Mike the Girl
  • About
    • Bios
  • Classes
    • Private Lessons
  • Media
    • Social Demos and Comps
    • Choreographed Performances
    • Photos
  • Contact

Swing Culture (Or, Part 1 of What Makes a Good Scene)

6/13/2011

20 Comments

 
Often, I am asked by students or colleagues, "What city do you think has the best blues/lindy scene?"  This is, of course, a complicated question, for the obvious reason that 'best' is vague, broad, and personal.  I think that most people can agree on several of the factors that would need to be measured: size of the scene, skill of the dancers, the quality of the music, the number of weekly events, the presence and skill of the instructors... but of course, there are probably many more.  One of the most under-rated qualities of a scene, however, is its culture.  I think it would be hard to argue that self-selecting groups of people, spending a good deal of time and money together don't have (or form) a culture of their own.  Compare, for instance, the social undertones at a business meeting to a tango dance to an east-coast swing dance to a lindy dance.  One of my favorite over-all scenes in the US for both lindy and blues is Philadelphia.  Thanks to the values and policies of their scene leaders, their scene has grown from a handful of dancers just a few years ago, to a scene so special that there were (at my last count) 160 people swinging out at their weekly dance each week.  Not 150 east-coasters, and 10 lindy hoppers.  160 people who could, at the minimum, swing out.  Based on their model and success, I'm dedicated this post to Lindy and Blues, the Philly umbrella group.

For those of you who travel regularly to dance events, and also go out to 'normal' social engagements, have you ever marveled at the difference in the average IQ level?  Sure, IQ is a questionable measure, blah blah blah.  But really- swing dancers (especially hard-core traveling dancers) are darned smart.  Much, much smarter than average.  I'd love to do a study comparing various social group meetings' IQ averages.  I have a feeling we rank pretty high (although I'm sure that Mensa would win that competition).  Interestingly, the same is not necessarily true of all scenes nationally.  Likewise, some scenes are populated by jazz aficionados, while others ask for more Cherry Poppin Daddies.  Here are a few of the factors I value most highly:

Intellectualism
Case study: I'm pretty geeky, and I enjoy describing things accurately.  So when I teach a swingout class, I talk about the fake-physics of following.  People who are math-science types catch it, and enjoy an atmosphere that welcomes academic discussion.  So now you have an instructor who's talking about physics, and students talking about brainy things on the side- often math/science/wordgames.  So people who walk in the door are subjected to nerd-culture; people who like the culture stick around, and people who would rather talk about The View will get less pleasure out of their visit.  Next thing you know, the social activities are things like sci-fi movie night, boggle night, etc.  Personally, I thrive in that sort of environment.  Don't bother asking me about football.  I can tell you that Michael Vick and Ben Rothlisberger are bad people, and that's about it.  So when I like the intellectual atmosphere in a scene, be prepare for a high IQ, and mad engineering skills.

Humility
This is so difficult, and my hats of to scenes like Philly that can manage it.  My favorite scenes have leaders (instructors, djs, organizers) who practice what they preach.  The teachers are students, the DJs are obsessed with learning about and finding new music... everyone who teaches or DJs seeks regular, honest feedback.  Whether it's in the form of private lessons, workshops (DJ or dancing), DJ battles, practice sessions, or just asking other community members for feedback, the major players in the scene are constantly learning.  Believe-you-me, I've seen firsthand the hunger that this inspires in students.  Not to mention, of course, that if your instructors are constantly learning, your scene is always getting better instructors.

Good Music
I can't be the only dancer whose primary determinant for a good night (or not) is the music.  And I just have to be brutally honest, here: I've heard the excuse that beginners will only dance to non-swing music, and I've seen proof that it simply isn't true.  Yes, a DJ must choose their music wisely to cater to beginners.  But that does not mean restricting yourself to pop and rock'n'roll.  If you give beginners good music from the beginning, they learn the music, just like they're learning the dance.  If you hold your scene DJs to high standards, I truly believe that this lets your students become more sophisticated dancers- and truly, more fun dancers.  Musical dances are more fun, and venues which play good music are more fun.  Combine the two, and... you get it.

Friendliness
Every scene has an overall personality.  Some are reserved to the point of being cold; some are as friendly and overeager as a 2-yr-old golden retriever; some are just plain schizophrenic.  To maintain growth, a scene must be welcoming, friendly, and positive- and this must come from the top down, with consistency.  After all- being a beginner is scary, and sometimes you need to go where everybody knows your name.

