February, 1999 Reviews
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Review of Dance Events During February, 1999

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DANCE REVIEWS






Monday February 1, 1999

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Tuesday February 2, 1999

This was our fourth Tuesday at the Shark club. The band was great, the floor was great, but the crowd was light as people apparently flocked to the TV cameras at Vienna Grille...

From: Sue Fedor deevoo@mci2000.com

Feeling like doing a little dancing, but wanting to avoid a crowd, we went to The Shark Club. As it turned out, it was sparcely populated. We attributed that to the fact that TV cameras were rumored to be at Vienna Grille. We figured all the hams would be there and we were in for a more....kosher...evening, if you will. An evening of dancing, rather than hamming. But since the last time, the management has cleared the dance floor and there was plenty of room for about 10-12 couples, some of them beginners. Frank had a large beginner lesson and a fairly good sized Charleston lesson. He's really getting the hang of that cordless mike, which, if he weren't teaching dance, could be a dangerous thing for Frank. It's a dangerous thing for Tom K. even WHEN he is teaching dance.

Special highlight was seeing Sean, one last time before his big trip to South Africa, where he will undergo laser eye surgery. Next time we see him, it will be sans specs. He showed us the cute routine that Frankie taught over the weekend

From: Carolyn Major nolans@sprynet.com

Hey Frank and Carole!
I just wanted to let you know that I had a great time at the club last night. It was my first time there and even though there wasn't a huge turn out I had a blast. Incase you don't remember, I was the one that was there with Keith, we were practicing our jam session routine. I also wanted to tell you (I forgot to mention it last night) I think you guys have the best web site!! I check it everyday for upcoming events and news in the lindy scene. Keep up the great work and thanks again for your help last night!!

From: Iver Cooper icooper@erols.com

Dear Frank and Carole:
Thought you might like a report. We had a double feature at Vienna Grille last night, a visit by Channel 9 (CBS), and Susan Lusi's birthday. There was a good crowd (although the floor was not overwhelmingly crowded), including some people I haven't seem much of lately (like Mike and Chrissy, Carolie, Dr. Dan, Cameron and Lisa, and the birthday girl. Almost everybody was dressed up (even me, please don't die of shock). The film crew filmed some of the social dancing, the jam, and part of Susan's birthday dance. So Susan's birthday party will be seen by millions. We missed your presence in the Vienna Grille Boy's Chorus.

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Wednesday February 3, 1999

From Elizabeth Engel ewengel@apsanet.org

Since it was a free evening, Jim and I decided to go over and check out the scene at 11th Hour. It's a really cute little place - very chi-chi. The dance floor is not great - tile over cement - but Swing Speak is a very enjoyable band, playing mostly mid-tempo chesnuts that give you plenty of time to polish your mess around moves.

We showed up early, meeting there after my yoga class was over at 8. Our vintage duds and black and white shoes amused the diners and drinkers while we drank sodas at the bar and waited for the band to set up. A few people who were already ensconced in the cushy chairs and sofas by the fireplace came up to ask us if we were the teachers for the evening, and until Steve and Naomi and Dave showed up, we were getting a little worried that the answer might have to be yes. Fortunately we were rescued (or maybe it was the crowd of beginning dancers who were rescued) by the appearance of the real teachers.

I danced with lots of fellas, including some I had never danced with before, and Jim got to enjoy the experience of dancing with Steve as a follower in the aftermath of our first lesson of the beginner series switching parts on Monday.

We left towards the beginning of the second set, and after standing outside conferring with Bill to try to hatch a plot to give Steve and Carla the flu so we could go dance with Aretha. Somehow, I doubt that, even if they were down with the flu, we'd be Aretha's next choice. Oh well...

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Thursday February 4, 1999

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Friday February 5, 1999

We had a delightful evening at Poli-Tiki. We started by visiting Elizabeth and Jim (and Andrew and Monica). After a three block walk, we climbed the stairs to the small room that seems to have captured the imagination of the Swing crowd. A great evening of dancing. We'll let Elizabeth tell the story:

From: Elizabeth Weaver Engel ewengel@apsanet.org

Our first potluck was fun, if lightly attended (I'm thinking many of you weren't even aware of it until the last minute). Thanks to Andrew and Monica and Frank and Carole for helping us inagurate the Friday Lindy potlucks. As my prior e-mail may not have made clear, these will be happening virutally every Friday, starting at 7 pm. I also wanted to make clear that even if you're not necessarily heading to PoliTiki, you are all still welcome to attend. It's just particularly convenient for those who will be dancing at PoliTiki, as PoliTiki is just around the corner from us. Again, call (202.547.2344) or e-mail (ewengel@apsanet.org) by Thursday evening if you can so we know how many to expect.

So anyway, after veggie chili, cornbread, and a fruit tart, we headed over to PoliTiki. It was a good time, with lots of new and old folks - LOTS of folks - dancing to the excellent selection of tunes. It was jam-packed which occasionally resulted in the CD skipping and required some serious care in floor craft. We had a jam, we did the shim sham, we entertained the crowd of drinkers. It was a good time, as always.

Potluck schedule for the next month:

  • Friday, Febraury 19: it's on, at 7 pm, but I suspect we'll be checking out Bill Eliot and PsychoBoy at Bethesda DanceSport after, so we'll probably end it a little on the early side (around 8:30 pm).
  • Friday, February 26: it's on, at 7 pm, and we'll be heading to PoliTiki after
  • Friday, March 5: it's OFF, as we'll be in PA for my brother's wedding

Hope to see many of you at our place over the next few weeks!

From: Cameron Sellers Cameron.Sellers@mail.house.gov

After practice, Lisa, Frank, Gretta, and I went to America. The crowd was small for the first set, but it got crowded for the second set. You know the kicking , the screaming, the blood, but after the Jam, the crowd died down and it was empty again on the dance floor. It was a good night. Robin sounded great, Tom played a great set, and the dancers looked like they were having fun.

