_Reviews of June 1999

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Review of Dance Events During June, 1999

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Tuesday, June 1, 1999
Wednesday, June 2, 1999
Thursday June 3, 1999
Friday June 4, 1999
Saturday, June 5, 1999
Sunday, June 6, 1999
Monday, June 7, 1999
Tuesday, June 8, 1999
Wednesday, June 9, 1999
Thursday June 10, 1999
Friday June 11, 1999
Saturday, June 12, 1999
Sunday, June 13, 1999
Monday, June 14, 1999
Tuesday, June 15, 1999
Wednesday, June 16, 1999
Thursday June 17, 1999
Friday June 18, 1999
Saturday, June 19, 1999
Sunday, June 20, 1999
Monday, June 21, 1999
Tuesday, June 22, 1999
Wednesday, June 23, 1999
Thursday, June 24, 1999
Friday, June 25, 1999
Saturday, June 26, 1999
Sunday, June 27, 1999
Monday, June 28, 1999
Tuesday, June 29, 1999
Wednesday, June 30, 1999

DANCE REVIEWS

Tuesday June 1, 1999

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Wednesday June 2, 1999

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Thursday June 3, 1999

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Friday June 4, 1999

We went to Poli-Tiki and had a very good time. Susan Lusi and Ray Wiles did the honors as dance teachers and gave a very well-received lesson. The crowd was kind of light, leaving plenty of room for dancing. Laurie and her Rockabilly friends showed up, but alas, Glynis was busy elsewhere. We met a nice lady named Teresa who has just moved here from Ithaca. She's a friend of Bill Borgida, so ask her to dance, guys.

A very nice evening! Starting next week, Gerg and Joe of Zones are going to be taking over the action at Poli-Tiki, probably with Steve and Carla as hosts. There is no cover for the opener, but I have a feeling that the days of Poli-Tiki as a freebie are over.

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Saturday June 5, 1999

We went to Nick's to see the Cunningham Band in action. There was a capacity crowd and it was good to see Big John Mills, Mara Levy and a lot of the other college kids in action. Our new friend Teresa showed up as did Leon Trager, and a whole bunch of other people --- it was great to see Frank Karb back out, fully recovered from his injury. We have been so busy with jobs that this was the first time we could get out. Our "vintage suitcase" was filled with goodies that seemed to be eagerly gobbled up by the crowd. Thanks, guys!

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Sunday June 6, 1999

Carole and Harrison Pledger, regulars at Glen Echo and America, had a great German theme party at their lovely house in Great Falls. We had a nice chat with David and Suzanne Josephs We also met the Diamonds, a couple from New York. Lou Diamond was actually a finalist in the Harvest Moon Ball in 1938 --- he has a lot of great New York stories to tell because he was a reporter for the Daily News in the 30s and 40s.

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Monday June 7, 1999

Jim, Elizabeth, Sean and Lisa joined We at a dinner/dance sponsored by the Wireless industry. The J Street Jumpers was the band and we got to dance in the atrium of the new Reagan Building downtown. The band was great, but they only gave us a small space on a landing on the staircase to dance. You had to be really careful! All in all, a whole lot of fun. Thanks to the band and the sponsor.

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Tuesday June 8, 1999

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Wednesday June 9, 1999

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Thursday June 10, 1999

We started our trip to the South. The weather was great and the traffic on I-81 was surprisingly light. As is our custom, we stopped for lunch in Staunton, Virginia for the world-class grilled pimento cheese sandwiches at the Berkeley Restaurant. Words cannot express how good these are... Their coccoanut cream pie is also very noteworthy.

After this very refreshing interlude, we continued on our way. We made our way down I-77 to our destination for the day: Mount Airy, North Carolina, the birthplace of Andy Griffith and the "model" for the fictional city of Mayberry.

We also found out that Eng and Chang Bunker, the famous Siamese Twins of the P.T. Barnum Circus raised their (joint...) families in Mount Airy. Also, Mount Airy is the "Toaster Capital of the World" and has the "World's Lagrest Open-face Granite Quarry." Did you really want to know all that?

Even though the Andy Griffith Show has been off the air for more than 20 years (well, there are those reruns...), the Mayberry business is still strong in Mount Airy. To our dismay, much like its fictional counterpart, the place rolls up the sidewalks at about 7:00 pm. We had a rather nice time walking around and managed to find a Sonic Dive-In (with car service) for dinner.

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Friday June 11, 1999

We began our day with breakfast at the Snappy Lunch, mentioned frequently on the TV program. The biscuits and gravy were very good and the price --- even in an OBVIOUS tourist trap was very good.

We found several good thrift stores and came back with several interesting items -- ties, shirts, and another Replogle Starlight Globe.

From there, it was off to Charlotte for lunch and a check of the Swing Scene there. We were very fortunate to meet Lou, the manager of Swing 1000 (1000 Central Avenue , 343-4443) He is operating a very high class club in a building converted from an art-deco laundry. It has a stage, large dance floor and quite a few elegant banquettes. The dance floor is sprung maple and is about 60' by 15 feet. Very nice. Swing 1000 is completely devoted to Swing --- there are events five nights a week, closed Sunday and Monday. Lou tells us that East Coast is the predominate style. The house band is

Swing Central.

At Charlotte, we got on I-85 and headed west. We stopped for a moment in Cowpens, SC, home of the Revolutionary War battle. We were a week shy of the "Mighty Moo Festival" when veterans from the USS Cowpens (a WWII aircraft carrier of the Lexington class, named after battles like Yorktown and Saratoga...) would gather. The big thing in Cowpens seems to be antiques and Hot Dogs. We noted that several establishments were having a "Hot Dog War" --- Mike's was selling them 5 for $2.89, while another place had 5 for $2.75, etc. etc.

We also stopped in Gaffney, SC. If you have driven on I-95, you may have seen the water tower painted like a gigantic peach. We stopped and enjoyed a glass of peach cider, which I highly reccommend.

We finally reached our destination: Greer, SC, a small town that lies midway between Greenville and Spartanburg. The town is in the process of being reborn --- vacant commercial spaces are being converted into restaurants, boutiques, coffeeshops, etc. We liked this place very much, especially the Starlight Ballroom which had been very lovingly created out of the town department store by Al and Mary, who are ballroom dancers. The foor is first rate and the space is very charming. Best of all, Al owns the local Carrier distributorship. If anyone is going to own a ballroom, its SHOULD be an air-conditioning expert.

When we checked in to our hotel, we found messages from Paul Hoke, our host, indicating that our presence was requested at TWO demos that evening. So, we changed and met the Greenville gang at a place called Gourmet Pizza --- we might have been walking ito the Amphora, because it seems that dancers and food seem to go together.

We did our first demo at a big barn-like club in a shopping center. I was quite unused to the amount of security -- I even had to let them search our dance suitcase. They had a nice dance floor and our performance was very well received --- we even picked up a few more candidates for our workshop.

The next demo was at a hip-hop/disco place that had even more security. This was one of those places with several levels of "VIP" ambience. Two ladies got out of a Rolls Royce while we were being "processed" and I overheard one of the security guys use his headset to advise someone to "Chill their Dom Perignon." I had to get special dispensation from one of the guards to wear my hat (the ubiquitous "hat rule"). This place had a metal detector, and the guards thoroughly inspected the suitcase. Swing dancers should count themselves lucky that this type of foolishness is not a part of OUR scene. The demo went very well, although the floor was so sticky from beer that it was hard to dance. We were please that a little bit of life was injected into the place and we attracted quite a crowd of interested people. Numerous people offered to buy us drinks and seemed puzzled when we told them that swing dancers don't, as a rule,

drink.

It was well past midnight when we finished. We didn't even have to ask about the Krispy Kreme --- this landmark was well-known to our Greenville friends. As luck would have it, we got there just as the "Hot Doughnuts" sign went on.

