Everything you need to know about The Black Bottom

The next course routine Black Bottom, has a fascinating history so before you learn the MyCharleston version, here is some background on the dance and a great selection of video clips for you to enjoy along with a sneak peek of the next course routine.  

The Black Bottom was the next dance fad to hit America after the Charleston became popular in the 1920s.  The dance itself consists of a number of moves the most iconic being the one where you slap the floor and then slap both bum cheeks. You would be forgiven for thinking this cheeky bit of choreography is how the dance got it’s name but it was in fact named after a district in Detroit. 

MyCharleston have been dancing the Black Bottom for many years the routine we originally learnt was by The Dance Jubilee Troupe and was filmed in the 1950s. I suspect the original dance was nothing like this, in fact it’s more of a foot shuffle. However in this routine you see a move where you jump between four contrasting postures, it’s like an exaggerated version of “Itches” and has become iconic within the Black Bottom catalogue of moves. 

Like the Charleston this is a dance which originates from African Americans and was then adopted by mainstream American Culture. The dance is so steeped in history that I could write a whole thesis on it but I won’t. Let me finish by saying there are many versions of the dance and the tune Black Bottom. For the next course we’ve selected the Spike Jones version. So pour yourself a cuppa and enjoy these clips of dancers, musicians and singers all performing the Black Bottom …

Black Bottom from the film The Best Things in Life Are Free

Singing Black Bottom - Judy Garland in A Star is Born

To book your spot on the MyCharleston courses, head over to our classes page

Original photos from 1920s

Original posters from 1920s

Move of the Week: The Shimmy

This week we are breaking down the shimmy, a simple yet confusing move that sometimes throws our students in class. The key things to remember when learning to shimmy is the movement comes from your spine and shoulder blades not from your chest.

The shimmy is not about trying to make your chest wobble, it's about moving your shoulder blades to create the movement. Imagine you have a broom running up your spine and you are trying to grab hold of it with your shoulder blades. Keep your weight in the centre and engage your core to keep control and flow to the step. Remember do not let your chest collapse in.

This is a great move to mess about with, so try it around the house or next time you are out dancing!

Review: Also Festival 2018

You know the summer has arrived when you head off to your first festival. Last week we went to Also Festival to teach the Charleston. Never heard of Also? Its’ a small festival with big ideas in Warwickshire, created to get ideas in front of people and to stimulate new thinking. If that sounds like a festival for the middle class I would say it’s more for why-the-hell-not types. 

MyCharleston, Also Festival 2018

The setting was beautiful, as was the weather in fact the weather was almost too good for dancing around so I didn’t expect a great turn out. However before teaching the Charleston I was asked if I could go into the main bar and teach the Hand Jive and the Bunny Hop. I’d never actually heard of the Bunny Hop and so my research took me to Youtube where I found hilarious archive footage of men in suits, dancing around TV studio’s to this slightly ridiculous choreography, well worth a watch! 

When I entered the bar it was incredible hot and people were sat listening to a really interesting talk about the music industry. I’m not often intimidated but I really didn’t know how easily I could switch the mood and get everyone up and dancing. Luckily the Hand Jive can be done sat down so I eased people in and then got them up and dancing as I added the dance intro featured in Greece. Once I people standing I introduced the Bunny Hop and before I knew it we had a conga line of little rabbits hopping round the bar, it was brilliant! 

The Charleston workshop went down a treat, with a good thirty people joining in the workshop. The final a routine was so good we actually drew an audience! 

Work done (best job ever) we joined in the festival and were entertained by illusionists, choirs, a Pina Bausch Belkin line, and more. For me this Festival was the perfect size with just under a thousand people, however we managed to loose our friends as we got swept up in all the fun. 

MyCharleston dancers: Fiona and her husband Tom

The next day we had a very civilized breakfast, after using the incredible clean facilities, no Portaloos at this festival wohoo! We just had time to take in a talk before hitting the road. We had been browsing the book shop (yes they had a book shop) and were intrigued by a book called A New Map of Wonders by Caspar Henderson. The talk was just starting and it was really helped me connect with the premise of Also Festival by taking this opportunity to really think about wonder as an experience. I really warmed to the author Caspar Henderson he was endearingly humble and his ideas made me feel more hopeful about the world in which we live. The discussion was inspiring as not only did it make think more about this wonderful emotion, wonder! It also stimulated me to think about how I might nurture it in my life. Also definitely worked its magic on me and I would highly recommend it to anyone. 

