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This Saturday marked the 2011 Frankie Manning Tribute Night in Toronto. This was the 3rd annual event and, as always, a huge success.  

The numbers are in and Saturday’s event raised $3633.60 for the Frankie Manning Legacy Fund!!!!! Incredible! 

Thank you so much to all the people in Toronto and the surrounding communities who helped to make this such a wonderful night. 

Money raised from Toronto’s Frankie Manning Tribute Night will be used to directly support: 

 
The Frankie Manning Lindy Hop Ambassador Scholarship ProgramA Frankie Manning Legacy Fund Project

The Frankie Manning, Lindy Hop Ambassador Scholarship Mandate:

To empower exceptional students of Lindy Hop who come from communities that have little or no exposure to Lindy Hop so that they may take what they learn back to their community of origin to help the spread of Lindy Hop. The successful scholarship recipients demonstrate great desire, natural ability and leadership qualities but may not have access to learning resources or the financial means to pursue and develop their dancing to its full potential.
 
This year, candidates have been selected from 2 specific groups:
 
1. The African-American/Black community; In his final years Frankie Manning enjoyed tremendous satisfaction from the global spread of Lindy Hop but always felt some regret at how relatively few African-Americans dance the Lindy Hop today; Frankie had a strong desire to see more African-American young people involved, particularly since it was the African-American community that played such an important role in giving birth to this dance.  
 
2. New geographical representation; As part of his passion for the world domination of Lindy Hop, Frankie loved nothing more than learning that Lindy Hop had caught on in some new part of the world, be it Argentina or Lithuania. Recipients may come from an area where Lindy Hop is not danced or where it is in a very nascent stage of adoption and development. 
  
In the future the Fund intends to finance a whole range of learning opportunities for those that are awarded scholarships;  however, initially  it intends to provide scholarships to attend Herrang Dance Camp in Sweden during July of 2011.
 
The money that Toronto raised last year has been put toward the 2011 scholarships. Exceptional and extremely worthy recipients have been selected from around the world for these scholarships and Toronto is proud to help support this program. 

And the winners are … 

 

In carrying on the dreams of Frankie Manning to have everyone in the world doing the lindy hop, the Frankie Manning Foundation is proud to announce the following winners of the Ambassador Scholarship 2011. These people will be going to Herrang Dance Camp this summer: 

International Ambassadors:
Denise Serpa and Luiz Claudio Martins, Rio de Janiero, Brazil 

Ambassadors to the African-American Community:
Jerry Foote – Houston TX
Jamin Jackson – Tulsa OK
Samuel Coleman – New York NY

I just got back from an extended Easter long weekend in New York City which included swing dancing in Harlem on Thursday night, Swing 46 on Friday night and a touch of Lindy Hop at the Easter Parade on Sunday. Here’s a little videography my husband put together from the trip.

Day 1

Arriving in New York, we checked in to our hotel. It was very well priced, probably because it’s overlooking the rather morbid site of the World Trade Center. Still a lucky find and we were satisfied with it. We did a good welcome walkabout the city including Grand Central Station, a walk up Madison Avenue, etc. It happened to be Geoff’s birthday and we celebrated in a very memorable way; swing dancing in Harlem! This was at Tian’s on the water and the band was the Harlem Renaissance Orchestra. Fantastic. It was great to see Judy Pritchett there and to celebrate Geoff’s birthday with a little dance jam.

Day 2

Another great walk around day, though still chilly. A nice New York style breakfast, a stroll across the Brooklyn Bridge,  a walk through Central Park, delicious Macarons at Le Maison du Chocolat in the Rockefeller Center, riding the vintage escalators at Macy’s and rounding things off with an evening of dancing at Swing 46.

Day 3

A rainy and slow start on Saturday, we weren’t able to visit Barney Greengrass  snce it was closed for Passover. Since it was raining we thought we’d hit the Museum of Natural History but of course the entire city of New York had the same idea so that didn’t work out either. Instead we enjoyed a slightly soggy walk through Central Park, a pop in to Bloomingdale’s, the New York Central Public Library… and then our batteries died. We rounded off the day with more walking and then a fabulous gourmet raw meal at Pure Wine and Food Bar.