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Saturday June 12, 1999

More about our trip to Greenville after these reviews of events in DC:

From: Robert Roxbrough

I attended the Shout n' Feel It workshop and would like to report that the event exceeded all expectations!! The reigning world champs, Kenneth and Helena Norbelie, were fantastic. They focused a good part of their instruction on dancing to the music. For instance, they had the guys dancing to the singer while the girls were told to dance to the piano...all during the same song. The other instructors were outstanding as well. Not only did they insist that we perform the fundamentals well, but they taught us some great routines and steps that I will apply eagerly the next time I go dancing.

Most impressive, however, was their enthusiasm for lindy and their willingness to go out of their way to help others who share their enthusiasm. I mentioned my frustration at my futile attemps to obtain a particular CD, for example, and one member of the group immediately volunteered to send it to me upon his return to Sweden. Marc and Ellen did a superb job orchestrating their visit and I hope they can convince Shout 'n Feel It to return next year.

From: Matt Smiley

This weekend, the Fajkowski family played host to many of Alex's friends from upstate college. Alex who goes to school in Cornell discovered a great Lindy community up there under the guidance of Bill Borgida. Anyway, this weekend many of Alex's dancing friends came down to scope the DC scene. It was lots of fun.

The festivities on Sat. kicked off with a BBQ at the Fajkowski's fabulous home, attended by most of the Flying Whippersnappers. It really was a beautiful house. That family has got some great taste when it comes to interior decorating (no deco eggbeaters or streamlined juice makers, but nice all-the-same). And boy, speaking of taste, the food was just delicious! Cameron and Mr. Fajkowski tended to the grill while the rest of us played ping-pong, or listened to Jeff, Nina, and Andy (of Ithica, NY) recount Smiths tunes on Jeff's guitar (boy, can he sing!). We all sat down to eat around 4:30 and feasted upon the delicios grilled chicken (recipe forthcoming!), water-mellon, and green beans (that were curiosly spicy). It was just great fun and a good time was had by all.

Oh yea, we did some actual Lindy Hop related stuff that evening, too.

Back to Greenville...

We arrived at the Starlight Ballroom to find out that one of the main air-handlers had failed. Normally, this would have been a disaster, but as we were unloading our equipent, Al showed up with a crew and fixed the problem. All ballrooms should be owned by Air Conditioning experts.

We had 61 couples, which posed quite a task. There was a broad age range and everyone came prepared to learn Lindy Hop. We were impressed with the attitude and interest of our students. Although it took some considerable effort, by the end of the day, we had everyone doing credible Swingouts and Charleston along with a number of other moves integrated into a small "survival" routine. We actually worked from 10:00 am until 5:30 pm and everyone stayed for the whole show. We were very satisfied with the results.

We want to thank everyone who came --- especially the folks who came from Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina. One fellow had equipped himself for the event by buying shoes from dancestore.com and a zoot suit from El Pachuco. Our special thanks to Elliott and Meredith from Asheville who have invited us to give another workshop there in October. What a great crowd!

However, we didn't have time to rest on our laurels, because a radio station had caught our demo the night before and wanted us to do a demo at the North Carolina State Barbecue festival. So, we got the group together and drove to Tryon, NC, about 35 miles north and did the demo. We were rewarded with a large sampling of the championship barbecue cookery. It was worth the drive.

We only had an hour to get ready for the dance, so we had to beat a quick retreat back to the hotel, shower and change into WWII uniforms for the evening's USO dance. When we got there, I was stunned to see our Marine friend, John who had driven all the way from Camp Lejeune for the event. THANKS JOHN!!!

The Pat Thornburg Big Band was very very good and could play anywhere in DC or New York. Pat plays quite the trumpet and the band's book includes a LOT of hot swing tunes.

The event had a lot of fun events. First was the "Romeo and Juliet" contest --- folks were assigned a dance card and the goal was to have as many dance partners as possible. There was also a costume contest.

When the first band break came around, we announced that we were going to teach Shim Sham. I was stunned when all 160 people got up on the dance floor! We had a crisis of visibility and I had to use every trick in the book like shifting rows, moving into the crowd, etc, etc. to accomplish this.

The dance went on until the posted closing time. However, I discovered a novel Greenville tradition --- the band plays until people go home! We need some of that in DC! We finally left at about 1:30. We were not quite exhausted, so we hit the Krispy Kreme for some badly needed sugar and carbohydrates. Personally, I think that the coffee at the Krispy Kreme is much better than the coffee at Starbucks.

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Sunday June 13, 1999

We rose early in order to attend a "farewell breakfast" --- we were stunned when a BIG group of our new friends showed up --- we took up a BIG table in the back room of the local Denny's. We had a great time, talking about dancing, promoting Swing and our next Greenville workshop in August.

Carole began the trip with a desire to go swimming in a "mountain lake". Our friends made a great suggestion and we started on our way up Route 26 to Brevard, SC. On the way, we passed Caesar's Head State Park which features massive exposed limestone cliffs. We really enjoyed the view.

When we arrived in Brevard, we had brunch at the Brevard Inn, a very, very nice bed and breakfast. The specialty was fresh local mountain trout, almodine and it was spectacular. After lunch we drove about ten miles down the road to Pisgah National Forest. The big attraction is Sliding Rock --- there is an exposed face of granite that slopes at about 20 degrees. A swift-flowing mountain stream runs over the rock. One sits on the rock and slides about 100 feet into an ice cold pool of water at the end. It was a hot day and we found this very refreshing.

From Brevard, we made our way onto the Blue Ridge Parkway and wound our way through the natural beauty for the rest of the afternoon. We exited at Boone, NC and travelled north to catch I-81. Due to our meandering, we didn't get home until 3:00 am, but all-in-all, it was very worthwhile.

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Monday June 14, 1999

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Tuesday June 15, 1999

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Wednesday June 16, 1999

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Thursday June 17, 1999

We finally got out to Timpano's for the "Third Thursday" swing night with the RKO Orchestra. The place was PACKED. We saw a lot of familiar faces from a long time ago, including a lot of folks from the old (96-97) days at the River Club. There qere quite a few contemporary Lindy Hoppers as well including Mike Mandel, Beverly Meadows, John McCalla, Stacey Wachter, Bill Lehman, Trish Mannetti, and Nick Augustine to name a few.The RKO Orchestra was awesome --- Tommy Barrick kept everything swinging, particularly with his "True-To-Krupa" version of Sing, Sing, Sing. The floor was crowded, but everyone seemed to be able to get out and dance. The most amazing part of the evening was the smell of really fantastic Italian cooking emanating from the open kitchen. Hot Swing and lots of garlic are my idea of Heaven (maybe you have to be Italian to appreciate that...) Here's what Nick had to say:

From: (Nick Augustine)
Hey Guys! Timpanos on Thursday was pretty good...the RKO orchestra was good, really kept the crowd going. The dance space was pretty small and started out nice, but as the night went on it got pretty crowded. There were a good amount of dancers but even more drinkers who thought they were dancers (that's always fun!) overall i would say that it was a good night, the jam was awesome (considering there were only 4 couples that each went twice and it ended with a shim sham) the band played an awesome version of Sing, Sing, Sing! too...Well, to end this review I will say that if i have the oppurtunity, I will go back to Timpano's.

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Friday June 18, 1999

The big story this weekend was the extravanganza in Ocean City. Elizabeth Engel was On The Spot:

From: Elizabeth Weaver Engel

Louise, Deb, Jim and I arrived in OC Friday evening about dinner time and checked into the fabulous Plim Plaza. You know what? That wasn't the Plim Plaza pictured on their brochure. It was...let's call it a dive. It reminded me of one of those cheesy little motor court hotels that were slapped up along every beach front on the eastern seaboard in the 1950's, only it dates from the 1930's. Sadly, every little bit of 30's charm had been ruthlessly removed during various rennovations. But it was literally right on the beach, which is pretty redeeming. And it was clean and critter-free.