Solid Technique
Everyone has heard the complaint at least once- such and such dancer will rip out your arm.  No fun.  Now, no beginner starts off amazing.  (If your beginners are amazing, call me- I'm coming to learn from you!)  But what your instructors teach in that first hour sets the course for a dancers career- or at least, the rest of the night.  If your instructors are good, your beginners will feel nice to dance with.  And if your beginners feel nice, the friendliness is just a little easier.  Advanced and intermediates will enjoy dancing with your newbies, and as a result, your newbies will get better faster.  Additionally, your big events will be more fun if your out-of-towners aren't your only dancers who are fun to dance with.  And of course, good technique extends to more than just your beginners.  If your dancers go out and give your city a good name by being fun to dance with, more dancers will come to your events, when have exchanges or workshops.  Not to mention, your weekly dances are just way more fun!

Community
Ok, this one is pretty easy once you have humility and friendliness.  But it's so important that I wanted it to get its own heading.  How do you show your students you value the dance community as more than a source of income?  1. Welcoming new dancers explicitly- things like having a dedicated host, making it a policy to ask your beginner students to dance, having a new-dancer snowball at the end of a novice series, etc. 2. Supporting other facets of the scene- a bal event announcing a lindy workshop, a weekly dance announcing the exchange, etc. 3. Making individuals feel recognized- announcing when a community member wins at an out-of-town competition, jamming birthday people, etc.  4. 4. If your venue has announcements, make sure that they are respected, and tolerable- like parents making their kids sit down and turn off the tv at dinner, having announcements be a recognized, important ritual helps your students bond with you as an organizer. 

There are more things that an organizer can do to create a good scene, but if you establish the right sort of culture, your dance scene is guaranteed to get better.  Not only that, but it will have its own momentum to improve, even if you pass the reigns, or take a hiatus.  This is the sort of culture that retains better potential students, produces better students, and establishes its own growth.  This is the sort of culture that will draw dancers from all over the country to be teachers, DJs, or just happy participants. 

Cheers to all the scenes who are actively working towards a better dance future, and especially those who directly teach their staff to embrace these ideals.  You know who you are!

TL;DR: Want me to like your scene?  Promote nerdiness, have awesome music, be friendly, have good technique, and put the community first.  That's all.


20 Comments

Sold to... Philly!

8/17/2009

5 Comments

 
This is a double post- two blogs for the price of one!


1. On Thursday, I was robbed.  Some scoundrel (or, as one theory holds, out of control self-replicating AI robot) broke into my car where I had foolishly hidden my laptop... complete with my firstmonth/lastmonth/security deposit for the next place, which was on its way to the bank to get deposited.  In cash.  Also in the bag: my fancy-shmancy new erasible gel pen, my external harddrive (where I keep all my music, image files, text files), my headphones, my chapstick (I love that brand, too), some travel receipts from BAB, and other miscellaneous items.  Not to mention, the bag itself.  Gah.  But Philly, my true love of cities, rushed to my aid.  Not one, but two rent parties happened over the next 56 hours, complete with a silent auction and dance marathon.  Dance marathon?  Why yes, dance marathon- people pledged $.10 to $1 for each song I could dance.  Consecutively.  Without a break.  The final tally?  (And I do mean tally) 45 songs.  Whew!  Philly made back a considerable amount of the money I lost (I won't be homeless after all!), and even provided a temporary laptop (I can keep working!).  I simply can't say how grateful I am, and think that in most cities, I'd have been utterly without hope.  But here, in the city of arts and commraderie, I'm back on my feet, back to a normal level of poverty (a place I'm strangely grateful for this month).  If I had any doubts about Philly, they're totally gone.  I owe this city more than cash- I owe it my sense of optimism, my love of people, and a very strong sense of community.


I love you guys!


2. With Love: A Portrait

There are few cities in the world quite as poetic, I think, as Philly.  Not the pretentious, beatnik, in-love-with-its own ideas sort of poetry, but the poetry of folk musicians (the good ones), who write about love and mundanity.  It's seven fifteen on a Monday night.  After mistakenly showing up three days early (but otherwise right on time) for a private lesson, I found myself wandering through Rittenhouse Square.  Rittenhouse, for those of you who don't know, is a park nestled in among the giant apartment buildings and skyscrapers of central Philadelphia.  Allow me to share it with you.

Temperature: probably very close to 80 degrees.  I'm not sweating (when I'm sitting still).  The light is indirect, but still looks sunny- sunset is quietly setting istelf up for a show.

