I can easily see this as part of the winning dance moves my hero and heroine make to win the climatic Savoy ballroom dance contest. I ask choreographers to "reach into the future" for moves no one has seen before in 1931 and this more than fills the bill since the dancical insists on something so wild and over-the-top at that moment in time that it drives the Savoy crowd crazy. Props to Carlos Neto and the Broadway Dance Center.
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He Who Dances On Wood from BRIC TV on Vimeo.
He Who Dances on Wood (Fred Nelson) has found his joy on a piece of wood. Tap dancing. It's a great story and worth a watch because of Mr. Nelson's eloquence and accommodating philosophy. And, although I know it isn't true, that there are still many dance schools teaching tap dancing-- such as the wonderful Steps on Broadway-- I love the symbolism in this video that, for me, suggests the art form of the hoofer has gone underground, that aside from ageless guys like Ben Vereen, it is practiced only by old black men who still remember the dances of their heritage.
Arts integration has become increasingly popular because educators are finding that when art is meshed with content learning, students are more engaged and interested. The New Mexico School for the Arts is used as an example for the importance of keeping the arts in schools by a post at KQED News. As a former educator, this is something I understood working with kids in the classroom. And why I added a FREE series of Educator Manuals and Student Questionnaires based on the National Core Arts Standards in Dance, Music (Composition and Ensemble strands), Theatre, Literature, and History/Social Studies for high school and college students. They can be found on the left under Educator Resources.
You meet the nicest people who support New Yorkers for Dance.
 Plantation Club ransacking scene by rival Cotton Club gangsters in Jitterbug! inspired by actual event.  Harlem map to Jitterbug! locations. On Thursday, January 23, 1930, the Harlem Plantation Club was ransacked by rival Cotton Club gangsters who didn't want to see it open. The contents were thrown on the street and set afire while Harlem watched. Unlike Jitterbug! hero and heroine Billy Rhythm and Tharbis Jefferson who, while out on their first date, inadvertently stroll into this scene and discover the ruthlessness of their bosses-- the cops never make an appearance. Located at 80 W 126th Street, just a block NE of the Apollo Theater, it's now just an empty lot. If you think Harlem was okay with white segregated clubs opening in their hood, read the article.
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DC CopelandMulti-hyphenate with a penchant for writing. Archives
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