So we all got checked in and gussied up in our 1950's getups (thanks to Deb for the headband and 'do consult), met up with Ellen and Chris B, and headed out for some dinner at a nice Italian place between the Plim and the convention center. We arrived a little late, in the middle of one of the Jumpers' sets, to find a full but not crowded dance floor, and lots of folks milling around talking and watching from the sides. The Jumpers smoked, but the other band, Michael and the Little Professors, didn't. So we all danced our butts off during the Jumpers' sets, and visited during M&tLP. When we first arrived, there weren't too many folks present that I recognized, but more and more regulars showed up as the evening wore on. It was a particularly nice surprise to see some of the Harrisburg folks show up. Dancestore.com's Marilyn dress and my "new" vintage platforms made quite a splash, as did Deb's fabulous 50's sundress and bolero jacket.

After dancing, a big crowd of us headed back to the Plim, changed into warmer clothes, and took to the boardwalk. My spouse, who should know better having grown up in Plymouth, Mass, negelcted to bring any warm clothes for those chilly beach front evenings. Fortunately, Randi loaned him a spare jacket, which kept him from freezing to death. After following Mercedes' excellent suggestion to massage our tired tootsies in the lovely, cool, squishy sand, we sauntered down the boardwalk well after midnight, eating ice cream cones, funnel cake, and hot pretzels, playing arcade games, and running into scattered groups of dancers the whole time. Jim and I retired shortly before 2 am, and apparently missed out on some noisy, silly fun, but we're just getting too old for these late nights!

---Elizabeth

Back here in DC, things looked kind of Ordinary until we heard from Dara Furlow of the Washington Area Lawyers in the Arts (WALA). It seems that they were having a big gala at Fannie Mae and they wanted some Swing Dancers to liven things up. We knew that a large number of people were going to Ocean City, so we scrambled to round up an entertaining crew. Fortunately, there were some people left in town (over 250 had signed up for events in OC). Marc and Ellen taught a great beginner lesson. Frank Guldseth and New Columbia Swing kept things moving. Let's see -- the gang included Cameron. Lisa and Frank (Karb), Dr. Daniel Fierer and Julia Stewart, Ron "Mountain Man" Meadows and Joanie, Eric Celarier, Iver Cooper and Tiffany, Susan Lusi, and Ray Wiles. If I missed anyone, forgive me --- I'm old and senile.

The theme of the Gala was "Edible Art" --- namely desserts in all shapes and forms from all the really pricey restaurants in town. This was the most outrageous sugar rush that I have ever had. Baba aux Rhum that you could die for, Mousses, Sorbets, and white or dark chocolate in any incarnation. Elaborately constructed desserts were avaiable in mass quantities. If you have a sweet tooth, this was the place to be. PLUS, they had all the goood strong coffee that you could consume --- and everything was on china and silver. Our thanks to the WALA for the invitation to a truly first class event. Oh yes, we had a really good jam (Swing jam...) and the gang did their best to dance with everyone there. A great time! Thanks again to Dara Furlow and the WALA

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Saturday June 19, 1999

Elizabeth continues with the Big Weekend at Ocean City:

From: Elizabeth Weaver Engel
Saturday, a big group of us had breakfast at one of the little stands on the boardwalk, then we piled into Mercedes' van and headed out to take some smooth/Hollywood-style Lindy classes with the fabulous Charlie and Nici. The room was crowded and hot, and had a tile floor, a low ceiling, and windows that didn't open, but we all still had a great time and learned a lot anyway. Jim elected to stay for additional classes, while I joined the group that was heading back to the Plim so I could do some yoga and stretch out my still aching bod. We caught up with Dave and Gay (and Rob, Gretta, and Sara) mid-afternoon, and spent the rest of the afternoon roaming the boardwalk (where Deb and I picked up some very cute 1940's style halter tops), playing on the beach, and running into other dancers. We also got to play dress-up with a giant doll named Steve. Keep your eyes open for the photos.

Saturday night a bunch of us had decided to wear red in honor of the Jumpers, so we all cleaned up and changed into our varying shades of red (yes, pink does count), and car pooled over to the famous Dumser's for dinner. Not a terrific spot for vegetarians, but the ice cream lived up to the legend (or so I hear). Due to not reading our information packet closely enough, we arrived at the convention center pretty early, so we spent a while fooling around on the dock of the bay and taking lots of pictures of us acting silly against the backdrop of a beautiful sunset.

Saturday night featured the Jumpers again (YAY!), Michael and the Little Professors again (Boo!), and Indigo Swing. So we danced for the Jumpers, chatted during M&tLP, and waited (and waited) for Indigo Swing. There was a vintage costume contest that was won by Luke & Laura (I think she deserved it just for dancing in those vintage heels), and Sue, in true Lucy fashion, had Marianna announce her impending bambino to all of us - AND Steve! - from the bandstand.

Indigo Swing was a good concert. They played tunes off their new album - some of which work really well, some of which work not quite so well - as well as favorites from their first two albums. They still have the "none of the guys in the band dance" problem - aka let's play 300 bpm plus songs for dancers 'cause it's fun to watch them spontaneously combust - which never fails to clear the dance floor. Only a handful of us braved it, with Jim and me resorting to blindingly fast Balboa, and Steve and Carla the only couple who could actually Lindy at that speed. But they also played many of their excellent slower tunes, and Bill the Piano Man tore it up on several boogie-woogie tunes that were definitely the biggest crowd pleasers.

After the dance, we were once again back to the Plim for an in-room party, where we got yelled at by the 18-year-olds across the hall (who were there for senior week) because we were making too much noise too late at night. The irony was not lost on any of us.
---Elizabeth

Back here in DC, we decided to hang out at the Lucky Bar during the "First Dance" at Glen Echo. Mischa Akkerman and Jane Ford were filling in for Charlie and Nici. They gave a very good basic lesson that really got people dancing. We ran into Scott and Laura and some of our students from Pittsburgh. We were having so much fun dancing and talking that we missed the "Second Dance" at Glen Echo. (Too bad, because we like the Jivewires, Ottawa's best)

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Sunday June 20, 1999

From: Elizabeth Weaver Engel
Sunday, we barely managed to get up in time to check out and get a bite before the Boogie on the Boardwalk, which took place despite rain sprinkles, clouds, and wind. Sean wowed the crowd during the final jam number by vaulting 6 of us into a somersault, and the look on Steve Bailey's face was priceless.

Even though Jim, Ellen, and I cleared out immediately after the dancing ended at 1 pm, it still took us almost 6 hours to get home. Moral of the story: if you're leaving the beach, it has to be before 9 am or after 9 pm. Mike Henry saved the day for us by bringing Jim some more tapes of 1940's radio shows, which helped us pass the time on the long drive back.

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Monday June 21, 1999

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Tuesday June 22, 1999

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Wednesday June 23, 1999

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Thursday June 24, 1999

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Friday June 25, 1999

We tried to check out the new venue Paddy Mac's who had thoughtfully hired the Rockin Bones; regrettably, they have neglected to provide ANY dance space at all. Literally NONE (that's zip, zero, nil, nada, niente). So, unable to bring you news of new prospects, we went back to America after a fairly long hiatus. We like the new arrangement of the floor which is a lot more conducive to dancing than the old format. The HVAC seemed to be in good form as well. The jarring note is that this venue will be closing at the end of July (It will be cut into little stores) This is really a shame, because America marked a historic point in DC when Lindy broke out of the dance studio and into a commercial public venue. (i.e sort of like it was in the 1930s).

Of note, we had a visit from Steve Carlan ("The Dancin' Guy") from Santa Barbara, California. Steve has been here for 1 days and has been dancing on 12 of them. He is the newest qualifier for the Order of the Rabid Lindy Hopper. Alan Parsons, our College Correspondent from the University of Wisconsin, took time away from the "Benny Goodman Suite", leaving his girl in Kalamazoo and came out to America. Good to see ya, Alan. We had some news from the LaGrone brothers -- Sam will be attending VMI this fall ('Ten Hut, 3&4,'Bout Face, 7&8) while Dan will be spending his senior year in England. Note to Claire and Dai --- take good care of this guy.

