Charleston with Skye Humphries

To celebrate a hundred years of the Charleston, we are running a series of masterclasses with some of the biggest names in Charleston and Solo Jazz world. The first masterclass was with Skye Humphries. His amazing style and energy made it an inspiring day of dance.

Skye Humphries is a founding member of some the most influential modern Lindy Hop troupes. He has won titles at all of the major Lindy Hop competitions and as a dancer he is memorizing to watch. As a teacher, Skye’s infectious energy and easy manner puts you at ease, energises you and motivates you to take on new challenges.

Skye has also won titles at all of the major Lindy Hop competitions- including ULHS, ILHC, ALHC and the World Lindy Hop Championships.

This workshop focused on fine tuning style and technique. The students also learnt a Charleston routine which had the joy and energy of this iconic Twenties dance.

To book an upcoming Masterclass, visit: www.mycharlestondance.com/masterclasses

Christmas Speakeasy 2019 - Video Highlights

Well done to all our fantastic performers who joined in for the 'Great Show' at the Xmas Speakeasy! It was brilliant to have students from Eastbourne, Portsmouth, Lewes, Worthing, and Brighton all come to perform. Here are the highlights from the weekend with the 3 class routines.

Yes Sir! That's My Baby! - Charleston Classes

Why Don’t You Do Right - Intermediate Jazz & Charleston

Rich Man’s Frug from Sweet Charity - Musicals Class

Premiere - Fun Charleston Dance Busby Berkeley

MyCharleston's autumn dance course culminated in a film project inspired by Busby Berkeley. Having done a number of big film projects, this year we thought we would change things by using new filming techniques and a stunning church venue in central Brighton to create a dance film inspired by Busby Berkeley.

We made a unique plan to create interesting patterns of marches, kaleidescope images with chorus dancers and uniformed costume.

The routine took 6 weeks to teach and involved dancers from across the South Coast including Brighton and Hove, Eastbourne, Worthing and Lewes. We are incredibly grateful to all our wonderful dancers who took part and delighted with the end result.

Choreography - Fiona Ring and Elena Collins

Director and Editor- Fiona Ring

Own Your Seat in the South East’s new home for dance!

As Strictly Fever grips the nation, now’s your chance to impress the judges by sponsoring a seat at Brighton & Hove’s new dance house.

Whoever you’re rooting for this Saturday, South East Dance is offering you the chance to become a Strictly South East Dance star by sponsoring a seat in its £6.6 million dance house, The Dance Space.

Elena and Fiona of MyCharleston. Image: Jessica Milberg.

Launched last week – with the help of dancers representing all styles from Charleston to Street to Hula – South East Dance’s #OwnYourSeat campaign invites individuals and businesses to sponsor one of the 108 auditorium seats in its state-of-the-art performance space.

For a donation of £450 – which can be spread over six instalments - sponsors can name the seat, gift or dedicate it to a loved one, and even embellish it with their favourite quote.

Amongst the first to pledge is Dick Knight, Life President of Brighton & Hove Albion, who led the epic campaign for the Seagulls’ iconic new home, The Amex Stadium, who says: ‘Every great cityneeds a stadium, and every great city needs a place to dance – that’s why I’m putting my name to a seat at The Dance Space.’

Andrew Whitlaw, Head of Development at South East Dance says: ‘The Dance Space will be the place to get closer to dance in the south east, a place for everyone to have a go at a class or workshop, and to watch world class professional performances.

‘Our performance space sits at the heart of The Dance Space, and although we can’t promise yousequins, fake tans or even a glitterball trophy, by sponsoring one our seats you’ll become a part ofthe fabric of this amazing building.’

The Dance Space is on course to open in Summer 2020, when it will be the first new publicly funded arts building to open in Sussex in over a decade.

The seat sponsorship campaign is part of South East Dance’s ongoing fundraising push which has to date raised over 90% of the total £6.6 million needed to create The Dance Space to the highest possible specifications.

‘We truly hope that this exciting initiative will allow us to achieve that goal,’ says Whitlaw.

Located in the heart of Brighton’s new Circus Street development, next door to the University of Brighton’s Grand Parade campus, The Dance Space will feature three state-of-the-art studios, one of which converts into the double height performance space, and an entire floor of rentable office space for the creative industries.

A year-round programme of classes, community projects, performances and micro festivals will offer the city a space to have a go at dance. Professional dance companies, choreographers and artists will create and perform there too.

To find out more about sponsoring a seat in The Dance Space, contact Andrew Whitlaw at

hello@southeastdance.org.uk or call 01273 696844

Tell Me I'm Forgiven: The Story of Forgotten Stars Gwen Farrar and Norah Blaney

Hove couple Rosie Wakley and Ali Child began performing as their heroes, Gwen Farrar and Norah Blaney in 2014. They took their show about them to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival to great acclaim.  Since then Ali has written a 90,000 word biography of the forgotten pair of lesbian variety stars who were household names in 1924.

She has uncovered a story that mirrors her own. Like Norah Blaney, Ali entered into a conventional marriage and retired from performing. This happened young, and it was not until she was fifty and the mother of three grown up children that she came out as gay and started acting again.

