eventually arrived on the Saturday afternoon a tad knackered but raring to go.
Sadly, however, that meant I missed two highlights - the classes by Tatiana Udry, and seeing Swing Belfast's own Anna kicking ass in Friday night's competitions: coming second in the strictly finals with James, and third in the jack & jill.
I'm sorry not to have been there cheering Anna and James on but, just as I had mentioned before, anyone representing Belfast was not shy of support as I think we ended up taking about 35 people to Birmingham, and to say I am not also immensely proud of that in and of itself would be an understatement.
I don't think I've ever been to an event with more than three others from Belfast, so to more than decuple* that number (*yes, it's a new word to me also) was a glorious thing. But quantity isn't much without quality and from the many accounts I heard it sounded like everyone represented Swing Belfast with distinction.
In fact, when I got chatting to Paul on the Sunday afternoon, he told me that a number of people had even described the Belfast dancers as being "aggressively friendly", so it's clear to me that the enthusiasm and warmth that I fell in love with in our nascent scene is also an exportable quality!
Having such safety in numbers I think also proved to be a brilliant way for some of our newer dancers to experience their first ever big event and as I'm sure all of them would agree, the weekend itself was a lot of fun and a fantastic introduction to Lindy hop outside Belfast.
The weekend's teachers were Swing Express' own Paul & Sarah Neary and Scott Cupit & Jenny Thomas with Felix Berghäll rather enviably teaming up with both Tatiana Udry and Katja Završnik (probably my two favourite follows on the planet) for their partnered workshops, and between what I experienced and what I heard, it seems that the classes all went down a treat.
As I said, I missed Tatiana's classes with Felix but I was determined to make up for it somehow and decided that the Saturday night social was where to do it. Not only was I going to try to make up for the dancing I had missed that morning, and indeed the night before, but I was also going to attempt to compensate for missing out on a class with Tatiana by asking her for a dance.
I've commented before how my confidence escapes me when approaching my favourite top tier dancers and as the Birmingham Bounce was my first weekender in over a year, it's safe to say that I was feeling distinctly chutzpah-lite. But the second I rediscovered some testicular fortitude and actually approached Tatiana it turned out, unsurprisingly, that she was absolutely lovely and every bit as spectacular to dance with as to watch.
My erstwhile reticence was then completely shown up by some of the newer Belfast leads (some with less than a year of classes under their belts) who walked straight up to Tatiana and the rest weekend's pros and asked one or all of them for a dance: Brett, Curtis, Luke and Mark and a probably a few more didn't even blink, and I believe a few of our follows did the same!
And then when the inevitable jam circle kicked off, the Belfast crowd once again showed up and made us proud with about a third of the dancers who took the floor hailing from our scene.
Furthermore, a special mention must also go to Mark and Kristina who, despite being one of our newer couples, waited out the regular jam cool as you like and then bounced into the middle of the action as the fabulous Basin Street Brawlers really started to crank up the BPM.
All in all, it was a really fun weekend of dancing that I hope whetted the collective appetites of the 30-odd Belfast dancers for whom this was their first big event. A big thanks must go to Paul & Sarah and Swing Express for putting on a brilliant inaugural Birmingham Bounce (as well as an apology for taking so long to finally write this up but I'm using wedding prep as my excuse!) and I'm sure we're all looking forward to our next trip to Brum!
About a year after I'd started dancing I thought I’d get myself a proper pair of dance shoes rather than making do with old brogues or DIY suede-soled gutties (a.k.a. ‘Keds’ in non-Northern Irish parlance), and after spotting a dancer on youtube sporting a handsome pair of two-tone cap-toes I knew exactly the ones I wanted. I just had to find them...
Following some intensive googling I happened upon a company called slide&swing and very quickly spied the shoes I was seeking, but having now found the pair I desired it took considerable effort to restrain said desires and not also buy a few of their other styles. Although, that restraint completely dissolved when I was in Barcelona last year [2016] and got to visit slide&swing HQ.
In fact, it seems I am definitely not the only one to be a little taken by the slide&swing styles as none of their shoes I wear have ever failed to draw compliments or questions of their provenance (and I think I can comfortably say no other brand is more popular in my home scene of Belfast!).
