All That Is Swing in Central Iowa

Oops. AND Swingin' at the Crossroads News

2008-06-18T17:17:00.003-06:00

Well, shortly after I published the Swingin at the Crossroads website, it was pointed out to me that the advance registration deadline was missing a digit. It was supposed to be July 31, not July 1. That was about two months ago. Apparently, I just forgot. Someone pointed it out to me again today and I've actually fixed it now.

So you have until JULY 31 to complete your advance registration for Swingin' at the Crossroads. That's only $45 for a whole weekend of dancing with some of the USA's top instructors. I should note, also, that Alison is going to stop touring next year, so this will be one of your last chances to see Joel and Alison teach together outside of California!!

Also, we've adjusted the weekend schedule somewhat. We're starting later, and we have four classes on each day now, instead of 5 and 3. We won't wear out our teachers quite as quickly that way, and you'll have more energy for the dance Saturday night!

Trip Report: Chicago to see George Gee!

2008-06-17T09:02:00.002-06:00

Randy, Wally, and I headed out to Chicago to catch George Gee on a rare midwest visit. He played three times in the city over the weekend - Saturday evening at Grant Park, Sunday afternoon at Navy Pier, and Sunday night at the Willowbrook Ballroom. We only caught the outdoor shows, while Kevin caught the show at the Willowbrook.

The show at Grant Park was fun - it was a lovely night, and it's rare to have the opportunity to see a band we love at an outdoor venue. We didn't get much dancing in - you can see the dance floor was packed. We had Wally, and needed to stay near him, so we danced on the sidewalk near where we were sitting a few times. (But had to stop each time because a suspicious person kept heading towards our bag with our camera in it every time we got up, then he'd veer off course as soon as we stepped back over to protect it. Frustrating. Particularly since the bag was sitting right next to Wally.)

But it was fun nonetheless. The park was packed with dancers and non dancers. The dancers were all skill levels. We didn't see anyone dancing Balboa, though, which was odd.

This particular performance was part of a summer-long dance program in Chicago called SummerDance. I would LOVE to see Des Moines emulate the program, which involves free dancing of all sorts (Jewish to Swing) to live bands nearly every night of the week, all over the city. Of course, Chicago is about 20 times larger than Des Moines, making this undertaking a bit easier (more and more varied local bands, more dance organizations, more money in the city budget).

Sunday started with thunderstorms, but apparently George Gee made a few calls and fixed it so the weather turned beautiful by his afternoon show at Navy Pier. Randy and I were half of the people dancing there, which was a bit strange, but we had a great time. Plus, nobody trying to steal our stuff, so we could dance a bit more!

We had a chance to chat with George Gee after the show. He was very friendly and related how he was spending Father's Day apart from his 5 and a half year old, who was in Japan with his mother. He'll join them in a few weeks, but it was obvious he really missed him! He chatted with Wally for a few minutes, then agreed to this photo.

We completely didn't think about bringing the leaflet from one of our George Gee CDs to have the band sign, which makes this only about the second band we've seen that we've not had autograph their CD leaflet, which bums me out.

More pictures at Flickr

Swing Des Moines serves as Artists in Residence at Western Hills Elementary

2008-05-10T19:33:00.002-06:00

It's hard to say who had more fun - the teachers or the students - last week as Swing Des Moines served as the Artists in Residence at Western Hills Elementary.

Many of you may already know that one of Swing Des Moines' purposes is to work with area schools to educate students not only in the art of America's Folk Dance - Swing dancing - but also in the history behind the dance. We had another chance to do just that last week.

The week kicked off with an all-school assembly featuring Capitol City Swing, our performance troupe, showing the kids (and teachers) our hour-long presentation covering the entire swing era. The kids particularly liked the Charleston, the Shim Sham, and East Coast swing (which we danced to Great Balls of Fire). We ended the assembly by letting all the kids get up and learn a few steps as a preview to what they'd learn in their PE classes that week.

Then we had each class twice over the course of the next four days during their PE time. Students learned 20s Charleston - from Kindergarten all the way up through Sixth grade. They all seemed to just love it.

And the teachers seemed to have a great time, too. The kids were just so fun to be with - particularly the littler kids. A few of the kindergarteners preferred to hold hands while learning new steps. One of the first graders took a particular interest in helping Wally to get the steps right. Some of the older students developed elaborate group poses for Posin'. It was great.

Swing Des Moines owes a huge thanks to Mike Dennis and Kevin Spencer for taking on this project. Mike was at the school all four days, and Kevin was there for three of the four. They did the bulk of the work, that's for certain. Randy and I helped out on Thursday, but I feel like we did very little while we were there.

You can view our photo stream from the event here. I failed to take a camera to the assembly, and wouldn't have had time to photograph anyway. The pictures show the Thursday classes, and Kevin is missing because that's the one day he wasn't there. I'm sorry Kevin!! If anyone else took pictures at the event, please add them!

There is also a small write-up at the Register here.

Dance Floor Etiquette, Part 3

2008-02-20T09:24:00.004-06:00

And last in our series...fancy things.

Aerials
Aerials are not usually appropriate on a social dance floor. Why? The potential for injuring someone else is HUGE.

Aerials can be appropriate in jam circles or on dance floors that are quite empty. If you're not sure, ask! At Jive Junction, you can ask whoever is at the door, or ask the DJ.

