The Dance Primer

I can’t help myself. I have to promote a national event happening right here in my lovely home of Portland:

The event is actually our Lindy Exchange, which happens every other year. Most non-swing dancers have no idea what an exchange is, though, so it has a second name of Swing Fest.
If YOU don’t know […]

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“You got to know when to hold ‘em…” Floor craft: knowing where you and others are on the dance floor so you and your partner don’t hit others. It’s like seeing where you fit in a moving puzzle.
I was at a dance pratica a while back, dancing with a lead who is pretty new to […]

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I’ve seen it in so many places. Open embrace vs. close embrace, classic vs. alternative, “Savoy” vs. “Hollywood.” Several years ago, in the swing world, it was pretty bad. There were strict “Savoy” folks, and strict “Hollywood” folks, and they didn’t get along very well.
So what am I talking about and why does it matter […]

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I competed in my third ever Jack & Jill competition a while ago. (I know, with 10+ years of dancing you can see I’ve been really competitive.) It’s not that I’ve suddenly become competitive, it’s that I have come to see Jack & Jill competitions as more of a game than anything else; roll the […]

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Fred Astaire. SO classic.

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Notes from my first workshop session at TangoFest today: As expected, there are many women in beautiful, sexy blouses - and exactly the right shoes. Luckily, there are other women in slacks and simple shirts… except most of them are ten years my senior. I DO feel out of place. Then again, it’s been years […]

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A personal, passionate, musical dance.

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Tired of sitting at home at nights wondering what to do? You’d like to meet new people, but the bar scene just isn’t your thing. Internet dating? NOT going to happen. You’d like to meet new people on a more, shall we way, innocent level. Social partner dancing may be just the thing for you. […]

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Your primary motivation for social dancing is to have fun, right? And if you happen to make some great friends, or even a little romantic interest, all the better - but those are just side benefits. Well, good for you. YOU are not A Prowler. As a newbie you should be aware of The Prowler, […]

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Swing dancers have a tradition known as a “jam circle.” Jam circles come in different flavors, but follow the same general guidelines: for one song dancers circle up and clap in support of central dancers, and featured dancers rotate in and out of the middle.
Different types of jam circles follow different standards. Here are the […]

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