The Cunningham Band was superb. We still go crazy for "Hawaiian War Chant" and love to sing along with Robin on "Hey-Bop-a-Re-Bop". This was a fun night, good vibes, a fine jam and reasonable temperatures. We are going to be sad to see it go. Does anyon know if those bizarre "Tractor Realism" murals are removable? They ought to be preserved some way.

Meanwhile, the Engels were at Poli-Tiki

From: Elizabeth Weaver Engel
We arrived at PoliTiki to find a note up about an Anderson Consulting party and no one on the dance floor, despite the swing music playing over the sound system. We looked around in confusion, wondering if we'd accidentally stumbled into a private party or if - the horror! - swing was no longer the thing at PoliTiki. The DJ reassured us that swing was still the thing and that the private party was over, but that the early crowds are light since Thea and Brian aren't teaching over the summer. WHEW! We quickly changed our shoes and enjoyed a few dances while it was still relatively cool and while the floor was uncrowded.

Lisa showed up just a little later, and the PoliTiki regulars started trickling in, while our dancing got a few more couples out on the floor. Before too much longer, the place was the usual packed, hoppin' sauna. The floor had been fairly recently cleaned, which I love, and we had a great time, with Kathy doing her best to lead us in the Jitterbug Stroll and the Madison (I kept having visions of Brad saying: "Anybody know how to Madison?" to the assembled Transylvanians and giggling hysterically, which really didn't help).

I danced with a bunch of fellas I'd never danced with before - thanks Gavin, Paul, Joe, and all the others - and some I don't get to dance with very often, like Mr. Larry McDonald, who always has such a crowd around him, he's impossible to get to!

After nearly three hours of dancing in the heat, Lisa, Joe, Jim, and I decided it was time to head out before we utterly dehydrated and ended up looking like prunes. We were unable to convince Sean to join us, but we headed over to XandO for a nice beverage to end the evening.

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Saturday June 26, 1999

We were at Glen Echo for the Cunningham gig. A whole lot of fun! Elizabeth has the review below, and we would like to mention that Erik and Erika won the dance contest... I thought the "5 Number Couple" was a real hoot --- but I hope that it doesn't discourage any beginners from joining the contest! Here is a more detailed review from Elizabeth:

From: Elizabeth Weaver Engel
We were pretty late for the pre-GE picnic, but we arrived in time to get some of Tony's tasty spanikopita (SP????) and listen to the jazzy-swing quartet TCO hired to play in the Cuddle Up pavilion. Do they look out for the dancers or WHAT? Thanks to Tom and Robin's foresight, you could dance inside or out all evening long, and hear music wherever you were. (Hmmm - wonder what that's going to do to the Park Service's attendance cap????)

We were actually outside for most of the first set, as it was literally too hot to dance in the ballroom, even in my cute little 40's style halter top. But we braved it for the second and third sets, and sweated right along with the band, who played hot, fast, and true no matter what the ambient temperature.

The jam was good fun, with a cute little couple making (to the best of my knowledge - and I might be off here) their Glen Echo jam debut (and she did some really cool stuff that obviously reflected some years of gymnastics), and with Cameron stealing me away from Jim at the beginning of our turn, much to the crowd's amusement. Cameron is always reliable for injecting humor into the jam. We also debuted a new Balboa move that everyone seemed to enjoy. And Steve Devoney wowed everyone by doing a sidecars/straddle with two people at once (well, OK, one of those people is REALLY REALLY tiny right now, but still....)

The dance contest was good fun, too. Cameron got the idea for him and Jim to "fight" over dancing with me as a result of the impromptu jam thing, and Chris and Angela joined in too in the middle of the contest. Towards the end of the second song, Jim was left alone and started dancing with an imaginary partner, which brought laughs and cheers. Sadly, we did not win - I'm not sure a 5 person couple is really "legal," but it was definitely the most fun dance contest I've ever done.

After the band finished up, a bunch of us danced in the moonlight at the Cuddle Up pavilion until all hours. Well, OK, we left with Steve and Sue at 1 am, but I heard that the dancing was still going strong way past 2 am.

From: Chrissy Hall Reis
Doc Scantlin and his Imperial Palms Orchestra played in Frederick, MD on Saturday night (June 27--my 1 year wedding anniversary!) Michael and I went, though not too many swing regulars were there. The setting was the roof top of a parking garage. The imported dance floor was dreadful, but I think I was the only one who minded, because the dance floor stayed full virtually the whole night. John McCalla and his partner taught the lesson for the event, he in his purple zoot pants, she in her matching floral (purple) 40s dress. As always, Doc puts on one of the best shows ever seen. Unfortunately, Doc no longer has a regular DC-area gig, so my advice to everyone is: GO SEE HIM WHENEVER POSSIBLE! Doc drives a huge 1937 car wherever he plays, with the license plate "HI DE HO"; his unforgettable wife Chou-Chou stepped straight out of the art deco era; his canaries not only sing but vamp and model numerous costumes, all made by Chou-Chou ; the band's string section makes it unique amongst swing bands. AND, the music is great--not only 40s but 30s. Nothing better than music you can Peabody to! Swing dancers who haven't seen Doc Scantlin are missing out on something spectacular. Next opportunity? Perhaps the (mostly) annual Art Deco ball in November.

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Sunday June 27, 1999

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Monday June 28, 1999

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Tuesday June 29, 1999

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Wednesday June 30, 1999

The Bill Eliot Trio filled the Spanish Ballroom with glorious sound on a very hot Wednesday evening. Kay Boller provided vocals with a voice that flows over you like cool water from a mountain stream. This remarkable group is a must-see wherever they play. Bill, Dave, and Jim provide an experience that is incredibly close to seeing the Goodman trio live. Bill's clarinet virtuosity is a constant source of amazement --- although he is no slouch on alto sax, either

Congratulations to Marc and Ellen for providing this great evening of entertainment. The program was pure swing with tempos varied enough to satisfy all appetites. We should have a whole lot more gigs like this.