NEVER do an aerial with an unsuspecting partner, or with someone you don't know. If you're planning to do an aerial, make sure that your partner is expecting it, knows what you're doing, and knows WHEN you're doing it. Make sure that you both know how to safely EXIT from the move if something goes wrong. Before starting the move, take one last look around to make sure nobody is close enough to be injured - or to be scared.

Dips
You do not have to end a song with a dip. Ending by just stopping dancing is fine, or striking some other pose. If you do want to lead a dip, make sure you know what you are doing! If you're going to do something more complex than just a basic dip, ask her first! Especially if you don't know her well!

Ladies, feel free to refuse to dip. Even if he just starts to dip you without asking, take a small step away and firmly keep your body upright while you say "no thanks."

Erratic dancers
Sometimes, you'll notice that a particular couple is dancing kind of erratically. Maybe they're doing aerials, or a lot of kicking, or they're just not paying attention and are body slamming other people. Leaders, guide your partner AWAY from the area to somewhere safer. DO NOT place yourself so that your partner acts as a shield for you. (Yes, I've seen this.)

And that concludes our thesis on dance floor etiquette. Hope it was helpful!!

Dance Floor Etiquette, Part 2

2008-02-20T08:57:00.003-06:00

How to deal with a partner on the dance floor is sometimes a source of much consternation, particularly among newer dancers. From discomfort with asking and accepting (or declining) a dance, to uncertainty about what to do if you mess up or are injured, social dancing can be frought with potentially uncomfortable situations. Well, fret no more! Just read on...

What do I do if I am being hurt or groped on the dance floor?
If your partner hurts you more than once while dancing (or gropes more than once), it is OK to simply stop dancing and leave the floor. Say something like "I'm sorry, my wrist is hurting me," or be more direct and say "ouch, you've managed to wrench my shoulder."

Why do I say "more than once"? Because once could easily be an accident.

How do I ask for a dance?
Take a deep breath, walk up to someone, and say "want to dance?" Try to ask one specific person, rather than a group. "Would any of you like to dance" will usually result in a long pause, while the group nonverbally checks with one another until someone finally steps forward. A group of girls will usually take a LONG time to respond to this question, because everyone will defer to the others out of politeness. Meanwhile, the asker has to stand there feeling uncomfortable.

How do I accept or decline a dance?
Accepting is easy. Say "sure" and get up and go out to the floor with your partner.

Declining is also not hard. If you just simply do not care to dance with whoever is doing the asking, say "no, thank you." If you have a reason for not wanting to dance to that particular song, but wish to dance later, say something like "this song is too fast, but I'd love to dance the next time a slower song is played" or "I'm exhausted after that last song, but maybe later."

It is polite to sit out the entire song after declining an invitation to dance, so if someone else asks you during the same song, you must refuse them, as well.

How do I end a dance?
Thank your partner. Traditional etiquette is to walk your partner back to where you found them, but this is a somewhat awkward social situation these days, and many people prefer to end a song by simply thanking their partner, and then running off. This is not rude, but merely a byproduct of so many DJ'd dances these days leaving less time between dances to find a partner for the next song.

If you wish to dance another song with your current partner, ask first. "Want to dance another one?"

What if I mess up during a dance?
Well, this is likely to happen - EVERYONE messes up. All followers miss a lead on occasion, All leaders lead inadequately from time to time, and everyone takes a misstep now and then. Don't sweat it. Don't feel that you have to apologize. Feel free to apologize if you want, but if you find yourself apologizing after every third move, that's probably too much! I have had, on occasion, dances where I'm in far less than perfect form. I'm sick, or distracted, or whatever, and I mess up SO MUCH that I feel an apology and excuse are in order after a dance is over. "Gosh, I'm sorry about that. I'll owe you another dance on a different day. I am so exhausted tonight, I'm kind of stumbling over my own feet!"

Dancing with dancers of different skill levels
Please dance with dancers who are better than you, and who are not as skilled as you!

If you're a leader and dancing with someone less skilled than you, stick to easy things until you're confident she can/will follow more complex moves. If she struggles, take it down a notch. If you're a leader dancing with someone MORE skilled than you, don't sweat it! Lead what you know, and don't feel compelled to try to do only complex moves in an attempt to impress your partner.

If you're a follower dancing with someone more skilled than you, he should make the dance easy on you - as ANY leader should make a dance easy for ANY follower. If you find yourself consistently unable to follow his leads, don't worry about it - it is NOT your fault! He's either not leading properly, or he's trying to lead things that you just don't have the skills yet to follow, and he should be catching on to that fact and adjusting. If you're a follower dancing with someone less skilled than you, keep your steps basic, and don't throw in fancy footwork variations until you're sure they won't confuse him.

Some of the dancers are so snobby!
To borrow from the Austin Swing Syndicate, "Sometimes a perception exists that good dancers only hang out with other good dancers. This is a by-product of the fact that many dancers have been dancing together for a long time and know each other better. For the most part, few people within the scene are intentionally reinforcing this perception. Feel free to break the ice if they don't."

Lots of more great tips at Gotta Dance and Austin Swing Syndicate.

Up next.... What about aerials, dips, fancy moves, and erratic dancers?

Dance Floor Etiquette, Part 1

2008-02-20T08:49:00.003-06:00

Oh, yes, one other thing I observed at February's dance was that perhaps it's time for a refresher on dance floor etiquette!

Proper etiquette on a dance floor is basically an extension of the Golden Rule - treat others as you want to be treated. What does this mean, practically speaking?

