In case you don't know, "Hellzapoppin'", the famous Swing Dance scene choreographed by Frankie Manning, was originally choreographed the "Jumpin at the Woodside", then performed to an original composition for the movie "Hellzapoppin", and was later danced to Cottontail for the move "Hot Chocolates." You see at the time, the rights for "Jumpin at the Woodside" were a little pricier than they studio had wanted to pay, so they replaced the song with what has simply become known as "the Hellzapoppin song."
Someone in the Interwebs was smart enough to dub the original tune over the Hellzapoppin clip, so that we might better understand Frankie's original vision. View it Here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdWgHtTau48

Now, I love the LXD, and what Jon Chu has done with it. Showcasing dancers doing what they love, but sometimes the music choices don't always seem to fit. If you have never seen it, go to Hulu.com and watch every episode of the LXD now. Then come finish reading this post...


Have you watched it? Good.

Now go back and rewatch the episode from season one entitled "Elliot's Shoes."
http://www.hulu.com/watch/162538/the-lxd-elliots-shoes*


Now, you probably don't recognize any of the music in this episode, but some if it may sound extraordinarily familiar, even if you don't know why.

NOW HERE COMES THE COOL PART!
http://vimeo.com/14630742
This is from the Director's Vimeo Page, and while I am not sure how legal it is for him to have this up, it does give a bit of an idea to why some of the songs sound familiar. Especially right at 3:48.


Has the LXD gone the way of Hellzapoppin? Yes.
Is this life Changing? No
Is it kind of fun and interesting? I think so.



*    For those of you not in the US,
    This might work:
    http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMjAxNDIyNzAw.html)

This past weekend,  I performed in front of 32 musicians playing some really swingin music.
It was one of the most electrifying and satisfying experiences of my life.

A few weeks back, I was contacted by a local band leader that I have worked with before, Brent Wallerab. He co-leads one of the best jazz groups in the Midwest, the Midcoast Swing Orchestra. In the past few years, I have been fortunate to work with the group in an hour long performance show called "How America Learned to Swing" teaching elementary and middle school kids about an era when big band ruled the stage and Lindy Hop and Charleston ruled the floor. The kids have always enjoyed the shows, but they are so short, and we dance so little that it is hard to truly showcase the magic that was, and is, Lindy Hop.

Saturday night, I was given the chance to remedy that. Brent had called me up and told me that he was doing  a 2 hour show, with 2 live bands, 22 songs, and he wanted me to choreograph the show for 6 dancers. At first, I found myself overwhelmed, with dancers on about 15 of the numbers, that is a ton of choreography. And without the dance talent locally, I had to reach regionally. Luckily, the members of the Hoosier Hot Shots (John Holmstrom, Caitlin Baird, Chris Schoenfelder, Liz Thatcher, myself and Mandy Spencer) were all available and excited. Unfortunately, these dancers are all spread around the area, from Chicago to Louisville and all around Indiana, which meant our first rehearsal as a group would be the day before the show.

Fast forward to this Friday, after hours of choreographing, planning and fruitless phone calls, I couldn't have been more nervous,stressed or excited. After two antagonizing hours of rehearsal, a near sleepless night, and one last dress rehearsal where the entire team missed the beginning of one of our "show stopper" routines, I was certainly on edge. However, in true Lindy Hopper fashion, everything came together in the end, and I think the Hoosier Hot Shots put on one hell of a show for a crowd of near 1000 people at Indiana University's Big Band Extravaganza.

But there was something that was truly magical and electrifying about that night. To put Lindy Hop on a performance stage with 2 fantastic bands, playing great swing music, with a cheering crowd, is something that is beautiful to me on many levels. For one, the respect shared between the dancers and musicians was magnificent. We, as dancers, could not have asked for better music, and the band was enthralled to have dancers in their concert. Not to mention, that each and every musician is a budding jazz student at Indiana University. To have 40 or so performers on one stage, all under the age of 30, performing material from 80 years ago: the historical value speaks for itself.