However, aesthetics are only half the battle and if they aren't actually fun to dance in then, as my granny might have said, they'd be all fur coat and no knickers! But I'm more than happy to share that these shoes are an absolute joy.
The upper leather is incredibly soft, so they have a slipper-like comfort from the off, whilst the leather soles verge on the paradoxical as they are flexible enough to allow for ease of movement whilst retaining enough rigidity to ensure an even weight distribution that makes slides much smoother. Plus, they are fantastically light, especially in comparison with regular brogues or Saint Savoys which means I no longer get that 'heavy feet' sensation after a lot of dancing, and the all-leather sole definitely reduces strain on joints.
So, as no other brand has enticed me to greater expenditure over the past three years than slide&swing, I thought I would get in touch with their founder and CEO Laura Barbao to find out a bit more about the company's origins and inspiration.
Laura, thanks for taking the time to answer my questions! I imagine deciding to make a niche product was a scary prospect. What was your drive behind it?
Seven years ago when I was dancing many hours every week, I didn't have any good shoes for dancing and couldn't find any good brands at a fair price. I could only find Aris Allen but after I bought a pair they only worked well for two months before the soles began to fall apart.
I also go to thinking about all of the leather shoe factories we have here in Spain and especially in Alicante, which is Spain's most important region for shoe production.
It's great that you could tap into a proud Spanish industry! Do you have a background in fashion/footwear or was this a completely new challenge?
I'd never worked on anything to do with fashion or footwear so this was/is my first experience in that world but it's amazing when you start to work in something new (and everything is new!).
And how long did it take to go from the initial idea to having a marketable product?
I started the slide&swing project six years ago after attending a lot of training courses for entrepreneurs here in Barcelona, and we produced our first collection after a year and a half.
You are obviously as passionate about the shoes as the dance - are the rest of your staff all dancers as well?
I'm the only one of the slide&swing staff who swing dances, the rest of the staff are specialists in their work! :)
Laura with a few of slide&swing's designs. Photo credit: Dacil Azulcasiverde.
Your styles are so varied and quite different from the offerings of other dance shoe companies - from where do you get your inspiration?
We mix vintage styles with modern styles, materials and colours. We have a lot of books about shoe design in the vintage era, but we also really like shoes in general! We follow some actual designers we like and we make a lot of prototypes trying different leathers and colour combinations, etc.
We believe slide&swing are a brand who can make vintage styles for the present time, for present people with present materials and colours. Just like some of the clothes we like to wear, they've been made recently but are vintage-inspired along with many other influences.
And how do you go about deciding on a new style? As Barcelona has a brilliant swing scene - do you get feedback from local dancers or international pros?
From the first moment we thought about men's and women's shoes (and only flats initially) we sought feedback from some professional dancers. Some of them are from Barcelona and others are from France, Germany or the USA.
All of these dancers have given us really important tips because they dance many hours every week and we want to ensure we can produce a great product. That said, to us it's really important to pay attention to all the comments we receive from all of our customers because they help us to improve and mature our brand.
As well as the great look of your shoes they also feel incredibly soft and supple, not to mention light - what's the secret?
All of our shoes are handmade in Sax, a small village in Alicante, in a little factory where they work with really high quality materials and professionals from the shoe world. They also work with other brands and have a lot of experience as shoemakers so they have helped us a lot from day one. When we visited we talked about what we wanted and they helped us source really good leather.
The only secret is to look for the highest quality leather and pay the price to get it; if you have great leather and employ top craftsmen, you will get a really good product, and if the price of this product is a fair price, then I think you will also have a good business.
Well now a question I personally want to know the answer to - have you any plans to make more men's boots? Because if you were to make a men's equivalent of the 'Alice' cap-toe boots in honey leather I would be overjoyed!
Yes of course. This was our first year manufacturing boots, and we think the cap-toe model could be even more popular than our men's Chukkas, so we are now working on our new products for next winter, thank you very much for your comment. We think honey leather is one of the most comfortable, soft and beautiful colours (for men and women). :)
A slightly more pragmatic question, but - what is the best way to care for your dance shoes to ensure they have a long life?