Try not to run into others. Leaders, be sure that you keep an eye on your surroundings as you lead your partner, and try not to toss her into other couples.
If you do run into someone else, just apologize. You can make eye contact and mouth "sorry," you can kind of holler it over your shoulder, or you can even find the person you ran into after the song is over and just say "hey, sorry about running into you there!" Most people are super nice about the occasional dance-floor collision.
If you are enjoying a dance that progresses around the floor at Jive Junction, where the vast majority of dancers are swing dancing (in one spot), please be aware that you will need to maneuver around numerous couples who won't be looking out for you. If you do happen to collide with another couple, be sure to apologize (see above).
And, if you happen to be enjoying a swing dance among a mostly ballroom crowd (such as at Lake Robbins), please stay in the center of the floor and be aware that you will need to avoid getting in the way of the couples progressing around the perimeter of the floor. Again, apologize if you do collide.

See? Easy.

The next installment will be about respectfully dealing with your dance partner - do you need to apologize? what if you don't want to dance with someone who asks you? and help! my partner just broke my arm!

I would like to conclude by saying that if anyone at a Swing Des Moines event acts inappropriately or makes you uncomfortable with their actions or words, please seek out a board member and let us know. Not sure who the board members are? Ask the DJ.

Simpson College Social Dance Classes

2008-02-20T08:28:00.004-06:00

The fifth annual (can you believe it?) No Sweetheart Required Valentine's Dance was awesome! Great attendance, lots of energy. It looked like everyone got in a lot of good dancing, with one notable exception - we had one attendee with her arm in a cast!

A big thank you to the Simpson students who attended. The aforementioned cast-wearing woman was an instructor at Simpson College (my alma mater) who works in the costume shop at the theater (where I used to work!) and who also teaches social dancing classes - for credit - through the PE program. How awesome is that?!?

Why we do what we do (part 2) - music at dances

2008-02-06T09:27:00.002-06:00

"The DJ at Jive Junction never plays my favorite song!"

There is a strong possibility that the DJ at Jive Junction would play your favorite song if asked!

Our DJs try their very best to play music that will get the largest number of people dancing, interspersed with more specialized songs that appeal to a smaller group. They try to read the group and respond to the group's actions - when do people dance, when do people sit down, etc.

But if there's something you particularly enjoy dancing to, please ask! If we have it, we'll try to accommodate your request if at all possible!

Why we do what we do (part 1) - Wednesday Lessons

2008-02-02T09:56:00.000-06:00

I'm finding as I read the survey results that many people really want to know WHY we do the things we do. Or, perhaps they're not aching to learn, but might find the reasoning to be interesting. So here's the first installment in a series about the WHY behind Swing Des Moines' activities and choices.

First up - lessons on Wednesday.

Why do we offer lessons on Wednesday only?

Because that's the only night the Community Center is available for us. It's booked every other night of the week by either city groups (which get priority) or other groups like Jazzercise. We're always on the lookout for affordable locations in the city that will let us use their space, but it's not easy! (If you know of a place, please let us know.)

Many community centers in Des Moines are available other nights of the week, but are either unwilling to have dance lessons (Northwest) or are really hard to get to (Archie Brooks). Most commercial for-profit locations are just simply too expensive. We're not willing to raise our class prices just to open up another night of the week for classes!

Not available on Wednesdays but want to take a class? Here's a potential solution that has worked out REALLY well for many people. Get a group of friends (or strangers, even) and schedule a private small group lesson. Private small group lessons are quite affordable, and then you can pick your class time and location (subject to instructor availability, obviously).

Another option is to take the classes that we offer through Community Education. Those classes are on Thursdays through West Des Moines Schools.

Jive Junction was AWESOME tonight!

2008-01-19T01:56:00.000-06:00

We just got home from Jive Junction, and I have to say - it was awesome tonight!

We had about 15 people present about midway through our beginning lesson (about 8:15), and I was not going to be at all surprised of that's all we had. After all, it was about 20 below with wind chill, and who really wants to get out in that kind of cold??

But, all told, we had over 4 times that number just an hour later. It was great! We had four or five birthdays this month, so it was one super busy birthday jam, as well!

Many of those in attendance tonight had never been to Jive Junction before, and several had never been to a dance before. It was great to see all these new faces! And, as always, we love seeing the "old" faces, as well.

Thanks to all who came out tonight. I hope you had as great of a time as I did!

PS, more pictures here.

Lighten Up, Iowa!

2008-01-15T10:34:00.000-06:00

Capitol City Swing, our performance troupe, is participating in Lighten Up, Iowa! The program starts tomorrow, so if you're interested, there's still time to form your own team, or to join as an individual.

The goal is to increase our level of activity, so we'll be logging our activity each week, and keeping an eye on our total minutes of activity. Perhaps this will mean we'll each be rehearsing more and getting just that much better!

Janet is kindly leading the group, and I'll admit that my level of awareness of what we're supposed to be doing is really low, but I do know that I'm planning to start Yoga tomorrow, and to actually reach my goal of 10,000 steps on a regular basis. (Right now, I only hit it on Mondays when we have rehearsal and Wednesdays when we have class!)

We all will be logging quite a bit of activity this weekend - Jive Junction is Friday and we have a performance at Living History Farms on Saturday. Want to log some activity of your own? Join us for three awesome hours of activity on Friday, 8-11, at the Community Center.