Frankie himself said that he got his energy from seeing the young people of today still getting out there and dancing. I don't want to preach the gospel of Frankie, but the youthful energy was something that was incredible. Especially what the audience couldn't see. Backstage, the dancers and musicians mingled, joked around, and talked about jazz and "the good old days." Before and after rehearsals, a few of the musicians stuck around and just jammed a bit, so the dancers of course joined in. I remember thinking "why can't life always be like this?"

I like to think that, even for a split second, we captured the true energy of the good old days when Frankie and Norma were performing with the great bands at the great clubs in New York.

People often ask me "How did you get so good only dancing for a few years?" or "How do I get better faster?"
Well, bluntly, there is only one answer to that , and it is very simple. Work more, and work more efficiently.

But, very rarely are people satisfied with that answer, so I have had to develop a better way of satisfying those who clearly want to get better, and here is my official stance on the best way to becoming a better social lindy hopper.

Solo Jazz Dance

Now, most of my opinions are rooted in my own experience and stories. So without further ado, the story, behind my opinion on Solo Jazz:

    In 2009, I was beginning to be recognized locally as a pretty good dancer. The local old timers knew my name, and would even tell me when they had planned a jam circle with the band for later in the evening. (Yes, this is how it actually happened. The band would make an announcement, and a big circle would form around the entire dance floor, and the hot shot local dancers would do the same dips and tricks they've done every other friday since 2005.)
    I was also investing alot of time into a potentially budding career as an opera singer, having performed with the Indianapolis Opera, and been accepted to a prestigious music camp in Novafeltria, Italy. I, of course, accepted the offer to attend the camp, and off I went for 2 and a half months to a tiny town in the middle of Italy, where they had no more than heard of swing dancing once or twice. Before I had left, I had known that I would have limited internet capability, and would be out of the dance loop for a months. So I found a program that let me download videos from youtube and put them on my ipod. Loaded with Hellzapoppin, The Silver Shadows Frankie 95 performance, Skye and Frida's 24 robbers routine and ULHS 2006 I headed for Italy.
    But I had an itch beyond trying to drunkenly lead a few curious local girls or watching old videos. So every morning, I would wake up, and before leaving my tiny, sweaty room, I would put in my small earbuds, with ipod in hand and pick a song. As the first chorus began to play and I started to get a feel for the song, I danced around that room, trying new moves and steps that I might seen someone do once, or at least thought I had seen someone do. Before I knew it, movement was feeling right, and footwork wasn't something I had to think about. Just about everyday for three months my life was filled with Italians who spoke no English, some of the finest classical singing teachers in the world, and my tiny sanctuary of solo jazz.

    When I finally returned home in August, I was terrified to go out social dancing again. Thinking how rusty I must have been, even wondering if I could lead a decent feeling swingout anymore. Nevertheless I went out and danced a few times before a regional event in Indianapolis, Swing, IN, brought in Mike Roberts and Laura Glaess. It was this weekend that I decided to compete in my very first jack and jill.

   Somehow, I managed to make finals, and actually win the damn thing.  I don't think the announcer even made it to announce Beth Hartzel's name before I was yelling and leaping over the sitting dancers to collect my moment in the spotlight.

Looking back on this pivotal moment in my dance life, I can now recognize that I became a better dancer, capable of winning my first Jack and Jill, without having done a swingout for 3 months.

I became a better partner dancer, through Solo dancing.

So you are wondering how you can become a better dancer, even if you don't have a partner, or you can't afford classes.
Get off your butt, stop reading blogs and watching videos, put in your earbuds and just dance.

So this is going to be sentimental and quite lame, but lately I think it is appropriate for me to say. And everyone and their brother has a Philosophical dance blog now, so consider this my first journey into the world of writing on dance.