Just like our own skin, brusque changes in temperature or humidity are the greatest enemy of leather shoes and as slide&swing are entirely made of leather it is important to keep them hydrated by rubbing some moisturising lotion into them once a month. It is important to moisturize the leather sole as well so that it doesn't crack over time.
If your shoes get too damp then the best solution is to fill them with kitchen roll or newspaper and wait at least 24 hours for them to dry out completely. Once dry, remove the paper and apply a good coating of moisturising lotion all over the shoe (inside, outside and on the sole) and leave them for 24 or 48 hours so that the lotion is absorbed completely.
It's normal after a while that small abrasions or scratches may appear in the leather and for this shoe polish can be used. The leather sole may also become worn after prolonged usage, but this does not mean that the shoe needs to be thrown away. It is possible to take the shoe to a cobbler for them to add a half leather sole like the original or a rubber one if a non-slip sole is preferred.
the shoes that started my love affair, and the storefront in Barcelona
Great tips, thanks! I've seen your shoes in a number of fashion magazines - do you exclusively make dance shoes?
We have a lot of customers who aren't dancers but who love our shoes because nowadays it is very difficult find this style of shoes. A lot of brands make similar shoes but with rubber soles, or a mix of leather/glue/rubber, so some people prefer to spend a little bit more to get better quality shoes that are full leather and handmade in Spain!
And are you considering other products?
We've been considering making other leather products, but at the moment these thoughts are on standby and we're focusing exclusively on making shoes.
I've seen a number of well-known pros in slide&swing shoes! Have you a list of famous customers?
We're honoured that pros are dancing in slide&swing shoes! Some of them are:
Sonia Ortega
Héctor Artal
Laia Puig
Gustav Jakobsson
Ali Taghavi
Katja Uckerman
Alice Mei
Frida Segerdahl
Tatiana Udry
Pamela Gaizutyte
Ksenia Parkhatskaya
And finally, where's the best place to pick up a pair of slide&swing shoes?
We have our own shop in Barcelona (a very little one, hahahaha) and of course there is our website www.slideandswing.es but you can also get our shoes from a few other vendors: the French store Vinsinn now sell some of our shoes at festivals they attend, Claire Chen sells slide&swing in Berlin, Footlight stocks them in Finland and we also have a stall at Herräng Dance Camp!
Muchas gracias a Laura for taking the time to answer my questions and my best wishes for slide&swing's future!
Is the rest of this article even needed? Look. At. That. View!
[NB - this interview is from 2017]
As I proudly shared in my most recent article, the swing scene in my home city of Belfast, Northern Ireland is now growing apace, but there are of course myriad other scenes across the world with different stories yet similar trajectories and it is exhilarating to hear about them and what they're bringing to their respective cities.
Without question, one of the most exciting up-and-coming scenes is that of Cape Town, South Africa, which is one of only two Lindy hop communities on an entire continent and last year [2016] they hosted Africa's inaugural international Lindy hop event: Mother City Hop.
Through my Frankie Manning Foundation scholarship in 2015 I was fortunate to meet a couple at the vanguard of the (South) African Lindy hop community - Muriel and Brendan Argent - and I was able to hear the plans and enthusiasm they had for their swing scene in Cape Town.
Last year [2016] these plans came to fruition and Mother City Hop was by all accounts a massive success, so with MCH 2017 just a few months away, I got the opportunity to chat to Brendan and to learn a little more about how things all came together last year whilst also getting a preview of what's yet to come.
Brendan, from what I've heard, Mother City Hop went really well last year and yet it was your first ever event! How did you manage to pull it off?!
It really was a wonderful event and we got a lot of positive feedback, which was gratifying after the hard work! I think the international Lindy hop community was keen to support it, because it was the first big festival on the continent and we had contributors to the crowd-funding campaign from all over the world.
Having a really solid and enthusiastic team was key to it all working out. We also spent a lot of time speaking to experienced organisers from other events, so even though it was a first for us, we were able to learn from their combined experience. And then the teachers also deserve a really big thank you, they were there to step into gaps and help out when things got a bit chaotic. Obviously a thriving local scene is a necessary bedrock for hosting a large event but I read, incredibly, that Cape Town Swing has only existed since 2015! How'd it all begin and how big are you now?
