The Balboa Experiment vs Sweden Balboa Weekend

Today the website for The Balboa Experiment was released. It's an intense balboa workshop organized by Nick Williams and David Rehm for balboa dancers at the "master" level.

Cool concept. I'd love to be there but I'm not at that level (yet). I need more other classes and workshops. However, several of the instructors at The Balboa Experiment will also be at Sweden Balboa Weekend here in Uppsala in September (26-28th). Yeees!

The weekend is filling up so if you're interested in participating in the Sweden Balboa Weekend, signup now.

By the way, is there anyone interested in practising balboa right now, I mean, from now until the classes starts again in the autumn? Send me a message.

What do you think of The Balboa Experiment and Sweden Balboa Weekend? Please comment.

All Balboa Weekend 2008 + Swedish Balboa Weekend

Last weekend the All Balboa Weekend took place in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. This is the largest event for anyone who dances balboa. They have classes, competitions and lots of social dancing.

Big congratulations to my friend Jonas Pettersson who took first place in the Open Jack & Jill division together with Teni Lopez-Cardenas. I don't have any video clip of them so instead look at Mickey Fortanasce & Kelly Arsenault who won the American Classic Balboa Championship.

I haven't heard the song before, can anyone tell me what song that is?

The Sweden Balboa Weekend in coming up here in Uppsala September 26 - 28th. We've got some awsome balboa teachers coming: Mia Goldsmith & Peter Loggins, Laura Keat & Jeremy Otth, Kate Hedin & David Rehm. Come to Uppsala in September you too!

What do you think of the video clip from All Balboa Weekend? Please comment.

How to recognize a balboa dancer from Uppsala

Tonight it's time again for Cats Corner at Uplands nation in Uppsala. Since it is Veronika, Nils and Gabriela who are organizing this evening, the evening will have a slight focus towards all the balboa dancers in Uppsala.

One of the things they have fixed is small balboa corner so that the balboa dancer will run less risk to be hit by a charleston kick from the wild lindy dancers since the room can be quite crowded.

The balboa corner also makes it easier to find your fellow balboa dancer. Another thing that will help you recognize a balboa dancer from Uppsala is the newly produced balboa buttons. If a person wears this button, she/he would like to dance balboa with you. A great initiative from Jennie!

A couple of Swingkattens balboa teachers, Jonas Pettersson and Trina Dobbs, will dj classic swing tonight. As usual: Time: 20-23, Price: 20 kr.

The photo is taken by me and may not be published elsewhere without my permission. Contact me if you want to license it.

What do you think of the idea with a balboa button to locate other balboa dancers? Tell me.

Balboa history: Interview with Dwight Lupardus by Peter Loggins

All of you that are intrested in dancing balboa will like this interview with balboa dancer Dwight Lupardus who talks about the history of balboa in southern California. He talks about the dance itself, the dancers and the social context of the dance. He is interviewed by Peter Loggins, a noted swing dance historian.



The interview is about 1 hour long and is divided into 8 pieces on YouTube:

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4
• Part 5
• Part 6
• Part 7
• Part 8 (final)

If you want to know more about dance history, check out dancehistory.org which is run by Peter Loggins.

I don't have the time right now to give a summary of what is talked about in each part but if you have the time, please comment this post and write a summary yourself.

What do you think of the interview with Dwight Lupardus about the history of balboa? Tell me.

Mia Goldsmith and Marty Klempner at Sweden Balboa Weekend

In September 2006 Sweden Balboa Weekend took place in Uppsala. It was an all balboa camp and we had invited some of the best balboa instructors and dancers in the world: Valerie Salstrom & Marty Klempner and Mia Goldsmith and Yoshi Uemura.

At the Friday night party we arranged an Invitational Jack'n'Jill-competition, where all the instructors participated. Here is a video clip of Mia & Marty dancing incredibly smooth balboa. I'm going to steal some of these moves!



The video clip is posted on Youtube by Mia's dance partner Peter Loggins, he has posted a ton of good dance clips. Don't open that link while you are at work (you will get stuck), unless your work is to archive dance material, that is.

The music they are dancing to is "Taps Miller" by Count Basie (Columbia, 1944) available in the collection "America's #1 Band: The Columbia Years" (cd 3, track 12).

What do you think of this video clip? Tell me.

Balboa in the book Social Dancing in America

This is the fourth part of an interview with Ralph G. Giordano who recently published his book Social Dancing in America: A History and Reference Volume 2 Lindy Hop to Hip Hop, 1901-2000.

[Part 1: How come you wrote a book about social dancing in America?]
[Part 2: Which dances do you write about in the book? ]
[Part 3: Can you share some interesting facts about Lindy hop?]

Part 4: Do you include Balboa in the book?

Yes, the Balboa is included on pp 103-104 in a chapter section titled: "The Golden Age of Dance Pavilions and the "Queen of Swing". In preparing the general list some dances were omitted, but are included in the book and easily found through the index.

Excerpt

"The Rendezvous Ballroom opened in 1928 with a 12,000 square foot dance floor with a capacity of 1,500 dancing couples. It, like so many ballrooms, suffered through a devastating fire in January 1935. It was quickly rebuilt as the swing and dance craze was spreading nationwide. The Rendezvous was known for developing a unique dance known as the Balboa.


The Balboa was a versatile dance that could be done to very slow or fast music. It could be done on a crowded dance floor since it required little space. Located near a beach, the Rendezvous was a popular destination for teenagers and college students during the spring break. They could combine a day at the beach and dancing to top name swing bands until 1:00 a.m.

On June 18, 1938, a local radio personality Al Poska organized a seven-day non-stop Big Band dance marathon that attracted nationwide media attention. The promotional event to celebrate the end of the school year was covered by LOOK magazine, a widely read mass-media magazine. Within the article they nicknamed the Rendezvous Ballroom the "Queen of Swing."

Have you read this book? What do you think? Tell me.

Herräng Dance Camp 2007

Herräng Dance Camp is the worlds largest dance camp for lindy hop, boogie woogie, balboa and tap dancing.

This year they celebrate their 25th anniversary and the dance camp will be going on for five (five!) weeks this summer. Unbelivable! Herräng dance camp is truly the Mecka of swing dancing where people from all over the world come to dance. Here you can find the best instructors and there is just so much going on in Herräng that you can dance 24-7 if you like. Here are live music with swing and jazz bands, great swing disc jockeys and also blues nights.

This year, besides a massive amount of lindy hop, there are more balboa courses than last year and they have added some African-Cuban dancing (Rhumba, Mambo, Cha-Cha).

If you heard rumours about Herräng dance camp - they are probably true - it's a fantastic place to be. And, just like Mecka, if you're a swing dancer you must go here at least once in your life. Chanses are that you will be coming back.

If you want to read more about what Herräng Dance Camp is like, check out Lloyds stories from previous years.

Dance lindy hop, balboa and swing at Dekadans tonight

Just a reminder, tonight I will dj swing music for your dancing and listening pleasure at the swing music club Dekadans. Dance lindy hop, balboa or whatever other dance you like.

I've found some new music gems that I would like to play. Come and check them out.

Dekadans is located at Västgöta nation, Västra Ågatan 18 in Uppsala. From 20 o'clock till 23 o'clock. Entrance fee: 20 kr.