Comet Swing Dance Canceled, what to do?

It is icy outside and the University closed down for the weekend.  The last Comet Swing Society Dance for this semester was canceled, but don't worry you can still have fun with Swing Dance! 

Practice

If the dance is canceled, you can still Swing Dance at home, if you want too.  Swing Dance is a partner dance, but a partner isn’t required to practice.  Practicing at home will help you become a better dancer.  For example, practicing triple steps to music or while completing chores is helpful.  When you practice alone don’t worry about leading or following, but focus on something else like basic footwork or rhythm.  For example, with footwork, I like to practice basic Charleston for a few minutes each day.   Practice what you know, to reinforce or create muscle memory.  However, don’t create muscle memory that depends on an invisible partner.  For example if you are learning to Lindy hop for the first time, as a follow, practice the eight count pattern moving forwards or in place, don’t practice the swing out pattern.  If you live with someone that dances, practice with them.  

Watching Videos

You can also search for Swing Dance videos on YouTube or Vimeo.  Fort Worth Swing Society posts good videos they find on their Facebook page.  Or, if you have videos recaps of lessons you have taken watch those.  

Reading Blogs

Reading Swing Dance blogs is a good way to learn about and discuss Swing Dancing.  If you have questions about something you read or something you have seen ask people or comment on the blog.  These are a few blogs that people recommended to me.

http://swungover.wordpress.com/

https://jsalmonte.squarespace.com/wanderingandpondering/ 

http://rebeccabrightly.com/

Do other stuff

However, Swing Dance doesn’t have to fill your life.  Have fun outside of dancing, stay home and do whatever you like.  For example comment on blogs.  Has anyone tried to make a snowman with all this ice?  What do you like to do on icy days?  What do you like to practice?

Swing Dance in December

Comet Swing Society 

UTD Galaxy Rooms
Dec 6
Beginning Lesson 8pm - 9pm
Dance 9pm - Midnight
Free 

Comet Swing Society at UTD is having its last dance of the year on December 6th.  You can check their Comet Swing Society Facebook page for more information.

Fort Worth

Southside Preservation Hall  
1519 Lipscomb Street, Fort Worth, TX 76104


Tues Dec 10, 17 & Mon Dec 23, 30
Beginning Lesson 8pm - 9pm
Intermediate Lesson 9pm - 9:30pm
Dance 9pm - 11:30pm
$5

Fort Worth Swing Society
1300 Gendy St, Fort Worth, TX

Dec 12 & 19
Beginning Lesson 8pm -9pm
Dance 9pm - 11:30pm
$7 for non members $5 for members or DSDS members

Like the Fort Worth Swing Dance Society Facebook to stay updated on the dances.

Denton

Denton Swing Dance Organization
The Optimist Gym, 3261 North Elm St, Denton

Sat Dec 7th & Fri Dec 20th

6pm - 8pm Workshop
8pm – 9pm Beginning Lesson
9pm – Midnight Dance

Denton dances cost $10 and includes two hour workshop. if you are unfamiliar with Swing Dance come for the beginning lesson.  If you like to Swing Dance and want to improve or learn a new dance come to the workshops.  Workshops will usually be Lindy Hop, Charleston, or East Coast Swing. The workshop on the 7th will be Lindy Hop. Lindy Hop is an advanced form of East Coast Swing. Check the Denton Swing Dance Organization Facebook page for updated information. Here is the venue information for Denton, Optimist Gym location

Carrolton

Sandunga Dance Studio 
2155 Marsh Lane, Carrollton, TX 75006

Wed nights
Lessons 7pm - 9pm 
Dance is 9pm - Midnight
$5 for the Dance or $20 a night for the lessons and dance


Sandunga, a studio in Carrolton hosts a West Coast Swing Dance and lessons on Wed nights. West Coast Swing is a different style. But don’t worry, show up on Wed night for the beginning lesson at 7pm. They have a beginning class, intermediate, and advanced. This is completely different from East Coast Swing, even if you are familiar with East Coast Swing, it is good to still take the beginning lesson. 