The first swing classes in Cape Town started in late-2011 thanks to Jeannie Elliott. A small group who had been learning from YouTube discovered that she had moved to Cape Town from Texas, where she had been teaching Lindy hop for 10 years. She started Boogie Back Dance Co. (a Lindy hop school) soon after that, and the dancers who were learning from her formed the Cape Underground Swing Syndicate to coordinate social dance opportunities. By the time Muriel and I started dancing in 2013, that group had largely moved on to other things and so we and a few others took over and rebranded as Cape Town Swing at the start of 2015.
At the beginning we could maybe draw 30 dancers to a party, but by Mother City Hop 2016 we had 85 dancers register from South Africa, which was basically every Lindy hopper in the country. In total we had 168 dancers at the festival, so about 50% were from overseas (representing 17 different countries). In the last year, in part due to the exposure from the festival, we have grown steadily and hope to have over 130 locals at the festival.
a class in full flow in one of MCH's beautiful venues: Youngblood Africa
I noticed a brilliant scholarship scheme on your website - how long has this been running and how do you raise money for it? Can anyone make donations?
We started the program in late 2015, and managed to award scholarships to five talented and enthusiastic dancers in Cape Town prior to the festival. They were each given free classes and their transport to and from home was covered.
For the funds, we basically set aside a percentage of our revenue from parties, but we also opened a “Pay It Forward” option on the Mother City Hop ticket sales last year, which helped a lot. It’s a really important program that we hope will help grow the Lindy hop scene beyond the city centre and the limited demographic in a very segregated city. If anyone would like to donate, they can do so here: mothercityhop.com/pay-it-forward I hope you can continue that great work! I also remember from last year that you linked up withMozambique's swing scene - is something similar happening this year?
Yes, there is a growing swing community in Maputo and they are having an exchange in the week before Mother City Hop. Last year it was amazing, they are so welcoming and though the community has very little in terms of resources they are incredible dancers and it's a very special exchange. Check out a video of last year's MASX (Maputo Afro Swing eXchange) here.
It is really cool to hear that Africa's two nascent scenes are so supportive of each other! For this year's MCH I see that once again you've a fab teacher line up but what can you tell me about the bands?
Finding swing bands has been a huge challenge for us. One thing our scene really lacks is good live music for dancing. Both of the bands that played last year no longer exist, and although there is a big jazz culture in Cape Town, it’s not very dancer friendly and we've struggled to get bop-heavy musicians to see the value in good old-school swinging jazz!
[...that sounds a lot like Frankie's struggles in the 1940s!]
We have a Big Band project that is very exciting, with a group that has just started working on some classic big band charts. If anyone is able to support this project and help us cover the costs of the music, venues and transport (many of the musicians live quite far from the city centre) that would be much appreciated but we're hoping to have a set ready in time for the festival!
Ryan Calloway leads the Hot Baked Goods in San Francisco, and he will be working with a smaller group of local musicians in Cape Town prior to Mother City Hop, so they will play one of the nights. We do have a growing DJ group that has been keeping our dance floors jamming. This is led by Lise-Mari aka DJ 20th Century Fox, who DJs primarily from vinyl. We’ve also been discovering some really great South African swing that was played in the townships during apartheid (particularly Sophiatown, which was known as "Little Harlem"), like this track by the Manhattan Brothers. I'm sure dancing to some local swing music will be a brilliantly unique experience! Your workshop & social venues look incredible - can you tell me a bit more about them?
Venues are always a challenge! As in many cities, there is a constant battle to keep live music venues open. There are sadly very few venues where music can be played after 11pm. We have however found some really stunning venues for our parties.
Oudekraal, the venue for our welcome party is a private beach just behind Table Mountain. We'll go there for sundowners and then dance under the stars on a specially prepared dance floor! Our main feature party is at a stunning ballroom at the Italian Club of Cape Town, which has a beautiful sprung wooden floor. We're going to keep our other two venues a mystery for now, as we'll be doing a big reveal soon!
another brilliant workshop venue, with Remy Kouakou Kouame showing the way
As well as the obvious dancing and warm greeting, what else should people expect from Cape Town and the tours you've put on?
