Thursday, January 26, 2012

Skye & Frida - Simple Patterns


Of course I couldn't go more than a few weeks before posting something with Skye and Frida.

Here's a demonstration dance - this time from an event in 2008.

Look past the low quality shaky-cam, the muffled All That Meat and No Potatoes by Fats Waller, and the odd mix of on-lookers and you'll find what I love the most about this:  The simplicity of movement.  The patterns are nothing complex; there's just a solid pulse and movement that naturally flows.

Skye leads so effortlessly from his core, Frida follows so effortlessly from hers.  They dance in the rhythm of the music, not on-top-of the rhythm.  They are both so solidly connected and so loose at the same time (and in just the right places) creating an effect that the tempo is slower than it actually is.  No really, get out of your seat and just step through a swingout with the song playing.  It's pretty quick, isn't it?  They make it appear slower and more relaxed than it actually is, and this is proof of their efficiency of movement.

I'd love to see more of these kinds of movements and patterns used in our scene. Watch the clip a few (hundred) times before you head out to your next dance and soak up the spirit and feeling of this until it just flows out of you.

I'm a firm believer that we tend to dance like what we see.  If you spend most of your time watching everyone else in the scene, you'll probably move like everyone else.  Spend more time studying and watching the type of dancing you're aspiring toward and you'll start to feel and move differently than everyone else.

On a side note I'd also like to hear more pulsing upper mid-tempo jazz in our scene as well.

Do you have any favorite songs that are similar in rhythm and mood to this one?  I'm always interested in recommendations to add to my collection.

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