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Archive of Dance Forum Articles From April, 1999

This is the archive of DANCE FORUM articles which appeared during April, 1999

This is the place to review and savor all of those interesting articles written by our erudite readers.

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1. April Swing Movie Update (Jim Engel)
2. 1999 Lindy Hop World Championships (Paulette Brockington)
3. "Swing Time Live" at Trump Marina (Ryan Anderson)
4. Cherry Poppin' Daddies in York, PA (Eimear O'Sullivan)
5. Oklahoma and Swing --- Part 1 (Claire A. Johnson)
6. Oklahoma and Swing -- Part 2 (Christopher Gellasch)
7. "Bird" Honored (Sue Fedor)
8. Joe Williams (Sue Fedor)
9. The Mystery of the Lost Continentals at Nation (Sara Wilson)
10. Favorite Movies (Mara Levy)
11. Anna Update... (Anna Duncan)
12. Bowling night at GWU (Jayna Morgan)
13. New HOTS Jazz Orchestra Tour of Northern France (Donald Wickham)
14. Seder at Ellen Werther's (Sue Fedor)
15. The MHS Swingers (Sean Brody)
16. Wynton Marsalis CD (Mark Judge)
17. Joker's Wild (Robert Wagner)
18. Swing Contest in Phoenix (Shanna Hogan)
19. Swiss Bircher Meuseli (Sue Fedor)
20. Spats (Joe Gatti)
21. Swing Out New Hampshire (Mark Kapner)
22. Oklahoma and Swing -- Part 3 (Christopher Gellasch)
23. DANCEATHON!!! (Anne Amarga)
24. Red Norvo Obituary (Sue Fedor)
25. The World Lindy Hop Champions are Coming to Town (Ellen Engle)
26. I Got Yer' Bowties Right Here!! (Meridith Byrne)
27. Duke Ellington Birthday Celebration at Glen Echo (Janice Saylor)
28. Dancing in Eugene, Oregon
29. More '40s Hairdo Classes (Chris Santarlas)
30. Sad News (Debra Sternberg)
31. Dance With the Beginners (Sue Fedor)
32. Charlie and Jane's New Session (Charlie Wyler)
33. Sara Fajkowski's Birthday (Liz)

THE ARTICLES

April Swing Movie Update
From: Jim Engel

Every month I go through the listings for AMC and TMC to see if a recognize any swing dance movies that are coming up. Most of the movies this month have aired in the few previous months but there are a couple of new ones.

Take note that "Radio City Revels" is playing which hasn't aired for a while and on the 29th AMC is doing some specials on swing. There are two shows which haven't aired before: one is a Duke Ellington special and the other is a modern one with the Cherry Poppin' Daddies.

Turner Classic Movies (TCM)

• Radio City Revels (1938), Monday 12th, 1130am-130pm
• A Day at the Races Thursday 1st, 200pm - 4pm
• Swing Fever Thursday 15th, 1215am-200am (actually this will be on the morning of Friday the 16th but the TV papers consider 6am to be the next day.....go figure)

American Movie Classics (AMC)

• Tea for Two Saturday, April 3rd, 405pm-600pm
• Duke Ellington Shorts Thursday, April 29th, 1pm-130pm; Thursday, April 29th, 530pm-600pm
• Swing Special Featuring the Cherry Poppin' Daddies Thursday, April 29th, 1000pm-1100pm

Also on AMC will be The Benny Goodman Story and The Glenn Miller Story which will air throughout the month.

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1999 Lindy Hop World Championships
From: Paulette Brockington

I'm writing for two reasons. First, the American Lindy Hop Championships which I presented last October met with a wonderful response. So in case anyone doubted the a second appearance. Have no fear it will happen again Oct. 29. 30, 31, 1999.

Due to the success of ALHC I have been approached to have the event become the qualifying event for the 1999 Lindy Hop Championships. As I understand it from Dominique DeCoster who made the invitation the World Championships were first produced by the now defunct World Lindy Hop Federation. Several of those people reorganized as The International Lindy Hop Association. That organization however has not mustered the speed enough to continue the World Championship series.