Cape Town has something for everyone! Right under the mountain, there are hikes and trails just two minutes away and beaches in all directions, but besides its beautiful landscapes it also has a rich history and there are some very special museums and galleries worth exploring. Cape Town is famous for its diversity of culture, architecture and food and especially for its hospitality and we can't wait to welcome dancers to our city!
Something often left off the tourist brochure is the huge inequality in the city. Most of the city's population lives beyond the city centre in areas with fewer facilities, transport and opportunities. Due to the apartheid laws, people were forcibly moved to areas according to their skin colour, and sadly the city is still very segregated along these lines.
One of the stops on our tour package is a visit to one of the biggest townships. We don't support 'poverty tourism' and have been very careful in planning this so as to be sensitive about it, but we think that it’s important to see both sides of the city and it's also an opportunity to support some of the local businesses and cultural activities. That's very admirable and I'm sure it'll be hugely informative for the hordes of visiting Lindy hoppers! I imagine most visitors may be coming from Europe/USA so getting to South Africa may initially appear more expensive, but how do daily expenses (accommodation, food, drink, public transport etc) compare to a European/US city?
There are some great flight specials on at the moment, so people might be surprised by what they can get away with in terms of airfares, but in terms of daily spending, a meal in Cape Town will range from R40-R90 and a beer from R20-35. Uber is very cheap and convenient with trips around the city centre from R20-R30 and longer trips like to/from the airport about R90-R120. There is also a fantastic new bus system (MyCiti) which works out even cheaper. March is busy in Cape Town and accommodation fills up fast, but prices for a night’s stay range from R450 (a nice backpackers) to R900 (guesthouse) to R1500 (hotel). Dancers can also apply to be hosted by local dancers. [TheSwingSlate has conveniently averaged and exchanged those prices into GBP, EUR and USD: meal: £3.90 / 4.60€ / $4.90 beer: £1.65 / 1.85€ / $2.05 taxi: £1.50 / 1.75€ / $1.90 hostel: £27 / 32€ / $34 guesthouse: £54 / 63€ / $68 hotel: £90 / 105€ / $113
That's a lot more affordable than the major European or American cities that travelling Lindy hoppers visit! Over a few days it may well offset the higher flight prices! In case anyone inexplicably needs further convincing, do you have any videos from MCH 2016 or to showcase what a gem of a scene you've got?
Yes! We have an iCharleston video from 2015, some great photos from last year's MCH here, and below is the event highlights reel!
And finally, for any other growing scenes, what tips do you have to turn things into such a success in such a short space of time?
Outdoor dancing is the best way to draw people in. People love the music and can see how much fun the dancers are having, it’s infectious! This is definitely the number one piece of advice I would give.
...that may be brave in Northern Ireland but I suppose it did Gene Kelly no harm!
Apart from that, things that help: broaden the net. Target older folk and younger folk. Teach kids in schools and then teach their parents. Universities are also a great place to draw the student crowd. Get a strong team together so that no one person carries all the work. This is another way to keep people involved, as it makes them feel part of something. There can be a role for everyone.
Someone to coordinate DJing, someone to inspire the scene with the history, someone in charge of welcoming new dancers, someone in charge of scene safety etc. Link up with local musicians if you can. But Lindy hop speaks for itself and if people see you having a good time on the dance floor they will want to learn too :)
Brendan & Muriel casually getting in some practice on a local saunter.
A big thanks to Brendan for taking the time to answer my questions, and he tells me there are still a few tickets left so if anyone wants to visit the one of the world's freshest and most colourful swing scenes, visit the Mother City Hop website and get booking!
Attendance at one of Swing Belfast's weekly classes
Last Saturday night I was at our first social of 2017 and as things started to heat up I noticed that dance floor space was at a premium. This may not be rare at many events and rarely is it welcomed at any, but seeing it in Belfast made me feel incredibly proud as it was proof that our scene is very clearly growing.