On the way into the park, along the sidewalk, lay a single black slipper.  For those of you who don't yet own Carsie's new album, Buoy, you're missing the reference, but I'll fill you in, if you promise to get it.  Speaking of a heartbroken lady: "Now she lives, out in Arizona, lonely as a single shoe."  Sure, you see broken, dirty sneakers on the side of the interstate... but a pretty black slipper lost downtown... now I have a soundtrack in my mind.

The tiled fountain has an elevated section which spills over a wall into a large, 1' deep pool.  Standing on that divider wall, the chlorinated water rushing over her burkinstocks, a woman makes conversation with a nearby father and son.  Did I mention she's tethered to a giant, woolly dog, delightedly up to his belly in refreshment?

All around the center circle of pavement is a wall, and benches, where young people and artists sit and watch.  A group of african drummers (plus one coronet player) are chanting and singing to a trio of girls who shyly toss coins into a pouch.  Their father comes along, and next thing, an impromptu dance party has broken out.  Another pair of dogs drip by- it seems Woolly's idea is catching on.  

This is what so many cities doesn't get... the value of funding murals isn't that you have painted buildings, and the value of parks isn't just a photo for touristry brochures (although to two Asian girls getting their photo taken while perched atop a concrete frog is pretty priceless).  The value of funding the arts is that you get centers of joy, community, and creation.  Sure, there's a rat* hiding in the bushes across the walk, and yes, someone broke into my car, and I'm cranky about it.  But this city holds so much more than streets and gutters and police.  This city holds a space for growth.  While as nature abhors a vaccuum, art loves a space.  So keep your eye on Philly- musically, dancewise, and visually, good things happen here.


Epilogue
So here I am, sitting at Jon and Carsie's watching (occasionally jumping into) an advanced blues lesson (if you've never taken their classes, you absolutely should!), feeling utterly validated in my choice of home scenes, feeling thankful that I've landed in what, I think, is the best scene and city a gal could hope for.  

Much love, many swingouts, and multiple murals,
-Mike


*a note about the rat.  She's huge.  Really, really huge.  I mean, I kept rats for a while, and this lady is giant by well-fed standards.  However, she's doing her darndest to stay well out the way (and reach) of humans.  She's smart, and she's social.  And frankly, everyone's got to make a living, right?  She's cleaning up the garbage that disease-carrying humans leave.  She's an undervalued garbage-lady.  Who doesn't steal laptops.  Scurry safely, little one.  Scurry safely.
5 Comments

Franklin Fountain

3/23/2009

3 Comments

 

This is one of those silly, meaningless, what-happened-in-my-life-today posts. You've been warned!

...because it's not at all meaningless to me. Today, I finally experienced the delight that was the Franklin Fountain (link at bottom). It's an old-school (although not that old) ice cream shop at the corner of Second and Market, here in Philadelphia. And while the establishment is only a few years old, everything inside seems like it's been waiting for you for a half-century or more. That's not entirely true- the ice cream is fresh and delicious. The rest, however, is as old-fashioned as it gets. Want to see the oldest working soda fountain, with some sort of fantastic name like the Draft Tower? It's there. Clear-Toy Candy or Teaberry flavored gum? Check. Servers with knit hairnets or armbands? Of course. Marble, brass, and old wood... even belt fans. The winter menu, available for only a few days more this season, offers hot milkshakes (toasted marshmallow, anyone?), mead, hot sodas, and hot chocolate. Me? I got a hot chocolate float, with butter pecan ice cream. Jesse and Dan, in their second round, split an apple pie milkshake. What's that? Why, it's a vanilla milkshake- with a genuine slice of hot apple pie in it. Ridiculous? Yes- in the best way possible.

Oh, and all this goodness? Comes with a paper straw.

The Franklin Fountain

Life is good,
-m.

3 Comments

    Archives

    May 2015
    July 2014
    October 2013
    November 2012
    October 2012
    May 2012
    November 2011
    September 2011
    June 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    November 2010
    September 2010
    June 2010
    February 2010
    November 2009
    August 2009
    July 2009
    June 2009
    May 2009
    April 2009
    March 2009

    Mike Legett

    Whether it's grand themes of life, or what I had for breakfast, here's where I'll tell you what I think.

    Categories

    All
    Art
    Augusta Heritage
    Balboa
    Blues
    Boston
    Camps
    Choreography
    Classes
    Competition
    Dance
    Dancing
    Djing
    Dogs
    Events
    Festivals
    Following
    Food
    Frankie
    Fusion
    Leading
    Lifestyle
    Lindy
    Moving
    Music
    Musicians
    Philadelphia
    Pittsburgh
    Psychology
    Scene Building
    Scene-Building
    Shopping
    Solo
    Troupe

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.