Let's begin with a story. This past Friday, I was talking to my friend and student Christian Oudard outside a First Friday dance in Indianapolis, and somehow, we began talking about the number of hours we have spent dancing in our lives. After some thought, and with the help of an I-phone calculator, I believe that in the past 3 and half years, I have spent roughly 8,000-10.000 hours of my life with jazz vernacular dancing. While some might call this a destructive and consuming addiction, I can't help but think of those 10,000 hours as many of the happiest of my short life.

On Saturday, the day following the "Expert" discussion, I performed my very first completely solo routine, which was, in hindsight, completely unfinished and rushed, having been choreographed and performed in a 5 day span. But at the same time, it was a terribly rewarding experience. Front and Center in the audience for my "Stanky Doo" a routine inspired by the Tranky Doo, was Tommy Russo, a 94 year old dancer from St. Louis, who has been dancing since the 1930s, and performing ever since. I spoke to Tommy after receiving a very surprising standing ovation from the living legend, and he told me that I was a great dancer, and he enjoyed the routine alot. He then continued to show me his small portfolio of newspaper clippings from the 30's featuring him dancing with Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, and winning the St Louis "Big Apple Contest," which was in this case just a normal dance contest.

Tommy also performed that night, singing a chorus of "All of Me" before dancing with a few ladies to end the song. At 94 years old, this man never ceases to be a performer. It was truly a moving thing to see. (A very special thanks to Christian Frommelt and Jenny Shirar for putting on this event and allowing me to be a part of it) It was later that night that I began to think about the hours that Tommy Russo has spent dancing, and that it must be nearing almost 1,000,000 hours of dancing. I think he qualifies as an expert of Jazz Dance.

But really, it wasn't the hours that Tommy spent dancing that inspired me, or even that he is still performing and social dancing at his age. It was his love for his art that is what truly inspired me. It was incredible for me to see pictures of this living dance legend in the St Louis newspaper, as a fresh faced and clean shaven 21-year-old, winning the St Louis Big Apple Contest. However, as incredible as this experience was for me, i believe it was just as incredible for Tommy to see his dance still living in the 21-year-olds of today. To have his legacy celebrated 3 generations later, and see the same passion shared among young dancers today. That is Lindy Hop, and that is his legacy.

So am I an expert? Maybe by someone's definition, but certainly not by mine.

Here is what I do know:

-I have spent a lot of time working (emphasis on this word) on becoming a good dancer.

-I do everything I can think of to become a better dancer, and make myself noticed for my dancing in the community.

-I have been very fortunate in many ways. (Having a performance background, being a musician, and working with some of the best performers and dancers I can think of, especially the wonderful ladies I have taught, competed and performed with)

So as I try desperately to wrap up this novel of a post (I guess I had more to say than I thought), I want to take a little bit of time to thank the people that led me down my Sentimental Journey to Tommy Russo, potentially the most inspiring person I have had the chance to speak to. Caution: Sappy List ahead

Skye Humphries- My first "dance crush" who showed me that its ok to be incredibly talented and nice at the same time.

Mike Faltesek- Who is always speaking good words about dance, and who shows a passion to see everyone dance, good or bad.

Evita Arce- Who first opened up to me about being a dance professional, and has been a real supporter and guide of my journey, and taught me that teaching is really just another form or performance, and about the duality of being a professional artist.

Jen Ladner- Most people who read this probably don't know who Jen Ladner is, but Jen gave me the opportunity for my first 'professional" dancing gig with the Indianapolis Symphony, despite being grossly under qualified. That experience truly showed me what it meant to be a professional.

There are so many more who I should thank (just see some of the tagged people), but these are the four who popped in my head. Not to mention of course all of the classic Jazz dancers who paved the way for our dance today, and the Untouchable Tommy Russo.

From the Bottom of my heart, thank you to all these people, and the greater Lindy Hop community, for giving me a place where nerdiness is valued, and passion is rewarded.

-Jon