OMG Rhythm!

All things dancing in rhythm: Tap, Vernacular Jazz, Swing, Lindy Hop...

[omgrhythm]

It's all too common for finals of competitions in Europe to focus on speed. So it was refreshing that the Jack n' Jill at the Herräng Championships in Hallstavik, Sweden took it easy. I also pretty much agree with the results: 1st: Juan & Elzbieta (couple #3) 2nd: Joris & Irene(couple #4) 3rd: Davis & Allatina  [sp?](couple #5) I thought Mindaugas and Cat (couple #6) had a strong showing, but their 2nd spotlight swingout gambit didn't pay off and so they only saw half as much of them as the other couples.

[omgrhythm]

I have been far from the tap dance world in terms of current events. Apparently there's a lot of great young tap dancers finding themselves and generally kicking ass.  This is a long video, so I recommend you also skip ahead to the partnered section (about 23 minutes in) - there's a lot of cool creative stuff going on there.

[omgrhythm]

This short film by Tomasz Bagiński has the most beautiful use of dance in film that I have ever seen. Morbid and terrifying - but also gives an opportunity to consider the nature of war, art and the relation between those with and without power.

[omgrhythm]

One of three "prologues" from Footlight Parade. You could argue whether this is "dance" or not - I say it is. This piece doesn't really fit into the rhythm theme but it is a good look at what else was going on with dance and performance at the time.

I haven't been able to find full clips of the other two prologues: "Honeymoon Hotel" and "Shanghai Lil."

(If the audio breaks bother you, here is a lower quality one - but the audio is continuous)

[angiemagz]

I wish I could dance like this… swing dance.. love the shoes 

[colorfuloddity]

I like seeing ~swing dancing gifs~ but something that bugs is that swing dance seems to be, at least in “mainstream representation" (ie not so much in our local scenes etc) “Swing Dancing"/"The Swing" is portrayed as this super duper white, sock hoppy, jukebox-y thing when in reality it was this super fuckin rad athletic street dance invented by Black people and I don’t get how it got so white?

[omgrhythm]

This is a cool gif, and one that I would be happy to have represent the dance scene. I don't know why this gif elicited that response in you, and I won't say you don't have a point in that it seems Swing dance and Lindy Hop has been appropriated by white culture - I think it's odd to start this argument over a joyful swing dance post.

[omgrhythm]

This performance by the Nicholas Brothers in Stormy Weather is applauded by many to be the best dance number on film. I don't need to contribute to the high praise it receives. Instead I have included a spreadsheet breaking down the shot changes - I wanted to see if they cheat... but it seems that pretty much every feat is genuine - the only one I had to re-watch a lot is the piano jump... it looks like it's too far but they seem to really be departing from atop the piano. Relating to the previous clip, apparently jumping into splits on staircases is a thing that recurs.

[lindyloowho]

OKAY, so! Here’s a thing. When I was looking around at the various Shorty George clips available for my Shorty George’s After School Special series, I found this Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth clip. Now, although this one isn’t actually part of the ~important Lindy clips to watch and know~ I’m including it because it blew my mind.

Let’s talk lyrics: 

Seems that it’s a kind of jig

Named for someone about so big [indicates very short person]

…

High stepper is Shorty George

Black pepper is Shorty George 

He dances to pay the rent

And to see that you’re solid Sam.

"Say Mister, can you spare a penny

Lady, can you spare a dime?"

He makes I don’t know how many

‘Cause he’s dancing all the time.

Dudes. Shorty George was a professional dancer. Just like you were, Mr. Fred Astaire. He’s not a beggar on the streets. WTF. Like, they’re singing about the Shorty George dance craze, but then they get all condescending about it. And there’s literally no need for that.

Also, check out their dancing in relation to the man we’re featuring next week. Stay tuned.

[omgrhythm]

My first defense of this performance was going to be that "Shorty George" as a concept preceded "Shorty George" the Dancer. However, I found this great article by the late Terry Monaghan (one of very few Lindy Hop historians), which discusses the uses of the name Shorty George - and in fact references this dance number:

The Count Basie number "The Shorty George" though was not named after Snowden. "Shorty George" was a popular mythical figure in African-American folk law [sic] as the early 1920's blues number of the same name testifies. It's possible that Count Basie Orchestra 1938 recording however, was a measure of recognition for Snowden who retired from professional dancing on doctor's orders that year, as indicated the following year by Erskine Hawkins Orchestra's recording of "Saboo," (an alternative name for the "Shorty George" step). Fred Astaire possibly confused this issue in a 1942 film by dancing and singing about the Shorty George, whereas Frank Sinatra sang only about the mythical "Shorty George."

Even so, I think the piece Fred Astaire is dancing to is actually reinventing the origin of the step rather than intentionally rewriting history and essentially saying that Shorty George Snowden was a beggar.

[omgrhythm]

Here is a mesmerizing piece of the Sensations of 1945. A whole troupe of acrobatic tap dancers - clearly the theme is front flips, back flips and splits. Upstairs, downstairs, over other dancers in unison in canon, alone, in pairs, in sequence, jumping in, flipping in, sliding in.

I do wonder about how genuinely they tap, it is well known that tap sounds even for Fred Astaire were recorded separately - but I wonder if they are even wearing shoes with taps... I personally don't imagine doing an entire sequence of back flips in tap shoes. I would put the shoes I felt safest in on.

The only place where the feat done is clearly cheated is on the dancers jumping off the second step at around 3 minutes in - unfortunately I can't keep that suspension of disbelief. 

In the upwards stair split-jumping sequence there is an obvious cut as well, but to me once I have seen it done twice it doesn't kill me that they had to cut frames for the next two.

Anyway, this is an impressive showcase of prowess, and I am happy that this is an all-women's routine that homes in on physicality and athleticism.

