The last surviving Andrews Sister, Patty, died last week at 94 years old.

Here’s the song that the Andrews Sisters were probably best known for.

Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy

Kevin Miller is a dance instructor at Bees’ Knees Dance in Toronto.

“I just put in some research buying a hat myself. So here’s the skinny on hat shopping in Toronto:

If you’re looking to go cheap because you don’t need a black hat or don’t need a hat period. Your best bet is Honest Ed’s, with the Bay as a close second (they have a sale on their winter stock right now.) But any department store will do. If on the other hand you would like to invest in a quality hat here are some options.

Big It Up: found in many malls has an ok selection of hats with pretty good quality, plus their brand is actually carried at many others hat shops around town.

Brimz (on Queen st. West): fair selection, they carried many of the same hats as Big It Up. Worth a look.

Goorin Bros. (Queen and Spadina): they only carry their own brand, all hand made, fine quality. I found they don’t have a very larger selection, and their hats don’t have a lot of structure. Which is not preferable for our purposes, but I wouldn’t discount them on that account if you like their hats. Also nice feature you get to choose your own feather.

Lastly, Hat Depot (Pape and Dandorth): this is where I usually buy my hats, wide variety, very good quality. I like shopping here because it’s a family owned independently operated business. Plus if you get a bunch if people together he might cut you a deal! On a side not they also make custom flat caps in house in a variety of different styles for a reasonable price.

There are many other shops in the city, but these are the ones I have personally visited.

It is my opinion that everyone should own at least one hat and know when, where, and how to wear it. Respect hat wearing and the etiquette that goes with it is a dying tradition that should be preserved. Let me know if you have any questions. Happy hat shopping!

P.S. This is all if you’re looking to by new of course. You can also find used hats at thrift/vintage stores. But style, size, and colour are a total crap shoot!”

 

 

Looking for a good Charleston practice song? Look no further than this version of Flat Foot Floogie by Slim and Slam.

Slim and Slam are so rhythmical and humorous. They’re a great stand by band any time you need to find a great song for Charleston, Lindy Hop or solo Jazz.

This week’s song is from Shannon:

Caledonia

Erskine Hawkins

A great version of a classic swing tune. A more commonly known version is the Jump Blues rendition by Louis Jordan, but this Erskine Hawkins take on the song is a less known gem. Enjoy!

 

This week’s song is from Heather O’Shea!

Call The Police
Palmetto Bug Stompers

This September I went to the Ultimate Lindy Hop Showdown and found out that the Palmetto Bug Stompers play at D.B.A (a bar in New Orleans) every Sunday. I had so much fun dancing there, not only was it the highlight of my trip, but I didn’t want to leave! This song is one of my favorites! If you’re ever in NOLA on a Sunday head on down to DBA to check them out live!

 

Jasper was nice enough to share this great holiday playlist. Thanks, Jasper. Enjoy, everyone!

Chatanooga Choo Choo with the Glenn Miller Orchestra featuring Dorothy Dandridge and The Nicholas Brothers!

The Nicholas Brothers and Dorothy Dandridge dance and sing in this video – from the 1941 movie Sun Valley Serenade. This will be the song for the “1.5 level” Choreography project, on Monday nights in January – March!

The really great part that we’ll be using for the choreography starts at 4:54.

This week’s song is from Mandi.

It’s time to get in the mood for great swinging songs from film as we make the initial preparations for this April’s Bees’ Knees Show, Swing Goes To the Movies!

Here’s a terrific Judy Garland tune, Get Happy, that we’re considering including in the show.

This week’s song of the week is from James!

One of the best loved songs of even today’s swing dance community is the 1920’s classic, “I Like Pie, I Like Cake”. I love this song and version especially because it was the first Choreo I ever learned with Bees Knees. This is also an awesome video because it features what seems to be an idealistic portrayal of a futuristic restaurant that serves you with Robots circa. 1920s, 30s. Awesome. It’s also worth mentioning that this song speeds up a great deal which actually makes it great for practicing swing outs for intermediate dancers. They’ll start off fairly slow and easy and get more difficult as the song progresses.