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Saturday February 6, 1999

We had a great time working with the New Columbia Swing Orchestra at a party given by the Arlington Chamber of Commerce at the Pentagon City Ritz Carleton. We began the evening with a brief History of Dance, starting with the Charleston which was popular when the group was founded in 1925. (We had spent several evenings with "Tea for Two", perfecting our routine. ) Then Tom Woll took over with a Fox Trot exhibition while we spent a hurried three minutes changing from tuxedo and flapper dress to zoot suit and sailor outfit (respectively) for a Lindy demo. After that, we spent the remainder of the evening coaxing people onto the dance floor (I always like that part). The evening was a lot of fun and we had a full dance floor even at the end of the party. Thanks to the Arlington Chamber of Commerce for inviting us. We have special appreciation for the staff of the Ritz-Carleton --- from backstage, we watched them serve a meal to over 500 people with military precision. These guys are really pros!

From: Cameron Sellers Cameron.Sellers@mail.house.gov

The Pennsylvania swing band, Big Tuba Mista, showed up at Nick's Saturday night. The six band members brought one girlfriend, four large speakers that took up half the dance floor, a sound man, and the manager. The music was loud and fast for the first set. When I saw the band members wearing ear plugs that was a good indication I should be wearing them as well. As the night wore on, the songs got slower and they were fun to dance too. During the Jam, I fell on my butt in the great Cameron tradition.

From: Ben Silverman tersian@leba.net

Dear Frank and Carole(and D.C. area dancers),
Big Tubba Mista would like to extend a hearty "thank you" to the greater Washington D.C.(and surrounding areas) swing community for their strong showing at Nick's in Alexandria. Their courteous behavior, support of the band and of course the fabulous dancing made the night a complete pleasure. We were honored to play for such a cohesive community who displayed the utmost respect for the music and the dancing alike. Also, Tom and Debra did a wonderful job preparing the less experienced dancers with some beginner Jitterbug lessons while the band put the finishing touches on the sound equipment. Again, we would like to thank all the dancers who attended the show and we hope to see them again soon.

From: Cherri Harria Cherri_Harris@LABAT.COM

Saturday night was a packed house at Glen Echo and Peaches O'Dell. A nice crowd up near the stage (isn't that where everyone hangs out?) that now seem complete with a changing room. Well not really a changing room, it is actually part of the construction site, but it does give some much needed privacy. While the lindy songs were great, I even noticed some of the avid lindy hoppers dancing to the occasional waltz and other tunes; in fact, I noticed some lindy people taking some cues on Argentine tango....could this be a trend?

While there was no jam event, we were all treated to Daniel Fierer in all his double-breasted glory get up on the stage and croon out a pretty good version of A Fine Romance. Not only does he look great, dance great, but he sounds great too. What a guy! Well for those that missed it, I'm sure he can be coaxed into an encore.

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Sunday February 7, 1999

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Monday February 8, 1999

We were privileged to attend Cameron Sellers' thirtieth birthday party at Chevy Chase Ballroom. Cameron has been writing for Lindy Week in Review practically since we started it and has come a long way in the Lindy world. These days, Cameron is so polished that nobody gets the jokes about him falling on his butt. For the occasion, we prepared another one of our zany cakes. This one had camouflage icing and featured a "Ken" doll that Carole spent the day dressing up like a paratrooper. (complete with a briefcase and saddle shoes...) For those of you who haven't heard, Captain Cameron Sellers is a paratrooper with a Civil Affairs unit of the Army Reserves when he is not Lindy Hopping.

The band was Air Mail Special, a great new group that features guitar, drums, vibraphone, bass and clarinet. They were just spectacular and we hope to follow them wherever they play.

From: Sue Fedor deevoo@mci2000.com

It's not everyday that Tom Koerner passes off a pesky beginner on one of his more advanced students... ok, it is everyday. But it's not everyday that that pesky person is...so...pesky. But it was one day, about two years ago at Dancers, when Cameron Sellers first entered our lives. Steve and I were to show him and his partner how to get in and out of tandem Charleston. We knew about 3-4 ways. We showed him two. He thought we were gods. He now knows 45 ways.

So how do you celebrate the first year of a man's third decade?

With a line dance, of course! So much thanks to Steve Bailey, Jim and Elizabeth Engel, Ellen Werther, and, of course, the queen of all jazz steps, Lizzie Hess, for helping me put the "Cameron" together. Steve played the part of Busby Berkley during practice. Believe it or not, this masterpeice took an hour and 1/2 to create--from start to finish, with 3 practice run-throughs.

Thanks to all you who pitched in and a special thanks to Bernstein for remembering #12 on Disk 6... something best left to a professional DJ. Thank goodness one was available during the band break.

Because of the confusion of teaching the steps to the Cameron Sellers Dancers, I did not get a real good chance to listen to "Air Mail Special." I danced one of their long, slow numbers with Cameron, who had to hoist up his saggy pants halfway through--it was so long. Cameron, welcome to the world of GEEZERDOM where we all have to hike up our pants every once in a while. Of course, some GEEZERS who will remain nameless, keep their pants hiked up all the time.

In such a frighteningly short period of time, Cameron has managed to worm his way into everyone's lives. Thank goodness most beginners aren't that extroverted...or else I'd have to take up another hobby. We can't do this next year because unlike songs about Asians, Jazz musicians never wrote songs about Republicans [Editor's Note: Not True -- check out "Looking for Yesterday" by Gene Krupa, OKeh 5747]. And if they did, they must not have been very good. I'm not sure if there are any Jazz songs about people who jump out of planes [Editor's Note: Try Woody Herman's "Jumpin' Blues", Decca 2664].

Special Extra Bonus

Here is the choreography [sic] for the special dance performed for Cameron. This deserves a double red-flag Politically Incorrect rating. All nasty notes should be sent to Sue Fedor deevoo@mci2000.com or any of the 20 or so folks who participated, or the 100 or so who rolled on the floor laughing.

Dress code: Gals, try and wear something obviously Oriental. Chopsticks in your hair is always in style. Guys-- go Oriental, get that karate gee out of storage, or wear cammoflage (you can get a cammo t-shirt at Sunny's for just a few bucks).

Song: Sing Song Swing, by Ella Fitzgerald, Decca 8136 (1940), flip side of If It Weren't For You

It's so EASY, even Cameron could do it! We're only doing the first part of the song, then we let Cameron dance it out.

The song has three distinct sections, which repeat.