Shoes for Dancing

2007-12-01T09:17:00.000-06:00

I was reading over at Rik's blog this morning, and found his post about shoes for lindy hopping. I can remember when the choice of shoe for dancing was the topic of SO MANY conversations, with sides taken and arguments over what type of leather or suede was best for shoe soles. If there was ever any doubt that many swing dancers are kind of geeky, those conversations would cement the deal.

I can't disagree with most of Rik's comments - high heels and lindy don't mix. Bleyers are cheaply made and look it. I've never owned any so I can't comment on how they dance, but even several anti-Bleyer dancers I knew changed their minds after Bleyer came out with their wedge-heeled shoes for women.

For the longest time, I lusted after these reproduction vintage wedge-heeled women's shoes produced by a now-defunct company in California. Just as soon as I'd finally made the decision to fork over the money for these shoes, they closed and I missed my chance. That's what you get for thinking it over for a year or more, I guess...

Many dancers currently wear Aris Allen shoes, which I hear are very comfortable. I wouldn't necessarily agree that one must wear Aris Allens in order to be taken seriously as a dancer...particularly considering that many nationally-known lindy hoppers don't wear them.

My shoe of choice has changed over the years. When we first started dancing 10 years ago, I preferred to wear a pair of black mary janes that had really nice slick rubber soles. Not too supportive, but I was, uh, younger than I am now and supportiveness in a shoe was not super important.

I've also worn, over the years, two-tone shoes from Capezio (which I still trot out for special occasions, though they now feel awkward on my feet), character shoes (which I don't trot out, I can't do heels), saddle shoes from the Salvation Army, cheap black sandals (a mistake if ever there was one), vintage open-toe heels from the 40s (for special occasions), and white canvas tennies. And if you know me, you know that the white canvas tennies are my regular choice. In fact, the only time I wear other shoes is when my outfit calls for something dressier.

Why do I like tennies? Simple. Comfort. That's all there is to say about it. They're comfortable.

I have mild fibromyalgia, and I can't stand and dance and walk for the two-plus hours when we're teaching in anything that's not super comfortable. And tennies are super comfortable.

Many dancers who wear tennies have them chromed or sueded, which means they have a cobbler apply chrome leather or suede to the bottom of their shoes (or they do it themselves). Though I've considered doing this, I never have. Because of the second and third reasons I like my tennies: they're cheap and they don't need special care.

I can wear my tennies for outdoor dance events. I can wear them to run and grab a forgotten item from the car. I don't have to worry about damaging the leather soles. I like that. So I settle for taping the soles to add slipperiness.

Feel free to post, here or at the message board, about your favorite shoes for dancing.

Being the best dancer you can be

2007-11-03T11:06:00.002-06:00

As many of you know, we recently asked Swing Des Moines members to participate in a survey to gather their opinions and thoughts. Several of the responses have made me do quite a bit of thinking about what we do here at Swing Des Moines and why, and a few of the responses have given me some food for thought regarding my own processes.

One of these responses was an answer to the question "What goal should Swing Des Moines be pursuing" and it was along the lines of "Make sure all your students are good dancers."

I've been pondering this during recent months, as I compare students to one another - something I don't normally do. Though I've never really defined my personal philosophy about this in words before, I came to realize that it's long been my goal as a swing dance teacher to help each student be the best dancer they can be. Not to help them measure up to anyone else, or to some standard of what makes a "good" dancer, but to be the best that they can personally be at that time.

This means that some students, I am ecstatic to see them come to Jive Junction and move their feet more or less in time with the music, because I know from watching them struggle that just doing that is an accomplishment to be proud of. A few months down the road, maybe I'll see them leading moves I know they've worked hard on, and even though those moves are not exactly smooth and seamless, they represent an accomplishment nonetheless. They are being the best dancers they can be. They might not measure up to anyone else's ideal of a "good" dancer, they might be awkward to dance with, but they are trying their hardest, they are really working at it, and they should be so very proud of their achievements.

Other students learn more quickly, dancing comes more naturally to them. The bar is higher for these students. Seeing them dance slightly out of time with the music and using choppy leads would be a disappointment, something I as a teacher would encourage them to improve because I know they are capable of doing better.

Each class brings us a mix of these types of students, and it can be a challenge to keep the class challenging enough for the faster learners without leaving the struggling ones in the dust, but our feedback shows that we do at least a reasonable job of this, which makes me happy.

I also want to add one final thought to this - we don't tend to compare one student to another in terms of ability or ease of learning to dance. Please don't compare yourself to others, either.

Self-Checking

2007-10-26T18:31:00.000-06:00

A student commented recently that he was a little annoyed with the self-checking exercises we do in classes. "Can't you just tell us if we're doing it wrong?"

Yes, I can. And I do, definitely.

But I also like to teach students how to self-identify when they're doing something right or wrong, I like to give students the tools to continue to improve their dancing on their own.

So we do self-checking exercises. We ask the leaders "when you're doing the lindy basic, does the follower kind of lurch at you with great speed? you're pulling too hard." or "When you lead a tuck turn, how far does the follower go? If she doesn't go too far, there are two possibilities. Either you're not leading strongly enough, or she's got bad frame. To check that, keep an eye on the follower's arm and body. Does it all move together, or is her arm moving independently of her body?"