Dallas

Dallas Swing Dance Society
Sammons Center, 3630 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX 75219

Dec 14th

Jack & Jill Workshop, 6pm – 8pm
Beginning Lesson 8pm – 9pm
Dance 9pm – Midnight
$10 for Members $15 for Non-Members DSDS

Dec 21st Live Band

Strictly Lindy Workshop 6pm – 8pm
Beginning Lesson 8pm – 9pm
Dance 9pm – Midnight
$15 for DSDS members and $20 for non-members.

DSDS is only having two dances in Dec., with workshops about competitions. Jack & Jill is an individual competition that judges leaders and followers separately. The competitors do not know who they will be dancing with until the competition begins, but they do know who the other competitors. A good strategy is to dance with all the other follows or leads that are competing before the competition. Strictly Lindy is a partner competition, so you need to find someone that will enter with you.  Like the DSDS Facebook to stay updated.



Sons of Hermann Hall
3414 Elm Street Dallas, TX 75226

Wed night
8pm – 9pm Beginning Lesson
9pm – Midnight
$5

New Years Eve Dance

7 p.m. Doors open
8pm -8:30pm Swing Lesson with Elaine and Jerry
8:30pm -11pm The Singapore Slingers
11:30pm -1am Matt Tolentino and his Swing Wing
$35 dollars at the door

Sons of Hermann Hall is open every Wed for Swing Dance except Christmas and it cost $5 dollars which includes the dance and the beginning lesson. They also have a New Year’s Eve Dance hosted by the Rhythm Room. Like Sons of Herman Hall Facebook to stay updated.

• Remember to check the weather before you head out, and if its bad check the Facebook pages of the organization or call the dance studio to see if the dance was canceled.  Or just stay in and be safe.  Also, feel free to leave any comments or suggestions and thanks for visiting!

Swing Dance Community

 There are a few great ways to become involved in the Swing Dance community.

Dallas Swing Dance Society and other Swing Dance Societies are always looking for volunteers.  Volunteering usually gets you into the dances for free and you can possibly earn more free dances. Volunteering is great, and if you want to become more involved ask about serving in the non profit organization.  Dallas Swing Dance Society is having board member elections right now so if you are a member show up on Sat Nov 23rd and vote. 

DSDS participates in the local community and was on Idol Across America, look for the Dallas video.  The Swing Dancing starts at 51 seconds and ends around 1:02

Other Dance Styles

Learning other dance styles is a great way to expand your vocabulary of dance moves and meet new people.  For example, Blues and Balboa are typical dance styles some Swing Dancers learn.  Dance is amazing because you can incorporate moves from other dances into whatever dance you know. 

Blues

Blues is rhythmic, earthy, and intimate.  Some dancers feel it is to intimate for social dancing, because you dance closer to your partner than other partner dances.  If you would like to see people dancing Blues, check out the Goat on Tuesday nights.  You can just listen to the music with friends, or you could ask people to dance.  If you want to see example before you go out dancing, look up YouTube videos of Blues, like this one from a competition in Austin.

Balboa 

Balboa can help you dance to faster music, but it can be challenging to learn.  If you want to learn Balboa head over to Southside Preservation Hall in Fort Worth.  They also might teach Lindy Hop, Shag or Charleston.  The lessons in Fort Worth on Tuesday and Thursday night are a great way to expand you dancing vocabulary.  Try to find some friends and carpool if you live far away.  Also, check out demos of Balboa on YouTube.   

Places to Learn Swing Dancing

Local Dance Halls

If you are just starting to dance, check out local Swing Dances.  Many great instructors teach at a variety of local venues like Sammons Center or at Sons of Hermann Hall.  Some of them are listed below:

Brad and Jessica	Shannon and Josue	Mike and Shawna
Emily	Nicole and Chris	Heather

Additionally, if you go to Sammons Center on Saturday leave comments in the comment box or on the DSDS Facebook page.  Tell them which instructors you like best!  Also, don't be afraid to ask the instructors to dance!

