Dancing Brain Dump

Like I said before, this week I've been really busy. I started a full-time job, danced as much as I could, and said good-bye to one of my best friends as her and her husband begin their nomad journey.

In the process, I've neglected this blog. But that doesn't mean that I've stopped thinking about dancing and music...but it does mean that I haven't thought through most of my thoughts. But nonetheless, I want to share with you some of the things that have caught my attention or resurfaced on my radar.


First: I am really enjoying the posts over at It's The Way That You Do It.
Highlights include:
- Getting better takes practice
- Great look into the progression of "Why Don't You Do Right"
- I can relate to his frustrations here and here.

Second: Re-found a video of Dax and Sarah thought I thought was quite cute. But then it made me realize that Dax and Alice both dance with their new partners the same way they danced with each other. Check it:

Dax and Sarah (Swinglandia 2010)

Dax and Alice (ALHC 2008)

(small insignificant note: I really enjoy the move that happens around 1:32ish)

Alice and Thomas (ILHC 2010)

It's not a bad thing, but I just think it is so interesting how each half of the first partner pair (Dax and Alice) made 2 new partner pairs that dance quite similarly.

Third: Because I graduated and no longer have swing club on Tuesday nights, I now have the chance to go to Uptown Swing for lessons for myself! I am learning so much, getting great feedback on how I can improve, and hopefully actually improving. But with getting better, or at least learning how to, I am becoming more and more aware of my bad habits. Because of it, I am learning to identify them and try to get rid of them, but it also means that I know that they are there and recognize that I am not dancing the best I necessarily can. It's been a bittersweet dancing week for me because dances that I may have thought to be amazing a couple of weeks ago now feel off because I can feel my bad habits more deeply. And in many ways, it makes me also recognize what the lead is doing wrong too.
But these times of learning are humbling and help keep me from being too proud, which I am thankful for. It also kicks my butt into worker harder when I realize how far I have yet to go with my dancing.

Fourth: I posted a while back about Jon Tigert's post about how solo dancing can help improve your dancing overall. Well, put that thought process together with the one from above and I have come up with a great goal for myself to (hopefully) accomplish by the end of the month: actually learn the Tranky Doo!

Fifth: Free public domain jazz, here and here! Now you know :)
(if you aren't familiar with what artists to look up, I suggest Sidney Bechet, Django, Louis Armstrong, Skeets Tolbert, Lionel Hampton. Anybody else got suggestions? I'm not a great jazz dj, so feel free to fill me in on some great finds!)