  • We begin with a nice SA-LUTE.
  • Section 1--"Choppity chop, chop" is the lyric line 4 eight beat bars of Charlestons with kung fu kicks This section ends with everyone freezing in a "crane" move (remember the scene from the Karate Kid?)
  • Section 2--Horn interlude (plays an obvious Oriental theme) during which we bow reverently and turn around. This one ends with everyone standing in place. This is two bars of eight beats.
  • Section 3--Verse (6 bars of 8 beats) The next two bars of eight beats are spent doing "Tick tocks" (a la jitterbug stroll) Tick tocks are done by starting with your toes out and heels in and moving your heels out and toes in. You move in one direction. This is accompanied by palms up and out, moving in and out with your feet (like Minnie Mouse). We tick tock eight beats to the left and then eight beats to the right. We spend the next two bars getting together with a partner. The guys are on their knees (to recreate Cameron's height). The next bar is dancing. The last bar, a horn break, the guys fall (they may take their partner with them).
  • At this point, the song continues, but we invite Cameron to dance.

From: Elizabeth Weaver Engel ewengel@apsanet.org

Yet another roaring success in Tom and Debra's Parade o' Bands! Air Mail Special, comprised of several members of Rockin' Bonz and a few other guys, combines all of the Bonz musical skill and ability to play to and with the crowd with traditional swing (as opposed to rockabilly) tunes. IOW, they were fabulous, playing Goodman, Ellington, some Ruth Brown tunes - it was another terrific evening of dancing at Chevy Chase.

In addition, during the band break, we celebrated Cameron's birthday, with a really stupid line dance performed by the Cameron Sellers Dancers (not to be confused with the Solid Gold Dancers or the Fly Girls), a traditional birthday lineup dance, including several traditional Cameron pratfalls, and a really great, really silly cake crafted by Morra and Berghers, Lindy Bakers.

We stayed WAY too late and had a great time and I'm now totally beat at work, but it was, as usual, well worth it.

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Tuesday February 9, 1999

We had a very good night at the Shark. Most of our regulars were back and our beginner class continues to hold great promise. Lynn McCuhn, Tommy Barrick and John Coombs were back with Lush Life. Our two gorgeous canaries showed up at about 11:00 and we had another great version of "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy". Dr. Daniel Fierer showed up to critique my music selection during the break --- in which I was saved by the appearnce of Andy "DJ Daddy-O" fresh back from Amsterdam (Thanks Andy!!!) Debra Brooks and Chrissy Hall were absolutely stunning in Vintage. Glynis Astier made an appeance in a very sexy motorcycle jacket. Lisa Schwartz had a great vintage bowling shirt from a beauty parlor. The absolutely gorgeous Emily/Melissa showed up at about 10:00 and warmed up the dance floor. This week we had a lot more women than men --- Doug Pierce and I were kept busy all night attending to all the lovely ladies (That means you, Mary!) Also, many, many thanks to Royce White for helping me with my CD selections for teaching. We had a great turnout and We thank you all!

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Wednesday February 10, 1999

We started getting phone calls after Channel 9 mentioned jitterbuzz.com on its evening broadcast of the events Tuesday a week ago at Vienna Grille. If anyone from WUSA is reading, THANKS! We had to run off to Eleventh Hour where we were teaching the Beginner Swing and Charleston lessons. There was a great crowd that seemed to get bigger and bigger as the evening wore on. Since we taught the lesson, between us I think that we danced with everone who attended. Steve Cowles and Naomi Uyama came and dazzled everyone. I was really glad to see Sarah back, apparently recovered from her knee injury. Boy does that lady have a great swingout! Once again, we were honored with the presence of Dr. Daniel Fierer and the lovely Emily/Melissa.

Tommy Barrick and the Five Wise Guys kept things swinging all night. Tommy can really put together a great dance band.

From: Richard Studley stud@fls.infi.net

What a great web site! I heard about it on a piece I saw tonight (2/10) on TV channel 9. Arnold was impressive..and was that Dana dancing her heart out? They know me as the old geezer who brings his own stool when I visit America or Glen Echo. I've sorta been a big band groupie since I first heard Tom's band about 3 years ago. I've always loved good music, and spent most of my life as a radio disc jockey. I still work at WFLS-FM in Fredericksburg,VA.. but miss the days of being a DJ on the air, having fun spinning records. I sure wish I had got some of those old Big Band LPs when the station went to country music format. It's thrilling to see how big bands are coming back strong, and people of all ages are lovin' it! If you're ever in the Fredericksburg area, stop by the Free Lance- Star newspaper building. We have two stations there. I'll be glad to show you around. Just ask for Dick, in radio. I'll look for you two next time I get up to DC at America or Glen Echo. Keep up the good work.

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Thursday February 11, 1999

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Friday February 12, 1999

We were privileged to work with the New Columbia Swing Orchestra at the Birchmere. This was the replacement for our January 8 gig that got snowed out. NCSO played stuff straight from the Goodman book and the crowd had a great time. We taught three lessons, Basic Swing, Charleston, and Artie Shaw kicks. At the end of the evening, we were very pleased to learn that 250 people had showed up.

From: Elizabeth Engel

No potluckers this week - I think the weather was too lousy - but we had a great time at PoliTiki. Jenny and Mike were there, fresh from their honeymoon in Spain and the Canary Islands, and looking very rested and very much in love. Charlie Wyler and Jane Ford graced us with their presence as well, and Mr. Kleinpeter was there again too. So we had a terrific time dancing with each other and with all the REALLY good dancers who turned out. There was no jam as no one stepped forward to organize it, leaving Jim and I and one other brave couple out there to dance to all of Sing, Sing, Sing. At least the crowd seemed to appreciate the stamina displayed by the four of us. I got to practice some more leading, we got to practice our Balboa, and I got to dance with Bob, Charlie, and Mike a couple of times, which I consider to be a highly successful evening of dance. We left when it started to get really smoky around quarter after 11, and the place was still hoppin'.

From: Diane Carroad

Friday nite at Centreville's "A Place to Dance" with Jimmy and the Bluedogs playing and Ed Burak and Anne Bailey teaching: wonderful! Vowed I'd leave before midnite and suddenly the band was saying, "Thanks and good nite!" Fantastic mix of very danceable music. Tom Mitchell is just a Phenomenal guitarist! It's getting more crowded but still plenty of room. Caroline Westhaeffer is becoming quite the lindyhop leader tho dancing and anticipating breaks with either Ed OR Anne is an unbelievable treat--does Sweden teach all that or is it innate?! Seeing Tuan there after many months and other friendly faces made it a great way to end the week.

