(Thanks Kevin Sue for the picture. Note: this picture is not a picture from the lindy hop class).

Tomorrow will be the last class I will be filling in for Bees Knees beginner lindy hop class on Monday nights. Kathleen and I were temporarily filling in for May/June this summer and usually after the class we go through a post-mortem analysis of what happened and what we could do better. One of the key discoveries that we found was that the students who come to these beginner lindy hop classes were already excited about learning the dance. They didn’t need convincing. In fact, most likely they are looking for any reason to continue taking the dance class so that they can tell their friends to join in as well. When we figured this out, it made teaching the class flow more naturally and more importantly, we could just be ourselves. The pressure was off our shoulders to try to continue to get students for future classes and we could instead focus on providing a valuable lesson.

When you love the dance so much that it comes out of your pores, you do not need to convince students this is an awesome dance for x/y/z reasons. They will see it and feel it from you. Then, they will tell their friends ;-).

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The more I teach, the more I recognize that compared to great teachers in Toronto like Mandi and Arthur, I flat out suck at it. I over analyze movement and often go a bit overboard on my explanations. I’m working on it though. :-)

Photobooth at the Toronto University Exchange 3D. If you want full quality pictures, feel free to contact me. I can email you the original digital copy or print a 8″x10″ copy ($10 each) for you. As you may know, the TUX event is all about being low cost and accessible for everybody. While you can definitely use the photos for your facebook/twitter/etc I ask that you keep the hamfats logo attached and image unedited.

Click on link below to see the rest.

It’s no Montreal, but I have to admit, Quebec City was a fun and delicious city. The only beef I had was that the entire event felt like a sales pitch for me to learn swing dancing. Well, I’m already sold on that so you don’t need to try to up-sell me to a large drink at every opportunity. The plus side, the beef poutine I had was crazy awesome.

1. One of my favourite routines this year :)

2. Toronto’s Flapper Troupe

3. <3 Frida <3

This is Kevin and Emily’s lindy hop demo they did during their Toronto workshops last weekend. Such connection and technique! *drool*

This weekend I had the fortunate opportunity to travel back to Vancouver for Lindy Bout 3 for dance competitions and some rhythm social games. Fittingly, all the dances and competitions were held at the Legion Auditorium on Commercial Drive where I learned to cut my dance shoes and triple steps.

Like last year, I chose to compete in the Title Jack and Jills, Inter-Regional Jack and Jills, Partnered Blues, and Solo Jazz competitions. I ended up placing first for the title j&j (admittedly my seattle dance partner did most of the work :) and placing in the finals for solo jazz. I did not have much luck in the Inter-Regional and Partnered Blues but I felt my dancing was somewhat better than last year so I did not mind too much.

Coming home from dance competitions and big exchange/congresses is always a bittersweet feeling. I am always invigorated from all the great dancing and awestruck from all the talent there is in our dance scenes. However there are always periods directly after those events of self realization that there is so much more training and work to do to get to that level. It’s awesome and scary at the same time.

Pictures

For more pictures of this event, head to http://hamfats.ca/photos/lindybout3.

For more pictures of this event, head to http://hamfats.ca/photos/lindybout3.

After missing out on the Toronto Lindy Hop Homegrown Cabaret last year and hearing the post-excitement after, I was looking forward to participating in the event with the University of Toronto swing club as a performer, a photographer, and as a DJ. To top it off, I hosted the Hamfats first late-night blues party; the perfect ending to an awesome weekend.

Big props to TLH (Toronto Lindy Hop) for hosting the event, Stephen Cardie and Vicky Kidd for organizing, ChaChi as the MC, all the performers, and the audience. You were all fantastic and I hope everyone had as much fun as I did that night.

For those that weren’t there, here’s the night seen though eyes of my camera. Enjoy!

*Video Additions*

1. ChaChi prepping the crowd for the UofT Swing Club performance

2. Brian wooing the Homegrown Mascot, a chicken…in a pot.

3. Erica: “I think the chicken is out to get me!”

4. (Left) Erin, glowing in the spotlight. (Right) ChaChi: “Yes mother, I pressed the jeans myself.”

5. The audience sings a song for the shy chicken to come on out.

6. Tiphaine: “What?! I don’t understand why we are singing this.”

7 & 8. (Left) Deano Beano Cappuccino, “Now THAT’S great coffee.” (Right) Radio style stories! Brings back good CKNW memories.

9. Stephen, very dramatic in his dramatic song reading.

10. Swingin’ OUT doing their thang.

11 & 12. (Left) Weeeeeee! (Right) You have to see the video for this…

13. Intermission.

14. Intermission.

15. Great performance by Erin and Phil.

16 & 17. (Right) “He’s heavier than me!”

18 & 19. “You will never defeat me!”

20. Chicken WINS! Transpired events: (Chicken’s lightsaber breaks) “Err…” (Stephen cuts own off hand) “Gahhhh!”

21. … his jeans aren’t pressed…

22. Just singing a song for y’all.

23 & 24. (Left) We’re singing a song for y’all too. (Right) Swing & Tap doing their thang.

25 & 26. Agents Vicky Kidd and Stephen Cardie, Homegrown Cabaret event extraordinaire.

27 & 28. Behind the scenes: Swing & Tap, working out their thang.

29 & 30. (Left) Stephen’s vengence. (Right) Phil tooting on his kazoo.

