In my previous post on the upcoming Québec Swing Rendez-Vous, I mentioned Adam Boehmer whom I really admire, not only for his dancing skills but also for his attitude towards the dance and towards people in the community. He is open, warm and authentic. I got a chance to interview him this past month, and he gave me some interesting insights on his background, his dancing and his inspirations.
1. What’s your story? How did you start dancing?
When I was sixteen, I worked at a theme park called Adventure Landing. I was a laser tag “Explorer” named Mowgli. I know…kind of lame-sounding, but it was a fun first job! My best friend Alison, who also worked there, heard there was swing dancing going on in downtown Jacksonville, at a rockabilly bar called The Moto Lounge. This was 1998, at the height of the swing craze, so we had seen some dancing (mostly crazy aerials) on commercials and music videos. So, we lied to our moms and went. This was very frightening for me, I was a pretty good kid, and the bar was an hour drive, and in a shady part of town. But once that door opened, I knew I was home! There was already a huge scene at the time, and I took to east coast swing pretty easily. My friends and I became obsessed and ended up at that bar 3-4 times a week for the next year until eventually, I was the only one still into it! Now, they all think I’m crazy for spending the last decade dancing…(but I also think they’re a little sad they didn’t keep up with it too!)
2. One reason I love watching you dance is that you exude positive vibes. Where do you get all that crazy energy?
I think rhythm gives you energy. Especially the rhythm in really solid swing. It’s funny how I can almost have more energy at the end of the night if the band has been kicking ass. Or maybe I’m totally dragging and drunk at the end of the night, but then my friend Matt DJ’s an awesome tune and all of a sudden, I can dance through the floor! Becoming a vessel for the music was a big step in my learning process in swing, how to open up and let the music fill you like a sail. Then, the rhythm is doing all the work and you’re just along for the ride! As far as being positive, how can you not smile when you’re dancing? It floors me when I see how serious people get: a furrowed brow, this intensity that says “work” not “play.” Dance is my joy and I can’t not show it!
3. I remember you saying during a class at QSRV in 2006 that you found it easy thinking in Charleston, and that you could come up with tons of sh*t on the fly. What tips would you have for dancers who are just starting to discover the solo stuff?
I feel like everyone accesses dance differently. Some folks like to analyze and pick apart moves and tinker with them, presenting a new “suzy-q” or a fully embellished charleston basic. For those that think that way, I feel the best thing to do is take one jazz step and question the hell out of it. What makes this move an inherent “fall off the log” or whatever. How much can you change the rhythm, timing, the arm movements, the body positioning, and still consider it that same move. This is a really fun exercise I still return to when I need some inspiration. Why does a “shorty george” have to go forward? What else can I do with my upper body that contrasts or compliments my lower body movement? For those who think in a more ethereal way, less in sections and chunks, I suggest just rockin’ it out to music and just keeping rhythm, shaking your ass, and see what happens. My favorite dancers have an attitude, a character, that separates them from other dancers. Look at someone like Ramona. If I had to imitate a move she did, I don’t think I could. Because she has a character, a stage presence that is her joy, not just a bunch of clever moves and variations on a theme. Spending time with a song and just shaking, moving, losing fear of “what move do I do next” will present to you your character, your root movement that is inherently yours.
4. Each year you come up with new ways to express yourself. Where do you draw inspiration for your dance?
Everywhere! A few years ago I got caught up in the term “authentic.” What moves were I doing that were true Lindy Hop? Charleston? It became a mess in my head and really affected my confidence as a dancer. The more reading I did though, esp. the biographies of Norma and Frankie, the more I realized that every dancer from that time had to have influences that weren’t jazz dance. That was a really freeing realization. You are your own dancer, your own editor in your dance, the one who decides what Lindy Hop is to you, etc. I really get a kick out of seeing how far I can push swing dance without losing the spirit of the dance. My last year of dancing was really influenced by a Congolese dance class I took, also cheerleaders from University of Michigan, modern dance, my partner Erin’s “favorites” list on youtube (she loves ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ as well as random footage of people dancing to MIA songs). I’m not interested in being a historical reinactor, I want to be an artist. I try to decide what my limitations are and be honest with myself about how I’m limiting myself subconsciously in my dance. Sometimes going out on the floor and saying “I will not do any move I’ve ever done” is a huge inspiration for me (although I always end up doing a lot of my favorite moves…)
5. What’s next for you as a dancer? what are you working on/ trying to achieve?
This sort of feeds off the last question. I want to be a dancer in a way that is continually fulfilling. This means for now, taking dance classes that challenge me (oh god, tap is hard….) and also integrating swing dance into more socially acceptable places here in the Midwest. It’s still very much something people do in university spaces, gymnasiums, etc. where as I would like it on the stage through performances, in night clubs with actual atmosphere and presence, and at parties in people’s homes. That’s kind of where I’m at right now: yearning to make partner dancing an involved part of people’s lives instead of treating it like a survey course, and finding new ways to express myself as an artist in dance.
Adam Boehmer is one of our guest teachers at the upcoming Cat’s Corner tenth year anniversary celebration on Oct.31 to Nov.2, 2008 in Montreal, Canada. He lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan and is hoping to start an MFA in poetry in the spring. Watch him in the Solo Charleston finals at Ultimate Lindy Hop Showdown 2007.