We have successfully hosted events in and around Belfast for the past few years where there have been north of 120 people trying to find space on a large dancefloor whilst a live band provides the soundtrack. But such events occur only 3-4 times a year and the bedrock of a scene is not the occasional big night out, when the swanky corner of your wardrobe is perused - no no! 'Tis the humble weekly social that provides the bread and butter of a healthy swing diet!
The weekly social is when someone's mp3 playlist is on shuffle (DJ optional) and folk are bouncing onto the dancefloor to practice everything they've recently learnt or perhaps they are taking the opportunity, drink in hand (and some freshly baked desserts if doing it the Swing Belfast way!) to really get to know others in their home scene.
For much of the first year after I started dancing in Belfast, we didn't have regular socials and actually getting to practice was entirely dependent upon you being free on one of those rare nights that an event reared its lovely head, or upon nabbing a partner with whom you could meet up outside of class.
But now, in the year that I celebrate my third swingaversary, we have regular social dancing every week and our scene is in rude health.
I should clarify that I'm not trying to take credit for my scene's growth but merely sharing that I have witnessed its genesis first hand: Lindy hop classes have gone from 6-8 people to 60-80, from one class a week to four, west coast swing numbers have quadrupled, we've seen the creation of our first regular monthly social, the addition of weekly mini-socials after classes, the establishment of a second monthly social, and now we are surging towards the delightful dilemma that soon we may need to find a bigger social venue.
It. Is. Incredible!!
And on top of that, a further measure of our scene's evolution shall be proudly on display at the Birmingham Bounce in March this year when Swing Belfast shall be represented by around THIRTY dancers - and that, once again, makes me swell with pride.
I have been to quite a few events over the past couple of years and as much as I have thoroughly enjoyed myself when flying solo, a lot can be said for travelling in a crew.
Having a few familiar faces by your side as you assess an unfamiliar dancefloor (especially when your confidence matches your ability and neither are high) can be immensely comforting whilst the craic to be had from four close friends sharing a room (when it really only has enough space for two people) is something else.
But I have yet to attend an event beyond Ireland's shores with more than three other Belfast dancers, so the idea of rocking up at the Bounce with about six times that number is hugely exciting for the following reason:
I choose the events I go to, not just because the teachers are good or the host city is interesting, but because I've met amazing people at previous events who left me thinking that I absolutely had to visit their home scene.
So considering how many brilliant Belfast ambassadors we shall have in Birmingham, I am well and truly stoked that others may think the same way and start to wonder when they are going to visit our home scene.
About 16 months ago Galway grieved and Birmingham bubbled as Paul & Sarah Neary swapped the West of Ireland for the West Midlands so I thought it was time to find out how they were getting on in their new home, how Swing Express was progressing and also to find out a bit more about the big event they have planned for next year: Birmingham Bounce.
Paul, it's almost a year and a half since you both upped sticks and moved. How long did it take for you to feel properly settled and at home?
I'm not sure that we've yet achieved that. The place we're living in was always meant to be short-term, so it always feels like we're just waiting to find that alternative place where we will be comfortable and set up as 'home'. Work-wise Sarah has a job she is very dedicated to, and has grown enormously in that role, which is great. From the dancing side of things, it's been slow going but things have gradually begun to take shape. It's an extremely different set-up to Galway, and the relationships we've built with dancers here are very different to the relationships we built in Galway.
One of Galway's strengths is the intimacy of a buzzing scene in a small city and I have mentioned a few times how much I love dancing there so what do you love most about Birmingham? Is it possible to create intimacy in the second largest city in the British Isles?
Galway and Birmingham are so different. In fact, I shouldn't say Birmingham, I should say the West Midlands, as our classes take place in Birmingham, Coventry, and Sutton Coldfield. I've even done a fair bit of teaching in Leicester. Our classes are very spread out, so you rarely the see the same people twice in any given week. In Galway there were always die-hards (they know who they are!) who I would see three or four times per week. You got to know people very quickly and become really familiar with them. Our current set-up makes that a bit harder, but we've been lucky enough to meet some really great people and those relationships have slowly come.