31 & 32. Dancers enjoying the tunes spun by Arthur Lulu, and Hamfat’s own Tien.

33. Hamfats’s late night blues party (3am!) That’s hardcore.

34. Music spun by Mélisande Laduc (thanks Mel!)

35. Blues party aftermath~ (5am)

Kingston Exchange (KLIX) was the first time offering from those wily kids from Queens Swing Club. I was surprisingly pleased by how much fun I had at this event. So much fun that I actually broke the heel of my right Aris Allens during the Sunday dance.

I love going to exchanges because I get to spend time and know some of the dancers a bit more than during the weekly dances that I go to at various cities. For example, I am always in awe of the man KT (also known as Kevin Temple) and his mastery of the dance elements. Why doesn’t this man have his own reality show?

I DJ’ed the band breaks on Friday night and one late night set on Saturday. My mantra for my DJ sets were, “hit em hard and don’t let go.” For the band breaks, to contrast the band, I played a fast set (fast in terms of rhythm) with lots of syncopation and shuffle so that the temperature of the room would get unbearably hot. I figure that as long as the songs were good, people wouldn’t mind sweating it out. For the late night, I decided to with a new orleans theme instead of going to straight blues. I was happy to see that the other DJs continued with the party and played songs to keep dancers tapping until we were forced out of the venue at 4am.

For the most part, I believe people enjoyed the set. I saw the tweet from Byron from Swing Dynamite, “… Randy is a wicked DJ.”. That’s how you know you are moving up in the swing social ladder – tweets! (If you did not know, there is a direct correlation between the number of computer scientists, engineers, internet gurus and the popularity of swing dancing.)

The exchange was so much fun that it looks like the Kingston crew will just have to do another one next year.

Pictures

1. Poster taped to the wall. Reminds me of the good old days of helping run a university dance club at SFU.

2. Byron and Chelsea from Ottawa being ballers.

3. Phil and Shannon from Toronto possibly doing 200 spins in a row.

4. Fun dancer to watch – Tamera Newberry.

5. This is the face people make when I point a camera at them :)

6. [Left] Sarah Lawrie. [Right] Kevin and Tien.

7. [Left] The man KT. [Right] “I’m touching your back”.

8. [Left] Alison aka “Long Legs”. [Right] Laura.

9. [Left] Chelsea after dancing with Randy. [Right] Robyn after dancing with Tien.

10. [Left] Sarah Lawrie looking down my shirt. [Right] Kevin is thankfully not.

11. Birthday jam on Saturday night.

12. Birthday jam on Saturday night or eligible bachelor competition?

13. Vincent and Shannon from Toronto winning the Spirit of Frankie Award.

14. Left to Right – Jessica my mortal enemy. Alison stealing my glasses. Chelsea with a skinny scarf.

15. Spot the asian.

16. Hint, it’s not the girl.

17. NEMESIS

18. Tammie and Courtney, “planning” something… I don’t know what.

19. Alec and Sari from Ottawa.

20. Sari and Kevin… I don’t know.

21. 30s Charleston

22. And…

23. Dip

24. Rebecca and Michael Jackson.

25. [Left] I forget. [Right] “I’m going to eat you!!!”

26. “Just joking. Swing out?”

27. “Really joking. Full nelson instead.”

28. [Left] Courtney and Vincent. [Right] Courtney and Tammie.

29. [Left] Jasper and Shannon. [Right] Sarah and KT.

30. World from my view point.

Videos

We also did the shim sham at Dovercourt later that night:

I don’t really have anything to say besides that meeting new people who <3 dance as much as I do is one of the best feelings in the world.

Pictures

Here are a few pictures from the event:

Long time dance pal Alison and new Ottawa dance pal Chelsea.

The man, KT

Prior to the workshops, I was acquainted to Steven and Virginie’s style of dance from their DVDs ‘Dancing the Blues’ and ‘Goin’ to Church with Steven’ thus I was super stoked to take their classes and take photos all weekend long.

The workshops started Friday evening with a blues class and helped set the tone for the rest of the workshops, with lots of body and hip movements and a lot of fun times. A DJ’ed social was put on preceding the class by folks from Swing and Tap and Mike Thibault from Rochester.

Early Saturday morning Virginie worked everyone’s hips and body with solo movements with Jazz movements and techniques. It blows my mind how graceful and sensual she moves, without being over the top like how I find Salsa to be. For the rest of the day, she was joined with Steven and it was Lindy hop moves for the rest of the day.

The Saturday night dance was a lot of fun with all the regulars from Dovercourt showing up, the inclusion of all the people out of town and those taking the workshops. The band that night was one of my favorite, the Rainbow Gardens Quintet who was joined by Alisha Russ for 1-2 songs. As a surprise treat, for their encore, Steven Mitchell joined them for Lady Be Good.

Steven Mitchell kicked off Sunday day with Vernacular Jazz followed by more lindy hop, but focused more on techniques and musicality. There was a focus on swingouts and variations as well as changing things up with 6 count moves. What set apart Sunday was one of the most unique ideas i have seen thus far for a workshop. They had brought in a trio to play live, Tyler Yarema, to help with teaching musicality and rhythm. This was a fantastic end to a great workshop weekend.

If you haven’t had a chance to see this previous post here are two special videos with Steven and Virginie to hopefully inspire you and keep you lindy hopping.

Special Video by Virginie Jensen!

Steven Mitchell lays out for Toronto to keep going,