BLOG
Read about all things Charleston
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.
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.
Strictly Review: Karim Zeroual and Amy Dowden
Strictly Come Dancing fans were fuming this weekend over Craig Revel Horwood's score for Karim Zeroual's Charleston. Whilst the other 3 judges were on their feet and scored him top marks, Craig’s decided not to dust off his number 10 paddle. Let’s take a deeper look, to why the rest of us felt it deserved top marks.
Strictly Come Dancing fans were left fuming this weekend over Craig Revel Horwood's score for Karim Zeroual's Charleston. Whilst the other 3 judges were on their feet and scored him top marks, Craig’s decided not to dust off his number 10 paddle. Let’s take a deeper look, to why the rest of us felt it deserved top marks.
The routine opens with Amy and 3 backing dancers gathered around an amusement arcade game where they win Karim. He is then lowered down from the ceiling via a novelty size grabber.
The choreography starts with Amy performing Flapper Walks, Spank the Baby and Heel Flicks whilst Karim is taken out of his harness.
Once he is on the floor they break into a jam packed, highly energetic routine. From 0:35, we see: Charleston around the Worlds, Scarecrows, Lock Turns, Fall off the Logs, Heel Flicks, 30s Charleston. This is followed by a solo by Karim who performs a 20s Charleston, Helicopter, Trench Walks, Kicks, Lock Turn and Jazz Splits.
He then moves into hold with Amy who dance 20s Charleston together with a wiggly head, a Lindy Hop variation step, a series of turns and single leg Swivels into Flapper Walks at 1:14. Next up are Tick Tocks, another set of Spank the Baby, a Scarecrow variation and a lift.
By the second chorus, the pair start the sequence with Side to Side Charlestons, Tick Tocks and Hitch Hikes and a Shimmy. They continue the routine with a Hail Mary and another Charleston Around the World in hold followed by a Side to Side Charleston also in hold.
After the final lift, Karim performs a final set of turns with Amy, a leapfrog and a final position.
This is by far my favourite routine of the series because of the excellent choreography. Jenny Thomas, the choreographer, has pack the routine full of fantastic content, including many Charleston variations we have not seen on the show yet, including Side to Sides and Around the Worlds. The steps must have been a real challenge to Karim and he mastered all the moves. It was also very brave of him to perform a solo around the professional dancers and he executes the routine to an excellent standard.
I thought the music choice was great, ‘Happy’ by C2C, and it worked really well with the steps. The costumes although very garish also fitted well with this fun themed routine which captured the joy and silliness of the Charleston.
Judges Score - 9+10+10+10
Our Score - 10
Cheeky Charleston dancers go on protest in Portsmouth
in protest to the beloved Knight & Lee being closed down in Southsea and converted into private lettings, five cheeky Charleston dancers slipped into the shop and sneakily filmed a hat swapping dance sequence on the escalators.
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'
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 but the song itself is very soft and lyrical, with Rose Murphy distinctive voice which is both quirky and beguiling.
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
Learn Shoe Shine: Charleston Move of the Week
This move does what it says on the tin, you are pretending to shine your shoes, so it's as much mime as it is dance and has a strong historical context.
This move does what it says on the tin, you are pretending to shine your shoes, so it's as much mime as it is dance and has a strong historical context.
You begin by presenting the foot, lean back and wipe the hand across as if polishing your shoe. You can the hop jump to switch sides to clean the other shoe (cause you'd look odd with just one shinny shoe!) and again flick the hands 4 times as if cleaning your shoes. This is a great move to master, so try it around the house or next time you shoes need cleaning!
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.
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.