So Dominique, who is on the board of each suggested that the World Rock and Roll Confederation oversee the continuance of the World Lindy Hop Championships. The 1999 World Championships will be in the U.S., 2000's in England.

The United States is a very large country. And since I can only accommodate no more than a dozen couples in the qualifying division of ALHC. I would like to suggest that 3 or 4 qualifying events happen before Oct. 1999. I would like to see at least four organized so that the United States can truly be represented in the finals at ALHC. But of course that depends on whether you or someone you know might be interested in hosting it. I think there should be a qualifying event somewhere along the pacific, in the west, in the Lake States and in the east. After speaking with Dominique and looking over WRRC rules I would like to suggest that each of these be a Just Swing, just as it was at the Savoy, wherein anything goes. The finals if any would give the couples an option on whether they want to continue to just swing or perform choreography. At the Savoy the winners were determined by acclamation. I don't know if that is feasible because of the scope of the event. But I am open to suggestions and would like your feedback on this. So what do you think?

The last thing on my agenda is that Nathalie Gomes in NY wants to start a national Lindy organization. Are you interested in that?

I look forward to hearing from you. And please pass this along. The more input I have the better. The last thing I want is for you to think that I am strong arming anything along. Please think about this.
Paulette Brockington
Artspectrum
The American Lindy Hop Championships

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The Trump Marina in Atlantic City, will host "SWING TIME LIVE!," The Largest Swing 'Fest' On The East Coast, April 17

Atlantic City NJ- Add 4 hot swing bands, 2 stages, 2 giant martini bars, non-stop music and a dance contest with cash prizes, and you get Swing Time Live! at Trump Marina, on April 17. "Swing Time Live!" is the first in the new Cayman Club Series and is the largest showcase of swing bands in the East Coast. It will feature the hotter than hot swing of The Atomic Fireballs, Bellevue Cadillac, The Johnny Favourite Swing Orchestra and Lavay Smith and Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers......"

Check out the web page for the event at:

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Cherry Poppin' Daddies in York, PA
From: Eimear O'Sullivan

I'm the Special Events coordinator at the Strand-Capitol Performing Arts Center in York PA. We are presenting the Cherry Poppin' Daddies at York College on April 18th at 7 pm. Tickets are $29 general admission. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Strand-Capitol's box-office at (717) 846-1111 or by ordering on line at www.strandcapitol.org

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Oklahoma and Swing --- Part 1
From: Claire A. Johnson

Happy to hear you enjoyed your trip to my home state. It's a great place! If you are ever back that way you need to check out a club in Tulsa, MacDaddies. I discovered it on a trip back home! It's a new place ( open only about 6 months ) and is steady with dancers 6 nights a week. The atmosphere is great, you feel like you've stepped back in time! They have various artists and bands playing each night and most importantly a great floor to swing on! Besides having a bandstand and cocktail area floor side, there is plenty of room to relax in deco styled furniture. I can't wait to go back home, if only to go back there again. I am glad that something I have loved for so long is gaining a greater audience, it's a wonderful hobby. I have enjoyed going through this website...keep up the good work.

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Oklahoma and Swing -- Part 2
From: Christopher Gellasch

I finally posted my trip report on the Oklahoma City Swing Scene. Go to my Swing Reviews page to read it. You can copy it onto your trip page if you like. You'll get a kick out of this: I met the 1941 National Lindy Hop Champion : Micky (no "E") Sherman . Contact him at:

National Swing Dance Inc.
Micky Sherman, President
Phone: (405) 755-0315
Fax: (405) 943-0061
2108 N.W. 115th Street
OKC, OK 73120

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"Bird" Honored
From: Sue Fedor

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Nearly 45 years after his death, Charlie Parker is finally being embraced by his hometown. A bronze sculpture of Parker is to be unveiled Saturday in the historic 18th & Vine District where Parker's saxophone wailed into the wee hours as he helped develop bebop in the 1940s.

Musicians, jazz scholars and family members of Parker are also gathering this week to pay tribute to Parker during a two-day symposium. Parker, who was born in bordering Kansas City, Kan., died in New York in 1955 at age 34.

Parker's family has said that he did not feel he was well received in his hometown until after he became famous elsewhere. Mayor Emanuel Cleaver said the tribute is a way to right a wrong.

