I really, really enjoy solo blues. I love to teach it, I love to put it in my partner dancing, and I love choreographing it. However, you may have noticed that solo blues competitions are, shall we say, not my thing. For one thing, I'm a follower- improvising a dance just isn't my strong suit. But there's another reason I stay out of solo blues competitions: they're usually not solo blues competitions.
There exists, in other street dance forms, a type of competition called a cutting contest. In case you haven't seen them done, picture break dancers or hip-hop dancers. The idea is straightforward: you watch your opponent dance, then you respond, building or improving on what they did. Essentially, you're trying to one-up your opponent.
Allow me to give a ridiculous example (I'm assuming their dancing is interpretive- I'm just un-interpreting):
Dancer 1: "I'm awesome. I ride a unicorn, and fire a bow and arrow."
Dancer 2: "Oh yeah? I ride not a unicorn, but a pegasus, and I rain snakes down on you!"
Dancer 1: "Nice- I think you've wounded me... Too bad for you I have a snake slingshot, and launch them back at you!"
Clearly, dancer 1 has won. How do you come back against snake slingshots?
Seeing the potential for interesting, entertaining, and challenging competitions, blues organizers have latched on to the idea of cutting comps. But I'm afraid I simply have to say it: we, as a community, just aren't mature enough to play that game. What usually happens? Here, let me interpret again:
Dancer 1: "I'm awesome. I ride a unicorn."
Dancer 2: "Well, I'm humping your unicorn with infinite sexiness."
Dancer 1: "Well, I'm in your face, and I have infinite sexiness plus 1."
Dancer 2: "Well, I have infinite sexiness plus 2, and I'm even more in your face!"
And so on.
There are a few notable exceptions- people who can make the game more interesting by (this is rare) yielding in a fun way, or paying attention to their opponents, and answering their movements. But most of our competitors, most of the time, don't have that particular skill; they go for intimidation, rather than cleverness; they wind up with frantic shouting for attention, instead of musically appropriate phrasing. So rather than good cutting, or even just good solo dancing in its own right, we get a competition of who can be the most ridiculous and aggressive. Our only entrance, it seems, is to get in our competitors faces. Or, failing that, wander up right behind them and shadow them until they notice it. Why? Because a cool entrance would never get noticed, or get the floor.
Interestingly, charleston competitions- which are never called cutting comps, and have structured solo time- often still result in cutting. Go watch for the interplay in top-level competitors; I like to think that when our community is ready, we'll get there. But until our solo dance competitors more experience, confidence, and flexibility under their belts, I just don't think they're ready to add another layer. So for now, let's just focus on good dancing. Let's build a community of awesome solo dancers, and see where they take things.
I've recently had several independent conversations about what I think fusion is, or what I think of fusion, etc. There's a big muckety-muck of a debate raging on forums (ok, all debates rage into muckety-mucks on forums), so I decided to do this here, where instead of jumping into a philosophical mosh pit, I can simply make a statement about what I think. No beehive-poking intended. (I'm going to focus on tango-into-blues influences here, since that's the easiest place for me to draw examples, and I suspect that's the easiest thing for most of you to relate to).
First off, what is fusion?
I think fusion can have a couple of meanings. The first meaning is essentially just crosstraining- for instance, at Buenos Aires Blues this year, the idea was that people would work on blues skills, and tango skills, and walk away stronger dancers. I think the same can be said for a lot of cross-over events. My thoughts on this? I think it's fantastic. There's a biological term for this: hybrid vigor. One purebred dog may be susceptible to some recessive deleterious genes, while another purebred of another breed may be susceptible to other recessive deleterious genes. However, when you cross them, the first generation offspring, possessing one copy of each gene, will not show either of the weaknesses of the purebreds. The metaphor would get weird after that, so I'll stop there. Likewise, a purebred beg/int blues student may have a really great embrace, but have pretty weak balance (generally, I don't see blues students start drilling balance hard-core until pretty late in the game). They go to a tango workshop, and the 2nd thing of the day is balance and rotation. The student walks away with a better understanding of the importance of balance, hopefully practices, and splits weight less often. Everyone wins.
The second thing that happens under the name of fusion is basically move-stealing. Students go to a fusion/crossover/different-dance workshop, and find things to add to their primary dance. The most common example here is ochos, although other elements like parallel systems, volcadas, and calecitas have also been seen from time to time. It's pretty much a guarantee that if a blues scene has any tango influence, it also has ochos. More on my personal feelings on this further down the page.