Day 4

The big day! Easter Sunday! I accompanied Geoff to a Church uptown which he enjoyed visiting very much. We headed back downtown and got in a quick brunch before hitting the famous New York City Easter Parade! This is what we’d really been looking forward to and we weren’t disappointed. The weather turned out to be beautiful, and we enjoyed strutting in our vintage finest (my only truly vintage dress since I destroyed all the others by dancing in them), admiring some of the other paraders and having our photograph taken more times than we could count. There was a charming band playing and we ran in to a couple of friends there; Adam Lee, who I got to know in Beijing, and my dear old friend “Doctor” Dan who I hadn’t seen in years. We got in a little bit of dancing despite the heat and concrete and really enjoyed ourselves. Then we hit the Carnegie Deli which was actually open despite passover. That evening we checked out the view from the Top of the Rock (Rockefeller Center) and went home tired and happy.

Day 5

Our last day was spent making up for some of the lost time on Saturday. We hit the Museum of Natural History in the morning, then zipped down to Little Italy for lunch. Back to Macy’s to pick up another great jacket for Geoff and a few more macarons for good measure. By the end of the day we were pretty tired so we grabbed takeout dinner from Peanut Butter & Co. because as many of you know, I do love a good peanut butter sandwich! We took it to a movie and called the day a wrap. This morning we had a nice breakfast at Kitchenette in Tribecca before coming back home.

Intermediate+ Toronto Lindy Hop Workshop with Instructors Caitlin Wellman & Phil Bourassa!

Innovation in Lindy Hop – Dancing Outside Of The Box
An Intermediate+ Lindy Hop Workshop – Level 2+
NEW DATE & TIME: Sunday, May 29th
2pm to 4pm
$20

This Intermediate workshop, also appropriate for dancers with a high level of experience, is all about thinking and dancing differently, unconventionally or from a new perspective. It’s time to expand our dancing to incorporate new, novel or creative thinking.

To think outside the box is to look further and to try not thinking of the obvious things, but to try thinking beyond them. A simplified analogy is “the box” in the commonly used phrase “thinking outside the box”. What is encompassed by the words “inside the box” is analogous with the current, and often unnoticed, assumptions about a situation. Creative thinking acknowledges and rejects the accepted paradigm to come up with new ideas.

Click here to geek out with Caitlin & Phil in this terrific workshop!

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Originally published in the New Brunswick Business Journal, the following article was written by Sara Ritchie, one of our Toronto dance students. 

One of my favourite movies is Singin’ in the Rain, and from a young age, I have always loved to dance. A few months ago, when a friend suggested enrolling in a beginner Swing Dance class, I was over the moon with happiness. The best thing about the school we go to is that you can enrol as a couple or as a single as long as they get an equal number of people. The school also forces you to constantly rotate partners, so although you might start off with the person you came with – who knows where you’ll end up. In respect to learning how to do the moves, this strategy is a really great idea. When you get a strong leader, you can almost seem to know what you’re doing – and when you have a weak leader, you realize just how much you have to improve (as well as force yourself from not taking over the leader role).

After our dance class the other night, my friend and I got to discussing the role the leader plays at in dance and how that translates to work. Similar to the leader in dancing, who helps guide the follower through the moves, a people manager needs to provide a strong sense of leadership for their employees so they have a clear sense of direction in respect to expectations. And, similar to how a leader in dance helps dictate the transitions and what the next move will be in respect to the overall dance, a people manager helps lead the team’s overall contribution to the organization.

In couples dancing, if the leader isn’t assertive, the follower may feel the need to try to provide direction – however, this can lead to miscommunication and a total dance floor breakdown. By being assertive, the leader ensures their partner knows what is expected of them so they can help fulfill their role in the dance steps. They can also work with their leaders lead and not “step on their toes” – at work the same thing is applicable. A manager who provides clear direction helps their whole team succeed. When staff don’t feel like they have clear direction, they may be inclined to try to subvertly overthrow the manager. By providing the necessary information to your staff you can ensure that they have the tools they need to succeed, helping both them and you look poised and professional.

