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Some people see dead people. I see Jitterbug breaks

9/29/2017

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My dancical's dance contest finale asks choreographers to "reach into the future" for steps and moves never seen on that 1931 Savoy Ballroom dance floor, steps that will make the crowd and judges-- as they use to say back then-- "blow their wigs!" Here's another example of what I'm talking about, a routine by Jon Rua that would appear at the Jitterbug break synchronized, of course, for the dancical's stars, Billy Rhythm and Tharbis Jefferson. 

​You can see more choreographers work here. 

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Jitterbug's Battle of the Bands

9/22/2017

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Jitterbug!s climatic 1931 dance contest sponsored by the Cotton Club takes place in the legendary Savoy Ballroom. To set the tone and to build anticipation, the dance-off is preceded by a battle of the bands between the house band-- Chick Webb's Orchestra-- and the Cotton Club's Duke Ellington replacement band-- a relatively unknown band called the Missourians helmed by an equally unknown band leader named Cab Calloway. Cab is only 22-years old. Chick Webb is just 26 but had been leading his own bands since he was 17. By 18, he was known as “King of the Drums” and had grown a large following at the Savoy. He is considered one of the greatest drummers of all time. Needless to say, Cab's band gets wiped off the stage-- as did Gene Krupa and the Benny Goodman Orchestra 6-years later at the Savoy. That one is probably the most famous battle of the bands of all time (a SRO crowd of 4,000 filled the Savoy and cops fought to keep 5,000 more-- black and white (the Savoy had always been integrated)- from trying to get inside.*

Which brings me to this rare 1966 clip of Gene Krupa in a friendly drum battle between himself and an equally legendary drummer: Buddy Rich. This is how I see my battle of the bands with Cab filling in for Sammy Davis, Jr. These artists were an American gift to the world and to see Krupa-- now 30-years past his legendary battle with Chick Webb-- still beating the skins with joy and gusto, well, it's just inspiring on so many levels.
*You can learn more about Chick Webb, one of Jitterbug!s songwriters-- including seeing the only film known to exist of the legendary drummer-- here.
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Lost in Harlem: The Jitterbug

9/15/2017

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Picture

The Village Voice, America's first alternative news weekly (1955), ran a "state of the art of swing dance" on September 6th that reminds us that although it may be barely hanging on in Harlem where it was born, it's still going strong around the rest of the world. Case in point, South Korean dancers now dominate in competition.

That said, the article opens with a description of a woman swing dancer who "drops toward the ground. She’s wearing a red slip dress with matching fringe and fishnets. She’s held horizontal: Her partner caught her just in time, her head an inch from his feet. She’s smiling with her teeth, catching every eye in the room, all on her.

She is 83 years old."

Barbara Billups last danced at the legendary Savoy Ballroom just before it closed in 1958 (after a 32-year existence). Thanks to the indefatigable work of Harlem resident Barbara Jones, Ms. Billups can continue to do her "happy dance" at local rec centers around Harlem where the steps are taught to anyone, young or old. Her non-profit Harlem Swing Dance Society is co-sponsoring this year's American Lindy Hop Championships which will hold its 20th Anniversary in Harlem, a first, from October 21-29th. 

​Sonny Allen, another octogenarian interviewed for the article, relates how the Lindy can test your stamina and limit your time on stage-- and thus your career-- because there is no way you can sustain an act that lasts longer than two-and-a-half minutes. He asks, "Now what are you going to do the rest of the time you're onstage?"

May I suggest if this were a perfect world where you didn't age or ever get tired, that you trilly on over to a Broadway theatre to dance in "Jitterbug!"

You can read the article here.

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    DC Copeland

    Multi-hyphenate with a penchant for writing.

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