Blog by: Fiona Ring

Giving back to the community

Dance in Brighton is about to boom, with a dedicated dance space being created in what used to be the Old Market, Circus Street. With cranes already dominating the skyline, South East Dance are working hard to engage people from the local Tarner community through The Welcome Project, their 3 year programme of dance activity in the lead up to the opening of The Dance Space.

Tarner is a little known and historically under-privileged area tucked between the Amex building, Planet India and the Setting Sun pub. So MyCharleston boldly went where no Charleston teachers have gone to before: The Brighton unemployed families project to surprise them with a pop-up Charleston dance class.

We had no idea how well our gorilla tactics would go down, especially as it was straight after lunch! But as people began to finish eating, we introduced ourselves and to our delight everyone stood up when requested. The group seemed genuinely happy to give Charleston a go and you can’t ask for more than that.

I don’t know if it’s down to the music or the dance but there is something about Charleston that always seems to put a smile on people’s faces. We had entered the building feeling very nervous and left with that life affirming feeling, everyone had been welcoming and enthusiastic. As to there dancing abilities, we were super impressed! not only did they master the Charleston, they even learnt a short routine, which they danced with energy and style.

Charleston is such a happy dance and it’s easy for beginners to pick-up. Over the years students have told us how dance has helped them with anxiety, confidence and social interaction. I know I am evangelical about the power of dance but I really believe this project by South East dance will bring a real gift to the Tarner community.

How to Have the Perfect First Dance

When I was a little girl, I had images of myself and my husband doing a beautiful waltz as our first dance for our wedding.  Unfortunately, as the date of our wedding started to get closer I was reminded that my husband-to-be had two left feet and had never danced in his life. My aspirations of a vienze waltz worthy of the strictly final flew out the window.

However, Michael knew how important dance was to me and suggested that we did a surprise Charleston dance as our first dance as our guests would never suspect it. I was already taking on  huge craft project by making all the decorations and stationary for the wedding, I was not sure that I also had time to teach him to dance. 

To help Mike get the basic moves mastered, I put him in the trusty hands of Elena and Fiona and he attended the beginners Charleston course with MyCharleston. He quickly realised why I love the Charleston so much and I was impressed with how quickly he picked up the moves.

I caught him practising his Charleston everywhere, while doing the washing up, in the garden, brushing his teeth, you name it he was charlestoning. Not only did he perfect the basic Charleston, he was also doing the 1930s Charleston too! 

We practised in our living room, which at the time was filled with craft projects for the wedding, so we didn’t have much space. When it was sunny, we pracised in the garden, and our neighbours must have thought we were crazy.  Rehearsing together was so much fun, and was easily one of my favourite parts of wedding planning. We laughed so much and it was a great way to de-stress from all the difficult parts of wedding planning.

As the wedding drew closer, Mike started to get a bit nervous but I knew he was going to be great. The only people that knew about the first dance were the girls from Savoy Kicks, MyCharleston's dance troupe and I was so pleased that we had managed to keep it secret. 

Our first dance was one of our favourite parts of the wedding. The Charleston is the a perfect dance for us as it is silly and fun, and we just had such a great time performing it. Our guests were so surprised and they were all cheering and clapping the whole way through. As soon as we started Charlestoning, I could hear my sister scream, it was lovely to see our guests so happy.  When we did the lift in the middle of the routine, our friends and family all went wild.

We did our Charleston dance to ‘Yes sir that’s my baby’ by Firehouse Five plus two as this was the music that Mike first saw me perform with Savoy Kicks. Before the Charleston, we danced to a cover of The Book of Love by Airborne Toxic Event. Mike introduced me to the band when we first got together, and this song means so much to us.

After our first dance, my friends who run the company MyCharleston got all our guests on the dance floor and taught them how to Charleston. It was incredible to see all the people we love all doing the Charleston together. It was a great way to kick off our evening celebrations. No one could use the excuse that they could not dance to avoid joining in, as if Mike could do it. Anyone could do it.