I will say the dancers here have been very supportive, especially the ones that are a little more removed from Birmingham city itself. Our dancers in Coventry and Sutton Coldfield, for example, really appreciate having some classes in the their local area and not being forced to travel to find a dance class. They really have gone out of their way to make us feel welcome.
In comparison with starting a completely new swing scene in Galway (and by extension, kicking things off in Ireland as a whole), how did getting started in Birmingham compare? New obstacles or was it much easier the second time around?
Mate, so, so different. As an instructor you're always trying to work out what people need to know. As a scene builder you need to work out what people want to know. I've walked into an established scene here where people are used to things being done a certain way. That's not necessarily a bad thing - it's up to me to adapt to that mindset. Some people are really hungry for new ideas and to hear a different perspective, others not so much. It's my job to walk that line, try and keep everyone interested and work out inventive ways of delivering my message as an instructor. Walking in to an established scene has presented some really interesting challenges, but has also given us a great opportunity to practice what we preach and work together with local schools. We've worked really hard on that and just a few months ago were part of the team that delivered the first ever Birmingham Lindy Exchange: BrumLX with two other local schools. It was a great test for all of us to see how well we played with others :-)
In terms of the dancing and students, how has your first year gone? Did you have many already established local dancers who came along or has it been a fairly new thing for most of your crowd?
It's been a mixture. Our Sutton Coldfield class (to the north of Birmingham) and our Coventry class picked up a few established dancers, primarily because they are a little starved of options in their local area. There have also been a good number of newbies come along, which has really helped as it's nice to have some blank slates with which to start. There's great enthusiasm amongst the newer dancers and the older ones really do feed off their enthusiasm. Our more centralised classes in Birmingham City and Bournville (to the south of Birmingham), where there are a lot more options available to people, primarily consist of brand new
Bournville... so swing dancing and chocolate?! Gadzooks I'd be in heaven. Anyway, when you started last year you had three classes on the go. Is that still the same or have things changed and do you see Swing Express expanding any further?
We still have three going, plus I teach regularly in Leicester as a 'hired hand' (i.e. it's not Swing Express I'm teaching for in Leicester, it's the local school). We do have a fourth venue set to kick off on the 20th of September, so that's exciting. Being new we've had opportunities to try a few different things, set up classes in different areas. If something doesn't work, we tweak it, try again etc. Being new definitely has its advantages. Did you ever consider naming your event BirmingJAM? I chanced upon that suggestion due to a typo and had to ask...
No, too cheesy Adam. That's just silly. That's a 15 minute time-out from the internet for you...
Pffftt... Well, similar to my name suggestion I think the line-up for the Bounce is also top notch. The teachers are some of my absolute favourite dancers and you've also roped in one of the top jazz bands in the UK - what influences these choices and can I borrow your phonebook?
When I run events I do tend to focus on the learning aspect. Some organisers prefer to concentrate on the entertainment/social aspect of their events. There's no right and wrong there, it's just a preference of which approach to take.
For example, someone suggested I organise a late night party for the Birmingham Bounce. My response was "I'm not flying William and Maeva and JB and Tatiana over from France just so people can sleep in and miss their workshops". I'm a teacher first, and I want to help people not just become better dancers, but to also understand their dance better. That's why I choose the teachers I do. I believe the instructors I tend to work with have a genuine passion for what they do and work very hard to pass on that passion to the scenes they visit.
For the Bounce I put together a wish list of Lindy Hop instructors, and also figured that there might be slightly more interest in a specific authentic jazz track here in the UK, so also asked Sarah to help me put together a wish list of instructors that could anchor a jazz stream. William and Maeva are absolutely perfect to lead a Lindy Hop stream, and JB and Tatiana were high on Sarah's list for jazz. To call Scott and Jenny icing on the cake is doing them both a stupendous injustice. Jenny is an absolute legend, in every sense of the word, in Lindy and Jazz circles and it's only that she is based in the UK that she doesn't generate as much excitement as some of the other visiting teachers. It's my first time working on an event with her and it's a huge honour to have had her say yes.