Expanding your knowledge of Swing Dance

Learning how to dance is challenging and rewarding.  There are many opportunities to increase your knowledge in the DFW area.  Dances are great, but taking lessons and learning from other people is important. 

The Rhythm Room

The Rhythm Room is a great studio in Dallas and they offer a variety of group and private lessons ranging from beginning Swing Dance to Lindy Hop.  They also offer other dance lessons including Ballroom and Jazz. 

Jerry and Kathy

They have taught for years, and teach the basic lesson every Wed Night at Sons of Herman Hall.

They offer private lessons through Jerry and Kathy's website.  The website also includes a review of 20 East Coast Swing Moves, viewers can download onto their computer or mobile device.    

Fort Worth and Denton

Fort Worth and Denton have great dances.  Fort Worth has dances on Tuesday at South Side Preservation Hall and Thursday at Forth Worth Community Arts Center.  Denton has dances twice a month at the Optimist Gym. 

Out of Town

But Swing Dance is an international thing, and you can learn anywhere, for example New Mexico, and Minnesota. Traveling out of town is a great way to expand your knowledge and make new friends. Swing Dance or Lindy Hop workshops usually offer free housing with local dancers. Just make sure you are a considerate guest and take care of the people offering you a place to stay.

UptownSwing

Uptown Swing in Minneapolis, MN features national and international instructors and they have lesson recaps. So if you saw them teach at workshop you can visit their site and refresh your knowledge. Peter and Naomi are excellent instructors. If you can, take lessons from them. 

Rhythm Dance Company

Rhythm Dance Company in Albuquerque, NM offers Swing Dances and lessons every week. Also, they have two amazing events each year.

505 Stomp – a Lindy Hop workshop
ABQLX – a Lindy Hop exchange


Do you have any favorite instructors, or recommendations for workshops or dance exchanges? If so please leave a comment and recommendation below!

Comet Swing Dance Lessons

On Friday night Nov 8, I attended a Comet Swing Society dance night at the UTD Galaxy room where swing music could be heard coming down the hall, and the club officers were teaching students how to swing dance. I had attended about a month prior, but arrived to the end of the lesson. Therefore I relied on the other dancers there to teach me how to move around and “dance”. Now, I am not a dancer by any means, and therefore I was excited to see that there was an on campus club offering swing dance lessons, as well as time for more seasoned dancers to swing dance from 9 PM- midnight.  I have never taken any dancing lessons, so this is a great opportunity to learn a new hobby.

The treasurer of the club met with me and gave me a one on one swing dance lesson to teach me the basics of swing dancing. She and another member demonstrated the steps first, and gave me tips such as to watch my wrist when being swung, to hold my arm at a 90 degree angle to add tension to the movements of the dance, and to count out loud to stay in step. I learned that the basic swing dance step is six counts and that as a “follow” I should simply follow the movements of the “lead” dancer. Overall, it was a fun experience to learn something new and attempt swing dancing. The club officers are pretty helpful, friendly, and willing to teach and give great tips, and I will definitely be going back when I can. I encourage UTD students to check out the Comet Swing Society Friday night meetings to have fun and learn swing dancing.

My name is Jennifer and I maintain a blog at: http://translationhelpsoftware.blogspot.com/

Comet Swing Society DJ

DJing

DJs do more than sit still and play music, they are responsible for the atmosphere of the dance.  DJs interact with the crowd, take requests, and see what songs create excitement.  A good DJ is an integral part of Swing Dance.  The DJ for Comet Swing Society is the president of the group.  He offered his time to talk about DJing in the videos below. 

Reason he started DJing

This video gives background information on why the president of Comet Swing Society started DJing and he briefly mentions how he prepared to start DJing for the first Comet Swing Society Dance. 

Song Speed

In this video the president talks about when and why he plays faster and slower songs. 

Basic DJ Advice 

In this video the president says it is important for a DJ to pay attention to the dancers.

