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'

Move of the Week: The Charleston Kicks

The most misleading thing about a kick in Charleston, is the word kick, so this week we are teaching you the truth behind the Charleston Kicks as our ‘Move of the Week’.

Having taught this move for a long time we have realised that when you say kick people lift from the hip, sending the leg straight up, like a can-can dancer.

This is not how kicks work in Charleston, the key is to think of it as two actions; 

Action 1: Bend the knee 
Action 2: Push the heel away (you don't need to go for a full extension)

The posture needs to be low with hips slung back and knees bent, use your core so your head isn't bobbing up and down like an Irish dancer. Let the arms work with the body to help with counter balance.

When you switch standing legs avoid hopping, try and make the switch clandestine as if you don't want anyone to see or hear.

Most of all this is an energetic move so feel the joy without throwing all your energy away.