Blog – Page 8 – Bees' Knees Dance

Song of the Week! June 22nd – Since I Fell For You

Song: Since I Fell For You

Artist: Dinah Washington

The Summertime Blues is coming up on Thursdays in July and August and I’m getting in the mood listening to my Blues music collection. Here’s a soulful tune with a great groove.

Song of the Week! June 15th – Love Is Here To Stay

SONG OF THE WEEK

Song: Love is Here to Stay

Artist: Louis Armstrong & Ella Fitzgerald

This is a shout out to two lovely Bees’ Knees dancers who have recently become engaged! John and Mary picked this song for their first dance at their wedding. A marvelous choice, in my opinion. Congratulations to them, and let’s all enjoy the song on their behalf!

Lindy Hop meets Quantum Physics!

You must watch this video! TEDxWaterloo – Krister Shalm – Magic, Dance and Quantum Physics:

Rock n’ Roll, Jitterbug, Lindy Hop… what’s the difference?

So much dancing, so little time!

Pop by and check out more of our Blog Posts! Toronto Blog Posts.

Swing Dancing represtents a broad umbrella of styles of dance. At Bees’ Knees Dance, we specialize particularly in Lindy Hop which is the original form of Swing Dancing that evolved out of the Charleston era and was popular until WWII. When most people think of Swing Dancing, they might not know the name but they usually have Lindy Hop in mind.

But what are all of these other styles of dance?

Rock n’ Roll, Boogie Woogie, Jitterbug, Jive, East Coast Swing, West Coast Swing, etc. What’s the difference?

Ultimately, it’s all just dancing. The titles don’t *really* matter. The defining factor for each style of dance is the music. People should dance to the type of music that they enjoy, and when you connect with the music your dancing will shape itself appropriately.

First came straight Charleston which was danced to the very specific Charleston music of the 1920s. Afterward, Lindy Hop (which also integrates the earlier Charleston steps) is best danced to the swinging jazz of the late 1920s through to the mid-1940s. But even by the 1940s big bands, the music was changing and so was the dancing. Some of the very orchestrated sounds of the big bands is more suitable for ballroom dances like Fox Trot, where Lindy Hop is best danced to the hotter jazz that came earlier.

Jitterbug was the white name for Lindy Hop. Lindy Hop was born in Harlem, New York but as it began to spread across North America, the same steps with a slightly different style might have been called Jitterbug, or just “Lindy” and on the West Coast many of the dancers were influenced by a dancer named Dean Collins and they named their own smoother style of Lindy Hop after him. Dean himself picked up his Lindy Hop back in New York at the Savoy and, like all of good dancers, had his own unique style, but when he moved out to California his smoother style of dancing rubbed off on the people around him, mainly white dancers, and that’s the style that you’ll see in most of the old Hollywood movies.

“East Coast Swing” was the Arthur Murry Dance Studios response to Lindy Hop. Everyone wanted to learn Lindy Hop and essentially the studio created a dance that would be easier for them to teach. They took the most basic Lindy Hop steps and simplified them in a standardized way so that they could instruct the masses. East Coast swing is strictly based on six-count patterns while Lindy Hop, which evolved organically as a street dance, is a mix of six-count, eight-count, Charleston, jig and other patterns. East Coast Swing can be danced to the music of the 30s and 40s but better suits early the Rock n’ Roll of the 1950s.

“West Coast Swing” is a dance that confuses many people who are looking for Lindy Hop but aren’t familiar with that name. West Coast Swing is a style of dance that did evolve out of Dean Collins’ smoother style of Lindy Hop, but it’s not danced to the same kind of music. It’s less of a traditional swing dance and more of a contemporary partnered dance that suits pop, soul, R&B, blues and hip-hop.

Just as Jelly Roll Morton and Louis Armstrong were defining musicians for the Jazz Era, Chuck Berry was one of the early defining forces in the Rock n’ Roll Era. He influenced the popular music of the time, and the music inspired changes to the dancing.

Rock n’ Roll dancing is danced to early Rock n’ Roll music. However, depending on where you are geographically, or what kind of community you dance with, you might call almost the same dance steps Boogie Woogie or Jive. Some communities would even still hang on to the earlier white name for Lindy Hop and call it Jitterbug. Essentially, these are all dances based on Lindy Hop, but they started to bounce more and become less horizontally stretchy than Lindy Hop; instead the dances of the 50s and early 60s tend to be more contained and while they still have some elastic, they connection is tighter and shorter and the posture is more vertical.

You might be most familiar with the name Jive; Rock n’ Roll is similar though more free than the Jive that is often associated with Ballroom studios and Ballroom culture. There are also more “street” interpretations of Jive that are basically what we call Rock n’ Roll, and the Rockabilly communities will even call it Rockabilly dancing though it’s the same dance simply put to rougher music.

Also, what we call Rock n’ Roll dancing in Canada is actually called Boogie Woogie in Europe as opposed to the very athletic performance dance that the Europeans call Rock n’ Roll. That EU version of Rock n’ Roll is primarily danced for competition and consists of very athletic acrobatics with very few actual dance steps in between. That is not our focus in St. Catharines. Rather, our dancing is based on a fun, care free and not overly complicated approach to social dancing.

There are many other regional dances, such as Shag that also popped up in little pockets throughout the Swing Era and Rock n’ Roll era. Ultimately though, most of these dances fizzled out once the Twist came along in the early 60s which put an end to partnered dancing as part of popular culture. While many communities did continue to dance, couples dancing was no longer mainstream and it wasn’t until the later part of the 80s that most of these dances started to become revived again after many years of falling out of popular interest.

