Search results for: recreation

Valuing the process rather than the product

Note: this posts contradicts itself quite a bit. That’s because this is just a series of thoughts. I should learn to edit posts, eh? Here are three things that’ve been rolling about in my head this week. 1. A friend told me a story about Skye Humphries. Someone in a class at Herrang asked himContinue reading “Valuing the process rather than the product”

teaching challenges: routines, structure and improvisation in class

Last night I was reminded that I haven’t been giving my ‘if you’re struggling, the basic things you should be looking for are…’ speech to the solo jazz class lately. It’s the speech where I point out the key parts of jazz dance: clapping, facing the right direction (occasionally), bouncing along to the beat, possiblyContinue reading “teaching challenges: routines, structure and improvisation in class”

A snot-addled, animated wander through San Francisco

Forgive the messiness of this article, please. I have a rubbish cold and I’m trying to string thoughts together, and not doing so well. But I want to wack down these ideas now before I forget. They’re not properly researched, and I apologise for that. This post has also suddenly changed tack, and goes aContinue reading “A snot-addled, animated wander through San Francisco”

The Rules of Connection: I think about pedagogy, lindy hop and ideology

Once again, Bug’s Question of the Day has my brain working. Recently there was a paper published in Research and Dance Education on “frame matching” where it is proposed that there is a “universal” methedology of lead/follow that can apply to all partner dances. http://www.joeandnelle.com/assets/frame_matching_and_pted_by_joe_demers.pdf However is it really Universal? I often hear complaints fromContinue reading “The Rules of Connection: I think about pedagogy, lindy hop and ideology”

Dance is like a block of chocolate

I have some things I want to say about the intersection of dance and audio-visual media, but I don’t have time to make a whole, proper argument. Fuck, I took 100 000 words to talk about these issues in my phd dissertation, so I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to write about this succinctly.Continue reading “Dance is like a block of chocolate”

Another look at appropriation in dance

Appropriation, step-stealing, cultural transmission, imitation, impersonation, copying, poaching…. So my last chunky post ‘Historical Recreation’: Fat Suits, Blackface and Dance has kind of hit like a ton of bricks. Cultural transmission in dance – the movement of dance steps and forms and ideas between and within cultures – is pretty much my core research interest,Continue reading “Another look at appropriation in dance”

NEEDS MOAR DJS ? (part 1)

In this post I ramble on about Sydney’s DJing culture at the moment, particularly in reference to its social dancing culture and basic demographics. It began as a huge post, but has split into two. The second one (NEEDS MOAR DJS ? (part 2)) spends a bit of time talking about why DJing sucks andContinue reading “NEEDS MOAR DJS ? (part 1)”

Let’s Dance! (in which I score a free CD and then brag about it)

One thing I don’t say to myself very often is “Gee, I wish I had another version of Jersey Bounce.” I’ve really been enjoying the recent rash of smaller combos and knock-about street jazz type bands coming out of places like New Orleans and Seattle (bands like Smoking Time Jazz Club, and dancer-populated Careless Lovers.)Continue reading “Let’s Dance! (in which I score a free CD and then brag about it)”

bands for dancing

What should a band playing at a ‘swing dance’ sound like? linky DCLX (The Washington DC Lindy Exchange) featured some seriously wonderful bands this year. I’ve never seen a line up like that here in Australia (though MSF and MLX have featured some really good bands). They’re not only historically appropriate, they’re also culturally andContinue reading “bands for dancing”