This years ALHC was held in the Westin hotel in Stamford, CT this past weekend. Unlike ULHS, ALHC prohibits the use of outside cameras to record footage of competitions and performances so there will unfortunately not be any video footage available until the DVD comes out. Alain has posted up a few bits which showcase some of the performances from ALHC though, including a video of myself with Joanna Lucero in the Strictly Lindy.
It was the 10th year of ALHC and so it was billed as a special event with Frankie Manning attending, a special performance by Minnie’s Moochers in honor of their groundbreaking routine to “Love Me or Leave Me”, and a bit of hype. Unfortunately it didn’t seem to live up to its full potential. There were no ceremonies honoring Frankie Manning, Norma Miller or Dawn Hampton (who were all in attendance) or a talk which I would have found fascinating (unless I missed it somehow). Additionally I heard a slew of complaints regarding the hotel service, which was unfortunate since the hotel seemed quite nice. (more…)
A minor addendum to the last post, Henric and Joanna are not members of the Harlem Hot Shots and I apologize for the accidental labeling.
Most events have a number of divisions for choreographed pieces, ULHS has two: Lindy Hop Performance and Team. The floor was rearranged so that the competitors could present from the center of the ballroom facing the balcony. With chairs, spectators and judges set up the competitions began.
Congratulations to everyone who showcased a piece at ULHS. There were nine choreographies in the Lindy Hop Performance category, unfortunately I did not manage to get together with Caro the week of to polish our routine otherwise it would have been ten. It will debut at ALHC in two weeks.
I had the intention of reviewing these more closely but it will have to wait till I have a bit more time.
Thirdly, Dax and Alice with some exceptionally tight charleston.
Secondly, Kevin and Emily with hot jazz steps.
Firstly, Skye and Frida making it look so easy, clean and wonderfully musical.
In the final segment of Saturday at ULHS the Liberation or Fast round brought some of the best competitors from all over the globe to the floor. The competitors were Max Pitruzella with Annie Trudeau, Minn Vo with Ria DeBiase, Sakarias Larsson with Frida Segerdahl, Mattias Lundmark with Hannah Zetterman, Jeremy Otth with Laura Keat, and Henric Stillman with Joanna Eriksson. Last year this competition set the benchmark for fast dancing for the year (and the 2nd highest number of hits on Youtube for Lindy Hop) and I believe it will again for the next year.
Here is a little rundown of my thoughts on each couple. In this section I am critical of each of the couples that were competing, if this bothers you, don’t read on.
Minn Vo and Ria DeBiase did a decent job (they made it to the finals, that is something on its own), however it felt overly choreographed. It did not capture the innovation of the contemporary lindy hop scene, more of a traditional show piece than a competition piece. Their partnering was not always the best, with moments of dissonance.
Sakarias Larsson and Frida Segerdahl were out next. They have excellent partnering having worked together for many years. They had very strong swingouts with long lines which I would have liked to have seen more of. They had a slip up or two with aerials, although they were often just as entertaining if not more so with the slip up than without.
Max Pitruzella and Annie Trudeau had a spectacular performance. They brought a variety of innovative twists to known aerials and my happiest point, lots of solid swingouts (particularly in the all skate). Very tight and solid pairing without any slip ups. The only minor point is that while they are very tight, sometimes it feels a bit too hard and could use some softness.
Mattias Lundmark and Hannah Zetterman exceptional performers, although I felt that I had seen that same sequence before in many different situations. A similar point to the first couple out, it didn’t push the boundaries enough. Otherwise their aerials were exceptional, especially the super pancake in their second spotlight.
Jeremy Otth and Laura Keat brought a very different feel to the fast round. They had clean and consistent aerials and they had creative material that played up a clear stylistic difference. They felt much softer even while dancing to such a swift tempo, although occasionally it felt as if they slipped a little against the tempo. The more I watch the video, the more I appreciate their sections.
Henric Stillman and Joanna Eriksson were the third couple from Sweden who made the fast round finals. During the all skate they look tired, doing a good amount of half time or slow motion movement, however along with Max and Annie there is a section of exceptional ensemble swing outs (around 5:45 in the video) which is really one of my favorite parts of the all skate.
Overall, the performers in the fast round were exceptional but I really hope to see the dancers take it up a notch next year with creative and fantastic material that I haven’t seen before. Showdown sets the bar every year, lets hope it stays that way.
Saturday afternoon started off with the preliminaries for the Revolution, Freedom and Liberation divisions (that’s medium, slow, fast for those not in the know). The bandstand was set up in the middle of the far wall and three heats went out for the medium and the slow, and two for the fast. The band was pretty good, although not exceptional for the contests. Their songs lacked tension in the slow tunes and drive in the mid and fast divisions. I was excited to watch the prelims and very proud of my friends who entered the competition alongside some of the biggest names in the community. They worked and danced exceptionally and next year the big names will have a huge community stepping up.