What about the various dances associated with Lindy Hop?

Though a variety of other dances do catch some interest, Lindy Hoppers primarily tend to branch into various Solo Vernacular Jazz deances (authentic solo Jazz and Charleston steps), Balboa, and Blues dancing. These dances are closely tied with Lindy Hop, and the occasional spot of Shag. Mostly these dances are compatible with Lindy Hop because they can also be danced to the same kind of music, as can Tap. Other forms of dancing like Rock n’ Roll or West Coast Swing are technically related, but are better danced to music from other eras.

But really, it doesn’t matter what style of dance you do just as long as you have a good time. Get out there and enjoy!

Mandi Gould is Director & Head Dance Instructor for Bees’ Knees Dance in Toronto and St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada.

Song of the Week! June 8th – Jive at Five

Song: Jive At Five

Artist: Count Basie

One of my favourite Basie tunes. There’s a reason why this guy was Frankie Manning’s favourite for dancing Lindy Hop. The drive, the melody, the structure, the call and response of the musicians. Perfection!

Song of the Week! Frankie’s theme song – Shiny Stockings!

Song: Shiny Stockings

Artist: Count Basie

Well of course this week’s song of the week has to be Frankie’s theme song! Shiny Stockings, the definitive Frankie Manning swing song. Swing out and enjoy!

Check out this tribute video with Shiny Stockings playing. It’s from Frankie’s 80th birthday. Norma Miller appears with Frankie’s son, Chazz Young, at 2:24.

Dance shoes for sale! Ladies, size 8, white character shoe

For Sale!

SOLD

1 pair white leather-soled SoDanca CH-50 women’s dance shoes. Brand new, never worn, in original box. See pictures.

Dance Shoe size 8 Wide, fits approx. street size 7, 7.5 or maybe 8 (regular or wide width).

1 1/2 inch heel, “character shoe”. Synthetic upper, leather sole, cushion lining. Buckle strap with elastic attachment.

Very comfortable, you can dance all night in them.

Price $35 CAD (Julia paid US$38.95 plus shipping) or best offer.

If interested, Julia is happy to meet with you so you can try them on before buying.

Summertime Workshops! Monday Nights July & August

Summertime and the livin’ is easy
Fish are jumpin’ and the cotton is high…

Monday Night Workshops all summer long!

Pick and choose from a selection of excellent workshops. Enjoy your summer weekend plans and then join us back on Mondays to help jazz up your work week!

Schedule Overview

Monday, July 2nd – holiday – no classes
Monday, July 9th – BAL NIGHT
Monday, July 16th – Jazz with Miss Martha, 8pm to 9pm
Monday, July 23rd – I Love Lindy Hop with Phil & Elly, 7pm to 9pm
Monday, July 30th – Charleston with King Arthur! 7pm to 8:30pm
Monday, August 6th – holiday – no classes
Monday, August 13th – BAL NIGHT
Monday, August 20th – Jazz with Miss Martha, 8pm to 9pm
Monday, August 27th – Charleston with King Arthur! 7pm to 8:30pm

Week by Week

BAL NIGHT

Monday, July 9th – Bal Night!

Balboa is a true dancers’ dance. Enjoy a close embrace that’s both sophisticated and cartoonish at the same time. It’s the perfect summer dance, allowing you to stay cool and not overheat at fast tempos. Work on the subtle connection while improving your connection for other dances at the same time. It’s a great alternative when space is tight or the tempo gets fast – dance a whole song or a few phrases for a break. Because of the close connection, Bal was historically called the “Sweetheart’s Dance” with the Follow’s role being sweet and a little flirty and the Lead’s clever creativity can make the follower giggle and a spectator would never understand why!

6pm – Bal 1.5 Workshop – $20 in advance/$23 at the door (includes the dance) – some basic Balboa experience is required
7:30 – Bal 2 Workshop – $20 in advance/$23 at the door (includes the dance)*
9pm – Bal Social Dance – $3 drop-in for non-workshop participants
*Level 2 advance registration special! Pre-register to take both workshops for $30, otherwise $40 for both at the door.

JAZZ NIGHT

Monday, July 16th – Jazz with Miss Martha

Owning it! – dancing flair, verve, and gumption

Add some real flair to your authentic Vintage Jazz steps. From the Suzy Q to Around the World Charleston, the Shorty George to Spank the Baby, take a step back in time to the roots of jazz dance and get inside the character fof the dance.

8pm to 9pm
$13 in advance/$15 at the door

I LOVE LINDY HOP NIGHT

Monday, July 23rd – Phil & Elly

7pm to 9pm
$25 in advance/$28 at the door

CHARLESTON NIGHT

Monday, July 30th – Charleston with King Arthur!

7pm to 8:30pm
$20 in advance/$23 at the door

BAL NIGHT

Monday, August 13th – Bal Night! 1.5 and Bal 2 Workshops

6pm – Bal 1.5 Workshop – $20 in advance/$23 at the door (includes the dance) – some basic Balboa experience is required
7:30 – Bal 2 Workshop – $20 in advance/$23 at the door (includes the dance)*
9pm – Bal Social Dance – $3 drop-in for non-workshop participants
*Level 2 advance registration special! Pre-register to take both workshops for $30, otherwise $40 for both at the door.