| 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
What’s the best antidote for the cold–a little bit of rhythm. On Saturday, March 12, 2005, Midori and I host our annual nod to rhythm tap and classic big band jazz. The evening features Felix and All the Cats Big Band, playing classic big band favorites of Fletcher Henderson, Count Basie, Erskine Hawkins, Benny Goodman, and Earl Hines as well as special tribute tunes for the late Artie Shaw.
On Saturday, January 8, 2005, the 92nd Street Y rings in the New Year in style with a spectacular evening of music and dancing celebrating Jazz Age dance and the roots of Lindy Hop. There’s so much planned, the dance runs an extra hour longer (running ’til 2am)! For starters, the incomparable Michael Arenella’s 11-piece Blue Orchid Dance Orchestra will keep the joint jumpin’ with a mix of ’30s-style swing and ’20s-style dance jazz, perfect for dancing not only the lindy hop but also peabody, charleston and balboa (as well as collegiate shag, foxtrot and a dash of tango).
On June 12, the 92nd Street Y will celebrate the teaching and dancing career of Paul Grecki with a special tribute dance held in his honor. The evening features the 16-piece Harlem Renaissance Orchestra and special dance performances. Since 1982, Paul has taught New Yorkers how to swing at Sandra Cameron Dance Center. He studied with two legends of Harlem’s Savoy Ballroom — Al Minns and Frankie Manning — and helped pave the way in early 1980s for the current swing revival by teaching, performing and hosting dances dedicated to lindy hop.
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.