| January 29, 2008 |
| 8:00 pm | to | 11:00 pm |
Thanks to the lovely Cara, I’ve found a great place in Brooklyn to screen rare dance film clips from old Hollywood movies, newsreels, and Vitaphone shorts spanning the Jazz Age through the Rock n’ Roll era. The place is Monkeytown. It’s located in Williamsburg. I plan on showing rare footage of Vernon and Irene Castle (the original stars of ballroom), the Harvest Moon Ball (the Madison Square Garden contest that captivated New York), Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers (the Savoy Ballroom troupe that brought big air to dancing), the 1939 World’s Fair, the Varsity Drag, and much more. The clips will cover our America’s dancing past, including the Lindy Hop, Charleston, Peabody, Balboa, Shag, Rock n’ Roll, as well as a few dancing oddities. Following the screening, I’ll be spinning swing tunes for social dancing.
Please pass the word.
Posted on December 31st, 2007 by chad
More than a year after the Savoy 80th anniversary celebration at the Alhambra Ballroom, I have finally managed to post (thanks to iMovie ‘08) the video tribute I put together as part of the festivities. The music video features Ella Fitzgerald (probably the Savoy’s most famous musical export) and Louis Armstrong singing Stompin’ at the Savoy. To their lively rendition, I’ve matched a number of clips showing many of the Savoy’s great dancers from Shorty George to Frankie Manning to Sugar Sullivan and more scorching the floor (and air). When I get a moment, I hope to draw up a list of folks. One notable missing from the final piece is Dawn Hampton. I deeply regret not including a clip of her, an oversight born largely because I turned this around in less than a week. One of the reasons I did not get around to posting this video after the event was my desire to correct the omission. But it proved hard to tinker with, especially the further I got away from the project. After 18 months on the shelf, I’ve decided to post it. I plan on adding a bonus clip of Dawn after the end. I will republish it then.
Posted on October 19th, 2007 by chad
In April 1999, American Movie Classics (AMC) aired an hour long special featuring neo-swing music and Lindy Hop. The Cherry Poppin’ Daddies headlined the event, which was a concert given at the Supper Club in Midtown Manhattan. We were one of six couples invited to dance during the hour long concert. This clip is our jam during the concert. We are the second to last couple out. It’s the only one capturing us doing air steps, including one of our own. While we don’t claim that putting your partner over your head during front-to-back charlestons is earth shattering. It’s no snatch. At the same time, we came up with the air step ourselves, so it holds some significance for us. If you care for the backstory, read on. (Continue reading…)
Posted on October 12th, 2007 by chad
On Sunday, August 14, we performed in a swing show to commemorate VJ Day. Sponsored by the History Channel and the Intrepid Sea Air & Space Museum, the show consisted of six numbers performed on the deck of the USS Intrepid. This movie features one of the group numbers, done to In the Mood.
Posted on August 21st, 2005 by chad
At the 2004 American Lindy Hop Championships, we performed a combination of Peabody and ’20s Charleston dancing to Sammy Ulano’s rendition of Bourbon Street Parade, which took first place in the Fast Dance division.
Posted on February 15th, 2005 by chad
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.