As a bonus we have Eleanor Powell dance with a horse.

[omgrhythm]

My practice sessions would be much cooler if I had a dog. And danced like Eleanor Powell.

[omgrhythm]

Fascinating Rhythm Part II - Eleanor Powell

In this continuation of yesterday's Fascinating Rhythm clip from "Lady Be Good," Eleanor takes the rest of the song with a powerful solo. She is unique in her dancing at the time, in that there's nothing cutesy about the way she dances - she is not pandering to the male gaze.  

Everything from her clothes (top hat and tailcoat), to the shapes she forms when she turns and travels, skills and athleticism convey an elegance and strength that makes it a continuation of the Barry Brothers trio preceding it.

Youtube her, read up on her, and share anything interesting you find with me, please!

[reeberry]

I feel like I’m stuck in a really annoying spot in my dancing with regards to competitions.

Because I know, realistically, in order to get to teach outside of the local capacity, I need to start winning comps so I can be like “look, I’m good because I’m better than everyone in...

[omgrhythm]

Jack n' Jills are really are an interesting animal, and (especially in the finals!) have a very strong luck component. I know this may be somewhat different for followers in pre-lims than leaders, however if you are clearly a better follower than your competition most judges will notice. It's up to you to make a dance work even with a terrible lead, just as it is for a lead with a terrible follower. If your individual movement is solid and rhythmical and you present your musical ideas, most judges will see you above the mess the lead may be making out of the dance.  That being said, I have seen some recent competitions where I have scratched my head about what the judges were looking for, especially regarding follows. Sometimes you will land leads where this is very hard to achieve, and part of your skill as a competition follow has to come from really composing something out of what they give you - and yeah sometimes you really really won't get that opportunity (staying safe and alive trumps dancing well). a

So I think it's like poker, a lot of chance involved - but if you're a good player you stop making excuses - and play the hand you have.

As for the problem of being DJ during competitions, yeah - that's frustrating, but I hope you're being paid more than the opportunity to compete is worth. Otherwise I would request the organizers that someone else DJ the comps so I could participate (says me who has never DJ'ed a comp - not because I follow this advice, but because I haven't yet been asked to). [Edit: I noticed I wasn't very clear on whom I'm replying to, I realized I accidentally mixed up LindyBadger and Reeberry posts - I can see that Reebery only mentions luck in passing - my response about luck is more directed towards LindyBadger] [Edit #2: I see that this is in the context of something I haven't read or seen, so perhaps everything I wrote is completely irrelevant to what's going on. Ooops.]

[omgrhythm]

A beautiful routine by the Berry Brothers to Fascinating Rhythm. It's smooth incorporation of unison and non-unison movement, flash and props is a choreographic feat. However, what really sells it to me is their unswaying respect to rhythm and timing no matter what's happening. You can also discern that they are three distinct dancers, even in unison you can see that each moves a little differently.

The Killer Dillers have re-created this choreography and performed it at Frankie 95, as well as Herrang.

[omgrhythm]

Unsquare Dance Part II: This is a performance to the Unsquare Dance at Lindy Focus X (also titled Unsquare Dance). Really what makes this piece interesting is the appropriation of vernacular jazz movement and Charleston variations into it's 7/4 signature. For someone like me who dances and watches a lot of vernacular Jazz and Solo Charleston a lot - it's like looking into some parallel reality where every third beat has two off-beats instead of one. We get a taste of choreography, a jam, and a canon that breaks into what I can only assume solo dance competitions would look like if they were done in this brain-itchingly-maddening-but-strangely-satisfying meter. (Want to analyze it without shot changes: here)

[omgrhythm]

From Digby Wolfe’s Australian variety show, here is a dance that I have watched a gazillion times. The strange skewed starkness of the set, and the quirky mash up of simple movement with emphatic pas de chats - this piece presents to you a strange world where the loss of the 8th beat infuses life with an impishly cheery jolt.

[omgrhythm]

Unsquare Dance - Part 1

From Digby Wolfe's Australian variety show, here is a dance that I have watched a gazillion times. The strange skewed starkness of the set, and the quirky mash up of simple movement with emphatic pas de chats - this piece presents to you a strange world where the loss of the 8th beat infuses life with an impishly cheery jolt.

[omgrhythm]

Here is a classic tap dance routine. Bojangles and the staircase, the "Step Dance."

There are so many things that make this beautiful. Just the opening shot with the staircase in the center which casts a subtle shadow, and Bojangles stage left makes for an intriguing minimalistic setting.

Then comes the dancing, Bojangles makes everything seem so easy and clear. The simplicity of the piano and the way that he never truly is presentation makes it feel like a meditation, or the portrait of a man on a staircase. He faces the audience as often as he faces away as he explores the steps, and you can take simple joy in what he discovers.

The only thing I'm not very partial to is the use of the various shots, I would have been much more thrilled with just the single shot. Perhaps the shots of the audience were interesting, in a funny way it makes him seem even more alone and in his own world with this staircase.

[omgrhythm]

Teacher Introductions at Stompology. Followed by my a shim sham. The Shim Sham: This is why anyone who says they're bored with the shim sham aren't doing it right. In the first chunk: It's interesting to see how differently each of these dancers move, as well as the similarities and inspirations they take from each other. I was looking at this and I thought I could see a kind of linear spectrum of movement approaches... then I watched it three more times and changed my mind. What I do see is that some really share some aspects of their while differing significantly in others. At first I wanted to write about how Mike (1st dancer) and Laura (2nd dancer) have more similar movement ideas to each other than the other three... and then I started seeing more differences. I wanted to generalize something about them all... and every time something contradicts my sentiment. In the end my similarities only came down to "they are all dancing rhythmically to the music."