Capering & Kickery

February 2012 Gig Calendar

Most of my major gigs are concentrated the first and last weekend of February, but I have a few Connecticut ones in between!

I am also available for private lessons in Connecticut (New Haven or Middletown) generally, and in New York City and the Boston area on specific dates.

Here's a quick list with links for more information:

Saturday, February 4th ~ New Haven, Connecticut
The Soldiers & Sweethearts Valentine's Ball
Ball 8:00-11:00; afternoon workshop 2:00-4:30

Sunday, February 5th ~ New York City
Regency Dance Workshop
Beginner-friendly lesson 2:00-4:00pm

Sunday, February 5th ~ New York City
Cross-Step Waltz Workshops
4:00-5:00pm Cross-Step/Ballroom Fusion; 5:00-6:00pm Double Dutch Fusion Moves

Monday, February 6th - Monday, February 20th ~ New Haven, Connecticut
Cross-Step Waltz Lesson Series (continued from January)
5:30-7:00pm.  Four-week lesson series focusing on core moves & variations for cross-step waltz

Tuesday, February 7th ~ Middletown, Connecticut
Jane Austen Era Dancing
Beginner-friendly lesson 8:15-9:30pm.  No costume needed.

Tuesday, February 14th ~ Middletown, Connecticut
1970s Disco Line Dancing
Beginner-friendly dancing 8:15-9:30pm.

Friday, February 24th ~ New Haven, Connecticut
Elm City Waltz
DJ'ed waltz evening 8:30-11:30pm with beginner lesson 7:45-8:30pm.

Saturday, February 25th ~ Cambridge, Massachusetts (Boston)
Midwinter Waltz Evening
DJ'ed waltz evening 8:30-11:30pm with beginner lesson 7:45-8:30pm.

Sunday, February 26th ~ New Haven, Connecticut
Yale Swing & Blues Practicum
DJ'ing the blues half of the weekly practicum, 9:30-11:00pm.

Private lessons (email me directly if you would like to schedule a private lesson)
New Haven & Middletown, Connecticut -- generally available
Boston -- February 17th-19th, 25th

Coming in March
The Victorian Fancy Dress Ball on March 24th
A waltz workshop in Providence, Rhode Island on March 11th 
Regular monthly waltz & Regency-era lessons in New York City
Regency, waltz, & disco dancing in Connecticut

 

Down East Breakdown

• Era: late 1850s-1860s, America (New England)

Down East Breakdown is an unusual Civil War-era American contra dance: unlike most of them, it is done in "mescolanze," or four-facing-four, formation.  I have directions for it only in two manuals by Boston musician Elias Howe: Howe's Complete Ballroom Handbook (Boston, 1858), and American Dancing Master and Ball-Room Prompter (Boston, 1862).  Unlike many contra dances of the mid-century, it does not seem to have been picked up by later writers.

The name of the dance is rather interesting.  "Down east," in a New England context, refers to eastern Maine.  A "breakdown" in this era was a type of solo dance, like clogging, which was particularly associated with slave dancing and minstrelsy, as may be seen in works like Jig, Clog, and Breakdown Dancing Made Easy (New York, 1873).  An illustration at the American Antiquarian Society website, taken from the January 31, 1863, edition of Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, shows "contraband children" dancing a breakdown.  The dance itself does not incorporate any kind of stepping or anything other than perfectly typical figures, however.

Hand Jive Style: Clapping it out

A quick postscript to last week's post about the hand jive performed on the Johnny Otis Show in the late 1950s:

Towards the end of the song, there are three clapping sequences that can be used for an extremely low-key hand jive.  These can be seen in the video embedded in the earlier post.  Here are descriptions of each:

(1) Johnny himself!  At one point he stops playing the piano and simply sits there clapping to the music, accenting the even beats:

one CLAP three CLAP five CLAP seven CLAP

He briefly transitions to a finger-snap instead of a clap, keeping the same rhythm.

(2) One of the McKinley sisters (sadly, I don't know which is which, but the one at the back), gets a slightly more complex rhythm going on beat 1, 3, 4, 6, and 7:

CLAP two CLAP CLAP five CLAP CLAP eight

(3) The other McKinley sister and leader Marie Adams have an even more interesting beat going, with pairs of fast claps on "2&" and "6&" in a 1-2&3-4-5-6&7-8 count:

one CLAPCLAP three CLAP five CLAPCLAP seven CLAP

This one can be a little bit tricky to get.  It matches the first four beats of the music very well but there's a slightly different syncopation on the second four beats, so it feels odd at first until one gets used to clapping with a different accent.

The second and third sequences are done simultaneously on the show to very nice effect.  It would be interesting to split a group in thirds and have all three going at once.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Previous hand jive posts:
Hand Jive Basics (includes the Grease sequence)
Hand Jive Style: Three Tons of Joy (includes the video from which these clapping sequences were taken)

Hand Jive Style: Three Tons of Joy

I described a basic hand jive sequence, as shown in the popular 1978 movie-musical, Grease, a while back, but it's not the only version.  I heard the sad news of "Willie and the Hand Jive" artist Johnny Otis' death today, so in his memory, let's look at the hand jive variations demonstrated on his show in the late 1950s by Three Tons of Joy, a trio featuring R&B singer Marie Adams with sisters Sadie and Francine McKinley.  Here's the video clip of the show from which I've taken the sequences described below:

Revisiting the Highland Reel

• Era: 1850s, England

It is a truth that ought to be universally acknowledged that whenever I post about a dance on Kickery, I soon after turn up another source for the dance that offers a different spin on things.  In the case of the Highland Reel in its country dance figure form, that process took a few months, but I have indeed come across another source, Diprose’s ball room guide to the figures of the most fashionable dances by J. Albert Jarvis, published in London in 1857.  Looking at Jarvis does not make me change anything about my original two interpretations of the dance, but he offers an unusual enough variation of the Highland Reel that it is perhaps just as well that it has ended up in a separate post.