The third thing that happens under fusion is the mixing of many dances. I have strong feelings about this, both encouraging and cautionary. There is a lot of music out there that tells me to move. And some of doesn't say, "move like a _____ dancer;" it just says move. So I'm perfectly fine with taking the elements that I have in my mind/body, and combining them in a way that I think makes sense to that song. Am I creating a new dance? Sure. A dance that will be well-formed, and get passed from dancer to dancer? Nope. I'm just dancing, in the moment, in a way that feels good. Maybe you've heard a jaded old dancer like me snicker about playing a non-blues song at a blues event (Sweat, Fire, songs like that), and thought, "but that song makes me want to dance!" Sure- but that doesn't make them blues songs, and what most of us crusty old-timers have found is that they don't make us want to dance in a blues way. So next time you hear it played, dance if you want- just don't label it blues, and I've got no issues.
For those of you who were at DIY last weekend, and heard my "What IS (and isn't) Blues" lecture, you already know the punchline. But I'll fill the rest of you in. Defining a dance is not about defining the steps of the dance. You can watch Rumba, Foxtrot, Tango, and Blues, and define each of them simply by watching them walk down a line. Defining a dance is entirely about the way the dance is done- the place where the dance spends most of its time on continuums like rotation/liner, expansive/contracted, relaxed/engaged, etc. Which means that to me, there are very few elements that you can't steal, and make legitimate. The key, of course, is making it legitimate. One of my favorite blues couples has a video on youtube (I'm not posting it, because I don't want to throw them under the forum-troll bus), where they do 3 historically tango moves in a row, but the sequence is unquestionably blues- they're blues dancers, do a blues dance, with moves that started off as tango.
So here I've said that you can take elements, mix them up, and make new compounds- here we have the ultimate dance lab. So I'm a fusionist, right? Well, I think the key to successful fusion is this: keep your reagent stock clean. In order to pull elements into blues (or any dance) successfully, you must be able to define your home dance. You need to know that your base is blues. You need to know what makes that dance what it is- the history, the music, the traditional moves, and most importantly, the elements that define it. What I'm not ok with is the idea that everything is legitimate. Ok, that's not true- all dance is legitimate on its own. But not all dancing is legitimate blues dancing. And that's not my call to make- it's a combination of a personal decision for you, and a collective decision by the blues community as a whole. So in this sense, I'm a purist.
So I'm a purist/fusionist lindy/balboa/blues/tango dancer. Anyone else confused?
Much love and many swingouts/ochos/fishtails/sugar-pushes/wagon-wheels/up-holds/tuck-turns/volcadas/circles......
-m.
I am struck, at moments, by the peculiar relationship between dancers and musicians. Personally, I'd rather dance to canned good music than live bad music. That being said, having a live band or musician who brings a good sound can move me in a way that surprises me every time. Likewise, there are some musicians who would prefer not to share a stage with dancers; an understandable hesitation, since dancers can be a distraction, and a musician's livelihood comes from being the center of attention at their shows. There are some musicians who are downright hostile to dancers even being in the crowd (including one band who gets djed very regularly). Then there are musicians who appreciate what dancers bring in the way of energy. And, finally, there are musicians who use dancers as another layer of art, and make something together with dancers. I recently had the honor to perform with some truly talented musicians recently, at the August Heritage Festival (link at bottom). Daryl Davis, Saffire (the Uppity Blues Women), and Fiona Boyes were kind enough to share their stage with us at the Blues Week concerts, and gave us more energy and fun than we knew what to do with. Who's "we"? Dan Rosenthal (formerly of Pittsburgh, now of Tampa Bay) was kind enough to take a week out of his life to be my "lovely and talented". In addition to helping me teach the classes, he also made performances possible, for which I am completely grateful. In addition to the rockin' tunes by the aforementioned super-talented musicians, we also requested a slow tune, and Joe Filisko (links at bottom) stepped up to the plate. We ran into Joe the day before the show, and he asked how slow we wanted: 60ish bpm would be great. He told us that, after seeing us over the course of the week, he had just the perfect song. The evening of the performance, Joe's first song was a fox-chase/train song combo. I couldn't see how the audience took it, but the pros backstage were leaning out of their seats, shaking their heads: impressed. Then Joe said something like, "for this next song, I'm stretching way out of my comfort zone; I've never done anything quite like this. That last song was easy," leaving the audience to chuckle, bewildered. From backstage, we heard Joe start a snap, or perhaps it was his foot on the stage. Then Joe played the most ghostly, hauntingly sweet and eerie