alain’s dance blog

Thank you readers for following my dance blog this past year. I’ve decided to put blogging on hold for the next month as I prepare for my 7 week bike trip from Vancouver to Mexico. I’ll be dancing all along the West Coast on my way down south (starting with Camp Jitterbug in Seattle), so I’ll definitely write about my journey along the way.

It’s not too late to donate (click here to go to my donation page), and you can also come support me by dancing on Friday April 25 at Cat’s Corner. The Cool Canaries will be playing for my fundraiser.

New Dance Blog

As Carl mentioned yesterday, we are launching a collaborative dance blog project this summer. There will be more dancer interviews, more jazz music discussions and more reporting on Lindy Hop events in the near future.

For now, here are the most popular posts of the last year:

The Lindy Hop dance

• Top reasons why you will fall in love with Lindy Hop
• How to prepare for a swing dance competition
• The different types of dance shoe soles: pictures

Spotlight on dancers

• Dancer Interviews: Adam Boehmer
• Dancer Interviews: Stephanie McKernan and Lindy Bout
• Handpainted t-shirts of Lindy Hop dancers: Max Pitruzzella
• Handpainted t-shirts of Lindy Hop dancers: Mike Faltesek

About swingin’ jazz music

• How to start your collection of swinging jazz music
• Song playlist at the Montreal Lindy Hop Exchange 2007
• Song playlist for the Battle of the Swing DJs 2007
• My Top 5 Count Basie songs for swing dancing
• My Top 5 Sidney Bechet songs for swing dancing
• My Top 5 Duke Ellington songs for swing dancing
• My Top 5 Fats Waller songs for swing dancing

Wicked dance videos

• You can dance no matter what your size!
• We’re dancing Lindy Hop in the official Gmail video by Google
• The family of swing dances explained in video part 1
• Best slow motion dancing in a Lindy Hop video clip
• Watch our Lindy Hop performance at ULHS 2007
• SwingOutDayton team choreography to OK GO
• Watch Jordan Frisbee and Tatiana Mollmann at the US Open 2007
• Watch the SuperJews dancing at Swingin New England
• Bands for dancers today: Loose Marbles
• Watch the Harlem Hotshots from Sweden on TV
• Watch a tribute to the Harlem Congaroos in Seattle
• So You Think You Can Dance: The Lindy Hop

I got a chance to see the Loose Marbles from New Orleans play at the Ultimate Lindy Hop Showdown in September, and they were amazing. They will be at the last edition of the Rhythmic Arts Festival in San Diego in a few weeks.

Also check out these other bands recommended by Chance Bushman.

Chance
Nov 9, 2007 2:26 PM
Subject: no, really. it’s about the music.

just a reminder:

THE LOOSE MARBLES, evil jazz sindicate
** myspace.com/brucemarvel
NATHAN JAMES & BEN HERNANDEZ, the blues
** myspace.com/njbh
JONATHAN STOUT ORCHESTRA, big band swing
** campusfive.com
CARL SONNY LEYLAND TRIO, boogie
** carlsonnyleyland.com
BARRY BIG B BRENNER, rags and stomps
** myspace.com/barrybigbbrenner
HAL SMITH’S RHYTHM MAKERS, kansas and chicago jazz
** no website available
THE FREMONTS, down home blues
** myspace.com/fremonts

BILLY WATSON
** myspace.com/billywatsonhisintlsilverstringsubmarineband

This weekend, hundreds of dancers will congregate for three days of dancing during Smackdown.

Organized by Aidan Fisher, the Montreal Smackdown has now become an annual event, drawing dancers from the North-East and beyond to celebrate swing dancing in my lovely hometown. Some people come to visit the city, some come for the workshop classes, and some come for the amazing musicians we bring into town for the weekend.

This year, the event is going to be huge. We’ve even added a free Thursday night dance at Cat’s just for the occasion. Echoes of Harlem will include a solo jazz class with Ann Mony, and will be DJ’ed by the two Alain’s from Montreal.

For the Friday dance, Cat’s Corner is moving its Downtown Stomp Uptown. We are bringing in the Cangelosi Cards and Gordon Webster from New York City, huge favorites among Lindy Hoppers. For Saturday night, Aidan is bringing in Barbara Morrison from the West Coast for a special edition of Le Jazz Hot, accompanied by an all-star band of accomplished Montreal musicians. Both Gordon and Barbara played at the Albany Chill this year, and they were great!

