teachers and researchers of traditional jazz dance
| September 19, 2008 | to | September 21, 2008 |
Oh Canada! I’ll be flying north soon to Toronto for a weekend of Peabody, Charleston and Lindy Hop workshops. Easily one of our favorite places to dance (and perhaps the coldest locale we’ve ever taught in—New Year’s weekend a few years back), Toronto is diverse, has a lot of good dancers, and is home to Tim Hudson (as in Timothy’s donuts and coffee).
For full details about the workshops, visit OddSocks.org.
Posted on September 15th, 2008 by chad
Finally, we got around to sprucing up our video section. While we have wanted to update the formats and sizes of our clips and add a few more, we just didn’t have the time. Luckily, Apple came out with iMovie ‘08, which made it substantially easier to pull together the raw footage and output to a larger format but manageable file size. So, the first step was re-publishing the videos. The second step is adding some new clips to the mix. First up, we’ve got the jam from AMC Swings: Live with the Cherry Poppin’ Daddiesan hour long concert with dancing that aired in April 1999.
Posted on October 12th, 2007 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.
Posted on June 17th, 2007 by chad
Midori and I cannot wait to see Saturday’s Peabody race in Washington, D.C., which promises to be one of the best ever considering the size of Glen Echo Spanish Ballroom. These races are always raucous events, dancing’s version of the track meet, where lapping your friend and blistering past the judges can win earn you the title Fleetest Dancing Feet. The last time we hosted a Peabody race (Toronto on New Year’s Eve) only a few feet literally separated the two finalists. Pre-race favorites went down early to long shots. A dark horse couple (who came literally out of nowhere) nearly took the crown, until a two-lead tandem pulled away in a near photo finish.
Hey, it might not be the Wanamaker Mile. It might not get coverage on ESPN. But where else can you be crowned the Fleetest Dancing Feet in the Nation’s Capitol! Only at Glen Echo this Saturday.
One final note: In what other dance contest can you wildly cheer on your friends WHILE they are dancing?
To learn more about this weekend’s event, visit: http://thejamcellar.com/roaringtwenties
Posted on March 13th, 2007 by chad
| February 17, 2007 | ||
| 11:00 am |
We are teaching a second set of Peabody and Charleston workshops for New Jersey Jazz Society members as well as the general public on Saturday, February 17. The workshops will begin at 11 AM with two hours of Peabody basics, followed by a lunch break, then two hours of Charleston basics. The workshops will be held at the American Legion Post 35 in Union,N.J. (Continue reading…)
Posted on February 5th, 2007 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.