Ali Child and Rosie Wakley

For Norah Blaney the process happened in reverse. She was living with Gwen Farrar in fashionable King's Road, Chelsea, partying alongside Tallulah Bankhead, Noel Coward  and the notoriously decadent Bright Young Things, starring with Gwen in West End revues and making hit recordings. The 1930s ushered in a more critical age and her relationship with Gwen came under closer scrutiny. She became ill and, when a surgeon saved her life on the operating table, she accepted his proposal of marriage. However, as Ali has found, this was not the end of her love affair with Gwen.

Ali Child's book "Tell Me I'm Forgiven:The Story of Forgotten Stars Gwen Farrar and Norah Blaney" is published by Tollington Press on 22nd October 2019. Copies can be ordered here:

https://www.behindthelines.info/tell-me-i-m-forgiven-gwen-farrar-norah-blaney/

A party to celebrate the launch took place at 7p.m. on Friday 25th October at Horatio's on Brighton's Palace Pier where MyCharleston co-founders Elena and Fiona took to the stage to teach audience members the Charleston.

Save the date - Christmas Speakeasy

Christmas Speakeasy

7:30pm-late, One Church, 14 December - Brighton

What’s happening?

Dapper up to celebrate the return of the Twenties at our Christmas Speakeasy! Swivel across the dance floor with our DJ and enjoy our ‘Performance Show’ where our fantastic students get to be the stars of the night in their end of year performance. Ragtime Rascals, Our fun-time flappers, will also be there to entertain you and help you pick up the steps on the dance floor.

Who’s Performing?

You! This is your chance to take centre stage as all students who take part in the final course of the year can perform their end of year dance. This is a great chance to invite friends and family who can see what you have been up to in the studio and just enjoy dancing in an relaxed and supportive environment. Performing is not compulsory but we do encourage you to dress-up and to give it a go! Book onto the November course here

Our fantastic all female dance troupe of flappers, Ragtime Rascals, are also rustling up a brand new routine to debut at the party! whilst Fiona and Elena will also be putting together a teachers number. Take a peak at their last duet at Brighton Spiegeltent.

What should I wear?

Don your pearls and braces and step into the Christmas Speakeasy for an evening of Hot Jazz, decadent dance and outstanding performances. Think Bright Young Things and Great Gatsby! Embrace your inner Louise Brooks, Josephine Baker and Coco Channel. Tassels, furs and sequins are a must. It’s Christmas, so the more sparkle the better. If you need tips on hair and make-up check out our blog piece on how to get the 1920s look.

Where can I get an outfit from? See below our recommendations

Dresses

Shoes

extra bits

Where is it?

The Christmas Speakeasy will be taking place at One Church, Gloucester Pl, Brighton BN1 4AA

 

Where can I get a ticket?

Tickets are £12 in advance or £15 on the door but tickets are limited so book in advance to avoid missing out.

Can I request a song?

Absolutely! We are creating a Stick on Playlist so if there is a song that you would love to dance to in keeping with the era (No Spice Girls please) then add it to the list below and see look forward to seeing you there!

Everything you need to know about a Charleston Hen Party

Planning a hen party for your best friend or yourself can be a lot of hard work. Many things starts to crop up such as budget, location and accommodation not to mention what the activities are going to be. Having just organised my own hen party, the most important thing is to find an activity which is inclusive and breaks the ice. There will be groups of girls who may have never met each other before so finding an something which gets everyone participating in, and most importantly having a good laugh, is ideal. 

Our Charleston hen parties tick all the boxes in terms of getting the party started. A vintage dance lesson is the perfect afternoon activity as they are inclusive, you can dress up, you will have a giggle and learn something new - maybe even a routine to perform on the wedding dance floor?

If the bride to be loves all things vintage then this is also the perfect opportunity to transform her into iconic flapper girl. Grab your pearls, bring headbands and pull on your gloves. Of course, if dressing up is not your thing, you can wear whatever you feel comfortable in but it’s a nice touch to add a spot of glamour to your day especially if you are planning a vintage hen party. At the dance class we will factor in some short breaks so you can take snaps and videos of you in your finery and the teacher can take some group shots at the end of the session.

At the Charleston hen party, your packages include an hour and half dance class including warm up, fun games and a simple Charleston routine. We ensure that the routine is something that can be done at whatever your level and always includes the most iconic steps of the era.. We have 4 packages on offer which include learning the Charleston, a Chorus line routine or a dance inspired from the musicals Chicago. We put a lot of effort in putting together a great playlist to match to get your toes tapping and knees knocking!

MyCharleston hen party

MyCharleston hen party

MyCharleston hen party

Our most popular slots are straight after lunch and perfect if you are wanting to combine it with other vintage activities. 

We host all our hen parties in public venues, in the best dance studios in the centre of city which we can source for you making sure you have exclusive use of the space for the afternoon making you feel as comfortable as possible.

Prices vary depending on group size so please get in touch for a quote as we would love to host a Charleston hen party for you!