"Kansas City has never really opened its heart to Charlie Parker, but we're trying to reverse that," Cleaver said Thursday.

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Joe Williams
From: Sue Fedor

When I was a kid, Dad would yell for me to come to the TV everytime Joe Williams was on. He was a regular on Merv Griffin's show and even before I knew who Count Basie and Duke Ellington were, I knew who Joe was. Dad saw to it. Joe was one of his favorities.

One of the songs he made famous was Basie's arrangement of "Everyday I Have the Blues", an arrangement made so familar to us in DC by Tom Cunningham and the wonderful Julian Hipkins.

LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Joe Williams, whose smooth baritone and collaborations with Count Basie won him acclaim as one of the great voices of jazz, collapsed and died on a city street after walking away from a hospital. He was 80. Williams apparently died of natural causes, Clark County Coroner Ron Flud said. He had walked several miles Monday and was a few blocks from home.

His wife, Jillean, said he had been admitted to Sunrise Hospital a week ago for a respiratory ailment. The hospital reported Williams missing several hours before his body was found.

Singer Robert Goulet said: "At the age of 80, Joe could sing better than most people at the age of 20. He was one of the greatest jazz and blues singers of all time, and he was such a good man, too."

Williams' appeal stretched to other mediums: He played Bill Cosby's father-in-law, Grandpa Al, on "The Cosby Show" in the 1980s. He and Cosby were friends, and the childhood memories Grandpa Al spun on the show were his own from Chicago.

But his fame was in jazz. Williams became a sensation in 1955 when he recorded "Everyday I Have the Blues" with Basie, and the two were together for seven years. Williams repeatedly was chosen the top male jazz singer in readers' polls for Downbeat and other magazines.

"I'm most pleasantly surprised at what still comes out of my throat," Williams said in an 1986 interview. "I'm thrilled and thankful. I remember Edward (Duke Ellington) saying, 'I'm just a messenger boy for God.' Much of what we do comes through us. I thank God for what comes through me."

Born Joseph Goreed on December 12, 1918, in Cordele, Georgia, the entertainer was raised by his mother and grandmother. He found fun in playing the piano and singing the spirituals he heard at the Methodist church where his mother was the organist.

In his teens in the 1930s, he led the singing group The Jubilee Boys in performances in Chicago churches. He later sang solo in a Chicago club, and made his professional debut in 1937 with the late Jimmy Noone.

His big break came in 1943, when Williams was working as a security guard to support himself. He wound up guarding the front door of the Regal Theater and met jazz luminaries such as Duke Ellington. The Regal's manager sent Williams to the Tick Tock in Boston to join Lionel Hampton's band, which had its own powerhouse blues singer, Dinah Washington.

The magic came with Basie. Williams said Basie hired him on the advice of his band. "Basie said, 'I can't give you what you're worth. But, things get better for me, they get better for you.' I had the good sense to go with him," Williams recalled. The two played together from 1954 to 1961, and Williams often performed with Basie until his death in 1984; Williams dedicated his renditions of "You Are So Beautiful" to Basie.

"As a talent, he was one of the best blues singers in the world and also one of the best ballad singers," added friend and singer Buddy Greco. "There will never be anyone like him, again." Tony Bennett recalled Williams once telling him: "It's not that you want to sing, it's that you have to sing." "He defined who I really am," Bennett said in 1992.

Even in his later years, Williams sang on cruise ships, at festivals, in hotels and clubs, working about 40 weeks a year. He was an avid golfer.

Besides his wife, Williams is survived by his son, Joe; and his daughter, Anne. Funeral information was not immediately available.

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The mystery of the Lost Continentals at Nation
From: Sara Wilson

Hi-
Can anyone tell me if last Saturday's show (3/27) with Lost Continentals at Nation was cancelled...or what? We showed up at 9:30pm, expecting to catch the last hour of "Swing Nation" and to check out the "Velvet Nation" event afterward, but the front doors were locked, no-one was around, and the music we could hear through the back doors was club music--not swing of any kind. We were very disappointed and confused (and had a fledgling swing student we were trying to entertain)!