tune I have ever had the honor of dancing to. Ranking right up there with Nina Simone's "Tell Me More and More and Then Some" (link at bottom), Joe's quiet, husky voice and the sweet, strange lyrics told a story of love, while the harmonica painted dark harmonies and juxtoposed intimacy with longing and loneliness. The name of the song, I have found, is "Need by Baby," by Big Walter Horton, and it normally sounds nothing like the way Joe did it that night. Making our way onstage, knowing that Joe was pushing himself artistically to create something with us, wrapping ourselves in character and dancing as the song itself... that will forever be one of my favorite memories of all time. Was our performance flawless? I don't remember, nor do I care. Dan's dancing was the best I've ever felt it. We had already decided to put in some things that were purely for the audience- some blues flash, and some a few bits of tango flash (if they fit, which they did). My feelings on that? Simple- we wanted to use any tools we had to move the audience: to create a visual for whatever it was that Joe was going to play. We wanted to show a room full of musicians what we as dancers feel and hear. It dawned on me, at some point during the song, that the audience was deathly quiet, in contrast to the rowdy cheers and hoots with previous performances. There wasn't any time to question it, but if I had, my answer would have been provided when the song ended. Joe finished his last note, and I get chillbumps remembering the instant transition from pin-drop silence to deafening explosion. I don't think I've ever been as proud and honored as I was that night. I cannot explain how absolutely grateful I am to Dan and Joe for giving me a chance to do what I love, and a shot at making art. Much Love, -Mike Ps: Links! Joe Filisko's HomepageJoe Performing at the National Harmonica LeagueNina Simone's "Tell Me More and More and Then Some" A typical performance of "Need My Baby"Augusta Heritage FestivalSaffire: The Uppity Blues WomenDaryl DavisFiona BoyesPps: If I get access to the video, and permission to post it, I'll do that. If I only get the video, I won't post it, but will have it, if you'd like to see it sometime. As of right now, I don't have either. Wish me luck!
How, exactly, do I sum up such a busy, rich, exhausting, challenging weekend?
Awesome, that's how.
This past weekend, I was in the Windy City, for one of the best blues events anywhere in the world- BluesShout. 8 instructors, 2 days of classes, 6 competitions, 4 bands, and 350 fired-up blues dancers. This was a weekend with a lot of goals for me, and I wasn't sure how they'd fit together, but somehow, competing, judging, taking classes, and seeking inspiration came together with total success.
Reuel and I competed in the Strictly Ballroom and the Strictly Jook Joint. While I've done the Jack and Jill thing plenty of times, this was the first time I'd done a strictly with any preparation. (If you're confused by the different terms, check out the bottom of the page. )
Reuel and I both got in to Chicago Thursday morning- he by plane, and I by train. The problem with the overnight train to Chicago, of course, is that they allow children. So when the one pack of children stayed up until 4, and the other pack of children woke up at 6, I was left... how do I put this... <self-censored> cranky. So we slept during the day, then started working together during the evening. Now how, you may ask, do you prepare for a competition, when you can't do choreography? A few ways. For one thing, each of us have strengths and weaknesses in blues. For me, I tend (as you've already read), toward being a pure follow, which isn't enough in a competition. So one of my big challenges was turning up the volume, so to speak. I have to make my movement sharper, bigger, and sassier. In addition, I needed to get comfortable adding to the dance on a much bigger scale. Reuel's a much more experienced competitor than I am, and he has a fantastic sense of phrasing- my strength is a sense of the blues aesthetic, which means I needed to work on being able to influence our movement, without interfering with his composition. Then there's the "us" part of the partnership- working on a few back-pocket things, developing our interplay... most of which, I think, did the most good simply by getting us into each other's heads again. Reuel and I have never lived in the same city, and have been on opposite ends of the East Coast this spring. Truth be told, while it was a little stressful to be working on dance on the eve of a competition, working with Reuel is always fun, and I'm really grateful that he decided to come to BluesShout and compete with me.
For those of you who weren't there, we definitely reached our goal of making finals in something: we made finals in both ballroomin and jookin, took first place in the ballroomin, and got to enter the Champion's Jack and Jill, where Reuel took first, and I took third. I am so totally proud of how hard he worked, and how well he performed. Actually, just how well we did came as more of a surprise than you might think; when they announced the finalists, right after the prelims on Saturday afternoon, they said we'd made the finals in the Jookin comp only. So you can imagine how confused we were when they called us up for the ballroomin finals. Turns out there was an error when the announcement was made. Pleasant surprise indeed!