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Saturday February 13, 1999

We attended a potluck given by Gay and Dave Shepardson --- always a treat! From then we went on to the dance held by the Annapolis Traditional Dance Society. Sunset Royal was playing at the F.O.P. Hall in Crownsville, a quirky little venue that we always enjoy. Here are the reviews:

From: Elizabeth Engel

Do the Shepherdsons know how to throw a party or what? The house in Annapolis was filled with chattering Lindy Hoppers and good food. Gay did her best to resist the pull of all of us trying to buy stuff, but I did manage to convince her to sell me one of their tasty new specifically designed for gals bowling shirts.

The Sunset Royals dance at the local FOP was a great time too.

The Sunset Royals, aside from a handful of cha-chas and waltzes play only straight up swing all the time. We had a great time, and I think we surprised many of the folks who were there and the band when we all showed up. The place was really nice for dancing, we had a good jam, and Dave worked with me a little on the straddle/spike combo. Now if I can just stop shrieking when my body gets higher than my head, we'll be all set!

From: Sue Fedor

After a day of running around with just enough time for Steve to take a short nap (which was interrupted by calls from Mike Henry and Ron Herron!) we packed up some lasagna, picked up Mike Henry, and headed off for the semi-annual, almost quarterly trek to the Crownsville, MD FOP Hall. Yeee Ha.

The lasagna was for the pre-game festivities at Gay & Dave's. We're a bit flippant about our visits there (we practically lived there for a while...long story) so we drove right up the driveway and parked in our usual spot, off to the side. Everyone else had politely parked in the cul de sac and walked the 1/4 mi up the driveway to the house. But it took months to carve that Trooper-sized parking space off to the side and dad gum it, we were gonna use it. Plum forgot ol' Mike had never been there. I took off for the house and walked right in and he was still staring at all the trees in the yard.

And yes, we did end up watching dance videos and this time you can't blame Jim Kranyak, cuz he wasn't there. It was Jeff who unloaded his latest round of tapes, including the cutest little cartoon short to "All the Cats Join In." If we could find out who did it, we'd all get a copy.

Off to the FOP, which I can review from all angles due to the fact that our office manager, Kelly, and her daughter, Cindy, came up from Charles County to join us. They took Marc and Ellen's lesson and stayed for the whole dance. They had a great time and enjoyed the lesson a lot. It never ceases to amaze me how quickly kids pick up these dance steps and Cindy was no different.

The Sunset Royals actually have improved since the last time I saw them two years ago. They played a lot of slow numbers, sprinkled with cha-chas, during the first and second sets, saving their really good stuff (and they had really good stuff, too) for the last set, when we were all sweaty and tired.

Two low points...a JAM broke out during "Two O'Clock Jump" and as the drummer got more and more excited, he got FASTER AND FASTER. What started out as 180 bps quickly became 230 bps and ended up somewhere in the stratosphere. His drum solo in the middle sounded more like acid fusion than swing, but Cameron and Lisa calmly shagged their way through it.

The other low point was their rendition (thankfully, instrumental) of "Zoot Suit Riot". It had been rumored they would play it. And I thought Jeff was joking, but he wasn't joking. They played it and again, the drummer wandered off the swing reservation and started communing with Ringo Starr.... Jeff and I stood and stared as folks tried to dance. Rob Petrie (yes, that's his real name) actually took out a book and started reading. I'm not making this up.

But I don't wish to give an unbalanced review. The fact of the matter is that many folks would have left to find Leslie's dance in Glen Burnie if the band had petered out during the second set. They did not. And for the first time since I've been hearing them, they actually got better as the night wore on. They sound good and the arrangements are getting tighter and tighter. At some spots in the evening it was almost a continuous flow of music. The regular gigs that they're getting are making a big difference.

All in all, it was a great night. Most everyone stayed the whole time. For once, neither Steve nor I got sick or injured. And we all stayed after to eat ice cream and help put the tables up.

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Sunday February 14, 1999

From: Sue Fedor

Not so much a review, but a report. 320 folks came to the Valentine's Day Waltz at Forest Glen. Much thanks to the Lindy Hop contingent who were scattered out and about. Everyone looked great. I almost didn't recongize Jim Kranyak all dressed up in his suit and tie. You couldn't miss Bill Lehman in his bright, red zoot suit. Terpsichord, the quartet, was very good, setting a nice, elegant mood. Steve ended up helping Donna teach the waltz class! (Ken was busy with the band). I bet you didn't know Steve was such a good waltzer. He didn't know that either! Later, he took Donna out for a spin. She really does have the patience of Job, cuz she didn't even back lead. Not one bit.

I know that many of you are clamoring for a swing dance real soon. But we just couldn't pass up the opportunity to have Margaret Rifkin, the Linden Lane Association, Ken & Donna, and a horde of volunteers put on a dance where we barely had to lift a finger. Gotta love that kind of support. We're going to have more than just swing dances this year, so all you folks who do more than just swing, keep your eyes on the SOS website for more details: www.operant.com/SOS. One of the other reasons why we're holding out on a swing event is that were expecting to do some interior repairs. We're still talking to the Army about starting the work and perhaps we'll know more about those specifics in the next two weeks.

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Monday February 15, 1999

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Tuesday February 16, 1999

We had a very good night at the Shark. About 80 people came by to dance to Tommy Barrick and his friends. Once again, the lovely Lynn McCuhn was around to provide vocal stylings. We think that the crowd had a good time and the party kept going right up until the band stopped playing.

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Wednesday February 17, 1999

Our trip to Toronto began at about 6:00 in the morning when we departed for National Airport. Our Air Canada flight took off on time and in about two hours we were at our hotel, the Bond Place (65 Dundas St, E, 416-362-6061) On the way in, I spotted an Art Deco restaurant and memorized its coordinates. After unpacking (briefly) we headed out to the Senator (249 Victoria St, 416-364-7517), one of Toronto's oldest restaurants (founded 1929). The atmosphere and food were spectacular --- the owners not only make fantastic coffee, but they collect antique coffee paraphernalia. I had a wonderful time talking to the owner about percolators and vacuum pots.

Toronto has a wonderful public transportation system. A "Central Core" subway system is supplemented by a grid of surface trolleys and busses. You are never more than two blocks from public transport in any direction. You can buy a daily "flash pass" that allows unlimited riding. Fortunately, our hotel was just across the street from a Subway stop, so we were set.

