The Links to History....History of Lindy Hop by Peter Flahiff is very incorrect....Origins of swing dancing....wow... do they even dance? I hope this central ave swing site, looks to put up its own history stuff, and not link outside of LA....is Chester a part of this or not!!!!!! hehehehee
Links:
[1] http://www.centralavedance.com/node/254
[2] mailto:SwingDanceShop@savoystyle.com
If you Know Better, then don't Hate, Educate!
It's an outside link to a site that does give a generally accepted version of the history of Lindy Hop. If you feel we have made an error in linking to this site, then don't just make snide comments: EDUCATE us. Either tell us what you know, or give us link(s) that you feel do properly represent the hisory.
The whole point of having an interactive as opposed to static web site is to invite not just criticisms, but enlightenment, not just comments but suggestions.
To answer your question: Is Chester involved with this site? Yes. Does he look at everything on it. No. He entrusts that to me. I try to do my best, but I can make mistakes. If I've made one here, save the sneer and help a brother out!
Finally, if you know Chester, you know how hard it is to get him to set still for 5 minutes. I've listened to his oral history not just of Lindy, but on American Vernacular dance in general, and do hope some day to get that recorded for this site. I'm working on it....
Sorry to have come off angry
Sorry to have come off angry , it was simply advise.I just meant, the LINKS you found and used to fill space on this website were incorrect....and yes, made funny remarks...hence the "hehehehe"and yes, chester a tuff one to nail down.When it comes to the history of this artform and culture, some people take it more serious...and watered down versions traveling the web are to be expected....so again, I apologise for coming off harsh, please email me and I will be happy to give you correct information...and see ya at the next dance,Peter
How The Lindy Hop Got Started (From SavoyStyle.com)
I got this e-mail from SavoyStyle.com and thought it somewhat related to this conversation. If you want to learn the real history of dance, then you need to see the dancers and what they were dancing. Swing is, fortunately, one of the most well video documented dances in the history of dance:
Hi Dancers,
If you've ever wondered how the Lindy Hop got started, there is no better way to see for yourself than in the 1929 film short "After Seben." Here we see 3 couples, with silly fictitious names, competing in the cutting-edge dance of the day. The first two couples excel in partner Charleston. The third couple, Shorty George Snowden with Pauline Morse(?) also excel in Charleston but add a Breakaway step to their Charleston which puts some space between them and enables them to improvise. Here we see the birth of the Lindy Hop swingout. I always catch my breath when I see that breakaway! They also do a fine exit with a cakewalk, in case you are wondering what that looks like.
Joel and Alison Plys of Swingbrain have done a great service to the swing dance community with the latest addition to their Charleston CD-ROM series, "After Seben", which breaks down all the steps of each of the 3 couples so that you can learn or simply study these vintage dances and understand better where swing dancing came from. www.swingdanceshop.com/chcd.html
We do carry the After Seben film clip on an excellent compilation called At the Jazz Band Ball which also features Cotton Club footage, Bill Bojangles Robinson, Duke Ellington and other great shorts of the early swing era. We have also seen this clip online for free -- unfortunately, I don't remember the URL but would encourage you to look for it if this bit of history interests you.
SALES, SALES, SALES We are still trying to empty our shelves of videotapes now that DVDs are here to stay, so there are lots of good sales on the few remaining videotapes we have. Act fast, the numbers are very limited. Also, we are having sales of a number of our shoe styles, most notably the Rock and Roll with suede sole, which is a real sweetie of a shoe. All these sale items are listed in our Bargain Basement page www.swingdanceshop.com/barbas.html
Have a great dancing summer. I'm off to Herrang myself (-:
Judy
SwingDanceShop@savoystyle.com [2]