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Favorite Movies
From: Mara Levy

Hey everyone,
The dancers in LA came up with the bright idea of requesting all our favorite movies from TMC. Movies like Buck Privates, Hellzapoppin', Ride 'Em Cowboy, Swing Fever... there's a million more. Does someone (Jeff, Jim?) want to post some other ideas? Or just ask them to play old swing movies. We're trying to get dancers from all over the country to participate, so let's make sure DC does its part!
Thanks all,
Mara

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Anna Update...
From: Anna Duncan

Hi All...
Wow, I've been gone so long that I've almost forgotten all the usual faces. Alas...

Well I am now living here in Norfolk VA with my betrothed Ken. He is my best friend, and has been for the past nine years and I'm happier than a bug in a rug. Dancing has been slow because

• A:there aren't many places here to do it. and
• B:I've been redecorating and painting our house and that sucks up ALL my free time.

BUT I do have plans to go and talk to the owner of a club down here who wants to get a swing night started. Three people have reccomended me to him and so now he is looking for me...Lets see if I can take over Tidewater with Lindy Hop.)

Anyway, here is a link to our website: (p.s. my sweetie is a graphics artist...enjoy)

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Bowling night at GWU
From: Jayna Morgan

Here's an event that the Jitterbugs Swing Club at GWU is holding:

Jitterbugs Swing Club presents Friday, April 16th Swing and Bowl at GW in the Marvin Center's Bowling Alley (the only public bowling alley in DC) 5th floor or the Marvin Center (corner of H and 21 St. NW) There will be swing music playing throughout the evening while you can bowl. Nice wood floors to dance on while waiting for your turn to bowl.

Open to the public Swingers- try to get there between 8:30 and 9:00 before the regular bowlers get there, or you will not get a lane

Questions? e-mail Swing@gwu.edu or call Jayna Morgan @ 202-242-0605

More info and upcoming events at GWU: www.gwu.edu/~swing

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New HOTS Jazz Orchestra Tour of Northern France
From: Donald Wickham

The New HOTS Jazz Orchestra will be touring Northern France June 16-29, 1999 and we have few openings for individuals who would like to join us.

Enjoy dancing and sightseeing in Paris, Normandy, Orleans, Chambord, Fontainbleau, Loire Valley, etc. Join the New HOTS Jazz Orchestra during its 16 day tour of Northern France, June 16-29,1999. We have openings for a few individuals who like to have fun and have the stamina to keep up with a very active, adventurous group. Cost is $1,500 per person, which includes air fare, lodging in double hostel rooms w/bath and breakfast, and ground transportation in 7-passenger self-drive rental vans. We are finalizing arrangements now. Contact Jack Elder for more information; phone: (703) 264-9891 or E-mail: jackelder@aol.com

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Seder at Ellen Werther's
From: Sue Fedor

On Thursday, Ellen Werther invited a group of us into her home to share the second night of Passover with her family (she and her son). Two of her Jewish friends showed up, plus Ron Haron. The rest of us were Gentile neophytes: myself, Mike Henry and Elisabeth and Jim Engel. At first, it started off as if Woody Allen had scripted it... Ellen had worked on the Haggadah (the prayer book) all night and when she went to print it, her printer jammed. Jim and Elisabeth finally got the thing working, but her printer is s-l-o-w....there was no way we could wait for nine sets of a seven page Haggadah. Two sets printed out and we took turns reading.

Once we got started, things turned serious. Passover is a feast that celebrates freedom. It renews the commitment of the Jewish tradition to fight for freedom where it does not exist and defend and treasure it where it does. Naturally, our thoughts turned to Kosovo, where, unfortunately, some folks who cannot let the past stay in the past, feel the need to torture, persecute, and kill their "enemies". Even the Jews themselves struggle in their own homeland to maintain freedom while protecting the rights of the minorities who share their land. Freedom is a glorious gift with an awesome responsibility to constantly recognize the the rights of others.

During the feast, we consume bits of horseradish to remember the bitterness of life. We eat an apple/walnut/honey mixture to remember the sweetness of life. We break the matzoh and share it to remember that we are one community. This was the feast from which Christians believe Jesus generated the Eucharist. I noted to Ellen that Jesus' contemporaries probably thought that he was strange to celebrate Passover outside the context of family. Scholars think that Jesus was a member of the Essene sect (a sect of celebate ascetics who renounced family in exchange for more spiritual pursuits).

