We perform and teach popular and historical social dances of the Jazz Age and Swing Era and have appeared on stage, independent film, and local and national television. Known not only for our performance but also our research of social dancing, we also consult and choreograph for period productions, particularly those set in the Roaring Twenties. We direct the swing program at Sandra Cameron Dance Center in New York. Though we do not regularly compete, we have placed in competitions, including 1st in the 2004 American Lindy Hop Championships Fast Dance division.We encourage you to peruse our site for more details about ourselves, our research, the dances we teach, and our availability for projects.
Another piece of dance history will face the wrecking ball: Fazil’s has closed Thursday to make way for another luxury hotel in New York. (We really need another one?) I called to book the space for a private lesson and learned the terrible news. Personally, Midori and I have great memories of rehearsing at the dance studio over the years. Midori learned from tap legend Chuck Green at Fazil’s. We choreographed some of our best routine and had most of our tap rehearsals there. For those who are not familiar, Fazil’s was the unofficial home of tap and flamenco dancers. You would walk up several flights of stairs from its street access point on Eighth Avenue between 46th and 47th Streets and enter a home of happy feet. In some of its lower level rental studios, the ceiling would quake with the stomping of dancers above. The floor was not as polished as other rental studios. OK, the floor may have last been polished decades ago. But we never got tired on it. Perhaps I reasoned this was because the floor was hardwood layered over years of hardwood. But I also loved to tell folks that the ghosts of the studio’s past lightened the impact of its floor—a version of dancing on the shoulders of giants. While I knew the studio space as Fazil’s, the studio’s story merely ends there. The beginning dates back to the 1920s. A few years ago, the New York Times posted an article on the studio, which touched on this past. They have several other articles from 1989 to 2005. I guess that we drew inspiration from this rich dance history. We felt like rehearsing at Fazil’s carried a story forward that has started long before us. I couldn’t wait for us to start tapping for fun with our son, Indigo, at Fazil’s. Unfortunately, we won’t get the chance. Fazil’s may move on. The staff said they are working on finding a new space. But those ghosts will be lost, however. I’m still in shock. A piece of my neighborhood and my New York will just disappear. I guess that’s life in the Big Apple.
Posted on February 9th, 2008 by chad
When you see the white-haired man in the blue jacket, you know the New York Times is on the prowl. That man in blue is Bill Cunningham, the noted Times photographer. We spotted him at last year’s Hot Jazz Lawn Party on Governor’s Island. The next week, we saw a host of photos make the Times’ Style section. This year, Mr. Cunningham struck again. The Sunday Styles section of the New York Times, June 17, has a great spread that captures the spirit, passion, and wide-legged dancing abandon of the Hot Jazz Lawn Party. We are proudly among the revelers pictured (see low-res version from NY Times site). Unfortunately, the event only happens once a year. Don’t know when next year’s event will be, but don’t miss it. Now, if only I could convince the island to do a whole themed weekend……hmmm that would be cool.
We perform and teach popular and historical social dances of the Jazz Age and Swing Era and have appeared on stage, independent film, and local and national television. Known for our performance and our research of social dancing, we also consult and choreograph for period productions, particularly those set in the Roaring Twenties. Though we do not regularly compete, we have placed in a number of competitions, including 1st in the 2004 American Lindy Hop Championships Fast Dance division.