A Snippet of History

A monthly history lesson

Des Moines has a rich history associated with World War II. Did you know, for example, that the WAAC (Women's Army Auxiliary Corps) program got its start right here in Des Moines? You can even visit the relatively new museum at Ft. Des Moines that features the WAAC program.

The first WAACs were actually housed at the Savory Hotel in Des Moines, which closed its doors to paying guests for a time. (Try to find a hotel willing to do that these days!) They learned all sorts of skills and received their training at Ft. Des Moines. Though I can't repost them here, the museum website has a few pretty neat pictures of the ladies at Ft. Des Moines, and you can find lots of interesting newspaper clippings here.

A Snippet of History

A monthly history lesson!

The Big Apple. We've had so many people ask us about the Big Apple lately, and we are only too happy to provide you with information!

The Big Apple is a group dance, much like the Shim Sham. It did not actually originate in the Big Apple, but rather in South Carolina, back in the 1930s. Betty Wood, one of the dancers back in the day, has said that "It all began at an abandoned synagogue that had been turned into a Juke Joint." I have heard from various places (none of them particularly reliable!) that the Juke Joint was called The Big Apple, thus the dance's name.

Apparently, the dance began with black dancers of the era, as is true with most of the dances we love. Betty Wood (who is white) and some friends picked it up watching the black dancers from the "whites only" area of the juke joint. They were quite impressed, and took the dance back to their friends. It was a big hit.

The Big Apple was originally a call-and-response dance, kind of like a square dance, with one person (or several people) calling out moves, and the dancers performing them as they were called. I have also heard a few people state that sometimes the caller would call out "Shine!" which would prompt one couple to head to the center of the circle for a few phrases of dancing while the other dancers clapped to the music, sort of like today's jam circle. (At least one person with whom I have spoken suggested that this was a variation called the "little Apple.")

The movie Keep Punchin' features the Big Apple (called a "contest" in the movie) as choreographed by Frankie Manning and Herbert "Whitey" White and performed by Whitey's Lindy Hoppers. This choreographed version is what most dancers today do when they get together for the Big Apple.

Many of the steps in the Big Apple (both the choreographed version as well as the original form) are components of steps in lindy and other swing dances. The steps that you don't already use in your dancing are fun and easy to incorporate into lindy, shag, balboa, etc.

Want to see the Big Apple? We usually dance it at Jive Junction. Want to learn the Big Apple? Keep your eyes open for a Big Apple class coming up this summer or fall.

A Snippet of History

A monthly history lesson!

Where did Balboa come from? Like so many dances of the swing era, nobody is really entirely sure, even those who danced back in the day. We do know that the name "Balboa" came from the Balboa peninsula at Newport Beach near Los Angeles, where the Balboa was danced. People of course called it "the dance being done in Balboa" and then just "the balboa." We also know that people were dancing Balboa in the 20s and it gained popularity throughout the 30s.

It seems there is a general concensus among the experts with whom I've talked that Balboa developed out of a need to dance on very crowded dance floors. As you might know, partners are very close to one another in Balboa, so you can see how this would be advantageous in crowded areas.

Some dance halls of the era forbade "breakaways," or partners separating from each other. They also banned the wild kicks associated with the Charleston, another popular "fad" dance from the era. These measures have been explained by some as being "conservative," and by others as being merely practical measures to ensure that the dance floors were as packed as possible.

"Pure Balboa," as it is called today, is Balboa danced without any breakaways. There are no turns, no whips, nothing except basic Balboa footwork with its gazillion intricate variations. Some people find pure balboa to be boring and limiting, but it is actually really intricate and challenging.

"Bal-swing," as it is called today, seems to have developed out of Balboa. It was danced on less crowded floors and in other areas of the west coast. In Bal-swing, the dancers can do just about any move they want - turns, flips, spins, etc. The dancers at the time generally called this just "swing," without bothering to differentiate it from the other types of swing being danced at the time. (Apparently, they were not as hung up on labels as we are today!)

Who is the guy in the picture? Willie Desatoff, one of the original Balboa dancers, who passed away in 2005. You can read more about him here.

Want to learn more about Balboa? Visit Balboa Nation. Want to learn to dance Balboa? Take a class!