This makes it possible for students to go home and solve their own dancing problems. Otherwise, students have to wait until the next class to figure things out, or perhaps they just never do figure it out. Sometimes, they may not even know that they are doing something wrong.

I try to keep our students independent, and not reliant upon us. Self-checking exercises are just one of the ways I accomplish this.

Student Motivation

2007-10-26T18:12:00.000-06:00

Where does motivation come from?

It's actually a pretty interesting question. Particularly as I'm a parent of a three-year-old, and motivation is a major point of contention among parents. As in, how do you encourage children to do...whatever it is you want them to do? Many parents rely on the old carrot-and-stick approach. Heap on the praise when a child does something you want, or just does something, and punish, reproach, or withhold affection when a child does something you don't want. (Example: "Oh, Johnny! You drank your juice! Good job! What a good boy!" and "What a pretty picture you painted. I love it!" or "Johnny, I can't believe you spilled your juice. What a bad boy. Go sit in the corner.") This provides a child with external motivation - they are concerned with your reaction to their achievements or actions.

Other parents try to encourage internal motivation. Instead of praise for things like a painted picture, they offer reflection. "Wow, Susie, there are a lot of colors in that painting." Instead of praise for an accomplishment, they offer reflection. "Susie, I see you finished your juice." Instead of punishment or reproaches, they offer reflection and encourage solution-finding. "Susie, I see you spilled your juice. You need to clean it up. Where's the rag?" This helps a child to develop internal motivation - they keep painting because they like to paint, not because painting gets lots of high marks from mommy. They clean up because it's just what you do after a spill, not out of fear of punishment.

Are these extreme examples? And not altogether realistic? Yes.

Why am I talking about parenting? Because I think how I parent really affects how I teach, and how I teach has affected my parenting. Not that I see students as children, but there are a lot of similarities between parenting and teaching.

I do not try to provide my child or my students with external motivation. The motivation's got to come from inside. My job as a parent is to help my child to develop his own internal motivation. My job as a teacher is to help my (adult) students utilize the internal motivation they already have.

Why do I see my job in this light? Well, two reasons.

First, all of my students are adults who are attending classes voluntarily. Nobody forced them to come, and so in theory, their motivation to learn is naturally high. (It's not like we're teaching traffic school where everyone has to be there.) My job should not then be seen as needing to provide motivation...but to instead capitalize on the already high sense of motivation and help it to remain high.

And second, I strongly believe that, in the end, it doesn't matter what I think about your dancing, or what I think about a child's painting. It matters what YOU think about your dancing, or what the child thinks about his own painting. Does it make YOU happy? Are you able to lead well, do you follow well, are you having a good time while you're dancing?

Why do I feel this way? I see many people who teach various things develop in their students a kind of dependency. The students need constant feedback from the teacher, they need praise, they can't feel good about what they're doing until the teacher says they should. Sometimes it even goes so far that a teacher is a little manipulative with students to keep them coming back because they feel so good with the teacher and the teacher's constant ego-stroking. And that's sad. It really is.

So you won't hear a lot of praise - especially false praise - in our classes. You will hear feedback, reflection. "You look like you're struggling." "You're getting it." "You look uncertain, but you're doing it just right." "That looked pretty good." "OK, it looks like we need to go over that a few more times." "OK, you're starting to get it now."

And this means that, when we do say "that's looking really good!" you can know that we mean it!

Why Aren't I Getting Asked to Dance?

2007-10-24T23:49:00.000-06:00

So, I came to Jive Junction, and nobody asked me to dance. What gives?

This is a question we sometimes hear, and a fear we've probably all had!

The Numbers
Many people assume that most people come to dances with a partner, and they dance only with that partner the whole night. That may be true at some dances, but it has not historically been true at Jive Junction.

One particular evening, I kept a tally. About 60% of people who came to Jive Junction that night came with one other person of the opposite gender (so, as a couple). The remaining 40% came either alone (about 20%) or part of a group of either mixed-genders or the same gender (20%).

About 75% of those who came as a couple danced with another person (other than their "partner") at least once during the night. (This is kind of a rough figure, as I cannot follow everyone around all night, I just tried to keep a tally in my head of who I saw dancing with whom.)

Generally speaking, those who dance only with the person they came with tended to be beginners, who probably lack the confidence that is generally needed to ask a stranger to dance. And that is completely understandable! (And, uh, also those who have small children and rarely have an opportunity to dance together just for fun these days...)

(For the record - S3 tends to be heavily weighted towards singles. Only four people ever came as part of a couple - Randy and Sarah, Mike and Janet - and those four rarely danced with their spouse. Nobody who came to S3 sat out any dances unless they wanted to.)

The Experience
Alright, so we know statistics are on our side. But that doesn't guarantee that everyone will be asked to dance, or that everyone will get to dance every dance, or even that everyone will be able to dance as many dances as they want.

I've also spent several Jive Junctions observing those who are seated during any particular song, and particularly those seated two songs in a row. Here's what I've observed:

- Many of those seated seem to be engrossed in conversation. Available dance partners seem to avoid interrupting a deep conversation to ask someone to dance. Light conversation seems to be interruptable.

- Many of those seated for multiple songs in a row looked cross or inaccessible. Their facial expressions were closed, eyes looked down, they avoided eye contact, their arms were crossed. They looked like they'd rather be grocery shopping than dancing. This does not generally say "please ask me to dance!"

