Snapshots Not Yet Seen

Pick me up by the laces of my suede-bottomed floor-scuffed oxfords and fly me to a room full of brassy, nutmeg flavored music.

Please.

Lead me to a meadow where my bare feet dance in the grass that is lush and smells lush and feels lush and is lush. Cotton against my skin and a breeze in the strands of my hair.

Please.

Place me on the Washington mall and let me walk in heels that meet the pavement to create that solid clack that rings of independence and success.

Please.

Show me a wood-planked farm house with chipping paint on acres of land where I can use my hands to plant and collect eggs and learn the earth. Where my feet in yellow rain boots will splash in puddles.

Please.

Find me finally in slippers in a home, remnants left by small handprints on the walls, a room of books and a room of windows. A home where warmth grows exponentially and generations gather continually.

Please.

It's in the Passion

Lesson 2: The secret's in the passion. 

There is so much dedication in a room full of lindy hoppers. Yes you can take lessons from a few different people in the same state where you grew up and become a good dancer. Perhaps even the best in your venue. But to become a name that is frequently compared to the likes of Frankie Manning around the world you must let your dancing shoes take you around the world. Live from a suitcase and with a traveling gypsy troupe in suspenders and oxfords. And then when you've made it to the top, you teach hours of workshops all over the world. With your travelling gypsy troupe. And you smile the whole time and dance with the person who just learned to triple step yesterday.

And your passion for the art is so big that you are also a musician so you can simply be an extension of the music when you dance. And you become a historian; a keeper of knowledge about the time period when your art form was born and about the people who so lovingly sent out into the world.

Because your passion is so big you have to soak in every aspect of it and then drizzle it upon all those who come close to you.

At least thats what I felt every time I was around Sky and Frida or Sharon and Juan or any other person who had built their life around swing outs and Charleston and Susy Qs. They had obviously worked hard to get where they were and were so willing to share that dedication and passion with so many others.

And it just started me thinking, "Ah, that's it! It's the passion!" To live life fully and dynamically and joyously there must be passion. Whether it be a single passion or several, a simple passion or complex.

So that's it. The secret is in the passion.

Some Lindy Lessons

I expected to better my technique and learn new moves from the 3 day workshop so quainlty referred to as Camp Jitterbug that takes place annually on Memorial Day weekend. Brush up on the technical aspects of the dance. What I learned most about, though, was its history and its wonderful atmosphere.

So, my next few posts will be dedicated to a few lessons from lindy as displayed by the fashions and talents I witnessed. They will come in installments, because, well, it's just more fun that way.

Lesson 1: Marilyn Monroe is still alive. 

Well, not literally, but her essence is living in Sharon, a famous lindy lady from Australia. And really the point from this is we carry history in actions, in our passions. Lindy hop took its first triple steps in the late 30s, and yet here we are in 2011, dancing our hearts out. We are keeping the lives of people such as Norma Miller, who was in the original landmark lindy video below, valid and purpose-filled by both modernizing the dance and recreating the classics.

These two videos really illustrate that. This scene from the movie Hellzapoppin' helped kickstart the lindy buzz around the world. And in the 2000s its importance and display of talent have not been forgotten. 

Original Hellzapoppin

Jitterbug Hellzapoppin: Start at 2:56