alain’s dance blog

The audition dates are finally set for the Canadian version of So You Think You Can Dance. Two restrictions: participants are of the age of majority in the province/territory in which they reside, and are no older than 30 years of age.

The Montreal auditions are happening on May 27th, a few days before the start of my Bike Ride to Mexico.

SYTYCD Montreal
Tuesday, May 27
Théâtre St-Denis
1594 St-Denis Street

I know a bunch of dancers who will be auditioning, so wish us luck.

More details on the official CTV page.

Anne and I taught Charleston to 9th grade students at St-George’s high school today, and this reminded me that teaching a partnered dance means teaching people to lower their physical barriers and allowing someone else in their space.  Teaching high school students is especially challenging, because not all teenagers are used to the intimate contact of partnered dancing.

The major barrier to swing dancing at this age is the awkwardness of being close to someone of the opposite sex. As a teacher, you need to make them feel comfortable. The easiest way to do this is by having them work towards a common goal, which in this case is to help each other learn the steps.

To keep them focused, move fluidly from one step to the next move in your teaching. Don’t give them time to be shy.

At first, it may seem hard to get them going - they get easily distracted, don’t pay attention, even disturb the class. However, once you get the whole class dancing and enjoying the music, I can guarantee warm and fuzzy feelings.

Cat’s Corner is one of eight dance schools recommended in the Petit Futé Montreal 2007-2008 tourist city guidebook. Sweet!

Tonight we are having our second Echoes of Harlem dance at Cat’s. Alain Fragman will be teaching a solo jazz class. And the great thing is that it’s free! Lesson starts at 9pm.

Here’s a video from the last Echoes of Harlem, with Ann Mony teaching some solo jazz steps.

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.