FlyinFootwork.com Blog

Vout-a-reenee Dictionary

Rob — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 18:29:11 +0000

‘Round about the 1940’s popular artist Slim Gaillard coined a popular hipster argot called “Vout”. This “language” was documented by a promotional leaflet from Atomic Records. You can hear much of Slim’s dialect in his music. I know you are familiar with his music… it’s played frequently at swing dances and is a major influence of one of the swing scene’s favorite local artists, Kid Dutch. Be sure to drop by and check the dictionary out. I expect everyone to be speaking in a whole new way at the next dance!

Fall Series Classes

Rob — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 14:02:12 +0000

We’ve just put together the fall lineup of series classes. Next up… by popular demand… back-to-back classes in Balboa and Collegiate Shag! We’ve been getting a lot of requests for these classes and decided to cap off our 2008 class schedule with them. Both classes will start from the beginning by covering the basics of each dance. They will then progress into moves and style unique to each of the dances. The details are online and registration is now open for both classes.

Voted 2008 Best Dance Studio

Rob — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:30:22 +0000

Thank you for all of your support! The results are in and we were voted the 2008 “Best Dance Studio in the Orlando area” on the WESH A-List! We couldn’t have done it without you!

Are dips overdone nowadays?

Rob — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 16:20:47 +0000

DJ Mark recently posted something that got me thinking. He wondered why almost all swing dancers in America end a song with a dip. He cited that you never see dips in vintage footage of swing dancing. He also claimed that ending songs with a dip seemed to be a uniquely American thing.

Initially, I tend to agree. Dips are used a ton nowadays and there are all different sorts of them. Some more fitting of swing and some styles that are borrowed from other dances that don’t seem to fit so well. However, my gut reaction was to say that dips were done back in the day. So it got me thinking about all the old swing dance footage I have seen in my years. While I don’t have time to sit and watch it all again, I tend to have a good memory… but no dips (at least memorable ones) were popping up on radar screen. So I started doing a quick scan of some old dance photos. Ah ha! I found a few dips… however, they were exceedingly rare to find but they were there. On closer inspection, many of these “dips” seemed to be part of some kind of trick move (such as a power dip or throw) and not as your usual song ending dip. While dip photos were rare, your standard run-of-the-mill dip photo was even more rare. Photographically, dips make nice pictures and they appear in lots of photos nowadays. One would assume that the same would have been true back in the swing era had dips been done as frequently as today. So with the lack of photo and video evidence, I can draw a very unscientific conclusion that dips were not done nearly as much back in the swing era as they are done today.

So given all this, are dips overdone nowadays? Are we as modern 21st century swing dancers preoccupied with the dip? If so, why?

Thanks to Mark for sparking some good thought! And if you have some photos or video of dips back in the day to combat my unscientific findings, please send them my way, I’d love to see them!

Cool Custom Shoe Cases

Rob — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 14:51:49 +0000

Our friend Jessica Steinert has created some very cool retro shoe cases that are perfect for transporting your shoes to and from dances in style. They are made from top quality materials, handcrafted, and are of amazing top quality workmanship. They are really quite a piece of art! They are about to go on sale on Ebay and Etsy, however, you will be able to have first crack at them! They will be on sale (and at a special price) at the Saturday events of the Sunstate Jam. Be sure to drop by the Perfect Shot shoe table and check them out.

The Sunstate Jam

Rob — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 14:08:37 +0000

On Saturday, August 9th, the Saturday night swing dance will host the 2008 Sunstate Jam! This is a weekend of dancing, workshops, competitions and much more. Don’t miss out on a chance to see some of the best dancers from around Central Florida and the nation compete for titles. There has never been a better night to bring out your friends and family. As always, the night kicks off with a beginner swing dance lesson from 8 to 9pm. The dance is extended with dancing from 9pm to 1am with contests and exhibitions mixed in throughout the evening. Special event admission for the night is $10. For more information on all the events for the weekend, be sure to check out SunstateJam.com.

Quoted in an Orlando Sentinel Dance Article

Rob — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 13:45:47 +0000

A few quotes from Dawn and I landed into the Orlando Sentinel today. The article focuses on the boom in dance popularity in the Orlando area since the TV dance show boom. It’s a nice write up that covers a wide variety of dance diciplines offered around Central Florida.

Thursday Night Swing Dances Return!

Rob — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 14:21:21 +0000

On August 14th, the weekly Thursday Night Swing Dance returns to a new location and new time! Mark your calendars and come out and join us at the German American Society of Central Florida in Casselberry. The parquet wood floor is great for dancing, the club members share a love for dancing, and the atmosphere is one of a kind in Orlando. Based on feedback from last time, the lesson (7-8pm) and dance (8-10pm) will be earlier seeing it is a work/school night. More info is now online!

My Favorite Apache Dance

Rob — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 13:49:12 +0000

Here is some footage of Dawn and I working out a disagreement about dancing:

Just kidding! After mentioning Apache Dancing last week, I thought I would post one of my favorite clips of it. It’s from The Crazy Gang’s “Okay for Sound” (1937). The simulated violence takes an amazing amount of coordination and practice to get down pat… and the stunts rank up there with the most difficult swing aerials. And if you are wondering, this dance is where the Apache move comes from in Lindy Hop.

Oh… and don’t try this stuff at home kids!

Midweek Cartoon Break - Woodland Cafe (1937)

Rob — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 15:50:42 +0000

I don’t know how your week is going, but I am in real need of a cartoon break. In this Disney Silly Symphony, we visit a insect jazz club. After everyone arrives as the club, there is a great spoof of an Apache dance followed by a cartoon song and dance explanation of what “truckin’” is. Something every hep cat should know about. Overall, very cool… good music and I always enjoy old cartoon takes on swing dancing.