Fall on the Log: Move of the Week

This week we are looking at a move called Fall on the Log as the name implies there is a falling action. As you fall onto the standing leg, the other leg tucks behind to reveal the sole of the foot.

There are four transitions of weight, so if you begin on jumping onto your right leg, then turn sideways as you hop onto the left leg, then switch right, left.

The head should stay level and there is a sense of disconnection between the upper and lower body. From the hips down something fancy is happening but from the waste upwards you are hardly moving and looking relaxed.

The challenge in this move is practising it slowly but familiarise yourself with the weight changes and you can soon speed up and start to think about the style.

The initial jump or 'fall' should involve a twisting of the hips in mid air. It is this lock movement and the head not bobbing up and down which makes this move distinct from it's very close relative in the Hip Hop world which has exactly the same foot work but is called the top rock.

It's a really fun and fancy move and well worth taking the time to master.

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

Sneak Preview: Litte Bird Charleston Course

Each term we make each course as unique as possible with new moves and music to match. This spring, we taken inspiration from Rose Murphy’s song ‘A Little Bird Told Me’ originally recorded in 1947. The theme is inspired by ‘bird like movement’ which provides much of the character for the dance. The song itself is very soft and lyrical, with Rose Murphy distinctive voice which is both quirky and beguiling.

For a glimpse of what’s coming up Elena and I went to the studio to show you the steps…

As you can see in the video, there are a number of classic ‘bird’ moves in Charleston that we explore in this terms dance including: Pecking step, Chicken Walks and the Birdie Flap, a move made famous by Charleston dancing superstar Josephine Baker in the 1920s. 

The course also provides you with the opportunity to perform on a large stage at this years Take Part in Preston Park Brighton on the 23 June. I have already been asked if we will be dressing like birds and I think it’s safe to say that might be taking the theme a bit too far, hopefully the moves will speak for themselves.

Take Part 2018

The other theme we are exploring in this routine is circles, which I have to say are surprisingly challenging! I tested out the Ceilidh inspired weave around the circle exercise at my sister St Patrick’s Day party and they soon had it down.  It was great to see it working and I think we will have a lot of fun mastering the circle. 

As always, we have also pulled out some great tracks inspired by birds and flying for this course from classic tunes like Flying Home to Bird of Prey Blues by Coleman Hawkin. 

Fiona x



Everything you need to know - Great Gatsby’s Silent Disco

I went to my first Silent Disco 3 years ago, I was a bit skeptical and really couldn’t see what wearing headphones would add to the party experience. I was pleasantly surprised, the having music played to you directly through headphones was amazing.

The first thing I noticed was it was much easier loose my inhibitions, it was like dancing round my own living room. At the same time seeing other people getting down to the same tune gave me a direct connection with them on the dancefloor. The final bonus was when a tune didn’t rock my world, I could switch channels until I found something which did move me to dance.

Silent Disco in the street

Last year Elena and I went on a walkabout silent disco through the streets of Brighton, everyone sang their hearts out as they danced around town much to the entertainment of onlookers.

It was after this experience Elena and I started to think about running our own vintage event. The beauty of this is that we are not stuck in one decade of music and as much as we adore 1920’s jazz it’s hard to find quality recordings and dancing the Charleston for 3 hours would be truly exhausting!

The opportunity of having 3 channels meant we could have one offering music pics from the 20’s, 30’s and 40’s. Another channel with a mix of electro-swing and modern jazz fusion. Finally we decided the third channel would be music which of black origin, early jazz has been the foundation for many styles of music such as funk, soul and hip-hop. This meant we could offer something modern without deviating entirely from the theme.

Great Gatsby’s Silent Disco is happening at the One Church, a venue we love and where they often run Ceilidhs. It is a great space for a dance event as it has loads of room to dance and yet the lighting is ambient and atmospheric. It will definitely be a dress-up and dance event and we are hoping people will customize their headsets to add to the glam.

We have some strolls and short dance sequences that people can easily pick-up so the plan is for flashmob style dances to emerge on the dancefloor encouraging people to join the channel for that tune. So get your dance shoes ready and join us for the first ever vintage silent disco.

Fall on the Log: Move of the Week

This week we are looking at a move called Fall on the Log as the name implies there is a falling action. As you fall onto the standing leg, the other leg tucks behind to reveal the sole of the foot.

There are four transitions of weight, so if you begin on jumping onto your right leg, then turn sideways as you hop onto the left leg, then switch right, left.

The head should stay level and there is a sense of disconnection between the upper and lower body. From the hips down something fancy is happening but from the waste upwards you are hardly moving and looking relaxed.

The challenge in this move is practising it slowly but familiarise yourself with the weight changes and you can soon speed up and start to think about the style.

The initial jump or 'fall' should involve a twisting of the hips in mid air. It is this lock movement and the head not bobbing up and down which makes this move distinct from it's very close relative in the Hip Hop world which has exactly the same foot work but is called the top rock.

It's a really fun and fancy move and well worth taking the time to master.