Make an enquiry

Ragtime Dazzle Dazzle Highlights

MyCharleston’s Brighton Fringe event, Ragtime Razzle Dazzle was a great success as we danced and partied through the afternoon. The ambition this year was to shift the emphasis from performance to participation, so we couldn’t be more pleased when we received a review saying, “It was the most glamorous and inclusive dance event at the Spiegeltent”

Dance Taxi

The “Dance Taxis” were a big hit as they created real engagement from the moment people entered the space. We gave everyone a dance card with a list of moves to learn. They could then hail a ride and a dance taxi showed them the essential moves. I think this old time tradition which goes back to the time of the Savoy, has definitely got some mileage at a modern day dance event. You only need to show people a few moves to make them feel more confortable about getting up and having a dance.

This year’s band went for an early jazz style and kicked off with a New Orleans inspired walkabout. It was a daring bit of theatre for us as we processed behind the sousaphone player, singing, clapping and dancing. Would people join in or just look at us blankly? We had barely passed the stage when I looked back and saw a full crowd of people had joined the line and were joining us in voice and movement. That moment was such a thrill to witness.

The afternoon flew by with some elements the same as previous years, we couldn’t loose the classes because that's the thing that brings everyone together on the dance floor. We dropped the ‘Strictly’ contest this year and that created a lot more space for dancing and enjoying the band. However, we still raised £100 for the charity Mind through the tips our dance taxis earnt. The dance off, as always was a big highlight, watching people go for it with absolute abandonment is such a joy. Thank you everyone for your giving it everything and a huge congratulations to Carol, this years winner. Thank you also to the new MyCharleston Troupe, watching all ten of them performing and dancing together in synchronicity has so much impact.

MyCharleston dance troupe

At MyCharleston we want to encourage anyone to give dance a go, we’ve never used the word ‘inclusive’ to describe ourselves but that's absolutely at the heart of what we do. Watching the two hours of footage from the event, everyone looks so happy but of course that's not all down to us. The Charleston community is such a vibrant collection of people who all seem to have two things in common, a sense of fun and a love of dance.  

Ragtime theme for this years Brighton Fringe

The MyCharleston Speakeasy has been part of Brighton Fringe for three years, so this year we decided on a new theme, The Ragtime. We choose the title ‘Ragtime Razzle Dazzle’ and the creative planning began.

It was important for us that it remained an event for people who love to dress-up, party and dance. We thought rather than acts and performances we would create a series of happenings that draw people into a procession of dance and music.

Happy Flapper letting loose on the dance floor MyCharleston Speakeasy 2018

Elena and I are big fans of New Orleans marching bands, it’s such infectious music you can’t help moving to it. This early jazz style was a development from ragtime, so we thought we would start with some simple stride piano and then get the party started with a New Orleans inspired walkabout.

As we continued to dig into the archives we discovered a tradition called “Dance Taxis” which dates back to 1906. At socials you could hire these dancers to show you the latest dance moves. The MyCharleston Troupe will be on hand at to show you the latest moves and any tips will be donated to the charity Mind.

The Dance Taxi’s service will be hosted by the MyCharleston Troupe

If you’ve never been to the Spiegeltent it’s a truly magical venue - a circular tent with colored glass windows, seated booths and a dance floor at its centre. Being in the round makes it a very welcoming space to have a boogie with friends. As in previous year Elena and I will invite everyone onto the floor to learn the Charleston and a short fun routine.

The band will be keeping the dance floor stomping with our lively team of Charleston dancers. These cheeky ladies have a few surprises planned to keep everyone on their toes! I don't what’s going to happen but when it happens we’ll know it.

Re-inventing a successful event like the MyCharleston Speakeasy means taking risks. For Elena and I, the old saying “if ain’t broke don’t fix it” was in our minds as we decided what to keep and what to lose.

The Ragtime Razzle Dazzle definitely shifts the emphasis from performance to participation. Our biggest hope is that we create a space where people can just let go and dance.

See highlights from last years Speakeasy, Brighton Fringe 2018 and book now for next weeks event

Cheeky Charleston dancers go on protest in Portsmouth

Five cheeky Charleston dancers slipped into Knight & Lee and sneakily filmed a hat swapping dance sequence on the escalators. They then tried their luck dancing on the staircase before making a hasty retreat. Many people wished them well and said how much they would missed the store when it closes in July 2019.

Bouyed up by the support the dancers then stopped traffic with a chorus line number on the zebra crossing. This small but quirky demo against the closure of John Lewis was good humoured and entertaining. The organisers at MyCharleston said they wanted to capture the store's charm before it closed. The video they have made is a tribute to all the staff at Knight & Lee, Southsea.

Fiona, co-founder of MyCharleston said ‘we wanted to capture the store's charm before it closes. We are hoping the footage from Knight & Lee can be part of a bigger project called I Charleston the World.’

MyCharleston began five years ago by making a film called 'I Charleston Brighton' film https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqaJcW7Redo

MyCharleston have been running dance classes in Portsmouth for over a year,they have been really successful with courses often selling out. The Portsmouth group are very lively and always up for fun projects. The 'I Charleston Portsmouth' film will be set to a tune called 'Are You All Reet' by Cab Calloway. it's perfect for Pompey as it sums up the catch phrase 'All Reet'