Other highlights:
-Rewriting Michael Jackson lyrics (you had to be there, I'm afraid)
- Joe and Nelle's Routine (awesome!)
-Calvin's Public House
-Fried Potato Salad from Fizz (I'm not a potato salad fan- this stuff is different, and delicious)
-Cid, cheerleader extraordinaire
-Singing with Dexter- I'm sure the other housemates weren't
-Damon dedicated the weekend to Frankie, and nothing could have been a better tribute to a man who lived his life according to joy, dance, exhibitionism, and one-upmanship than the Cuttin Contest finals Sunday night (also in the comp notes at the bottom).
Strictly Ballroom Finals Video
Cuttin Contest Finals, Song 1
Cuttin Contest Finals, Song 2
*Competition explanations:
-a Jack and Jill is a competition where individuals enter without a partner, and are paired at random. Usually, you get multiple partners for the preliminary rounds, and then get paired with someone and judged as a couple for the finals.
-A Strictly comp is one where you enter with a partner, but you don't prepare choreography, because there's no telling what the music will be.
-Ballroom Blues comes from music that would have been played in the Roseland Ballroom, for instance, where the folks were dressed up. The music and movement are more sustained, smoother, more elegant, but still grounded and Africanized, rather than being the European ballroom dances.
-Jook joints were roadside blues bars, gritty, hole-in-the-wall kind of places, and the dancing reflects it. It's grittier and chunkier, and the fancy clothes from the ballroom have been replaced by whatever you've got hanging around.
-And finally, a Cuttin' comp is a solo blues competition, but a specialized one. Here, in addition to judging you on your dancing ability, we want to see how well you one-up the guy before you. Beyond just doing more, we want you to take his move, and make it better. The keys here are watching your opponent, and looking for a way to comment on his movement, instead of doing something totally different. It should be a dance between two people, but on a whole new level. Call and response, matching, mocking, and outdoing are all tools of the trade here. But, of course, in a good-spirited and playful way. And the most underrrated tool of the trade (for those of you who didn't make finals, take note): teamwork. If everyone's always trying to cut, it's a big cluster. You hve to let yourself get cut- it's like wrestling. In pro-wrestling, they behave as partners, even more than opponents. In cutting, it's the same- you have to compliment your partner, have give and take.
Alright kids, my belly is empty and the page is full, so all I'll say now is a GIANT thank you to the organizers for a weekend that has me exhausted and recharged. See you next year, in Austin!
-m.
This year, come July, you won't find me at Folketshouse. You won't find me in the Laundry Pit, or even at the Kugen. In '05 and '07, that's where I'd be, and since this is an odd year (aren't they all, though?), I'd originally planned to try and make Herrang happen. But this year, something has come up. Something wonderful.
This year, from July 12-17, I'll be teaching blues dance at the Augusta Heritage Center. Located in Elkins, WV, Augusta Heritage is home to a 5-week long music camp, each week offering a different theme. You can probably guess which week is blues. So what makes this so exciting? Partly, there's still the thrill of going to camp, in a way. Partly, there's the fact that everyone at that camp is there because they love blues music in the same way that I love dancing. And partly, there's a chance to be surrounded by some of the most talented blues musicians on the planet.
Not to brag, but here's a sample:
Fiona Boyes: About Fiona Boyes
She's the first Australian to win the Blues Foundation's International Blues Challenge. She's also the first woman to win it.
Phil Wiggins: Wiggins's music
W.C. Handy Ward for Blues Entertainers of the Year and Best Traditional Blues Album of the Year
Saffire- the Uppity Blues Women: Saffire's Songs
Louisiana Red: Louisiana Red's Songs
He's played with some ok guys... like John Lee Hooker.
Courses offered during blues week include: Fiddle/Mandolin and Vocal Repertoire, Guitar, Harmonica, History of the Blues, Mandolin, Piano, Songwriting, Teen Band, and Vocals. Since my class is a mini-course at night, it doesn't conflict with any of these courses... guess where I'll be spending my day.
Aside from the obvious, there's something else here. There's opportunity. If we could get together this many blues musicians, and a bunch of blues dancers, in an environment where everyone's working and learning and generally hanging out... I feel like good things, great things, are bound to happen.
So, if you're interested in learning blues music and/or dance, and want to be part of something, but don't have the cash to fly to Sweden, think about dropping by West Virginia. Fiona and Iverson are doing it....
For more information: Augusta Heritage Blues Festival
See you on the dance floor,
-Mike
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