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June, 1999 Reviews
	Hi Lindy Hoppers!!! Moving on with 1999
	Counter for the Entire Site (not just this page..) website counter Review of Dance Events During June, 1999 Click on the date that you wish to view Tuesday, June 1, 1999 Wednesday, June 2, 1999 Thursday June 3, 1999 Friday June 4, 1999 Saturday, June 5, 1999 Sunday, June 6, 1999 Monday, June 7, 1999 Tuesday, June 8, 1999 Wednesday, June 9, 1999 Thursday June 10, 1999 Friday June 11, 1999 Saturday, June 12, 1999 Sunday, June 13, 1999 Monday, June 14, 1999 Tuesday, June 15, 1999 Wednesday, June 16, 1999 Thursday June 17, 1999 Friday June 18, 1999 Saturday, June 19, 1999 Sunday, June 20, 1999 Monday, June 21, 1999 Tuesday, June 22, 1999 Wednesday, June 23, 1999 Thursday, June 24, 1999 Friday, June 25, 1999 Saturday, June 26, 1999 Sunday, June 27, 1999 Monday, June 28, 1999 Tuesday, June 29, 1999 Wednesday, June 30, 1999 DANCE REVIEWS Tuesday June 1, 1999 We have no Reviews for this date. Go back and check out another day Go back to the Home Page Or, like that "Old Man Scribber", just keep "scrolling along" Wednesday June 2, 1999 We have no Reviews for this date. Go back and check out another day Go back to the Home Page Or, like that "Old Man Scribber", just keep "scrolling along" Thursday June 3, 1999 We have no Reviews for this date. Go back and check out another day Go back to the Home Page Or, like that "Old Man Scribber", just keep "scrolling along" Friday June 4, 1999 We went to Poli-Tiki and had a very good time. Susan Lusi and Ray Wiles did the honors as dance teachers and gave a very well-received lesson. The crowd was kind of light, leaving plenty of room for dancing. Laurie and her Rockabilly friends showed up, but alas, Glynis was busy elsewhere. We met a nice lady named Teresa who has just moved here from Ithaca. She's a friend of Bill Borgida, so ask her to dance, guys. A very nice evening! Starting next week, Gerg and Joe of Zones are going to be taking over the action at Poli-Tiki, probably with Steve and Carla as hosts. There is no cover for the opener, but I have a feeling that the days of Poli-Tiki as a freebie are over. Go back and check out another day Go back to the Home Page Or, like that "Old Man Scribber", just keep "scrolling along" Saturday June 5, 1999 We went to Nick's to see the Cunningham Band in action. There was a capacity crowd and it was good to see Big John Mills, Mara Levy and a lot of the other college kids in action. Our new friend Teresa showed up as did Leon Trager, and a whole bunch of other people --- it was great to see Frank Karb back out, fully recovered from his injury. We have been so busy with jobs that this was the first time we could get out. Our "vintage suitcase" was filled with goodies that seemed to be eagerly gobbled up by the crowd. Thanks, guys! Go back and check out another day Go back to the Home Page Or, like that "Old Man Scribber", just keep "scrolling along" Sunday June 6, 1999 Carole and Harrison Pledger, regulars at Glen Echo and America, had a great German theme party at their lovely house in Great Falls. We had a nice chat with David and Suzanne Josephs We also met the Diamonds, a couple from New York. Lou Diamond was actually a finalist in the Harvest Moon Ball in 1938 --- he has a lot of great New York stories to tell because he was a reporter for the Daily News in the 30s and 40s. Go back and check out another day Go back to the Home Page Or, like that "Old Man Scribber", just keep "scrolling along" Monday June 7, 1999 Jim, Elizabeth, Sean and Lisa joined We at a dinner/dance sponsored by the Wireless industry. The J Street Jumpers was the band and we got to dance in the atrium of the new Reagan Building downtown. The band was great, but they only gave us a small space on a landing on the staircase to dance. You had to be really careful! All in all, a whole lot of fun. Thanks to the band and the sponsor. Go back and check out another day Go back to the Home Page Or, like that "Old Man Scribber", just keep "scrolling along" Tuesday June 8, 1999 We have no Reviews for this date Go back and check out another day Go back to the Home Page Or, like that "Old Man Scribber", just keep "scrolling along" Wednesday June 9, 1999 We have no Reviews for this date Go back and check out another day Go back to the Home Page Or, like that "Old Man Scribber", just keep "scrolling along" Thursday June 10, 1999 We started our trip to the South. The weather was great and the traffic on I-81 was surprisingly light. As is our custom, we stopped for lunch in Staunton, Virginia for the world-class grilled pimento cheese sandwiches at the Berkeley Restaurant. Words cannot express how good these are... Their coccoanut cream pie is also very noteworthy. After this very refreshing interlude, we continued on our way. We made our way down I-77 to our destination for the day: Mount Airy, North Carolina, the birthplace of Andy Griffith and the "model" for the fictional city of Mayberry. We also found out that Eng and Chang Bunker, the famous Siamese Twins of the P.T. Barnum Circus raised their (joint...) families in Mount Airy. Also, Mount Airy is the "Toaster Capital of the World" and has the "World's Lagrest Open-face Granite Quarry." Did you really want to know all that? Even though the Andy Griffith Show has been off the air for more than 20 years (well, there are those reruns...), the Mayberry business is still strong in Mount Airy. To our dismay, much like its fictional counterpart, the place rolls up the sidewalks at about 7:00 pm. We had a rather nice time walking around and managed to find a Sonic Dive-In (with car service) for dinner. Go back and check out another day Go back to the Home Page Or, like that "Old Man Scribber", just keep "scrolling along" Friday June 11, 1999 We began our day with breakfast at the Snappy Lunch, mentioned frequently on the TV program. The biscuits and gravy were very good and the price --- even in an OBVIOUS tourist trap was very good. We found several good thrift stores and came back with several interesting items -- ties, shirts, and another Replogle Starlight Globe. From there, it was off to Charlotte for lunch and a check of the Swing Scene there. We were very fortunate to meet Lou, the manager of Swing 1000 (1000 Central Avenue , 343-4443) He is operating a very high class club in a building converted from an art-deco laundry. It has a stage, large dance floor and quite a few elegant banquettes. The dance floor is sprung maple and is about 60' by 15 feet. Very nice. Swing 1000 is completely devoted to Swing --- there are events five nights a week, closed Sunday and Monday. Lou tells us that East Coast is the predominate style. The house band is Swing Central. At Charlotte, we got on I-85 and headed west. We stopped for a moment in Cowpens, SC, home of the Revolutionary War battle. We were a week shy of the "Mighty Moo Festival" when veterans from the USS Cowpens (a WWII aircraft carrier of the Lexington class, named after battles like Yorktown and Saratoga...) would gather. The big thing in Cowpens seems to be antiques and Hot Dogs. We noted that several establishments were having a "Hot Dog War" --- Mike's was selling them 5 for $2.89, while another place had 5 for $2.75, etc. etc. We also stopped in Gaffney, SC. If you have driven on I-95, you may have seen the water tower painted like a gigantic peach. We stopped and enjoyed a glass of peach cider, which I highly reccommend. We finally reached our destination: Greer, SC, a small town that lies midway between Greenville and Spartanburg. The town is in the process of being reborn --- vacant commercial spaces are being converted into restaurants, boutiques, coffeeshops, etc. We liked this place very much, especially the Starlight Ballroom which had been very lovingly created out of the town department store by Al and Mary, who are ballroom dancers. The foor is first rate and the space is very charming. Best of all, Al owns the local Carrier distributorship. If anyone is going to own a ballroom, its SHOULD be an air-conditioning expert. When we checked in to our hotel, we found messages from Paul Hoke, our host, indicating that our presence was requested at TWO demos that evening. So, we changed and met the Greenville gang at a place called Gourmet Pizza --- we might have been walking ito the Amphora, because it seems that dancers and food seem to go together. We did our first demo at a big barn-like club in a shopping center. I was quite unused to the amount of security -- I even had to let them search our dance suitcase. They had a nice dance floor and our performance was very well received --- we even picked up a few more candidates for our workshop. The next demo was at a hip-hop/disco place that had even more security. This was one of those places with several levels of "VIP" ambience. Two ladies got out of a Rolls Royce while we were being "processed" and I overheard one of the security guys use his headset to advise someone to "Chill their Dom Perignon." I had to get special dispensation from one of the guards to wear my hat (the ubiquitous "hat rule"). This place had a metal detector, and the guards thoroughly inspected the suitcase. Swing dancers should count themselves lucky that this type of foolishness is not a part of OUR scene. The demo went very well, although the