Topic: Are you interested in a Swing Workshop?

[andrew_w]

After we all had so much fun at the 40s weekend & realising that Leroc really isn't cut out for most 40s music, I've been thinking about sorting that problem.

Graeme & Ann are two of the top swing dancers in the country ( http://www.hoppinmad.co.uk/ga.asp ) who also know a lot about Leroc. I spoke to Ann last night about running a workshop aimed at Modern Jivers.

She was very enthusiastic & told me that they had done a recent workshop along those lines that had gone down very well with the modern jivers in Swansea. The structure was something like (I can't remember exactly  )

hour 1 6 count swing steps with emphasis on lead & follow
hour 2 building on above to include familiar pattern found in MJ
hour 3 using blues steps
hour 4 using charleston steps

Their teaching emphasises the importance of technique not choreography

typically two hours would cost £12 four hours £18

I think it would be great but am I alone in this quest to dance better?

Please respond to the poll even if it's to say I'm not interested

(My part in this would be to sort a venue, Graeme and Ann would pay all costs and receive all payments, so you can be assured that there's nothing in it for me apart from attending a workshop.)

[andrew_w]

BTW if you're interested in attending can you post to that effect?

Forgot to say that the most likely day is a Sunday Saturday second. Venue proabably the Crabtree hall Clevedon

[Elaine]

Most definitely Andrew!!!     Beware the weekend of the 8 or 9/10/2005 as that is the Britrock competition as quite a few of the more serious competitive types will be away!


Elaine

[andrew_w]

Thanks for the info Elaine

[Elaine]

Also not 3 and 4/09/2005 - Scottish Champs - sheesh, how could I foget!  About 11 from Bristol off to that one!


Elaine

[ClaireLSt]

yes! and then come and try it out at one of justjive's Friday nights, or a Saturday Cirencester one. i know someone who REALLY wants to come to Dursley!! 
unfortunately the Ciren dates often clash with Sherif's dances.
and good luck with your triple steps!!!!

[Simon]

I'm keen (my feet go into WCS auto-pilot at the moment, so I need to break the habit!).    Look forward to finding out what gets arranged.

[MartinHarper]

Graeme and Ann have run stuff in Worcester and Bromsgrove for TRDC Lindy dancers, and they were very good. In particular, I felt that they were good at adapting their teaching for the way we danced, as a group, and I'm sure they'd be able to do the same for the LeRoc crowd.

[Happy B]

The whole lot of that sounds cool. Im deff interested, sure matt will be too.

B

 

[jivedave]

i wouldn't be interested in a 'swing' workshop, especially if albert pierpoint or his protege was taking the lesson. 2 glen miller (god rest) tracks - ok, but 2 hours - oh no! 'the lambeth walk' - *!?, 'hang out the washing on the siegfried line'- cringe factor ten, 'wish me luck as you' - not bad, 'lillie marlene' - evocative,'blue birds over' - wipe your eyes. albert leads me to a sardonic anagram "desperation"

[andrew_w]

Wow - I think that qualifies for wierd post of the year. 

Why do you equate swing with the songs you evoke (most of which aren't) rather than Sing Sing Sing, or The A Train. or tracks you hear at many MJ nights Bad Bad Leroy Brown, This Business Of Love, At The Strip, How Lucky Can One Guy Be, Stormy Weather, Just a Gigolo. A Little Late night Swing etc- you'll hear them  but like me probably fumble your way through rather than truely dancing to them. If you tell me that you dislike dancing to those sorts of tracks then I'll respect your choice - One man's meat is another man's poison after all

[Nick M]

I vote for "Potentially interested - it depends on the date"

[jivedave]

Wow - I think that qualifies for wierd post of the year. 

Why do you equate swing with the songs you evoke (most of which aren't) rather than Sing Sing Sing, or The A Train. or tracks you hear at many MJ nights Bad Bad Leroy Brown, This Business Of Love, At The Strip, How Lucky Can One Guy Be, Stormy Weather, Just a Gigolo. A Little Late night Swing etc- you'll hear them  but like me probably fumble your way through rather than truely dancing to them. If you tell me that you dislike dancing to those sorts of tracks then I'll respect your choice - One man's meat is another man's poison after all

I agree the music i mentioned was topically WW2, a 'sub set' of the 40's. The late mr. pierrepoint ref. was based on a pun of 'swing', ie: i didn't fancy a lesson from the country's last hangman.

tracks like 'bad bad leroy brown' just ain't my cuppa. i'm not a musician but the music does seem  skewed towards the lighter end of the spectrum, lacking much of what i would call a bass line. i would just like the odd 'heavier' track. wouldn't want to listen/dance to metal all night. i used to be a big fan of soul/motown going back many years and i'm sure some of those offerings  would be great for dancing. how about 'feel the need'(maybe too slow) - detroit emeralds or the OC Smith chart entry but i can only imagine the steps to follow the bass guitar.

to be fair i don't know by name about most of the tracks you mention but why try to dance to something that's difficult when there are easier options - ie: why not go with the flow?

 

[Mrs Wiggle]

Some of us just like a new challenge every now and again, I guess. Keeps the brain-cells stimulated. Some people get enough of that in their lives anyway, one way and the other and don't want to work too much at their dancing (or other hobbies) on top of it, which is fine.

We 'Wiggles' just love the sound and feel of swing music, both the original big-band stuff and the newer offerings. As a sax player, swing has always been on my listening list, 'specially Ellington, Basie, Goodman. To be able to play it and dance to it properly would be wonderful (I'm working on both of these) - although, perhaps not at the same time! 

Julia W

[Elaine]

to be fair i don't know by name about most of the tracks you mention but why try to dance to something that's difficult when there are easier options - ie: why not go with the flow?

Well, I suppose you can lead a horse to water............

Having spoken to a few other bods, I can report that there is definitely interest in this workshop!!   

Looking forward to finding out further details when they are available.


Elaine