We spent the day riding the trolleys. When we saw something interesting (like vintage, antique, or thrift stores...) we would simply disembark, shop and get back on the trolley. Believe me, this is the way to comb out a city! One of the best places that we hit was Machine Age (692 Queen St, E., 416-461-3588) , a place that specializes in the kind of curiosities from the 30s and 40s that we feature on the website. If you like Art Deco and Streamline, you should definitely put this place on your "Must Visit" list.

In the evening, we were the guests of Peter Renzland of the Hogtown Hepcats, the local Lindy group. Peter kindly volunteered to schlep us around for the evening. He has a "Volkswagen of Many Colors" --- it was some sort off dealer promotional gimmick with fenders, doors, and other panels of widely different colors. You can't miss it!

We hit three hot swing venues. We started out at the Bohemian Cafe (128 Pears Avenue, 416-944-3550, cover $2 CA) This is a very warm and friendly place. A live band, the "Killin Jive" played jump blues taken largely from Louis Jordan and Louis Prima. The dance floor was wood but had an odd slope to it; after a while, we got used to it and throughly enjoyed ourselves. Jody Glanzer, one of our regular readers and correspondents was celebrating her 17th birthday and we arrived during her birthday dance-off. I think that I surprised her when my turn came up. Jody has the makings of a first class Lindy Hopper. We hope to get her down here some time.

Next, we hopped on over to Barcode (549 College Street, 416-744-1383, cover $5CA). This is an unusual place that has a terazzo floor. The lighting is candles set out all over the place. Very romantic, but you don't want to kick any of them over. "The Swing Gang" was playing, a larger band with full horn section. We thought they were very good.

Finally, the late-late night Lindy scene moves over to the Reservoir Lounge (52 Wellington St, E 416-955-0887, Cover $7CA) Janice Hagan and Friends were playing and we were very much enamored of her vocal stylings. The place is very small and intimate. Although there is only a tiny dance floor, the quality of the music well made up for physical limitations. Besides, we had been going solid since six in the moring and (sort of) welcomed the opportunity to sit and listen for a bit.

At the end of the evening, we had a late night snack at the Tim Horton's Donut Shoppe just around the corner from our hotel. Those of you who don't know should be aware that Canada has zillions of donut shops. Tim Horton's (I think he was a hockey player or a cowboy or something) is the largest chain and has marvelous coffee. The quality of the donuts far exceeds anything we have here in the United States. For dancers, the Bond Place Hotel is ideally located for public access to all the dance venues and it has the added attraction of being next door to a 24 hr Tim Horton's. As I write, I am sipping coffee from a Tim Horton's mug that I picked up at a thrift store for about ten cents.

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Thursday February 18, 1999

We continued out visit to Toronto. This was an especially nice day --- the CNN report had it five degrees warmer in Toronto than in DC. We spent the day riding the streetcars, paying considerable attention to the large concentration of antique stores on West Queen Street. There seems to be a considerable amount of material from the 1930s and 1940s available. Carole was also able to find a noteworthy pice of antique dollhouse furniture; I found a double breasted suit coat from the 40s and a 1950s Countess Mara silk shirt with mother of pearl buttons.

As we reached the end of the Queen Street West trolley line, we paid a visit to the Palais Royale, Toronto's equivalent of the Spanish Ballroom at Glen Echo. Both are (were) the dance hall at the "End-of -Streetcar-Line" amusement park. Here in DC, the trolleys are gone; in Toronto, the trolleys remain. It appears that the Palais Royale is about the same size as the Spanish Ballroom. The place was locked, so we could not get in to compare the floor, etc.

In the evening, Peter Renzland called for us in his VW of Many Colors and we began at The Court House (57 Adelaide St, 416-214-9379) . We met a number of very interesting folks, including Daisy and Tom who taught the lesson. Once again, there was a great live band, Jake and the Blue Midinights. They have a very polished jump blues style. Terry, their bass player remembered us from Barcode the night before and we had a great chat about the growth of Swing.

The Court House closes early, so we headed back to the Reservoir Lounge where we were greeeted by Bradly, the friendly doorman. We seem to have made a big hit --- Brad liked the zoot suit and thought that I looked like Cab Calloway. We really enjoyed the band, Alex Pangman and her Alley Cats. The crowd was very good --- although there is only a small dance floor, we were very pleased to see how the Toronto hepcats can manage space. After a short break, Bradly persuaded the band to do "Minnie the Moocher", and we were drafted into doing a solo. I hope that I did Cab to his satisfaction...

The Reservoir Lounge closes at about 2:00 am, and sadly, we left. We did, however, pay a visit to the all-night Tim Horton's (Check out www.timhortons.com, by the way...) As we enjoyed our coffee and donuts, Carole asked me why the place had suddenly filled with attractive young women that didn't seem to be dressed for the cold. I really didn't want to venture an opinion. Maybe they were out dancing, too.

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Friday February 19, 1999

We started our day in Toronto with breakfast at the Senator restaurant. When we walked across the street, we found ourselves in the middle of a parade. It seems that the Toronto Maple Leafs (hockey team) was moving from the old Maple Leaf Gardens (a fine art deco structure) to the new Air Canada Center. It was a very nice parade of genuinely human scale: a marching band, trucks full of kids in hockey gear, the players in open cars, and three Zambonis.

We followed the parade for a while and found ourselves outside the newly restored Pantages Theater. A fellow was polishing the brass on the door and Carole persuaded him to let us in for a peep. The place is truly magnificent. As we poked around, we attracted the notice of a nice lady who seemed to be more than willing to engage us in conversation, especially after she heard that we were travelling dancers. (Lindy Hop seems to open a whole lot of doors) After discussing the history of the place, she mentioned that she was just about to release some half price tickets for the next day's performance of The Phantom of the Opera. After feigning discreet interest, she allowed that there might be a few seats available at an even deeper discount. We snapped them up...

From there, we headed to the Bata Shoe Museum (327 Bloor St. West 416-979-7799, check out www.batashoemuseum.com). We got interested in this based on a coffee table book on the subject of Shoes that Gay Shepardson has. Ladies, this is the place for you --- four huge floors devoted to nothing but shoes. We arrived in time for the unveiling of a new exhibit. It seems that Geri Halliwell ("Ginger Spice") had just donated several pairs of shoes to the museum. Good luck just seems to follow us around...