Bottom line, I'm interested in instructors that can help me shape my students and make them better dancers - to challenge them but also leave them feeling inspired. I've been fortunate to generally hit those targets.
As for borrowing my phone-book - that's not as silly as it sounds. I have been so lucky to have built the relationships I have, and those relationships have helped me build other relationships and so on. Scott Cupit, for example, helped me build relationships with a few of the bigger personalities within the scene, and they, in turn, helped me with others. Dax Hock has gone out of his way in the past to help me generate relationships, and I will always be grateful to both Scott and Dax for giving me a leg up when I needed it. For the Birmingham Bounce, William and Maeva, who I've worked with before in Galway, were instrumental in helping me reach out to JB and Tatiana. Sometimes you just need a foot in the door, and given the help I've received in the past, I'm happy to 'pay it forward'.
I booked my pass the day they went on sale but for anyone who has not yet registered, why should they make sure to get on it as soon as possible?
The longer you take the less likely you'll get the track you want. There are seven to choose from, but eventually some will book out and you'll either be stuck on a wait list or you'll have to find a track that maybe wasn't your first choice (not that you'd complain too much. Can you imagine - "Oh, I don't want to take classes from JB, Tatiana and Jenny. I wanted William, Maeva and Scott").
From an organisers point of view, booking early means I know you're coming, and allows me to be a little more flexible budget-wise. There are plenty of cool things I'd love to do for dancers at the Bounce, but it depends on numbers as to how I put these things together.
For those already committed, do you have any suggestions for accommodation or additional tips?
We're working on trying to get some deals from local hotels to help with accommodation, and we'll also be setting up some hosting. We recently ran the first ever Lindy Exchange here and managed to do a pretty good job getting people to offer hosting. We should be able to replicate that for the Bounce.
A huge thanks to Paul for taking the time out of a busy schedule to answer my questions! If anyone in the West Midlands or beyond is interested in taking up swing dancing or attending their forthcoming event, details and registration can be found on the Swing Express and Birmingham Bounce websites.
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.
Next weekend, Andrew Shellard and Hailee Lopez will be in Belfast for a weekend WCS workshop and I am stoked!
Scenes simply don't exist without the serious commitment and enthusiasm of local teachers but it's hard not to get a little excited when you get a visit from a couple of top international pros!
Andrew hails from Lyon, France (what do they feed the west coast swing dancers in that city?!) and has been immensely supportive of our nascent scene in Northern Ireland and as he has friends in high places Andrew is bringing Hailee with him also an all-star dancer and all the way from from Kansas, USA.
For anyone unfamiliar with the title 'all-star', west coast swing dancers are classified by ability and consistently good performances in international competitions are needed to advance from one classification to the next. All-stars are at the top of that tree, having moved up from advanced, intermediate, novice and newcomer, so the significance of having two of them teaching in Belfast cannot be understated!
This will be Andrew's third visit to Belfast and Hailee's first but what makes me all the more appreciative of their visit is the financial compromise both of these guys are making by coming to such a small scene.
There are few pro WCS dancers who can or will enjoy the longevity and financial success of your Jordan & Tatianas (for those reading through Lindy lenses, think Skye & Frida, except imagine they have been dancing professionally since the age of 14!) so it is not a career choice anyone makes for the money.
Andrew & Hailee could teach anywhere and no doubt will have had bigger offers to do so, yet they have agreed to come to Belfast to help us along a little more and we could not be more appreciative.
This is especially thrown into sharp contrast with the recent visit of a Lindy hop pro who, whilst was within their rights to charge as they did for their classes, could have been more sympathetic to a smaller community when it came to their superfluous expenses. So a massive MASSIVE thanks to Andrew & Hailee for their obvious love of west coast swing and a desire to give the little guys a leg up!
More information about the event is on the Facebook page but here it is in brief!
There are two levels with each costing £30 for 3½ hours of class. The first is 'Fundamentals' and is for those starting from scratch or wanting to work on the key moves again, and 'Level Deux' which will involve an obvious step up, and it is also possible to take both levels (7 hours of class) for only an additional £10.
To sign up, follow the instructions on the Facebook page or click here.
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.
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
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
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!