Comet Swing Society Officer Interview

Comet Swing Society is a great group of students and has great officers.  The officers are an integral part of the group because they keep it running.  The officers' enthusiasm trickles down to the group members and brings people back.  Here are few short videos interviews with one of the officers.

Comet Swing Society

A Comet Swing Society officer talks about why she likes the group.

General Questions

She answers a few questions about her dancing experience.

Leading and Following

She talks about why she likes to learn both sides of Swing Dance.

Mentors

She talks about a few local people she looks up too in Swing Dance.  

Feel free to leave comments, questions or suggestions

Places to Swing Dance

Dallas has great opportunities to Swing Dance on Wed and Sat nights, that are relatively close to campus.  Below is a picture of these two locations and information about when the dances are held and what they offer.  Visit the Facebook pages to stay updated, Swingin' at The Sons and DSDS.  DSDS organizes the Swing Dances at Sammons Center.

 Learn more about the these locations Sons of Hermann Hall and Sammons Center  

Visit Calender of Dances to see all the Swing Dances in the Dallas Fort Worth Area

Comet Swing Society President

Comet Swing Society is a college organization that hosts Swing Dances at UTD.  Comet Swing Society president shares his passion about Swing Dance with us below.  Visit  Comet Swing Society on Facebook for more information about the organization. 

Interview 

In this video I asked him a few general questions about his experience dancing and Comet Swing Society. 

In this next video, he talks about someone he sees as a mentor in Swing Dancing

I have at least one more interview and an info-graphic coming up in the next few posts, so stay tuned and feel free to leave comments.  Thanks!

Swing Dance History

Brief History of Swing Dance

Swing Dance encompasses many dances.  I think of Swing Dance as East Coast Swing, and Lindy Hop.  East Coast is a six count dance, and Lindy Hop is an eight count dance.  East Coast Swing came from Lindy Hop.  Lindy Hop started in the late 1920s and Twist Mouth George introduced the step at the Savoy Ballroom.  However, Twist Mouth George didn’t come up with the name, Shorty Snowden did.  Shorty drew inspiration from newspaper headlines, LINDYS HOP, about Charles Lindbergh’s flight across the Atlantic (Govenar, 2004).  The Savoy Ballroom is one of the main avenues where this dance grew and developed. 

There are many important dancers to talk about, however, I will discuss Frankie Manning and Norma Miller.  They both have seen Lindy Hop grow and evolve over many years.  Frankie Manning helped grow the dance until he died and Norma Miller is still alive.

Norma Miller

One of the original Lindy Hoppers is still alive today, Norma Miller.  Norma Miler danced at the Savoy for the first time when she was twelve.  She was dancing outside the Savoy when Twist Mouth George called her over, and asked her to dance with him.   She didn’t dance as a regular at the Savoy till she was a teenager.  As a teenager she went to Europe with another dance couple from the Savoy (Govenar, 2004).  Norma Miller started dancing professionally with adults when she was just a teenager, and she never stopped dancing. 

I actually met Norma Miller and she signed a copy of her children’s book for me, Stompin’ at the Savoy: The story of Norma Miller. 

Frankie Manning

Frankie Manning was instrumental in Swing Dance.  He also danced at the Savoy.  At the Savoy he introduced the first air step over the back.  He also introduced the concept of slow motion Lindy Hop, which won him a contest.  He kept tying for first place and after a few rounds, he added the slow motion concept, which won him the contest.  In the late 1980s he helped revive Swing Dance.  He started by teaching a couple to dance.  The couple specifically sought him out and he agreed to teach them.  After that, his teaching career took off, and he worked on multiple dance projects.  He also worked with Norma Miller on a few choreographs and other projects for dance and movies. 

(Manning & Millman, 2007)

Govenar A. (2004). Stompin’ at the Savoy: The story of Norma Miller.  Somerville, MA:  Candlewick.

Manning F & Millman C. (2007). Frankie Manning ambassador of Lindy hop. Philadelphia, PA:  Temple University Press.