We spent the afternoon riding the trolleys , disembarking at all thrift stores and Italian bakeries. The Riviera Bakery (400 block of College Street West) has fresh Arancini --- a light fluffy pastry filled with sweetened ricotta and gently deep fried (they look like oranges). This was truly amazing! Our stops also yielded several ties, shirts, and several 1940s dresses.

However, as the evening rolled around, the business of the trip was at hand. Along with several Canadian couples, we were scheduled to perform at The Coldwell-Banker Awards Gala at the Westin Harbor Castle Hotel and Conference Center. Peter arrived at the appropriate time and we headed downtown to the Westin. We had no idea that this was going to be a GIGANTIC affair. There were close to 5,000 people in attendance from all over Canada. We had TWO big bands so there were no quiet periods. When we got there, we found that we were seated at Table #1 (a little pressure, please...). We got a brief rundown on the script and got our cues as to when they wanted us to come out dancing. The large number of photographers and TV cameras were just a little bit scary. The candian dancers were a mix of Peter's Hogtown Hepcats doing Lindy and Mike Wagner's Toronto Swing Dance Society doing West Coast. It was a very gregarious group. We did our very best to show the flag. I led a driveshaft, throwing Carole right toward a TV camera --- we hear that made the news. We worked all evening and had a very remarkable time. We'd certainly like to thank the folks at Coldwell Banker for the opportunity.

Meanwhile, things appear to have been hopping in the U.S:

From: Elizabeth Weaver Engel ewengel@apsanet.org

Hoppin' potluck this week, with Monica and Alicyn, Cherri Harris and Ron Heron. We had a great time, really good food, and I think we get so rowdy we scared the hell out of our cats. Cherri was a last minute addition, so fortunately she and I are close to the same size and she was able to borrow some of my dance duds.

PoliTiki just continues to grow and grow. It wasn't too crowded early on, and we were able to do quite a bit of dancing with a decent amount of space. Jim and I had a very nice time talking with Evan and Tara, two brand-new to Lindy dancers who seemed to be having a good time. We all danced a ton, Cherri and worked on Collegiate Shag, we did a shim sham with Bernstein looking on in disgust, and Kathy was actually nutty enough to start a jam with very few potential jammin' leaders there (I think it was just Jim, Ron, and Big Ed). So we ended up with a partial round of speed shim sham.

By the time it was getting really crowded and smoky, and the people who'd had a few too many were hitting the floor, we were about ready to head home anyway. It was a good night of dancing. So, one more time, the future schedule:

  • NO on Friday, March 5 (my brother is getting hitched)
  • NO on Friday, March 12 (Eric and Sylvia weekend)
  • YES on Friday, March 19
  • YES on Friday, March 26

Friday potlucks at chez Engel (17 6th Street, SE) run from 7 - 9 pm or thereabouts. Call (202.547.2344) or e-mail (ewengel@apsanet.org) by Thursday evening if you can so we know how many to expect. You don't have to be going to PoliTiki to come; it's just very convenient to where we live. Hope to see you all there - we've got plenty of space!

From: Cherri Harris cbsit01@erols.com

I had the pleasure of attending Elizabeth and Jim Engle's Friday nite potluck and preparation for a night of dancing. Ron Haron, and Alison and Monica, two more recent dancing disciples, were also there. We had great food, the wonderfully stylish surroundings of the Engle's new apartment (complete with great ceilings and a staircase not-for-the-timid) and lively pre-dance conversations and demos. Since my decision to dance was last minute (silly me) and didn't have time to go home and get my clothes (my upcoming move to VA should help in that department) Elizabeth was gracious enough to take pity on my high heels and working clothes and lend me her clothes. I didn't quite fill them out as nicely as she does, but then again, who among use could? Anyway....we walked to Politiki which had a good, almost overflow crowd, including some hand dancers. Luckily Bernstein showed up to coach the DJ out on selection and upping the volume. Jim and Elizabeth wowed the crowd with their lindy moves and great timing, complete with aerials, shag and balboa. They led the jam, which included Ed and Ron at least twice apiece I think, given the shortage of men, and Cathy. In view of the man-shortage, Alison got to practice her leading technique with me....hey Nina and Naomi better watch out, you might get some serious competition! We left around midnight, which is when the cigar and other smoke started to get to us, but the place was still going strong, and some folks, like Raynead, had just arrived. Thanks again to the Engel's for being such great hosts (and patient Charleston teachers). They have opened up their place to dancers for pre-dancing potluck every Friday (I think they are out of town the Friday after next) and it is a great opportunity to actually talk to the people you hang out with and get the weekend started.

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Saturday February 20, 1999

Saturday is apparently a slow day for Lindy Hop in Toronto. We spent the day riding the trolleys in search of Vintage and I hit the jackpot --- a whole man's blue pinstripe suit (coat and pants!) for $5 CA. It is almost a miracle that a whole suit would survive unscathed, particularly one with high waisted pants. Next, it is a miracle that it escaped the screening at the thrift store. This is a real treasure.

We had a fantastic dinner at Regina Ristorante (673 College St W.) in the heart of Little Italy. An excellent family restaurant with wonderful cooking. A very enjoyable experience.

And then it was time to see The Phantom of the Opera. We had a great time. It turns out that several patrons with front row seats had failed to show up at the performance. Our friend from the theater saw to it that we got to fill them. The chandelier came crashing down about three feet from my head. We had a brief apres-theater repast at Tim Horton's and went back to the hotel to enjoy a CBC festival of Agatha Christie films on TV.

From: Sue Fedor deevoo@mci2000.com

We went to Nick's for the first time on Saturday. We were meeting an old friend of ours (the guy who threw the party where Steve and I first met, as a matter of fact...) and he's a real bar star. Where better to go to introduce him to our crazy Lindy lifestyle than Nick's!

Flatfoot Sam and The Educated Fools was the band. They kept it pretty moderate tempo and sort of bluesy. The mostly beginner crowd was pretty frustrated trying to do their newly learned steps at that tempo. The band saved their fastest number for the last song and Steve and I pulled out all the stops for our pal....aerials, etc...

The highlight of the evening was getting to meet The Sternbergs (Debra's sister and her husband, her cousin-in from Israel, and her lovely mom). I'll always refer to them as "The Sternbergs" because, frankly, I think you could produce a sitcom around this family. They're a riot. Later, in the back room, Debra and her sister did some dancing for us. Debra attempted 1/3 of a lockup before her sister strongly objected.