Saturday night is a night to dress up. Men snazzy in suits, vests and jackets; women in skirts and dresses; a full dance floor and a big band. The Wolverines Classic Jazz Orchestra had been set up middle of the far wall with the one oddity of a keyboard on the floor (probably did not fit on the bandstand). The room was packed. I’ve only had a limited number of occasions to see a big band in action, but the Wolverines were probably the best outfit I’ve seen so far. They played classic tunes with exceptional energy. Their song book was probably five inches thick and they played tunes so rarely heard except in recordings that it was exceptionally refreshing.
There were the finals for the three strictly style divisions during the second band set and the crowd was anxious to see who had made it and what fabulous dancing they would see. It started off with the midtempo division. The couples included Sakarias dancing with Ramona, a very entertaining and rhythmic pairing; Skye and Frida with top-notch dynamics and spectacularly graceful motion; Andy with Laura who are so easy to watch and cute; Mikey Pedroza and Nikki Marvin an interesting pairing of ethereal modern grace and classic style; Dax Hock with Emily Hoffberg; Thomas and Alice, although I’ve never met Thomas before Alice is a wonderful to watch; and Andy Spitz with Christelle de Crus. It was a fantastic showing with a number of international dancers who made the finals.
Next was the slow round. Of the strictly rounds, this was one of my favorites. I’ll name off the couples first: Thomas and Emily, Skye and Frida, Todd and Frida, Peter and Naomi, Mikey and Ramona, Dax and Alice, Brien Brown and Mia Goldsmith. I was a bit surprised by the results of this competition watching it again now. Mikey and Ramona had such wonderful chemistry, it was sexy and sultry without feeling sleazy. Peter and Naomi were subtle and gentle in their appreciation of the music the first time out and very rousing their second time out. Brien and Mia were vastly entertaining in the prelims and kept it up in the finals, almost a character dance on Brien’s part. Todd and Frida were entertaining, the stylistic choice that Todd seemed to make throughout the weekend was very unique, as if he was playing a suave Charlie Chaplin. Skye and Frida are always a wonderful duo with such controlled and easy physical movement, their lines always feel clean yet simple. Thomas and Emily had moments I thought were excellent and very cute although I disagree with their placing cause they didn’t feel in sync always and the lines weren’t as aesthetically pleasing. Dax and Alice, although excellent dancers seemed a bit jerky in this competition which surprised me.
This past weekend a couple hundred dancers descended upon Minneapolis, MN for the Ultimate Lindy Hop Showdown.
ULHS kicks off Thursday evening with a traditional riverboat cruise that skips down the Mississippi with a live band. Unfortunately, my flight arrived too late to make the riverboat; however, I heard it was one of the best evenings due to the wonderful atmosphere and excellent band (despite a carpet dance floor).
Friday was the Battle of the Small Combos. The TC Seven and the Hot Swing Combo faced off in the Cinema Ballroom from opposite bandstands. The TC Seven were technically very good, they played their arrangements well, but they seemed to lack energy and dynamics. Robert Bell’s Hot Swing Combo was on fire, however. They played much more in a hot jazz style, while the TC Seven played a bit cooler and smoother (a la later Count Basie and Ellington). The Jack & Jill contest (which I had hoped to enter) was full before I even got there and the line of contestants stretched across the long dance floor. No separate heats, just one giant mash up on the floor. Five songs for the prelims; slow to insanely fast, then right into the finals for the six or seven couples that made it.
On a side note of contests: they changed the format for most of the competitions this year. Rather than having the preliminary round followed by a break and then later finals; the contests flowed straight from prelims to finals without any break for contestants (excepting the Slow, Mid and Fast competitions). You were tapped either out or in (depending upon the contest). It worked and I think I actually enjoyed it, but it definitely would have been nice to give the finalists a moment to breathe before launching into their spotlights.
In the late night was the Solo Charleston contest to the Loose Marbles (more on them later), which being the only contest I was able to enter I did my best, but with a tumultuous week already behind me and not having had any time to prep really I didn’t make the finals (although I do believe I was one of the last people tapped out – mostly from exhaustion). Disappointed, but still excited to see the finals, I plopped down with my friends for the finals. There were seven contestants I think. The finalists were mostly very good, some more in for their being known than their dancing, but I was happy to see Jojo in the finals with some of the Swedes. With two spotlights a piece it was then narrowed down by popular decision to three guys: Sakarias Larsson, Stefan Durham, and one more. Stefan was my favorite during the spotlights, but he definitely seemed exhausted during the dance off (since it was I believe the fourth super-fast charleston song). It was obvious that Sakarias was the most used to long performances as he barely seemed winded for the dance off and boy could he dance at that blazing tempo. Reminded me of the skill Frida has demonstrated in years past, for reasons plain to see. Sakarias won hands down in the dance off. I expected as much. I’ll post it up when it hits Youtube.
Here is the video from Lindy Library of the Jack & Jill finals. Exceptional dancing, my notable favorites are Todd Yannacone with Laura Keat and Andy Reid with Frida Segerdahl. My congratulations to everyone who made it to the finals and to anyone who was brave enough to enter the competition.