The guest teachers this year are Skye Humphries & Frida Segerdahl, along with Max Pitruzzella and Annie Trudeau. I’ve had the chance to learn from each of these teachers in the past and they are worth the trip! Last year I was too tired/sick to attend the master classes, but maybe this year I’ll wake up on time. There’s also a DVD review for sale for those who are going to miss the event.

Espace Dell’Arte
40 Jean-Talon Est, at the corner of St-Laurent
Closest metros are De Castelnau and Jean-Talon on the blue line

Yay to amazing local dance events! I hope to see you all out and dancing.

This weekend, I had supper at the House of Jazz to celebrate my dance partner Mélanie’s birthday. Formerly known as Biddles (for Charlie Biddle, father of the Montreal Jazz Festival), the House of Jazz is a world-renowned hot spot in the heart of Montreal.

“The House of Jazz, formerly Biddle’s, first opened in 1968 but in 1981, became an exclusive jazz house when one-time forestry-engineer-turned-mega-entrepreneur Georges Durst took the reins. Oliver Jones, Oscar Peterson, Liza Minelli, Skip Bey—these are but a few of the legendary vocalists and musicians to have performed at the HoJ, where patrons swear by the Louisiana-style chicken and ribs. The formula has proven so successful, in fact, that Durst along with partner and former Soviet superstar goalie Vladislav Tretiak has new chains lined up for Hong Kong, Moscow and Paris.”

Taken from Play-Montreal.com

The live band Saturday night featured Michelle Sweeney on vocals, Tim Alleyne on drums, Samuel Cournoyer on bass and Steve Corbey on piano and keyboard. They played many crowd favorites, while adding their own flavor to the songs. Here’s part of their setlist, along with the artists/interpreters I associate these songs to: Midnight Train to Georgia (Gladys Knight), Respect (Aretha Franklin), Georgia on my mind (Ray Charles), Home (Bublé), Superstition (Stevie Wonder), At Last (Etta James).

They were awesome! They had rhythm and oomph to their sets, so that even the ballads had energy. And Michelle Sweeney is a born entertainer. Even with a voice that was off that night, she balanced it out with her energetic stage presence, bold wit and character. With her daughter in the audience, Michelle played off the mother/daughter relationship between songs and kept us thoroughly entertained. What a personality!!! Michelle alone is worth the $5 cover charge for live music.

Wanting to hire her for a dance event, I asked if she sang swing songs. Unfortunately, she replied, “I’m more of a Blues /R’nB person.” However, she would be perfect for a motown/soul night à la Swing & Soul! So I ended up buying her CD with her contact info on the cover.

Michelle did refer me to Ranee Lee, a Montreal vocalist known for her scatting skills. I will have to check her out.

If you’ve ever been to our Friday night dance, you’ve probably seen dancers do a line dance at some point in the evening. This line dance is called the Shim Sham, and Lindy Hoppers dance it the world over.

Originally a tap routine created by Leonard Reed in 1927, the Lindy Hop Shim Sham is danced to any 32 bar tune. At Cat’s, we usually play T’aint What You Do (It’s the way that you do it) by Jimmie Lunceford, or Tuxedo Junction by either Erskine Hawkins or Ken Hips Johnson.

Shim Sham (for Lindy Hoppers)

Shim Sham right
Shim Sham left
Shim Sham right
Shim Sham break “Break time”

Pushes and crossovers x 3
Double crossover

Tacky Annie’s x 3
Break Time

Half Break x 2
Shim Sham break (Break time)
Half Break x 2
Shim Sham Break (Break time)

(Repeat and replace the Shim Sham break with a freeze)

Boogie Back
Boogie Forward
Boogie Back
Boogie Forward

Boogie Back
Shorty George
Boogie Back
Shorty George

See a full transcription of the Lindy and Tap Shim Sham routines.

Videos: the original tap routine by Leonard Reed (near the end of the clip); Frankie Manning leading the Lindy Hop Shim Sham at LindyFest; Mike and Nina doing the Al & Leon Shim Sham.

Other jazz routines: The Big Apple.