Meanwhile, Steve and I taught the basic 6-count to our buddy, Joe and eventually Steve had both Joe and Debra's brother-in-law learning the basic Charleston.

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Sunday February 21, 1999

We had a very nice flight back from Toronto and arrived to find DC in the icy grip of winter. It was much colder in DC than it was in Toronto! We'd like to thank Peter Renzland, Mandi Gould and Jody Glanzer for helping us have a fantastic time in Toronto!

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Monday February 22, 1999

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Tuesday February 23, 1999

We had a very nice turnout at the Shark on Tuesday, even though it was snowing fairly heavily. Glynis and Laurie showed up and we took a bunch of photographs in front of the salt water aquarium. It's always good to see Dan Steeples and Doug Pierce. Tonight, Brian MacGill showed up. Tommy and the band were fantastic. So, we encourage you all to come on over to the Shark on Tuesday and join in the live band fun.

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Wednesday February 24, 1999

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Thursday February 25, 1999

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Friday February 26, 1999

From: Misha Akkerman Akkerman.Michael@orbit al.com

Well, it's been four days since our Chicago visitors hopped on the plane and flew back to the Windy City, and I am only now beginning to recover from lack of sleep, sore muscles, and abnormally high amounts of endorphins. This past weekend was by far the most fun I have had dancing in DC, and I have now been at it for a few years....

The Chicago bunch were not only great dancers, but also genuinly nice people whose energy and enthusiasm could not help but rub off on those around them. I think what made the weekend unique was the social aspect of close interpersonal interaction with such great people who can start out as strangers only to feel like close friends three days later. Call me a romantic, but as I watched the plane push off from the gate, I had that empty feeling in my stomach a person sometimes gets after saying good bye to a good friend or a loved one. Except this time I was saying good bye to ten friends instead of the usual one or two..

The weekend started at Nick's on Friday night with the best local crowd I remember seeing in many months. It seemed as if all the good dancers crawled out of the woodwork to join us in swinging to the wonderful sounds of New Legacy Jazz. Mark and Wendy were there, Kleinpeter, Beverly, Tricia, Jeff, Naomi and Nina, Todd from Baltimore, Karen, Kathy, and many others I simply cannot list. (Thank you all for coming.) This was on top of the wonderful group of hosts and, of course, the ten Windy Hoppers. At some point close to the end of the night I remember actually thinking that I did not get to dance with all the people I wanted to dance with that evening....

In other words, the band was great and the dancing was even greater! The last set finished at 11:30 and those of us fortunate enough to be looking were treated to a great hip-hop lindy by Young Jin and Mary to some club song the DJ put on. The improv was worthy of Nina and Naomi's performance at ALHC!

Late night found us in the back room spinning our own CD's and filling the little dance floor to the brim. We had a true great social jam that is so difficult to find in DC these days. People just grabbed someone standing next to them and jumped into the circle to social dance to the music. Aerials were rare, but musicality, partnership, and great lead and follow were in great abundance!

As the club closed around two, the more stoid of us went across the street to a diner with the most inflexible menu I have ever seen. No, they didn't have any bananas; no, they could not saute the mushrooms in vegetable oil and put them on the side; and, no, they could not bring us a pitcher of water.... We managed to have a wonderful time of it nevertheless, exchanging stories, jokes, and experiences.

From: Elizabeth Engel ewengel@apsanet.org

Unfortunately, we had what was our very first bad night of dancing at PoliTiki. It was actually less crowded than usual, but there were far fewer of the regular dancers than usual, too. (I think everyone was at Nick's entertaining the Windy Hoppers.) So the dance floor was a dangerous place all night long. Not only did the fairly inexperienced crowd generally have little respect for others' dance space (which is to be expected in beginners), they had little respect for others' bodily integrity, crashing into you without warning or apology. It was a frustrating experience. Fortunately, neither of us sustained anything more serious than a few bruises, but it wasn't a good night, and we left sore and irritated just after 11 pm. Oh well, I guess not every week can be perfect...but we need all you good dancers to keep coming out to help keep some semblance of order on the dance floor!

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Saturday February 27, 1999

Misha continues with the Windy Hoppers' story:

From: Misha Akkerman Akkerman.Michael@orbit al.com

Saturday morning found us on the steps of the Jefferson memorial on the most gorgeous day we could have possibly asked for. (Dr. Dan has actually complained that he got a sun-burn.) We danced to the tunes of the big band greats with happy onlookers sitting on the stairs and wondering how in the world a person's smile could possibly stretch that far.

Around two we packed up and headed to the National Gallery of Art to watch movies honoring the centenial birthday of Duke Ellington. The first was a wonderful short that featured Duke himself, as well as Billie Holiday. The second movie was "Paris Blues" with a Paul Newman who I didn't think could be that young, and Sidney Portier. Duke Ellington wrote the score, and there were a couple of scenes with honest to goodness lindy hop. The band jam scene, however, far and away stole the spot-light!

From there we headed to Steve and Sue's for one of their famous pot-lucks. By that point everyone was starving and the home-made pizzas that they whipped up were truly a stroke of genious! We ate and danced, danced and ate, blindfolded each other, danced, ate, stole partners, and, of course made new friends. Thank you very much, Sue and Steve, for a wonderful evening.

Glen Echo with Tom Cunningham was next on the list, and I think the Chicago folks were quite impressed with our native big band. The dancers were hot, the band was hotter, the energy in the place threatened to bring down the walls, and Tom was actually smiling as he puffed into his trumpet. Robin sang one song in an incredible deep raspy voice and got a standing ovation, as did the band's soloist after the jam. It must have lasted about 15 minutes, and we all thought he was going to pass out as his face kept turning reader and reader. The music, however, only got better and better and all dancers were treated to the true sounds of a big band as opposed to the difficult drum solos of songs like Sing Sing Sing.... The night found us at the Tastee Diner dancing in the isles to the songs on the Juke Box. My head did not hit the pillow until close to five in the morning.

From: Elizabeth Engel ewengel@apsanet.org

We had a blast at Steve and Sue's. We showed up, Frank's Pasta e Fagioli in hand, around 4:30 pm. We discovered Mara and Barry Levy already there, and Steve and Carla preparing for the Leukemia Ball. We danced, chatted, and noshed with Barry and Mara until other folks started showing up. Before we knew it, the table was groaning with food, the house was packed, and folks were dancing up a storm in the living room. I keep waiting for the floor to give out and land us all in Steve's apartment! The Windy Hoppers were great people and great dancers. I can't speak for the followers ;-) but the leaders have a terrific, very sensuous Savoy-style Lindy going that I (and I think many other DC-area followers) enjoyed immensely. [Editor's note: Click here for the recipe for Pasta e' Fagioli.]

