The Story behind I Charleston Brighton

I Charleston Brighton grew out Elena and Fiona's passion to create a viral video about their city back in 2014. The “I Charleston” viral project fired people’s imaginations and passion for dance from New York to Paris and beyond. Having spotted this online craze back in, the two of them decided that Brighton needed to be the next city to join the Charleston World Map, a series of global viral films that showcase the dance talents and the iconic sites of the city.

The ‘‘I Charleston Brighton’’ film is an energetic, colourful spectacle of dance, costume and humour. With music to match, the viral video captures the quirky character of Brighton, its people and frivolity. Standout scenes include a fan dancer, Charleston dancing at the naked bike ride, two pole dancing builders and a scene shot in the sea. The film launched on the 5th September at a private screening attended by the Mayor of Brighton & Hove, Councillor Brian Fitch.

The project was initiated by Elena and Fiona, Co-owners of I Charleston Brighton. It took them took six months to choreograph, film and edit and features over forty locations around the City. They collaborated with a wide range of local dance groups and performers including Streetfunk and Live Love Hoop, as well as running dance courses where people could learn the choreography so they could take part in the film. In total over 80 dancers were involved in the film ranging from 5 to 80 years in age.

Elena explained: ‘’We really wanted to capture the diverse and individual spirit of Brighton so we were delighted that so many dance and performance groups volunteered their time to be a part of the project. Thanks to them, we managed to capture the creative vibe of our city.’’

"I Charleston the World" has become a global phenomenon with more than 70 cities participating across four continents. In England though, only London and Liverpool have completed an “I Charleston” video. Brighton has upped the ante by filming not only the main attractions but also some of Brighton’s best kept secrets.

Since the release of the film, the video went viral and had many features written about it by local and national papers. The film was also chosen by Visit Brighton as they headline campaign for 'Arts in the City'.

Evening Standard

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/charleston-dancers-brighton-are-a-web-smash-video-9746730.html

The Argus

http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/11506379.VIDEO__Charleston_film_has_everyone_in_a_flapper/

Visit Brighton

http://www.visitbrighton.com/groups/things-to-do/i-charleston-brighton-p1103231#overview

The Latest

http://thelatest.co.uk/brighton/2014/09/11/i-charleston-brighton/

BN1 Magazine

http://www.bn1magazine.co.uk/brighton-official-i-charleston-film-out-now/

South East Dance

http://www.southeastdance.org.uk/communities/brightons-charleston-dance-craze-goes-viral.html

Brighton and Hove News

http://www.brightonandhovenews.org/2014/09/19/brighton-charleston-video-proves-a-hit

BBC Things to do

http://www.bbc.co.uk/thingstodo/activity/i-charleston-brighton/occurrence/536326

I Charleston the World

http://www.icharlestontheworld.com/I_Charleston_the_world/Map.html

Brighton Bits

http://brightonbits.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/i-charleston-brighton.html

Vintage Brighton

http://vintagebrighton.com/2014/09/i-charleston-brighton-video/

Civic Brighton and Hove

http://civicbrightonandhove.co.uk/2014/09/brightons-charleston-dance-craze-goes-viral/

Class Listings

Love Brighton

http://www.welovebrighton.com/event/charleston-brighton-2/all/

Whats on Brighton

http://whatson.brighton.co.uk/event/I%20Charleston%20Brighton%20-%20Dance%20Classes/04%20Nov%202014

XYZ Magazine

http://www.xyzmagazine.co.uk/brighton/listings-3/i-charleston-brighton-at-smile2live?instance_id

Smile2live

http://www.smile2live.com/classes/dance/charleston-with-fiona/

Absolute Magazine

http://www.absolutemagazine.co.uk/brighton-fashion-week-warm-up/

Why we launched Baby Charleston

Two months into setting up I Charleston with Elena I was delighted to discover I was pregnant! I danced through the whole pregnancy & many people joked my baby would come out Charleston dancing. 
As a newborn I used to dance to sooth him but now he is one, dancing together is bonding and fun.  So much fun I thought it was time I took the idea of Charleston dancing with your baby to a wider audience, so Elena and I set-up Baby Charleston. 
I must admit I was really nervous about teaching the first taster class, the idea of loads of crying babies while I’m trying to teach a dance was quite intimidating.  However I soon discovered it wasn’t just my baby who shared my love of the Charleston. As the music started and we all got moving we didn’t hear a peak from any of the babies. However the look of some of their sweet faces grinning away as we danced was very distracting but in the best possible way. I’ve now run three sessions and what seemed like a super crazy, only in Brighton idea has proved to be a massive success. So if your not sure what to do next time your babies crying why not try the Charleston?
- Written by Fiona Ring
 

Baby Charleston Starts on 14 Jan

Baby Charleston is the perfect class for you and your baby. Taught by Creative Director Fiona with her baby Lucian, this is a great way to do some gentle exercise with your baby in a sling whilst giving you the chance to socialize with other parents with little ones. Open to babies over 6 weeks. Please arrive early for your session to ensure your your child is secure in their sling.  Next 5 week course: 14 Jan -  11 Feb. Introductory rate: £34+ Transaction fee.

We are very excited that our brand new baby Charleston class starts in just a few more days.

We are Back!

