Dance Movie Blogathon – May 4th to 10th

Here is an interesting initiative I stumbled upon over on greatdance.com for all of us dance bloggers.

 Ferdy on Films, etc. is proud to host the Invitation to the Dance Movie Blogathon, May 4 through May 10. The last day of the blogathon just happens to be the birthday of one of the greatest dancers ever to grace the silver screen–Fred Astaire. Contributions on that date that discuss Astaire are particularly welcome. Please RSVP to ferdyonfilms@comcaust.net. Link to this page before the event and to Ferdy on Films, etc. during the week of the blogathon.

So, during that week I will showcase some of lindy hop and jazz dances most revered clips from film and movies.

Were it not for Hollywood there would be no Hellzapoppin’, no Day at the Races, and no Stormy Weather.  What a sad world it would be.

Are you going to particpate in the Dance Movie Blogathon or have any suggestions for vintage jazz or lindy hop clips that should be included?  Let me know and comment.

The Lindy Hoppers Fund is Live

This past weekend Lindyfest kicked off the Lindy Hoppers Fund with donations being matched 100% during the weekend.

The Lindy Hoppers Fund website is now live!  Check it out and donate!

The Lindy Hoppers Fund

I was recently tipped off, thanks to ILHC‘s website, to the development of a wonderful project called the Lindy Hoppers Fund.  Born out of a conversation between Tena Morales, Peter Strom and Skye Humphries over what to do with any potential profit of a documentary that is in the works (perhaps more on this in a future post) as a way to give back to the community, the Lindy Hoppers Fund is a non-profit human services organization to provide benefits to the elder generation of Lindy Hoppers.

The program will help aging Lindy Hoppers, who danced at the Savoy, performed in film and theatre, and have provided services to the dance community, with “crisis intervention, individual and family needs assessment, and development of long-term plans including ongoing support, education, information and referrals” and financial assistance for the costs of living (rent, utilities, health services).

I had a chance to catch up with Tena on the project and she provided me with a whole list of information as to who was helping with the development of the website, editorial content, and so much more.  The list includes but is not limited to: Naomi Uyama, Andy Reid, Gina Helfrich, Laura Glaess, Peter Strom, Terry Monaghan.

The organization is set to kick off at the friday night of this year’s Great Southwest Lindyfest in Houston on March 13th.   There is a matching program which instructors and event organizers can enter where the instructors donate 25$ of their fees to fund and ask that the event organizers match their donation.  Currently, Lindyfest and ILHC are the two events involved in the matching program but I’m sure we can expect more to join in with spectacular instructors (The Silver Shadows) showing their support.

We can expect to see the website up by the 13th of March where you will be able to make tax-deductible donations online.

Please show your support for the elder generation of Lindy Hoppers and this wonderful initiative and visit the Lindy Hoppers Fund, provide donations and if you teach or organize events get involved with the matching program.

Solo Charleston: All The Rage

These days almost any competition worth its salt hosts a solo charleston competition; we have them at renowned events like ULHS and RAF, older events such as ALHC, and all sorts of other competitions. Camps and workshops often feature a couple of solo classes to compliment their array of partnered ones; additionally there are a few special events like Stompology which focus exclusively on solo dance.

The charleston was supposedly developed or at least got its name from Charleston, South Carolina in the first few years of the 1900′s. Although the rhythm was popularized through various shows, particularly Runnin’ Wild with music by James P. Johnson entitled “The Charleston” in 1923, it could be found in black communities for twenty years prior. It can be found in all sorts of old films dating from this period; it was generally danced either solo or in a walking (face-to-face) position. Dancers, particularly white females, were labeled flappers for the semi-birdlike resemblance that their motions had.

The lindy hop adopted many of the charleston variations into the dance and later versions of solo charleston can be seen in footage from the Spirit Moves collection and in this piece by Al Minns and Leon James.

Solo charleston today has sprung back into popularity due perhaps in part to the competition footage from ULHS for 2004 which has reached so many dancers. It features spectacular dancing with a final dance-off between Frida Segerdahl and Jojo Jackson. They have distinctly different styles but remain firmly rooted with the jazz vernacular. Many solo charleston competitions to come would see the emulation of these world-class dancers.

With its growing popularity there has been a growing selection of dancers to watch and acquire different styles and feelings within solo charleston. Take the dance-off from ULHS 2006 between Max Pitruzella and Sharon Davis; it has a vastly different look from the almost gawky dance that we see in the 1920′s flappers; sharper, more athletic. Max is rhythmic and sharp with a definite urban edge while Sharon is softer and keeps to a more recognizable jazz repertoire.

Finally we have a whole new generation of dancers coming up where solo charleston is an integral part of their early dance education. This years Rhythmics Arts Festival solo charleston competition winner is a young girl named Brieaunna or Brianna from San Diego. Check her out here.

Photo courtesy of Ryan Swift from ULHS 2007.

History in the Pages, pt. 1

Looking for reliable sources on the history of vernacular jazz dance can sometimes be a tough process. Thankfully the ability to easily order books online has made it quite a bit easier to find these less-than-common books.

The first book I recommend for anyone looking to learn more about the history of the dance is Frankie Mannings autobiography, Ambassador of Lindy Hop, released earlier this year. While it may not be a comprehensive look at the development of jazz dance as a whole, it is the most inviting to the casual reader. Frankie Manning is an innovator and pioneer in the lindy hop community and has helped return the dance from a lost art to the strong and growing community it is now. It has a colloquial ease; full of anecdotes and memories of ballrooms and bands from the jazz era that make it hard to put down. It was co-authored by Cynthia Millman and there are small sidebars throughout the book with historical snippets on locations and various dances.

For a more historical perspective on the development of vernacular jazz dance Marshall Stearns Jazz Dance: The Story of American Vernacular Dance is a good choice. It lays out the history of the dance in a slightly haphazard manner from buck dancing and minstrel shows to the dance crazes of the twenties including charleston, black bottom, turkey trot and moves into the development of lindy hop and tap. It is more academic in nature than Frankie Manning’s book including Laban movement notation on how to perform various steps. There is also a companion book on the history of Jazz music by Marshall Stearns which follows a similar method in examining the development of jazz as a musical tradition.