Metallica - Extreme Swing

Ever fancied swinging out to Prince? Or perhaps a bit of Metalllica? Not for the purists but allow me to introduce The Swinger. A bit of python code that takes any song and makes it swing!

For the technical geeks among you, it stretches the first half of each beat and shrinks the second half, giving you what? That’s right, a Swing style rythym for just about  any song. Don’t believe me…check it out. Amusing swing suggestions on a digital postcard please

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Just when you thought it was safe to bust it out…along comes another version! Yes, here you have three of the many many ways to Shim Sham. Enjoy

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With the London Jitterbug Championships but weeks away there’s never been a better time to brush up on your solo Charleston. The Newington Green kids had a go a few weeks a go, with some pretty impressive results it has to be said. So here we have a bit of a Charleston for dummies…be sure to stay to the end of the clip for something to do on those long taxi rides…

If I was a guy, I’d be Al Minns. As I am a girl, I’d just like to know where he gets his shoes from. If you watch this extract from The Spirit Moves you’d be hard pushed not to be amazed by his Solo Charleston. Yes, I know…we’ve gone a bit solo Charleston crazy of late, but this guy is the true legend.  His knees are heading for both exits while his feet glide around effortlessly . All topped off with that HUGE grin…just to remind us what dancing is really all about. Enjoy….see you in the solo charleston round at the London Swing Festival

Every seen a lindy punch up? Or maybe a lead almost strangle his follow to death? It’s murder on the dance floor in this clip from 1945 move Twice Blessed. Some square cats try their best in a swing dance contest. Let’s hope there’ll be no such horror at the London Swing Festival eh?

So, I was acquainted with a the phrase ‘white and upright’ recently, it’s a great phrase.  How many times have we been told in class to bend our knees a bit more? I often feel that there’s a tendency to forget lindy hop’s african dance roots for and a preference for dancing it like your gran. Which is why I love the story of the Cakewalk. It’s often claimed that the Cakewalk was the first American dance to cross over from black to white society in America. But what’s best is that it’s thought to be a mockery of the ‘white and upright’ formal dancing preferred by white slave owners back in the day. Satirical dancing? Now you’re talking.

The dance was usually performed as a competition and the winners were said to receive a massive cake, hence the name Cakewalk. During the 1890s, the Cakewalk was one of America’s most popular dance styles. However its popularity died out between 1915 and the early 1920s, when it was replaced by other the Charleston and Black Bottom.

Dancing + Cake = Winning combination, time for a revival methinks.