ILHC 2009: Eye of the Storm

Setting up for ILHC yesterday went pretty well, and ended ahead of schedule. I really like the fact that we started on Thursday instead of Friday like we did last year. Last year we dove head long into the weekend; setting everything up, having people practice their routines on a dance floor that wasn't completed, and then going straight into the dance and competitions.

This year felt much more casual. A lot of that had to do with the dedicated volunteers we have plus the super professional contractors.

Reputations are made or broken at big events, but this isn't limited to performers. Tena Morales likes to run an event with fewer hard working volunteers instead of having a bunch of warm bodies filling out the volunteer schedule. She values reliability over numbers. Exceptional volunteers are remembered, rewarded, and referred to other events. Bad volunteers are shown the door. Sometimes mid-event.

Random Links & Videos: International Week in Review Edition

With the International Lindy Hop Championships coming up I noticed the amazing array of lindy videos from around the world uploaded onto YouTube just in the past week. It makes the spread of Lindy Hop in the past two decades that much more impressive.

Ghost of ILHC past

At 1:00 pm on Friday afternoon, we got official access to all the meeting spaces at the hotel. At that moment we had planned for the sound and the floors to be installed simultaneously, plenty of time before the risers arrived and the chairs to be set up for the 8:00 pm opening of the ballroom for social dancing.

At 1:01 pm on Friday afternoon, I was standing in the middle of an empty ballroom.

America's Best Dance Crew-1933: The Four Step Brothers

You may remember a performance by The Harlem Hot Shots on Thursday night of Frankie95. Someone uploaded the original clip and I thought it would be nice to put them together. The scene is from a 1933 short film entitled "Barber Shop Blues" featuring Claude Hopkins and His Orchestra. He was leader of one of the house bands at the Savoy Ballroom in 1931.

AIR Pt. 7: Connection Junkies

Another interesting trend during this period was the growing number of people, regardless of style, who worked intensely on partnering mechanics. Again, this is where crossover events had a major effect. Even if a Lindy Hopper would not appreciate the music or the general aesthetic of West Coast Swing, there could be no denying that WCS during this time period had a much more superior grasp of connection than was generally known in Lindy Hop at the time. Since WCS dancers were seen as superior dancers because of that grasp of technique, it led many people to focus on that. As with many other things dancers were doing at this time, it was eventually worked on to an extreme.

Random Links & Videos: All The Single Ladies edition

I'm not the only verbose Lindy blogger: A view from down under about what makes a good jam. <dogpossum> Camp Hollywood redux: Another review of Camp Hollywood from someone who was there < The Rantings of a Lindy Hopper>

AIR Pt. 6: Groove Is In the Heart

The combination of those trends mentioned in the previous posts contributed to the development of certain dance habits in Lindy Hoppers that were collectively called “Modern Savoy Lindy” or “Groove Lindy.” By some accounts, dancing like this already existed in some scenes such as Chicago and San Francisco. Some of this can be also be attributed to the influence of was being seen of WCS performers at crossover events. However, the buzz from the Minnies’ Moochers performance provided the spark for its nationwide popularity.[1]

Frankie95 Video Addendum

Thought I'd pass along a few new clips from Frankie Manning's 95th Birthday Festival. First up is a couple of awesome looking previews of the DVD from the company that is producing it.

Hellzapoppin' in 30 Seconds

Full Preview

Via Yehoodi.com: New clips of the Hellzapoppin' Finals from waaayyy up on high. Great view of the action.

First song

Second song

Joint Service Jazz, August 16, 2009

This past Sunday evening, I met some friends to hear free concert at The Carter Barron Amitheatre. Opened in 1950 and named after one of its primary sponsors, the ampitheatre has hosted a variety of musical and theatrical events over the years including Nat King Cole, Benny Goodman, Ethel Merman, Henry Mancini, Harry Belafonte, Andy Williams, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Peter, Paul, and Mary, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, B.B. King, the O'Jays, Smokey Robinson, and the Four Tops.

Sunday evening it featured a program called “Joint Service Jazz” with performances by the big bands of the US Navy, Army, and Air Force.

Not Really Random Link-My YouTube Channel

In case you hadn't noticed already, I have a YouTube channel where I plan on uploading videos related to my "Artistry In Rhythm" posts and other curiosities I hope people will find interesting. Check it out here.

For a small taste, check out this video and see if you can recognize anyone.