The Swedish Dances, Part Nine: The Carnival of Venice

(Ninth in a series of posts discussing and analyzing the Swedish dances. The first post may be found here.)

This new and really entertaining dance, now so much in vogue in Paris, has only just been introduced in London, but has not, as yet, been very favorably received, owing most likely to the simple fact that it is new and not generally known.  It is, however, a pretty, simple, and pleasing medium between the Contra Dance and Quadrille, which we so frequently see at Balls and Assemblies, and only requires to be well known to be better appreciated.  The greatly increasing favor with which it is received in Paris is a sufficient guarantee that it will become ultimately an equally favorite dance in London Society as soon as it is better known.

I'm going to wind up my Swedish dance series with an odd little trio dance found in The Art of Dancing by Professor Bland (London, c1870).  It's not specifically listed as a Swedish dance, but the similarities are significant.  Interestingly, judging from the above, in the three-plus decades between Bland's book and the latest previous English sources, it seems that the Swedish dance genre may have fallen out of popularity and memory in England, even while enjoying a peculiar afterlife in America.  Bland certainly doesn't recognize it.

Soldiers & Sweethearts -- A Civil War Era Valentine's Ball (Saturday, February 4, 2012, New Haven, CT)

UPDATED 1/23/2012: Advance registration deadline extended to January 30th.  Payments (checks by mail or Paypal) must be RECEIVED (not postmarked) no later than January 30th

Please join us in New Haven, Connecticut, on February 4th for a Civil War-era Valentine's ball!

The Soldiers & Sweethearts Ball will be held at beautiful Pratt Hall (with its lovely dance floor) and will feature live music by Spare Parts and calling by Susan de Guardiola.  This is a formal event -- your best attempt at evening attire or military uniform of the 1860s is requested.  Dances will include the usual mix of 1860s couple dances (waltz, polka, schottische) as well as contras and quadrilles.  An afternoon workshop will be held the day of the ball.

A small block of rooms has been arranged at the lovely New Haven Hotel, located across the New Haven Green three blocks from the ball site, with a special discounted room rate for Friday and Saturday nights of $109.00/night for two people, with up to two more people at
an additional $10/person/night through January 18th.  After that, rooms may be available, but at a higher rate.

The cost of the ball $30 per person in advanced; student price $20 for ages 13-21.  Under 13 free with parent/guardian and will be expected to behave as young ladies and gentlemen.  At-door pricing will include a $10 surcharge and will be available only if space permits.  Due to
the size of the hall this ball is strictly limited to 70 people.

ADVANCE PAYMENTS MUST BE RECEIVED NO LATER THAN JANUARY 30th!

Registration information (online and by mail) and more details of the ball, hotel block, etc. are available at the event website.

January 2012 Gig Calendar

I have lots of dance workshops and events scheduled this month to start the new year off right -- see the list below.

I am also available for private lessons in Connecticut (New Haven or Middletown) generally, and in New York City and the Boston area on specific dates.

Here's a quick list with links for more information:

Sunday, January 7th ~ New York City
Regency Dance Workshop
Beginner-friendly lesson 2:00-4:00pm

Sunday, January 8th ~ New York City
Rotary & Cross-Step Waltz Lessons
4:00-5:00pm Rotary Essentials & Sequences; 5:00-6:00pm Cross-Step Waltz Pivaloops

Tuesday, January 10th ~ Middletown, Connecticut
Jane Austen Era Dancing
Beginner-friendly lesson 8:15-9:30pm.  No costume needed.

Sunday, January 15th ~ Boston, Massachusetts
Dance workshops for members of Arisia
Disco line dancing, cross-step waltz (beginner & experienced), the Madison

Tuesday, January 17th ~ Middletown, Connecticut
1970s Disco Line Dancing
Beginner-friendly dancing 8:15-9:30pm.

Saturday, January 21st ~ New Haven, Connecticut
Cross-Step Waltz Boot Camp
1:00-5:00pm intensive afternoon cross-step waltz workshop.

Sunday, January 22nd ~ Medford (Boston area), Massachusetts
Waltz workshops for Mostly Waltz - Boston
2:00-3:00pm Cross-Step Variations; 3:15-4:15pm Rotary Waltz Variations; 4:30-5:30pm DJ'ed open dancing. 

Tuesday, January 24th
Pre-Registration deadline for the Soldiers & Sweethearts Civil War era Valentine's Ball

Friday, January 27th ~ New Haven, Connecticut
Elm City Waltz
DJ'ed waltz evening 8:30-11:30pm with beginner lesson 7:45-8:30pm.

Sunday, January 29th ~ New Haven, Connecticut
Yale Swing & Blues Practicum
DJ'ing the blues half of the weekly practicum, 9:30-11:00pm.

Monday, January 30th - Monday, February 20th ~ New Haven, Connecticut
Cross-Step Waltz Lesson Series
5:30-7:00pm.  Four-week lesson series focusing on core moves & variations for cross-step waltz

Private lessons (email me directly if you would like to schedule a private lesson)
New Haven & Middletown, Connecticut -- generally available
Boston -- January 22 (evening only)

Coming in February
The Soldiers & Sweethearts Ball on February 4th
Regular monthly waltz & Regency-era lessons in New York City
Regency, waltz, & disco dancing in Connecticut
A waltz evening in Boston on February 25th