It’s hard to believe that I hadn’t been to Herräng in 5 years. Time sure does fly when you’re leaving your day job, getting married, moving to a new city, etc. But I finally got back to the Herräng Dance Camp for a little more than 2 weeks this year and was able to catch the 30 year anniversary of the camp. 

Admittedly, one of the reasons why I hadn’t been back to the camp in so long is that I really enjoy having some sort of a role there, and the right role hadn’t come up in a few years. After my first couple of years at the camp in ’99 and 2000, I started to take on working roles at the camp and by 2004 I was living in Sweden throughout the winter and spring helping with the camp’s administration. That year sort of killed me though, and I suffered from some pretty major travel burnout so I made my way back to Canada after various other nomadic adventures and took a year off in 2005. I did go back as a regular camper in 2006 and 2007 but it felt like something was missing.

Now, since getting involved in the Frankie Manning Foundation about a year and a half ago, I’ve found my true purpose. It feels so wonderful to visit the camp to help with something that’s so close to my heart. Since I started working closely with Judy Pritchett on the Frankie Manning Foundation Ambassador program, I feel like I’ve really found a way to apply my skill set to a worthy cause. So this year, I attended the camp as the representative for the FMF to oversee the scholarship recipients and it couldn’t have been more rewarding.

Our four Ambassadors came from widely different situations and geographical situations. Velo joined us from Taiwan where he is the organizer of a relatively new group of about 30 Lindy Hoppers. Adamas joined us from Korea where he’s been teaching Lindy Hop for 10 years but would like very much to introduce more of the history and Frankie’s spirit and touch to the dance there. Andrea is from Southern California and aspires to teach Lindy Hop to foster children with a particular focus on the Black community. And Nando is from Mozambique and is probably the very first Lindy Hopper to come out of Africa. They were such an amazing group and I felt so honoured to be there with them and to do my best to make their camp experience as rewarding and worthwhile as possible.

Unfortunately, we had pretty miserable weather over week 2 of the camp and I fell ill with the usual Herräng flu by the beginning of week 3. Cold, rainy… it even hailed twice. The sad thing was that I didn’t really shake my cold and was sick right up until the time I came home. Major bummer! This really interfered with some of my own social dancing and participation at the camp and I just didn’t dance the night away the way that I used to. I did have a few really nice dance nights though, so not all was lost.

I was thrilled to have my friend Laura come up from the UK where she’s currently living. She spent an extended weekend with us and it was so great to see her. We were particularly lucky to have one nice sunny day in Stockholm, along with my friend and student Heather. It was so nice to warm up for a day and it was nice to visit my old stomping grounds in Stockholm. I even popped in to my old gym, Friskis och Svetis, where I used to workout when the Herräng office was still on Vatagatan.

The camp is still going on and 3 of the Ambassadors are actually still there. My pals Krister, Kevin, Shannon, Clara, Riz, Terri and others are still there too for the 5th and final week of the camp. It was really nice to get back to Herräng, see lots of old friends, and watch newcomers fall under the magic spell that the camp can often emit. I know how intoxicating that first time can be and it was great to relive it through some of my friends eyes.

More photos here.

Song: C Jam Blues

Artist: Duke Ellington

Here’s a classic song to add to your collection. This version is a nice moderate tempo. Note that this is a 12 bar blues, so there are 6 8counts to the phrase instead of 4.

Song: The Things We Did Last Summer

Artist: Nancy Wilson

I have fond memories of this song being played a lot by Mattias & Åsa my first year at the Herrang Dance Camp. And now, not only am I heading back to Herrang this summer but Åsa will be here this fall! Enjoy the tune… I am right now!

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

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!

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

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: 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: 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.

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.