After a few weeks over the Christmas holidays we are now back in the studio this week! We have brand new courses starting on the following dates:

Tuesdays
Beginners 6-7pm: 5th January - 9th February, Open Space Studios
Improvers 7-8pm: 5th January - 9th February, Open Space Studios

Wednesdays
Beginners 6-7pm: 6th January - 10th February, Bird Studios

Thursdays
Beginners 10-11am: 7th January- 11th February, Bird Studios
Baby Charleston 11-12pm: 7th January- 11th February, Bird Studios

We hope to see you there

We Did it!

We did it! We have finished the final course of the year! Over the past 12 months we have had over 250 course attendees, taught 13 courses, made 6 films, done 3 live shows with our students, (not to mention the numerous shows Savoy Kicks have produced) taught several workshops and broken 1 Record Attempt! Roll on 2016 for another fantastic year!

Choreography By Numbers – When Cardens Met Charleston

When Cardens accountants contacted I Charleston Brighton to see if we could make them a corporate film we were a little surprised. We have made a lot of dance films but it had never occurred to us to take movement movies into the business world.

We had already worked with Managing Partner Barry Carden, when he competed in a Strictly-style dance competition in aid of the Rockinghorse chairty.  Barry had been a joy to work with and so we agreed to come and look at his offices to see if there was the potential to make a film.

I have to admit I had my doubts and was racking my brains to think of ways to get creative within an office workspace.  What I envisioned was strip lighting, carpet tiles and a lot of grey, I couldn’t have been more wrong; Cardens offices are in a Grade II-listed building dating back to the late 19th century. The refurbishment has clearly been a labour of love for Barry who has modernised the building in a way that is both sympathetic and bold. Original features such as the magnificent stairs and stunning stained glass windows remain authentic. On seeing them I was immediately devising dance sequence that would show off this fantastic staircase. As I wandered  and wondered through the building I could see so many possibilities and I knew we were onto a winner.

The next challenge was to teach the firm’s accountants how to dance the Charleston. We went to their offices on a Wednesday evening and again I felt some uncertainty as to how well it would work out. Amazingly the whole team got on board and although they were a little shy at first within an hour they were all dancing and enjoying the choreography. As you can imagine, counting the beats was no problem.

The actual day of filming was so much fun, the staff at Carden's embraced the ridiculous things we asked them to do.  From choreographed phone calls to rhythmically stapling paperwork, we took the workplace and interpreted everyday actions into playful movement sequences. The most fun scene we filmed involved the shortest person in the office Amber handing files to the tallest person, Barry, as the files piled up, she had to jump in order to reach the top and all this whilst dancing the Charleston.

The dance scenes and movement vignettes were edited together to create a short film of just under three minutes. I was really pleased with the final cut and the feedback from the team at Carden's has been great. The film captures how much fun we had that day and shows the fantastic building in a completely new light.  I’m so grateful to Barry for coming up with the idea and I really hope we can find similar projects to work on in the future.

Written by Fiona Ring Co-Founder I Charleston Brighton

I Charleston my Holiday

We are chuffed to bits to share with you our latest project: I Charleston My Holiday. Over the past few months, I Charleston Brighton students travelled across the globe sending us little dance postcards, to help bring together this fantastic sunny film.From the skyscapers of Hong Kong to the Grand Canal in Venice, over 25 dancers sent in clips of them dancing the long summer days away. Thank you so much to all the contributors to make this great film!

To show your support for our dancers and the video we would be delighted if you could share this on Facebook and or tweet it using our twitter handle @icharlestonbn.

Meet Savoy Kicks

I Charleston Brighton's very own performance troupe, The beautiful and damned great dancers, Savoy Kicks put a spin on some classic jazz moves. The Neo-Charleston dance troupe brings the fun and humour of Twenties Charleston back to life, combining authentic dance moves with contemporary aesthetics to create shows that will enthrall and entertain audiences. They’re greater than the Great Gatsby, brighter than the Bright Young Things and brimming with fun. So pour yourself a gin rickey and slide back for some high kicking, heel slapping, toe tapping entertainment.

Whether it be a 1920′s themed evening, a theatre performance, a local fundraiser, birthday party or you want a Hen Party with a difference, Savoy Kicks delivers tailored packages to fit your needs. For more information email hello@savoykicks.com or visit www.savoykicks.com

We are Record Breakers!

On the 18th July, I Charleston Brighton and a team of 60 local dancers took part  in the Charleston World Record Attempt which was part of the Bexhill Roaring 20’s Festival. I Charleston Brighton provided two workshops and a series of classes to get as many people from Brighton to take part, along with providing free transport to Bexhill. Savoy Kicks and the students also performed two sets on the dance stage during the festival.

The event took place at the De La Warr Pavilion and led to the record attempt being broken thanks to a total of 503 participants. Our students and performance troupe Savoy Kicks headlined on the main stage. To read the official article click here

Eurovision Dance Fever

Eurovision dance fever has taken Brighton by storm this week as we got together, along Brighton seafront, to show our support of the UK’s electro swing inspired entry for 60th year anniversary of the Eurovision Song Contest!
Dressed in Union Jack colours and armed with flags from across the globe, 30 dancers from our various classes came together to make a two minute dance video to show their support for the entry.