floor was so sticky from beer that it was hard to dance. We were please that a little bit of life was injected into the place and we attracted quite a crowd of interested people. Numerous people offered to buy us drinks and seemed puzzled when we told them that swing dancers don't, as a rule, drink. It was well past midnight when we finished. We didn't even have to ask about the Krispy Kreme --- this landmark was well-known to our Greenville friends. As luck would have it, we got there just as the "Hot Doughnuts" sign went on. Go back and check out another day Go back to the Home Page Or, like that "Old Man Scribber", just keep "scrolling along" Saturday June 12, 1999 More about our trip to Greenville after these reviews of events in DC: From: Robert Roxbrough I attended the Shout n' Feel It workshop and would like to report that the event exceeded all expectations!! The reigning world champs, Kenneth and Helena Norbelie, were fantastic. They focused a good part of their instruction on dancing to the music. For instance, they had the guys dancing to the singer while the girls were told to dance to the piano...all during the same song. The other instructors were outstanding as well. Not only did they insist that we perform the fundamentals well, but they taught us some great routines and steps that I will apply eagerly the next time I go dancing. Most impressive, however, was their enthusiasm for lindy and their willingness to go out of their way to help others who share their enthusiasm. I mentioned my frustration at my futile attemps to obtain a particular CD, for example, and one member of the group immediately volunteered to send it to me upon his return to Sweden. Marc and Ellen did a superb job orchestrating their visit and I hope they can convince Shout 'n Feel It to return next year. From: Matt Smiley This weekend, the Fajkowski family played host to many of Alex's friends from upstate college. Alex who goes to school in Cornell discovered a great Lindy community up there under the guidance of Bill Borgida. Anyway, this weekend many of Alex's dancing friends came down to scope the DC scene. It was lots of fun. The festivities on Sat. kicked off with a BBQ at the Fajkowski's fabulous home, attended by most of the Flying Whippersnappers. It really was a beautiful house. That family has got some great taste when it comes to interior decorating (no deco eggbeaters or streamlined juice makers, but nice all-the-same). And boy, speaking of taste, the food was just delicious! Cameron and Mr. Fajkowski tended to the grill while the rest of us played ping-pong, or listened to Jeff, Nina, and Andy (of Ithica, NY) recount Smiths tunes on Jeff's guitar (boy, can he sing!). We all sat down to eat around 4:30 and feasted upon the delicios grilled chicken (recipe forthcoming!), water-mellon, and green beans (that were curiosly spicy). It was just great fun and a good time was had by all. Oh yea, we did some actual Lindy Hop related stuff that evening, too. Back to Greenville... We arrived at the Starlight Ballroom to find out that one of the main air-handlers had failed. Normally, this would have been a disaster, but as we were unloading our equipent, Al showed up with a crew and fixed the problem. All ballrooms should be owned by Air Conditioning experts. We had 61 couples, which posed quite a task. There was a broad age range and everyone came prepared to learn Lindy Hop. We were impressed with the attitude and interest of our students. Although it took some considerable effort, by the end of the day, we had everyone doing credible Swingouts and Charleston along with a number of other moves integrated into a small "survival" routine. We actually worked from 10:00 am until 5:30 pm and everyone stayed for the whole show. We were very satisfied with the results. We want to thank everyone who came --- especially the folks who came from Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina. One fellow had equipped himself for the event by buying shoes from dancestore.com and a zoot suit from El Pachuco. Our special thanks to Elliott and Meredith from Asheville who have invited us to give another workshop there in October. What a great crowd! However, we didn't have time to rest on our laurels, because a radio station had caught our demo the night before and wanted us to do a demo at the North Carolina State Barbecue festival. So, we got the group together and drove to Tryon, NC, about 35 miles north and did the demo. We were rewarded with a large sampling of the championship barbecue cookery. It was worth the drive. We only had an hour to get ready for the dance, so we had to beat a quick retreat back to the hotel, shower and change into WWII uniforms for the evening's USO dance. When we got there, I was stunned to see our Marine friend, John who had driven all the way from Camp Lejeune for the event. THANKS JOHN!!! The Pat Thornburg Big Band was very very good and could play anywhere in DC or New York. Pat plays quite the trumpet and the band's book includes a LOT of hot swing tunes. The event had a lot of fun events. First was the "Romeo and Juliet" contest --- folks were assigned a dance card and the goal was to have as many dance partners as possible. There was also a costume contest. When the first band break came around, we announced that we were going to teach Shim Sham. I was stunned when all 160 people got up on the dance floor! We had a crisis of visibility and I had to use every trick in the book like shifting rows, moving into the crowd, etc, etc. to accomplish this. The dance went on until the posted closing time. However, I discovered a novel Greenville tradition --- the band plays until people go home! We need some of that in DC! We finally left at about 1:30. We were not quite exhausted, so we hit the Krispy Kreme for some badly needed sugar and carbohydrates. Personally, I think that the coffee at the Krispy Kreme is much better than the coffee at Starbucks. Go back and check out another day Go back to the Home Page Or, like that "Old Man Scribber", just keep "scrolling along" Sunday June 13, 1999 We rose early in order to attend a "farewell breakfast" --- we were stunned when a BIG group of our new friends showed up --- we took up a BIG table in the back room of the local Denny's. We had a great time, talking about dancing, promoting Swing and our next Greenville workshop in August. Carole began the trip with a desire to go swimming in a "mountain lake". Our friends made a great suggestion and we started on our way up Route 26 to Brevard, SC. On the way, we passed Caesar's Head State Park which features massive exposed limestone cliffs. We really enjoyed the view. When we arrived in Brevard, we had brunch at the Brevard Inn, a very, very nice bed and breakfast. The specialty was fresh local mountain trout, almodine and it was spectacular. After lunch we drove about ten miles down the road to Pisgah National Forest. The big attraction is Sliding Rock --- there is an exposed face of granite that slopes at about 20 degrees. A swift-flowing mountain stream runs over the rock. One sits on the rock and slides about 100 feet into an ice cold pool of water at the end. It was a hot day and we found this very refreshing. From Brevard, we made our way onto the Blue Ridge Parkway and wound our way through the natural beauty for the rest of the afternoon. We exited at Boone, NC and travelled north to catch I-81. Due to our meandering, we didn't get home until 3:00 am, but all-in-all, it was very worthwhile. Go back and check out another day Go back to the Home Page Or, like that "Old Man Scribber", just keep "scrolling along" Monday June 14, 1999 We have no Reviews for this date Go back and check out another day Go back to the Home Page Or, like that "Old Man Scribber", just keep "scrolling along" Tuesday June 15, 1999 We have no Reviews for this date Go back and check out another day Go back to the Home Page Or, like that "Old Man Scribber", just keep "scrolling along" Wednesday June 16, 1999 We have no Reviews for this date Go back and check out another day Go back to the Home Page Or, like that "Old Man Scribber", just keep "scrolling along" Thursday June 17, 1999 We finally got out to Timpano's for the "Third Thursday" swing night with the RKO Orchestra. The place was PACKED. We saw a lot of familiar faces from a long time ago, including a lot of folks from the old (96-97) days at the River Club. There qere quite a few contemporary Lindy Hoppers as well including Mike Mandel, Beverly Meadows, John McCalla, Stacey Wachter, Bill Lehman, Trish Mannetti, and Nick Augustine to name a few.The RKO Orchestra was awesome --- Tommy Barrick kept everything swinging, particularly with his "True-To-Krupa" version of Sing, Sing, Sing. The floor was crowded, but everyone seemed to be able to get out and dance. The most amazing part of the evening was the smell of really fantastic Italian cooking emanating from the open kitchen. Hot Swing and lots of garlic are my idea of Heaven (maybe you have to be Italian to appreciate that...) Here's what Nick had to say: From: (Nick Augustine) Hey Guys! Timpanos on Thursday was pretty good...the RKO orchestra was good, really kept the crowd going. The dance space was pretty small and started out nice, but as the night went on it got pretty crowded. There were a good amount of dancers but even