Cheryl at the 5th Annual Michezo! Festival. Photograph courtesy of nzegwhua.com
| Drop-in Classes | |
| Adults | $15 |
| Youth (13+) & Seniors | $12 |
| Children (6-12) | $8 |
| Bring-A-Parent | $20* |
| Bring-A-Parent-or-Two | $25* |
| Dancing Doubles (Couple Power!) | |
| Adults | $25 |
| Youth (13+) & Seniors | $18 |
| Children (6-12) | $10 |
| Five-Class Series | |
| Adults | $70 |
| Youth (13+) & Seniors | $55 |
| Children (6-12) | $35 |
| Bring-A-Parent | $90* |
| Bring-A-Parent-or-Two | $115* |
| Dancing Doubles (Couple Power!) | |
| Adults | $115 |
| Youth (13+) & Seniors | $80 |
| Children (6-12) | $40 |
FORMS OF BLACK RHYTHM...BLACK SPIRIT
Celebrate the legacies of Black musicians and dancers between the early 1900's - 1940's. A period during and after the great Harlem Renaissance when the Black community lived, worked, strived and thrived together. The Harlem Renaissance was an era of Black expression, style and production; when the main forms of entertainment were live music and dance!
The Lindy Hop Rediscovering the original Harlem dance. One of the first dances being taught within this program is the Lindy Hop. The Lindy Hop, an African-American innovation in partner dance, was developed in the Swing era (during the late 1920’s-1940’s) at the Savoy Ballroom in New York City. Black musicians created Swing music. Black dancers who were inspired by the Swing music created Lindy Hop. Swing dance matched the rhythm and spirit of the music. Remember..."it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that SWING!"
Breakaway The Breakaway was created by performer "Shorty" George Snowden from Harlem, New York in the late 1920's. This variation of partner Charleston dance involved breaking away from one's partner into open position to allow for the execution of creative Jazz movements while still maintaining hand connection. The Breakaway is the direct predecessor of the Lindy Hop.
The Shag Originally a Black dance creation, the Shag was made popular by college kids from South Carolina after it came on the scene in the 20's. The Shag became a national fad during the 1930's, but did not have the dynamism or international appeal as the Lindy Hop/Jitterbug. The Shag was later revived and modified in the 1940's by Black dancers in the Myrtle Beach area. These dancers were observed dancing a Jitterbug step they called the "Dirty Shag." This type of Shag apparently had the appearance of the dancers making love vertically. White beach dancers adapted the Dirty Shag to a more subdued motion and called it "Shagging." The three styles of Shag dances that exist today are early-mid 1930's Shag (aka Collegiate Shag), Carolina Shag, and St. Louis Shag.
The Black Bottom An outgrowth of the Charleston was the Black Bottom dance. The Black Bottom was created during the early 1900’s and originated in a Jook House in the neighbourhood known as "Black Bottom" in Nashville, Tennessee. Irving C. Miller’s stage play Dinah in 1924 introduced the Black Bottom to the public and it almost became as popular as the Charleston. By 1926, the Black Bottom replaced the Charleston as the next rage until the Lindy Hop. The Black bottom, like the Charleston, is a challenge dance that showed the syncopated rhythms, bent knees, crouched torsos, and hip and pelvic movements of African dance with an occasional ‘heel-toe scoop’. The Black Bottom has been linked as the prototype for the modern Tap dance phrasing.
The Charleston The Charleston is known for its origins as a West African (Ashanti) ancestral dance adapted to Broadway. Black people, who lived on an island off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina, created the dance. The Charleston dance had been performed in Black communities since 1903 and was first introduced in Irving C. Miller’s production Liza, but did not become internationally popular until James P. Johnson composed his hit song “Charleston” for the Negro musical Runnin’ Wild which debuted in 1923. The Charleston is a challenge dance that uses the whole body – swaying arms and fast movement of the legs and feet. Variations of 20's and 30's solo and partner Charleston dances will be explored.
The Blues 'Authentic' Blues dance is rooted in West African rhythms and movement. Although it integrates Western European structure and partnering concepts, it remains unique to the Black experience. Blues dance developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and is the only art form that could not be transferred into a more general significance than the one the Negro gave it initially. Blues dance styles, like the music, reflect the personal emotions of the performer as well as the African aesthetic and rhythmic qualities. As a "lateral" dance, Blues dance may contain a basic one-step or two-step, "The Gut-Bucket," "The Fish Tail," "Struttin'," "The Slow Drag," "Mooche" and many more. Examples of early Blues dance include the "Cake Walk" and the "Black Bottom."
Coming Soon!...On the R.O.A.D. From Slavery Through Emancipation (1450-1900)