- Seating also plays somewhat of a role. Single people who choose to sit along the back of the room seem to be asked to dance less frequently than those seated (or, better yet, standing) closer to the door. That's just the traffic pattern at JJ.

- Those are remain seated a lot tend to also seem to not know many people at Jive Junction. Becoming friendly with fellow attenders also increases the number of times you are likely to be asked to dance. It is less intimidating for EVERYONE to dance with someone they know than to dance with a total stranger.

- Remaining seated tends to play a role, too. Think about it. First, if you're sitting down and look like you're comfortably settled, you look less accessible. Second, when you're sitting down, you're much much shorter than potential dance partners, who will typically be standing. It makes conversation awkward.

So - if you're coming to Jive Junction and are not satisfied with the frequency with which you are asked to dance - consider whether you look approachable. Sit or stand along the side wall, make eye contact with others, be open and friendly, and you will greatly increase your chances of being asked to dance.

And - please don't forget - if you want to dance with someone...it's usually as simple as asking them. Folks rarely turn down an invitation to dance at Jive Junction!

My own experience at dances (outside of Jive Junction) has been very similar to my findings above. When I'm engaged in deep conversation with someone, I am rarely asked to dance. When I sit in the corner or off to the side, I am asked less frequently. When I am focused inward, looking down, sitting defensively with my arms crossed, and avoiding eye contact with others, I am not asked to dance. (This worked great when I was in my last trimester with Wally and didn't feel comfortable dancing with strangers!)

When I am seated near the dance floor, easily accessible, making eye contact, looking happy, and focused on the activity around me - I am asked to dance much, much more frequently.

Did you know?

2007-10-19T21:45:00.000-06:00

a monthly tidbit about the history of Swing Des Moines

November is a time that many people set aside a few minutes (or days) to consider the reasons they have to be thankful. Most of us have been so very blessed with nice homes, family and friends, jobs, enough food to eat, and of course a completely awesome pastime - swing dancing - and an equally awesome organization devoted to bringing you the very best in instruction and opportunities to dance. (pardon the shameless plug.)

As you may know, Swing Des Moines is a charitable, nonprofit organization. From the beginning, we've wanted to not only promote dancing and support the swing dance community here in central Iowa, but we also wanted to do more - to be a part of the larger central Iowa community, and to give back to that community.

One of the ways we accomplish this is through our annual "Give Thanks For What We've Got" food drive at our November Jive Junction. Take a minute to look through your cupboards for extra canned goods, or toss a few boxes of nonperishable items into your grocery cart next time you shop, and bring them to the next Jive Junction. (We will also accept cash, and you can visit the Food Bank's website for a complete list of items they want/need.)

After the dance, we load all the donated items into our car and drop them off at the Food Bank of Central Iowa. I (Sarah) have made this drop-off myself every year, and the staff are always so grateful for our donation.

Lesley Byers

2007-10-07T14:35:00.000-06:00

The premiere of Live Junction kicked off Friday night with Lesley Byers and the Jazz Cats playing for an appreciative crowd at the Community Center. The evening was really all we had hoped for - a great crowd, wonderful music, and a very appreciative audience!

We had quite a bit of discussion about whether to have Live Junction at the Community Center or a larger venue, but ultimately decided that we wanted to create a more intimate setting, a dancers' setting. And that was definitely what we got!

Lesley and the Jazz Cats decided to forgo the stage we were setting up when they arrived, and chose to perform on the floor, which added to the small club-like atmosphere. There was a LOT of interaction between the band and the dancers, including Lesley running out to dance every once in a while and then sprinting back to finish a song.

We were missing a lot of regulars at this Live Junction, but we enjoyed the many new faces we saw, as well.

All in all, it was a great night - I'd definitely recommend catching Lesley Byers any time you have the chance - and I'm already looking forward to the next Live Junction.

Getting Better

2007-10-04T21:41:00.000-06:00

So often, dancers say something along these lines, "gee, I wish I were a better dancer, but I'm not sure what to do to get better."

Well, ladies and gents, I am here to provide that answer!! Here are five tips to get you moving down the path to being a better dancer than you are today.

1. Practice. Practice, practice, practice, practice. Nothing takes the place of simply doing something over and over again until it's second nature. Consider any other skill you wish to develop. Want to become a better piano player? Play the piano more. Want to lift more weight? Lift weights more. Want to dance better? Dance more.

2. Go out dancing. Go to dances. Go to places where there is music. Go out in public and dance. Dancing at a dance is different than dancing in the privacy of your own home. In your own home, you might have a tendency to stop and start, to work on something you feel needs improvement, and this is a good thing. But you also need to just dance, to have to start and then complete a song without stopping in the middle.

3. Dance with others. This is the other benefit of going out dancing. The opportunity to dance with others. You will get better faster (and better, period) through dancing with people other than your regular partner, if you have one. You and a regular dance partner will tend to do two things: 1: fall into bad habits with each other, 2: get really predictable, and lose your lead/follow skills. Dance with others!!

4. Record yourself dancing and watch it. Watching yourself dancing can be very humbling. I remember the first time I watched myself dance. I was so embarrassed that I had been out - in public - dancing like that! yikes!! But it gave me a great opportunity to notice a few really visually annoying things that I did, and it also showed me some places that I needed to work on my technique.

5. Learn some new skills. Some people need more moves to feel more confident, some people want to learn or develop their skills - leading and following, footwork, improvisation, whatever. Sometimes these skills can be learned best through a class, sometimes through experimentation.