From the subline to the ridiculous, once again. This time, Carl Riener showed up to script the evening. How do you serve matzoh ball soup to two folks who are vegetarian and one person who is allergic to eggs? One veggie abstained altogether, munching on cruelty free matzoh and the other veggie broke ranks and consumed soup with the veggies and the matzoh. However, Mr. Egg Allergy had to have the pesky matzoh ball bits scooped from his soup. Ron, Mike, her son, Jonathon, and myself treated ourselves to second helpings. The soup was outstanding! Next came the sweet potato/prune/apricot casserole, a delectable beef brisket, the traditional apple/nut mixture (brought by Ellen's friends), and lots and lots of asparagus brought by the Engles.

The food was outstanding. Ron brought the dessert: a flourless cake purchased at the store off the Passover list. We joked that the only difference between the Passover list and the Easter list was that the Passover cakes did not have crosses or bunnies on them! Ellen's grandparents were Hassidic Jews from Italy. Her mother was named after the town, Lauria. So we collectively discussed the difference and similarities between Jewish and Italian mothers. Having had an Italian mother and knowing several Jewish mothers, I think they're cut from the same cloth, myself.

As per usual, once Ellen's Jewish friends (non dancers) left, the talk turned to dancing. We retired into Jonathan's room (he graciously cleaned it up for us!) to watch a tape from the 1993 ASDC! Ellen's apartment is VERY SMALL and we barely fit. Next year, Ellen wants to feed even more people so we may be moving this to our house! No, I'm not Jewish, but Ellen assures me that all I need to do is thoroughly clean my kitchen (which makes Steve VERY HAPPY) and toss out all flour products. Since I have two kitchens, I can easily move all offending items into the spare.

This reminds me of the Sinagoga Santa Maria in Toledo, Spain. During its 500 year history, it was used as a mosque, a synagogue, a Catholic church and now, back to a synagogue. The ultimate in recycling. At one time in Toledo's history, all three faiths lived peacebly together. One could say the same for Bosnia and Kosovo. Would that it could be like that again.

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The MHS Swingers
From: Sean Brody

Dear Guys,
I represent the Marina High School Swingers Club --- I publish the website. I don't need to explain to you what we do, since you do it too. Marina High School is in Huntington Beach, CA, kinda far from you guys, but if you're ever in the LA, look us up please, if you're available to come in for a casual teaching-session. I, myself, am a regular at Disneyland Swing, Saturday nights, and will be competing for the second straight year in 1999, in the World Amateur Swing Open, at the Disneyland hotel. If you get a chance check out our webpage

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Wynton Marsalis CD
From: Mark Judge

Hey guys -
One of the perks with being a journalist is that you get sneak peeks at stuff. Last week a package arrived from Jazz at the Lincoln Center in New York. Inside was a cd and videotape of Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln cenetr Jazz Orchestra performing the songs of Duke Ellington. The cd is one of the best, most well-rounded swing albums I've ever heard. and the tape - hang on, kids - has swing dancing!! Marsalis says he "loves to swing," so they got a bunch of lindy hoppers to play for. For those of us who think jazz has gotten too institutionalized - it was a shock when Benny Goodman played Carnegie Hall, now that's about the only place you'll find good jazz - this is a blessing. (It's wonderful to hear dancers clapping and hooting on a jazz album; ususally it's the critics and jazz snobs deadly silent.) Frankie is on the tape, as is another elder statesman of swing (Mr. Slyde?). It airs May 12 on PBS. The cd is out April 13, and it is a wise buy for dancers and music lovers.

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Joker's Wild
From: Robert Wagner

Joker's Wild is a U Md band that has been performing locally. Check out our website at:

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Swing Contest in Phoenix
From: Shanna Hogan

Jones Soda is sponsoring a huge swing event in Phoenix, AZ and the winner will be photographed and featured on 250,000 Jones Soda bottles and win a trip to Swing Camp Catalina. This contest should appeal to non-Arizona residents as well.. If you have any questions please contact me at SussieQ@aol.com

Check out :