On the dance floor, there also has to be a sense of trust. The stronger the leader is, the stronger the trust is because the follower knows even if there’s a misstep, the leader will bring their partner back to where they need to be. The same can apply to work. If your team trusts you and knows that you will back them up and stand behind them, your relationship gets stronger because they know you are working for the success of the team.

When you’re on the dance floor and you have a strong leader, with strong communication – you get into a groove. Nothing else matters except the dance you are engaged in together – it can be a really fun and beautiful thing. By being assertive, providing strong communication and building a trusting relationship with your team – you can help everyone get into the groove. And that, Daddio, is the bees knees!

Sara Ritchie has worked for the past 13 years in sales and communications in Saint John, Montreal and Toronto. She can be reached at sarathewriter@gmail.com. Her column appears every Saturday.

We are pleased to announce the addition of a new instructor to our Bees’ Knees family, Caitlin Wellman!

An established and well-known swing dancer on both the local and global scene, we are happy to welcome Caitlin to our talented teaching faculty. Caitlin will make her Bees’ Knees teaching debut with a 2 part Solo Vintage Jazz & Charleston workshop taking place on Saturday, April 9th. 

About Caitlin Wellman

Caitlin teaches her students more than just a bunch of cool moves (but they get that too)! Her focus on solid lead/follow technique – based on momentum, connection, and rhythm – helps her students enjoy the dance on a deeper level and become more connected to the music and their partner. Her teaching is clear and articulate, and full of fun and creative ways of improving your dancing.

She was a founding member of the multi-award winning performance troupe Minnie’s Moochers, from Ithaca, NY, who recently performed at the Frankie95 Celebration in NYC. She has been in demand as a teacher across the US, Canada, Europe, Australia and Asia for many years. With her Toronto partner Chachi, she is the Director & Choreographer for Capital Dance Productions, a performance troupe that specializes in 20th century North American partner and solo dances. She has also been the Artistic Director & Choreographer of The Flappettes, a sassy all female 1920′s Jazz & Charleston troupe.
Caitlin has also made several Television and Print appearances such as: Instant Star, Much Music Video Awards ’06 with Fall Out Boy, Toronto 1 “Toronto Dances” program, and the cover of Dance Spirit Magazine.

 
Authentic Jazz with Caitlin Wellman!

Saturday, April 9th

• 3:30pm to 4:30pm – Jazz 101: The fundamentals of Solo Vintage Jazz & Charleston – Caitlin style!
• 4:30pm to 5:30pm – Experienced Jazz: dig into the heart of a unique Solo Vintage Jazz combination.
• $10 each of both for $15
• 765B Yonge St. at Yonge & Bloor, above Starbucks

Register Now! Listed under Special Workshops/Troupes.

Join Toronto’s Shaggers, Phil and Reesa, for a special introductory taste of Collegiate Shag!

Shall we Shag now or shall we shag later? … Let’s Shag now!

Collegiate Shag is a swing dance popular with the College set in the 1930’s and has a history similar to other jazz and swing era dances. Also known as the “Flea Hop”, the dance is known for its hopping basic step and high energy footwork that separates it from other forms of swing and other forms of “Shag”. Shag has a very animated and youthful style, best suited to fast tempos, and a great addition to your dance repertoire.

Shag Workshops

LEVELS

Introduction to Shag

This introductory level is ideal for students at the 1.5 dance level or higher, for people with other dance experience, or even for ambitious Beginners who are up for an athletic challenge. Phil and Reesa will start from the basic and move you into dancing Shag socially. Take this series to prepare for a higher Shag level coming soon!

Progressive Shag

You’ve got the basic Shag steps down and you’re hooked! Phil and Reesa are ready to give you more.

Prerequisites for Shag 1.5: must have completed at least one Introductory Shag Workshop and be comfortable with with Shag basics in open and closed, Shag Turn, Breaks, Change of Places.

Location: 765B Yonge St. at Yonge & Bloor, right above Starbucks

Please visit our Registration Page to reserve your spot. Listed under Special Workshops/Troupes.

Want to know more about Shag? Check out Phil’s Shag Dancing Blog Post.