A Snippet of History

2007-10-04T21:26:00.000-06:00

A monthly little bit of education

Did you know that ballroom dance instructors in the late 1930s originally dismissed lindy hop as just a passing fad? In 1936, Philip Nutl, president of the American Society of Teachers of Dancing, declared that swing would not last beyond the winter.

When it became obvious that this was not the case, the ballroom instructors turned to sniping - in 1938, Donald Grant, president of the Dance Teachers' Business Association, said that swing music "is a degenerated form of jazz, whose devotees are the unfortunate victims of economic instability."

Finally, by 1942, members of the New York Society of Teachers of Dancing decided that the jitterbug could no longer be ignored. However, they decided to tone down the "cavortings" and refine them for their largely white (and older, upper class) students.

The result? East Coast Swing.

The New York teachers (on the east coast...) took the very basic steps of lindy, stripped them way down, and then decided to base them on a slightly different timing - not the eight counts of lindy, but the six counts of the fox trot. Then they called this new dance the "jitterbug" or the "lindy," which is also what the original eight-count version of lindy was called at the time, thereby confusing everyone as to what was what.

-----

This is why Swing Des Moines usually tells its students that swing is not a ballroom dance, it's actually an anti-ballroom dance. It's a street dance, danced originally by black kids in Harlem, and developed organically - about as far removed from a ballroom dance studio as one can get.

Neo Swing and Today's Scene

2007-09-24T17:30:00.000-06:00

September's Back to Old Skool Jive Junction was a huge success, and I hope everyone who came out had a good time!

As I was watching the crowd, I got to thinking about what's changed since the Neo-Swing era. And a lot has changed. Here's my perspective.

The crowds. It's tempting to think that the crowds today are smaller than what they used to be. That is true to a certain extent, but many of Swing DSM's Jive Junctions have easily the same attendance as Swing Night at the Val Air. (After the Val Air switched to DJ music - live music will obviously attract many listeners, not just dancers.)
Obviously, there are not as many bands touring the country, begging to stop in Des Moines.
The dancing is a lot better. Even the "good" dancers back then were kind of not so good. Not their fault at all - the dancing of that era was, by and large, characterized by poor lead/follow and poor frame. Few people cared about good technique, most people danced a sloppy east coast.
I did not have gray hair.
There were lots of posers and trend-jumpers.
The dancing seems to have mellowed out along with the music. People aren't running, jumping, throwing, and being generally reckless like they were back then.
Far more vintage big band is played now, and it is really preferred by the majority of dancers. This was a trend that actually started out in CA and NY back when Des Moines was just starting to get in on the neo-swing stuff.

Which do I prefer? I love today's scene. Fewer people than there were back in the peak of the swing resurgence, but the people who do come out come to dance. And they're good, even those of you saying right now "oh, but I'm not good." Watch Swingers. You're definitely better than that, and those people were in a movie!

Did you know?

2007-09-24T16:47:00.002-06:00

A monthly bit about the history of Swing Des Moines

Whatever happened with Crave?

Some recent statements have been made that are forcing me to revisit this topic, which I know has been explained ad nauseum.

Last fall, Crave approached DJ Swingin' Goat to see if he would DJ a weekly swing dance at their location. The Goat said he would only consider it if they would allow us to promote it through Swing Des Moines. It would remain their event, but we'd use both logos and both company names in the promotion. Sure thing, they said.

As anyone who went to Swing Night at Crave knows, the location was far from ideal from a dancing standpoint. The drinks and food were expensive, the dance area was somewhat lacking, etc. From a management standpoint, though, it was, in a way, ideal. We had no risk. Another business wanted to do a swing night and they just wanted us to facilitate it.

We discussed it among ourselves and decided that we were in for however long it lasted.

Which was several months, until Crave underwent a change of management and decided to focus on being a restaurant and not a bar, so they got rid of a lot of the activities that detracted from the restaurant aspect.

The event was Crave's all along. Their idea, their event, their decisions.

Swing Des Moines has been looking around for a suitable location for a weekly event since, but to be honest, we've been distracted by other happenings, both within the organization as well as in my own personal life, and it hasn't taken top priority. Our standards for a weekly event would include affordable drinks and food, a nicer dance floor, etc.

We would have never picked Crave as the ideal spot for a dance, but it landed in our laps. It would have been irresponsible to turn it down, when there was literally no risk for us!

Unfortunately, after the managerial changes at Crave, certain Swing Des Moines detractors have taken it upon themselves to persist in saying that Swing Des Moines failed at a weekly event. While Swing DSM has had its share of failures (as will happen with any organization that is taking risks and trying out new things), this is just not one of them. I'm not sure of the motivations of this person, who I used to consider to be a friend.

(Dancing Downtown - now THAT was a failure!)

Anyway, I hope that sets the record straight.

Good Dancing

2007-09-06T08:56:00.000-06:00

What makes good dancing? The question is somewhat hard to answer, since dancing is such an art, and "good" is really in the eye of the beholder. Yet, there are some general standards as to what constitutes "good" dancing vs. "needs improvement" dancing. Surely, those standards will vary depending on who you ask - and you can see a variety of responses to this question at our message board.

I have actually been taking notes over the last few months whenever I'm around people who are dancing. What qualities are evident (or lacking) in those dancers who are fun to watch, who make it look effortless? What qualities are evident (or lacking) in those dancers who are clearly just beginning, or who simply need to keep practicing?