more drinkers who thought they were dancers (that's always fun!) overall i would say that it was a good night, the jam was awesome (considering there were only 4 couples that each went twice and it ended with a shim sham) the band played an awesome version of Sing, Sing, Sing! too...Well, to end this review I will say that if i have the oppurtunity, I will go back to Timpano's. Go back and check out another day Go back to the Home Page Or, like that "Old Man Scribber", just keep "scrolling along" Friday June 18, 1999 The big story this weekend was the extravanganza in Ocean City. Elizabeth Engel was On The Spot: From: Elizabeth Weaver Engel Louise, Deb, Jim and I arrived in OC Friday evening about dinner time and checked into the fabulous Plim Plaza. You know what? That wasn't the Plim Plaza pictured on their brochure. It was...let's call it a dive. It reminded me of one of those cheesy little motor court hotels that were slapped up along every beach front on the eastern seaboard in the 1950's, only it dates from the 1930's. Sadly, every little bit of 30's charm had been ruthlessly removed during various rennovations. But it was literally right on the beach, which is pretty redeeming. And it was clean and critter-free. So we all got checked in and gussied up in our 1950's getups (thanks to Deb for the headband and 'do consult), met up with Ellen and Chris B, and headed out for some dinner at a nice Italian place between the Plim and the convention center. We arrived a little late, in the middle of one of the Jumpers' sets, to find a full but not crowded dance floor, and lots of folks milling around talking and watching from the sides. The Jumpers smoked, but the other band, Michael and the Little Professors, didn't. So we all danced our butts off during the Jumpers' sets, and visited during M&tLP. When we first arrived, there weren't too many folks present that I recognized, but more and more regulars showed up as the evening wore on. It was a particularly nice surprise to see some of the Harrisburg folks show up. Dancestore.com's Marilyn dress and my "new" vintage platforms made quite a splash, as did Deb's fabulous 50's sundress and bolero jacket. After dancing, a big crowd of us headed back to the Plim, changed into warmer clothes, and took to the boardwalk. My spouse, who should know better having grown up in Plymouth, Mass, negelcted to bring any warm clothes for those chilly beach front evenings. Fortunately, Randi loaned him a spare jacket, which kept him from freezing to death. After following Mercedes' excellent suggestion to massage our tired tootsies in the lovely, cool, squishy sand, we sauntered down the boardwalk well after midnight, eating ice cream cones, funnel cake, and hot pretzels, playing arcade games, and running into scattered groups of dancers the whole time. Jim and I retired shortly before 2 am, and apparently missed out on some noisy, silly fun, but we're just getting too old for these late nights! ---Elizabeth Back here in DC, things looked kind of Ordinary until we heard from Dara Furlow of the Washington Area Lawyers in the Arts (WALA). It seems that they were having a big gala at Fannie Mae and they wanted some Swing Dancers to liven things up. We knew that a large number of people were going to Ocean City, so we scrambled to round up an entertaining crew. Fortunately, there were some people left in town (over 250 had signed up for events in OC). Marc and Ellen taught a great beginner lesson. Frank Guldseth and New Columbia Swing kept things moving. Let's see -- the gang included Cameron. Lisa and Frank (Karb), Dr. Daniel Fierer and Julia Stewart, Ron "Mountain Man" Meadows and Joanie, Eric Celarier, Iver Cooper and Tiffany, Susan Lusi, and Ray Wiles. If I missed anyone, forgive me --- I'm old and senile. The theme of the Gala was "Edible Art" --- namely desserts in all shapes and forms from all the really pricey restaurants in town. This was the most outrageous sugar rush that I have ever had. Baba aux Rhum that you could die for, Mousses, Sorbets, and white or dark chocolate in any incarnation. Elaborately constructed desserts were avaiable in mass quantities. If you have a sweet tooth, this was the place to be. PLUS, they had all the goood strong coffee that you could consume --- and everything was on china and silver. Our thanks to the WALA for the invitation to a truly first class event. Oh yes, we had a really good jam (Swing jam...) and the gang did their best to dance with everyone there. A great time! Thanks again to Dara Furlow and the WALA Go back and check out another day Go back to the Home Page Or, like that "Old Man Scribber", just keep "scrolling along" Saturday June 19, 1999 Elizabeth continues with the Big Weekend at Ocean City: From: Elizabeth Weaver Engel Saturday, a big group of us had breakfast at one of the little stands on the boardwalk, then we piled into Mercedes' van and headed out to take some smooth/Hollywood-style Lindy classes with the fabulous Charlie and Nici. The room was crowded and hot, and had a tile floor, a low ceiling, and windows that didn't open, but we all still had a great time and learned a lot anyway. Jim elected to stay for additional classes, while I joined the group that was heading back to the Plim so I could do some yoga and stretch out my still aching bod. We caught up with Dave and Gay (and Rob, Gretta, and Sara) mid-afternoon, and spent the rest of the afternoon roaming the boardwalk (where Deb and I picked up some very cute 1940's style halter tops), playing on the beach, and running into other dancers. We also got to play dress-up with a giant doll named Steve. Keep your eyes open for the photos. Saturday night a bunch of us had decided to wear red in honor of the Jumpers, so we all cleaned up and changed into our varying shades of red (yes, pink does count), and car pooled over to the famous Dumser's for dinner. Not a terrific spot for vegetarians, but the ice cream lived up to the legend (or so I hear). Due to not reading our information packet closely enough, we arrived at the convention center pretty early, so we spent a while fooling around on the dock of the bay and taking lots of pictures of us acting silly against the backdrop of a beautiful sunset. Saturday night featured the Jumpers again (YAY!), Michael and the Little Professors again (Boo!), and Indigo Swing. So we danced for the Jumpers, chatted during M&tLP, and waited (and waited) for Indigo Swing. There was a vintage costume contest that was won by Luke & Laura (I think she deserved it just for dancing in those vintage heels), and Sue, in true Lucy fashion, had Marianna announce her impending bambino to all of us - AND Steve! - from the bandstand. Indigo Swing was a good concert. They played tunes off their new album - some of which work really well, some of which work not quite so well - as well as favorites from their first two albums. They still have the "none of the guys in the band dance" problem - aka let's play 300 bpm plus songs for dancers 'cause it's fun to watch them spontaneously combust - which never fails to clear the dance floor. Only a handful of us braved it, with Jim and me resorting to blindingly fast Balboa, and Steve and Carla the only couple who could actually Lindy at that speed. But they also played many of their excellent slower tunes, and Bill the Piano Man tore it up on several boogie-woogie tunes that were definitely the biggest crowd pleasers. After the dance, we were once again back to the Plim for an in-room party, where we got yelled at by the 18-year-olds across the hall (who were there for senior week) because we were making too much noise too late at night. The irony was not lost on any of us. ---Elizabeth Back here in DC, we decided to hang out at the Lucky Bar during the "First Dance" at Glen Echo. Mischa Akkerman and Jane Ford were filling in for Charlie and Nici. They gave a very good basic lesson that really got people dancing. We ran into Scott and Laura and some of our students from Pittsburgh. We were having so much fun dancing and talking that we missed the "Second Dance" at Glen Echo. (Too bad, because we like the Jivewires, Ottawa's best) Go back and check out another day Go back to the Home Page Or, like that "Old Man Scribber", just keep "scrolling along" Sunday June 20, 1999 From: Elizabeth Weaver Engel Sunday, we barely managed to get up in time to check out and get a bite before the Boogie on the Boardwalk, which took place despite rain sprinkles, clouds, and wind. Sean wowed the crowd during the final jam number by vaulting 6 of us into a somersault, and the look on Steve Bailey's face was priceless. Even though Jim, Ellen, and I cleared out immediately after the dancing ended at 1 pm, it still took us almost 6 hours to get home. Moral of the story: if you're leaving the beach, it has to be before 9 am or after 9 pm. Mike Henry saved the day for us by bringing Jim some more tapes of 1940's radio shows, which helped us pass the time on the long drive back. Go back and check out another day Go back to the Home Page Or, like that "Old Man Scribber", just keep "scrolling along" Monday June 21, 1999 We have no Reviews for this date Go back and check out another day Go back to the Home Page Or, like that "Old Man Scribber", just keep "scrolling along" Tuesday June 22, 1999 We have no Reviews for this date Go back and check