Not really a newsflash, but just amusing to see how Camp Hollywood finally gets on the bus, 10 years later. I hear that Ben ans Sherri's teams did very well this past weekend and look forward to seeing more Camp Hollywood clips online.
AIR Pt. 4: Unintended Consequences
Minnie’s Moochers both exemplified and popularized various trends in the Lindy Hop community at that time. Those related to the music, the events, and the dance itself. These trends fueled each other through the late 90’s and early 00’s at a time when the modern national Lindy Hop community was coming together and bringing in large number of new dancers because of the increased popularity of Swing around the country. As a result, the community was absorbing ideas at the same time that it was coalescing, and was struggling to reconcile these ideas with what was passed to them from those who came before.
Survivance and Dance
I used to work at the National Museum of the American Indian. There, I met Gerald McMaster, a curator who coined the term “Survivance” for one of the exhibits. The word refers to the process by which Native communities endured though hundreds of years of challenges.
I went to the National Pow Wow hosted by my former employer in 2007. It was an odd experience coming from a different kind of dance community. The most significant one is that Pow Wow's are not just about dancing (social and competition), but they are also equal parts ceremony, marketplace, and family reunion. In that sense it's a much more robust experience than going to a typical Lindy Hop event weekend. I guess I could draw some parallels, but really, matching up a bunch of hobbyists with native communities that are thousands of years old can't really compare.
ILHC 2008 Highlights
One of the fun things about being involved with an event like this is getting to see and hear things I wouldn’t normally if I was just another attendee.
- During the Friday floor trials, as we were still setting up the ballroom, the guy in charge of the hotel staff peaked at the competitors for the Classic division practicing. At one point we were checking out the room while Carla and Zack ran through their routine. Even though he had never seen Lindy Hop until that evening, he turned to me and said, “Out of all these people, I think they are going to win.” I just smiled and shrugged non-commitally, and moved on to the next thing that had to be set up.
ILHC 2008 Video Compilation: Showcase Division
This is part of a series of posts gathering up all the choice online footage from the 2008 International Lindy Hop Championships. This year’s ILHC is happening on August 27-30, 2009 and you can register at www.ILHC.com.
Showcase Division
Max Pitruzella & Annie Trudeau-1st Place (above)
Laura Keat & Nick Williams-2nd Place (No video available. Anyone got one?)
Showcase Jo Hoffberg & Kevin St. Laurent-2nd Place
Bethany Powell & Stefan Durham-4th Place
Kim Clever & Dave Frutos
Andrew Thigpen & Erica Deblasio
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnPgaVLOAb4
ILHC 2008 Video Compilation: Solo Charleston and Cabaret divisions
This is the link for awesome ILHC Solo Charleston and Cabaret performances.
ILHC 2008 Video compilation: Invitational Jack & Jill
ILHC Invitational Jack and Jill videos. Best of the best.
ILHC 2008 Video Compilation: Champions and Open Balboa
ILHC 2008 Balboa divisions. Come and get'em.
AIR Pt. 3: Birth of The Groove
The “Love Me Or Leave Me Routine” by Minnie’s’ Moochers was probably the first significant routine of the modern era for a few reasons. First was the venue: the 1999 American Lindy Hop Championships. This was a time when there were still very few exclusively Lindy Hop events, and ALHC (only the second year of the event) attracted the attention of the bulk of the dancers in the community whether or not they attended. More after the jump
ILHC 2008 Video Compilation: Advanced and Open Jack & Jill divisions
ILHC 2008 Jack & Jill madness. Click here for videos