This post is the culmination of those months of exhaustive (lol) research.

Good dancers:

Are smooth. Their movements are flowing, not choppy. Leads have no clear stopping or starting point - the follow is not being jerked around, but rather guided into each step. (An analogy here is driving - beginning drivers, particularly on a stick shift, tend to have a lot of choppiness as they move from start to stop. More advanced drivers are more comfortable with their well-practiced movements that are needed to control the car.)
Move smoothly from one move into the next. There's no sense of "ok, that turn is done, now what? Ok, now we'll try THIS move." Rather, each move seems to just blend right into the next one. Again, much like the car analogy.
Have good connection with one another. I will be writing more about connection later, since it's such a huge topic. Wikipedia has a decent definition. Basically, "connection" is the link that joins the two partners - the framework through which the partners communicate. It's their phone line. Good connection is essential, and also takes time to understand and acquire. But without good connection, fancy moves and flashy acrobatics are meaningless and pointless (just as, without a good connection on the phone, delivering a great oration is also pointless.) Good connection is the foundation of good dancing.
Have confidence in their knowledge. The knowledge doesn't have to be vast, but having confidence that you know what you're doing - it shows. Some dancers are really fine technically, but every movement communicates to the viewer that they're just not really sure. And some dancers actually aren't all that great technically, but they're confident enough that when you watch them, you get the impression that they really know what they're doing. Combine confidence with good basic techniques...and you've got a great dancer.
A sense of comfort with their bodies. Sometimes when watching a couple dance, you get the impression that they're just not really comfortable with what they're doing. They need more practice before the movements are second nature. Some people are just not comfortable in their own bodies no matter what they're doing - this shows when they walk into a room, even. This discomfort will usually show when dancing.
Able to control their own bodies (and their partner's body, if a leader). I'm not saying that good dancing is controlled...good dancing is quite often wild and crazy. But there is never a loss of control over your own body. For leaders, there is no chance they will be able to lead successfully if they are not in control of their own bodies first.
Unafraid to experiment. I hesitated before tossing this in, because often beginners just lack the skill set needed to be able to play at all, and I think beginning dancers can still be good dancers even without this ability. But being able to break the rules, not slavishly completing only the steps you learned in class, tossing in some fancy footwork or an extra twirl or whatever...it makes the dance your own, rather than just a crude copy of someone else's dancing.

Some qualities I notice almost invariably among dancers who appear to be less skilled:

Straight arms. Straight arms are usually either a sign of bad connection, bad frame, or poor control over one's body. (or all three)
Awkward angles. This one is hard to describe, but you'll know it immediately when you see it. The body is sometimes poking out in all directions at the same time, or maybe there is a tendency to lean in a certain way that just looks awkward. Good dancers generally have a posture and a sense of control over their body's movements that prevent this awkwardness.
Lots of vertical movement. Without exception, swing dancing (and, really, any partner dancing) does not have a lot of vertical movement. Often, vertical movement is a problem of beginning dancers, but I've seen plenty of people who have been dancing for years who still have a lot of up-and-down-ness about them.

I want to conclude by underscoring an important point. Becoming a good dancer usually takes time and practice - like anything. However, a good dancer is not necessarily someone who has been dancing for a long time. There's no cut-off point, after X months, you are a "good dancer." A good dancer is not necessarily someone who's been dancing for longer than you, or who knows more moves than you do. A good dancer is not even necessarily someone who teaches you moves or even new dances.

I have observed dancers fresh out of a beginning lindy class - their first partner dance class ever - dancing right next to couples who have been dancing together for years, and noticed that the brand-new dancers appeared to be quite smooth, comfortable, and confident whereas the more experienced dancers were still choppy and awkward.

The difference seems to lie in the technique points outlined above. Smoothness, connection, frame, confidence.

Jazz in July

2007-06-30T08:16:00.000-06:00

July presents Des Moines residents with such a fantastic opportunity to take in some live jazz music! and for free! The Metro Arts Alliance organizes this annual festival, which features at least one jazz band playing free live music every day in July.

The music covers all types of jazz - latin, modern, funk, etc., as well as the vintage type stuff we all love to dance to!

We have provided listings in our calendar page for the bands we know will be danceable. But that doesn't mean the others will NOT be danceable! Jazz in July always features a bunch of bands that we have never had the opportunity to hear live. And Des Moines bands are notorious for not having websites, which means we have no way to preview them for you.

So, take a risk, and head out to as many Jazz in Julys as you can! Worst case scenario - you don't get to dance, but you do get to enjoy a nice evening outside listening to some great music.

2007-06-18T22:30:00.000-06:00

A while back, I asked the members of the Board of Directors of Swing Des Moines to write a list of "What SDSM Is and What SDSM Is Not." I'd like to share with you some of what we came up with.

What Swing Des Moines Is:
Teaching Swing dance, music, culture and enjoying it!
Member-focused
Full of fun, friendly people
Spreading swing throughout the city by working with schools and community groups
Focused on vintage swing dancing
Swing Dance Activists

What Swing Des Moines Is Not:
About making money, for individuals involved or for the organization
Of course, we do want to cover our expenses and build for the future.
Ballroom Dancing or Salsa Dancing
Our focus will always remain on swing dancing.

We're working on a more concrete vision/list of goals for the organization, but this is/has been a great starting point for us. What do you think Swing Des Moines is, could be, isn't, or can't be?