out another day Go back to the Home Page Or, like that "Old Man Scribber", just keep "scrolling along" Wednesday June 23, 1999 We have no Reviews for this date Go back and check out another day Go back to the Home Page Or, like that "Old Man Scribber", just keep "scrolling along" Thursday June 24, 1999 We have no Reviews for this date Go back and check out another day Go back to the Home Page Or, like that "Old Man Scribber", just keep "scrolling along" Friday June 25, 1999 We tried to check out the new venue Paddy Mac's who had thoughtfully hired the Rockin Bones; regrettably, they have neglected to provide ANY dance space at all. Literally NONE (that's zip, zero, nil, nada, niente). So, unable to bring you news of new prospects, we went back to America after a fairly long hiatus. We like the new arrangement of the floor which is a lot more conducive to dancing than the old format. The HVAC seemed to be in good form as well. The jarring note is that this venue will be closing at the end of July (It will be cut into little stores) This is really a shame, because America marked a historic point in DC when Lindy broke out of the dance studio and into a commercial public venue. (i.e sort of like it was in the 1930s). Of note, we had a visit from Steve Carlan ("The Dancin' Guy") from Santa Barbara, California. Steve has been here for 1 days and has been dancing on 12 of them. He is the newest qualifier for the Order of the Rabid Lindy Hopper. Alan Parsons, our College Correspondent from the University of Wisconsin, took time away from the "Benny Goodman Suite", leaving his girl in Kalamazoo and came out to America. Good to see ya, Alan. We had some news from the LaGrone brothers -- Sam will be attending VMI this fall ('Ten Hut, 3&4,'Bout Face, 7&8) while Dan will be spending his senior year in England. Note to Claire and Dai --- take good care of this guy. The Cunningham Band was superb. We still go crazy for "Hawaiian War Chant" and love to sing along with Robin on "Hey-Bop-a-Re-Bop". This was a fun night, good vibes, a fine jam and reasonable temperatures. We are going to be sad to see it go. Does anyon know if those bizarre "Tractor Realism" murals are removable? They ought to be preserved some way. Meanwhile, the Engels were at Poli-Tiki From: Elizabeth Weaver Engel We arrived at PoliTiki to find a note up about an Anderson Consulting party and no one on the dance floor, despite the swing music playing over the sound system. We looked around in confusion, wondering if we'd accidentally stumbled into a private party or if - the horror! - swing was no longer the thing at PoliTiki. The DJ reassured us that swing was still the thing and that the private party was over, but that the early crowds are light since Thea and Brian aren't teaching over the summer. WHEW! We quickly changed our shoes and enjoyed a few dances while it was still relatively cool and while the floor was uncrowded. Lisa showed up just a little later, and the PoliTiki regulars started trickling in, while our dancing got a few more couples out on the floor. Before too much longer, the place was the usual packed, hoppin' sauna. The floor had been fairly recently cleaned, which I love, and we had a great time, with Kathy doing her best to lead us in the Jitterbug Stroll and the Madison (I kept having visions of Brad saying: "Anybody know how to Madison?" to the assembled Transylvanians and giggling hysterically, which really didn't help). I danced with a bunch of fellas I'd never danced with before - thanks Gavin, Paul, Joe, and all the others - and some I don't get to dance with very often, like Mr. Larry McDonald, who always has such a crowd around him, he's impossible to get to! After nearly three hours of dancing in the heat, Lisa, Joe, Jim, and I decided it was time to head out before we utterly dehydrated and ended up looking like prunes. We were unable to convince Sean to join us, but we headed over to XandO for a nice beverage to end the evening. Go back and check out another day Go back to the Home Page Or, like that "Old Man Scribber", just keep "scrolling along" Saturday June 26, 1999 We were at Glen Echo for the Cunningham gig. A whole lot of fun! Elizabeth has the review below, and we would like to mention that Erik and Erika won the dance contest... I thought the "5 Number Couple" was a real hoot --- but I hope that it doesn't discourage any beginners from joining the contest! Here is a more detailed review from Elizabeth: From: Elizabeth Weaver Engel We were pretty late for the pre-GE picnic, but we arrived in time to get some of Tony's tasty spanikopita (SP????) and listen to the jazzy-swing quartet TCO hired to play in the Cuddle Up pavilion. Do they look out for the dancers or WHAT? Thanks to Tom and Robin's foresight, you could dance inside or out all evening long, and hear music wherever you were. (Hmmm - wonder what that's going to do to the Park Service's attendance cap????) We were actually outside for most of the first set, as it was literally too hot to dance in the ballroom, even in my cute little 40's style halter top. But we braved it for the second and third sets, and sweated right along with the band, who played hot, fast, and true no matter what the ambient temperature. The jam was good fun, with a cute little couple making (to the best of my knowledge - and I might be off here) their Glen Echo jam debut (and she did some really cool stuff that obviously reflected some years of gymnastics), and with Cameron stealing me away from Jim at the beginning of our turn, much to the crowd's amusement. Cameron is always reliable for injecting humor into the jam. We also debuted a new Balboa move that everyone seemed to enjoy. And Steve Devoney wowed everyone by doing a sidecars/straddle with two people at once (well, OK, one of those people is REALLY REALLY tiny right now, but still....) The dance contest was good fun, too. Cameron got the idea for him and Jim to "fight" over dancing with me as a result of the impromptu jam thing, and Chris and Angela joined in too in the middle of the contest. Towards the end of the second song, Jim was left alone and started dancing with an imaginary partner, which brought laughs and cheers. Sadly, we did not win - I'm not sure a 5 person couple is really "legal," but it was definitely the most fun dance contest I've ever done. After the band finished up, a bunch of us danced in the moonlight at the Cuddle Up pavilion until all hours. Well, OK, we left with Steve and Sue at 1 am, but I heard that the dancing was still going strong way past 2 am. From: Chrissy Hall Reis Doc Scantlin and his Imperial Palms Orchestra played in Frederick, MD on Saturday night (June 27--my 1 year wedding anniversary!) Michael and I went, though not too many swing regulars were there. The setting was the roof top of a parking garage. The imported dance floor was dreadful, but I think I was the only one who minded, because the dance floor stayed full virtually the whole night. John McCalla and his partner taught the lesson for the event, he in his purple zoot pants, she in her matching floral (purple) 40s dress. As always, Doc puts on one of the best shows ever seen. Unfortunately, Doc no longer has a regular DC-area gig, so my advice to everyone is: GO SEE HIM WHENEVER POSSIBLE! Doc drives a huge 1937 car wherever he plays, with the license plate "HI DE HO"; his unforgettable wife Chou-Chou stepped straight out of the art deco era; his canaries not only sing but vamp and model numerous costumes, all made by Chou-Chou ; the band's string section makes it unique amongst swing bands. AND, the music is great--not only 40s but 30s. Nothing better than music you can Peabody to! Swing dancers who haven't seen Doc Scantlin are missing out on something spectacular. Next opportunity? Perhaps the (mostly) annual Art Deco ball in November. Go back and check out another day Go back to the Home Page Or, like that "Old Man Scribber", just keep "scrolling along" Sunday June 27, 1999 We have no Reviews for this date Go back and check out another day Go back to the Home Page Or, like that "Old Man Scribber", just keep "scrolling along" Monday June 28, 1999 We have no reviews for this date Go back and check out another day Go back to the Home Page Or, like that "Old Man Scribber", just keep "scrolling along" Tuesday June 29, 1999 We have no reviews for this date Go back and check out another day Go back to the Home Page Or, like that "Old Man Scribber", just keep "scrolling along" Wednesday June 30, 1999 The Bill Eliot Trio filled the Spanish Ballroom with glorious sound on a very hot Wednesday evening. Kay Boller provided vocals with a voice that flows over you like cool water from a mountain stream. This remarkable group is a must-see wherever they play. Bill, Dave, and Jim provide an experience that is incredibly close to seeing the Goodman trio live. Bill's clarinet virtuosity is a constant source of amazement --- although he is no slouch on alto sax, either Congratulations to Marc and Ellen for providing this great evening of entertainment. The program was pure swing with tempos varied enough to satisfy all appetites. We should have a whole lot more gigs like this. Go back and check out another day Go back to the Home Page Or, like that "Old Man Scribber", just keep "scrolling along"

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