In a little while, I am going to hit the road for O'Hare airport,
to pick up a friend en route to the Chicago Classic swing dance
convention. I want to comment on something Mark said in his email
the other day about the event, that it would 'change the way you
look at dancing forever', or words to that effect.
It's no lie, brothers and sisters.
That one statement summarizes completely my reaction to getting
involved in the swing dance world. Modern WCS, like Salsa, is
a "street dance"; the first and last goal is musical interpretation,
and the emphasis is on fundamental movements that match the music,
rather than canned "patterns" that were invented by big franchise studios
chains needing material to sell to students. You will have plenty of
opportunity to see choreographed material, but you will also see, during
the Jack and Jill's, the general dancing, and the "Jams", off-the-cuff
improvisation that will make your teeth drop. You will also discover
that the swing crowd is one hellatiously hospitable crowd to hang out
with. So please come and join us this weekend.
By the way, here is another practical reason to come: it could be an
introduction to the easiest way to continue dancing after you leave
C-U. You will discover, some of you quite painfully, that there is
only one Regent, and that healthy, social ballroom programs are extremely
scarce. Swing dancing, on the other hand, is everywhere, be it West Coast,
East Coast, Lindy Hop, Shag, or Jitterbug. So come up this weekend,
make some new friends, and be prepared to have a really amazing time.
Later,
JH
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Dr. John Hayes, NCSA Applications | hayes@ncsa.uiuc.edu (217)333-2438 (NCSA)
Beckman Institute, UIUC | (217)378-3086 (page)
Urbana, IL 61801 | (217)344-9158 (home)
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