After eating, dancing a bit, and playing several rounds of blindfolded guess the leader/guess the follower, Jim and I hopped a ride with Sean over to Glen Echo to make sure we could get in. Aside from New Year's Eve, we haven't danced at Glen Echo in months, so we really enjoyed getting back there, particularly since it was a TCO week. Since we don't go to America anymore (my poor geezer legs and feet can't take that floor!), we don't see TCO nearly as much as I'd like. We had a great time dancing and hamming and chatting with the Windy Hoppers.

An impromptu jam broke out during the first band break, in which during the third very fast song Jim and I got to show off some of the Balboa Iver's been teaching us, and the jam itself, in the second set as always, was a lot of fun. Obviously, we haven't jammed at Glen Echo in ages either, and with the addition of the Windy Hoppers and the subtraction of many of the regulars who were performing at the Leukemia Ball, it was a very different jam than normal - no performance pressure and no choreographed routines, just good dancers going out with other good dancers (not even necessarily their regular partners) and dancing to the music and to the delight of the crowd. It was really, really enjoyable, and was I think the first time both Jim and I have enjoyed our turn in the jam, since there wasn't the usual "Can you top this?" pressure.

Afterwards, a huge group of us went to the still-standing American City Diner branch at Friendship Heights and persuaded the staff to re-open the back room for us so we could drink our milkshakes and dance in peace (and without disturbing the other restaurant patrons too much). We as usual stayed out way too late and slept away way too much of Sunday morning, but we had a terrific evening, so I think it was probably worth it. Also - thanks to Lisa for the ride home in the infamous Bondo Beast.

From: Sue Fedor deevoo@mci2000.com

Steve and I hosted the pot luck for the ten or so WINDY HOPPERS who make the great trek down to our Nation's Capitol. Thanks to Misha Akkerman, Dr. Dan Fierer, Lizzie Hess & Julia Stewart for putting up the visitors. This involved providing lodging as well as wheels. Misha was exhausted by the time he arrived at the pot luck and used one of our unused spare bedrooms for a short nap.

As per usual, the food was excellent. The Engels made Pasta e Fagioli, straight off the website, and there was everything else from pizza to pot roast. Dr. Dan started a new tradition that I would like to make a frequent practice: He brought a big bag a bagels. This ensured that the HOSTS would have something for breakfast the next morning besides Julia's cold pasta salad. Not that cold pasta salad is bad, but Steve ate most of it after Glen Echo.

And as expected, the WH'ers made a beeline for the living room and danced non-stop. We had to remind them that Glen Echo was on the agenda. An unexpected appearance by Mara Levy had everyone thrilled. As the evening wore on, several folks took turns dancing blindfolded. How else could Mara mistake Mike Dugan for Lizzy Hess!!! (Hint: if someone blindfolds you and asks you to identify the dancer, check first for facial hair.)

Glen Echo was great. TCO cooked. They are so reliably good. The WH'ers were impressed and toward the end of the evening, business cards were exchanged and plans were made for a possible excursion to Chicago. We'll see if it pans out. I think dark suits, white shirts, ties and sunglasses may be in order for the band, who just may be on a "MISSION FROM GOD" very soon.

Robin clocked the jam (which was without any stern leadership) at 16 minutes. Brent Sessions was definitely flirting with an aneurism. They played "Two O'Clock Jump" at a mercifully moderate pace and still kept it peppy enough for aerials. I think Dr. Dan and Misha personally saw to it that each and every Windy Hopper got in. Even without a steady editing hand, all of the dancers seemed to politely let each other in and the dance hogs got the hint when the other couple cut in. And even without our dancing superstars, the Jam still was fairly impressive, what with Mara Levy and Jim Kranyak (what a combo!), Dr. Dan, Misha, Lizzie, and the unveiling of Jim and Elisabeth's "waterfall".

YES, TCO IS GETTING FASTER during the last set. He's playing for the hard core dancers that are left. And we can enjoy those less frequently played chestnuts like "Life Goes to A Party".

From: Michael J. Augustine MikeA@silcinc.com

I just wanted to tell you guys how great the dance was on Saturday. The Chicago Windy Hoppers were there and they were awesome! Everyone was having a blast dancing with all of them and you would have thought it was summer time because of the line outside. Some people stood in the rain for almost 45 minutes waiting to get in. Tom Cunningham played a great show (so what else is new). People were so anxious to start a jam that there was one in between sets. It wasn't really organized but everyone just got in a circle and people started going in. It was awesome to see all the guys from Chicago strut their stuff. There was some awesome balboa too. The (real) jam was awesome too. It went on forever and because no one was there to organize it(i don't know where Tom and Debra went off to) people were being pushed off as each couple couldn't wait to get into the spotlight. It would have gone on even longer, but Tom Cunningham cut it off after a while when people started going in a second time. It was an awesome night and I can't wait until TCO is back at Glen Echo.

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Sunday February 28, 1999

From: Misha Akkerman Akkerman.Michael@orbit al.com

Thanks to Hutch, Sunday found a wonderful crowd at the Grille, swiging, strolling, and jamming to the tunes of our own Bill Lehman. Once again, the DC folks were introduced to a Chicago favorite past time -- stealing. Three hours went by in the space of what seemed like one.

From there we went on to Lewies for a great dinner at a great price. I don't think I had ever seen shrimp that big, and the baked potato was larger than a small watermelon, and the salads were the size of ant-hills. Once our stomachs had a chance to digest most of it, we hit the dance floor and did not stop until the staff kicked us out around two. Daddy-O spun great CDs and actually had a song that some of the Chicago folks had been trying to find for months. Once again, the most insane of us ended up at the diner and I did not get to sleep until five only to get up at 7:30, go to the airport, and then straight to work.

The weekend was AMAZING -- there are simply no other words to describe it.

A HUGE thank you to all of you who made it possible by coming out and dancing with us. (I think Nina and Naomi now have at least six places to stay whenever they want to visit the Windy City -- the number of Chicago leads who came down. :)

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