Isolated Perfection - Skye and Naomi

This video is making the rounds and, as always, Skye and Naomi make this look so much easier than it actually is.

Notice their refined movement - the consistency of movement through their centers of mass. They both only move the body parts necessary and keep everything else so calm and quiet - definitely something worth aspiring to. 

Thanks again for the inspiration, Skye and Naomi.

ULHS - Solo Jazz Fun

Sometimes you just gotta cut loose and have fun.  Enjoy the variety and energy.  Oh, and let's do more of this at The Lindy Connection!

BARSWINGONA 2012 - Skye and Naomi

There's something about their movement that is always so deceptively simple, so practiced and perfect.  I feel like watching this video will say more than any words I can come up with.  Enjoy.

Jazz Dance Film Fest - 1st Place Video

I probably should have saved this for a future post, but it's just too much fun not to share.

This is another one of those great videos the just oozes with the life and love we share for this dance.  I can't watch videos like this and not feel like sharing this excitement with others.  

Wouldn't it be awesome if our scene looked like the place they're dancing at in this video?

Bonus: Tranky Doo with Dargoff and Lorraine

And just for kicks I have a double post today.  Here's Dargoff and Lorraine doing the Tranky Doo.

I suggest, if you are unfamiliar with Dargoff, that you do a youtube search for some other videos.  Highly entertaining.

Jazz Steps and Swing-Outs Taste So Good Together - Uptown Swing

I like this - a lot.


This is a lesson recap from Uptown Swing by Peter Strom and Stacia Martin.  There's a whole lot here so watch it a few times.


They begin with a small routine with Jazz steps and then expand these steps into swing-outs.  Very very good stuff.


The Uptown Swing Lesson Recaps are similar to the 9:20 Special and Jam Cellar lesson recaps I've posted about before.  There's a wealth of learning available online, so use it to your advantage.


Bonus.  Here's another one I found that I thought you'd like:

Jack & Jill Disconnection?! - Lindy Focus X

So I don't know a whole lot about this video (maybe someone can enlighten me on their names, they look very familiar.)  Here's a clip of a Jack and Jill battle from Lindy Focus X.  


There's a lot about this video that I like - their enjoyment of the dance, the creative use of movement and musicality, the playful nature of their connection, even the noticeable concentration and obvious consideration of movements while on the spot is interesting.  This doesn't appear to be the most spontaneous of dances.  Some dances just look like they flow out while this seems to be carefully considered, even at full speed.


Please don't read this as a judgement for or against.  It's just something I noticed and can identify with.  When it comes down to it whether a dance is better if it's more emotive and subconscious or intentional and rational is a completely subjective point, and, now that I'm rambling, not the main reason I posted this (though you're welcome to discuss your feelings on that topic as well.)


Mostly I wanted to point out what happens at 1:18 in the video.  He lets go and about two beats pass before he seems to commit to his choice and then he begins clapping his knee.  She follow this and each consecutive movement.  The enjoyment is palpable.

Letting go like this, especially in a competition, is a considerable risk.  As a lead you disconnect completely and trust the follow to commit fully with only visual suggestion - but the potential for something amazing to happen also increases. 


This brings a smile to my face and I thought maybe you guys would enjoy this as a suggestion of ways to open up our dancing.  This post follows well from the last post showing an Alphabetical list of Jazz Movements because without those kinds of movements something like this isn't nearly as possible.  Let's brush up.

Jazz Steps, Alphebetically

I know that a number of you have enjoyed working on your solo Jazz steps lately - especially with the growing popularity of the Tranky Doo locally.


So here's a quick post featuring a video I found on yehoodi.com showing a demo of a whole lot of Jazz steps in alphabetical order.  Feel free to use this in your practicing.


Do you know of any Jazz steps they forgot?

Dax's Triple Step Practice

Quick update!


I was talking with David Toop tonight, as we practiced swingouts, about the importance of pulse and carrying the pulse through in your triple steps, and I recalled these two videos featuring Dax Hock showcasing some triple step practices.


Take a quick look and feel free to copy his movements either by yourself

or with a partner.

Notice how he keeps the pulse even and steady regardless of what his feet are doing.


If the three beats of a triple step can be stated as "tri-ple-step" there's a downward movement into the ground on the "tri" and "step" while the "ple" goes no higher than the starting neutral point.


One of the things I notice a lot in our scene is a "ple" that moves upward above the neutral point, creating a bump movement that breaks the pulse and looks uneven.


Try these out and see if you can mimic the steady pulse shown in these videos.  Practice doing this in front of a mirror or video camera to get a good view of yourself and see how solid you can make your pulse - and then see what you can do on the social floor with a partner.


Enjoy!

The Tranky Doo, and You.

If you've been out to either of the Tampa Swingang's regular dances, Sunday night at the Zendah Grotto or Tuesday at the Don Vicente, you might have seen a small group of us attempting (and humbly fumbling through) the Tranky Doo.

The Tranky Doo is an old Jazz routine which, according to the Wikipedia article, was choreographed by Frankie Manning.

If you're familiar with the Shim Sham or solo Jazz you should recognize a lot of the movements, and practicing it is a challenge but also a wonderful way to work on Jazz movements that you can use in your Lindy Hop.

This video above shows the first recorded appearance of the Tranky Doo from the movie "Spirit Moves" and features some of Frankie's contemporaries - Al Minns, Pepsi Bethel, and Leon James.  The song "The Dipsy Doodle" is overlaid onto the video as the film was originally silent (as far as I understand, please correct me if I'm wrong.)  The original song used was "Tuxedo Junction".

If you were in attendance at Swing Dance USA in 2010 at the Coliseum in St. Petersburg you might remember this rendition featuring instructors Gina Helfrich, Joel Plys, and Crista Seipp.

 

Here's one of my favorite instructional breakdowns of the Tranky Doo.  It's filmed from behind, at a slow pace, with a mirror, and with the count (a 1, ah ah ah, a 2 ah ah ah).  Many of us have used this and other videos to practice on our own so we look like we know at least a little bit before trying it in public.

Like all Jazz dancing there is room for personalization and interpretation.  You shouldn't ever see two Tranky Doo's that look exactly alike as the performers will often improvise and insert their own personalities into the dance.

I'll leave you with one of my favorite interpretations of the Tranky Doo.  It features Mike Faltesek, Bethany Powell, and Stefan Durham from a dance in Montreal in 2008.  Notice how coordinated and yet how uniquely they each interpret the dance.

I hope to see you on the dance floor trying this out with us.