Move of the Week: Jazz Square

A Jazz Square might look tricky, but when broken down it is an easy step to learn.

Start off with a step forward on your left and then place your right foot across the left. Transfer your body weight on your right leg and then swiftly pull your left leg back and start pushing back.

Place your right foot parallel to the left foot and then start again! Yes, it is really that easy.

If you master the steps you could add in your arms and drag your right foot over the floor, while pushing back.

Just keep your knees slightly bent at all time and you will learn this move in no time!

Everything you need to know for our 1920s Afternoon Tea

This weekend we are hosting 1920s Afternoon Tea at the Hilton Brighton Metropole, and because it's just around the corner we wanted to share with you everything you need to know including how to get the 1920s look to what’s on the menu.

First thing to remember, this is not just a regular Afternoon Tea. Throughout the afternoon we have Sam and the Jazz Cats who be playing our favourite Charleston tunes so we can dance the afternoon away. we will be running mini Charleston lessons where you can learn the basic steps and Our MyCharleston dance troupe is also going to perform for you.

If you have not seen the menu yet, take a peak at what is in store. Veggie and vegan options are also available:

What to wear

As this is a 1920s themed Afternoon Tea we would love to see you dressed up in the 1920s style. So we have put together a short 1920s fashion guide.

Women
Fancy 1920s dresses were sleeveless, shapeless, ankle to knee length slip gowns accented with beading, sequins, fringe, and some feathers. Rich jewel tones and soft pastels made the simplest of gowns look expensive. Top it your outfit off with some lavish accessories, such as a diamond tiara or headband, silk shawl, feather fan, long pearl necklace, and gold arm bangles, and you will look like silent movie stars!

Outfits from our past 1920s Afternoon Tea

1920s fashion inspiration from our past 1920s Afternoon Tea

Men
Men found relief in slightly more comfortable dinner jackets (tuxedos) instead of stuffy tailcoats. Many men cast off formal attire all-together and embraced the colourful life of striped suits, flashy neckties, Homburg hats, and gold capped walking sticks.

Hair and Make-up
If you want the complete 1920s look you can have a look at our blog, which we recently wrote, or head over to our Pinterest Board to find some inspiration.

Click here for the hair and make-up blog.

Seating Plan

Our tables are cabaret style which seat six.

Directions

 

The event starts at 1.30 pm on the 24 Nov at the Hilton Brighton Metropole, Kings Rd, Brighton BN1 2FU which is on the Seafront in between of the i360 and the cinema ODEON.

We will be dancing in the Clarence Suite, a converted Chapel from 1819, within the hotel.

If you are planning on coming by car, there are plenty of car parks around such as the Regency Square Car Park (4-minute walk to our venue) or the Churchill Square Car Park (3-minute walk to the venue).

Or you could come to the Afternoon Tea with the bus number 77 which has a stop directly at the i360, called British Airways i360. From the stop to the Hilton Brighton Metropole it is just a one minute walk.

If you now want to book for our Afternoon Tea just follow the link below.

Move of the Week: Bunny Hops

Bunny Hops is a nice simple move to put in any Charleston routine. All you need to do is bring your feet together and think about shunting them backwards and forwards whilst switching directions.

You need to think about keeping your knees and feet together and your keeping your knees bent. It’s really important to get the sense of dragging your feet forward and back.

Your arms are bent and flat palms either side of the chest or you can lift them above your head.

The history of the musical Chicago

Over our six week autumn courses we taught “Hot Honey Rag” from the musical Chicago at part our Vintage musicals course, an iconic musical number and a Broadway standard. But, did you know that this musical is actually based on a true story that happened in the 1920s?

In the 1920s several cases arose, which involved women killing their lovers or husbands. The press came really intrigued with these cases, because it seemed that, in Chicago, after a long string of acquittals by Cook County juries of women murderesses, feminine or attractive women could not be convicted. In 1924 Maurine Dallas Watkins was assigned to cover the trials of accused murderers Beulah Annan and Belva Gaertner for the Chicago Tribune, which took a pro-prosecution “hang-them-high” stance, while still presenting the details of these women’s lives.

The Hearst papers, the rival of the Chicago Tribune, were more pro-defendant and employed what were derisively called “sob-sisters”, which were women reporters who focused on the plight attractiveness, redemption, or grace of the women defendants.

But regardless of stance, the press covered several of the women as celebrities.

Watkins columns documenting the trials of Annan and Gaertner were so popular that she decided to write a play about them, which was the model of the musical adaptation.

Beulah Annan was the model for Roxie Hart.
She was only 23 years old when she was accused of the murder of Harry Kalstedt in April 1924. The Tribune wrote that she played the song “Hula Lou” for two hours before calling her husband to say she killed a man who "tried to make love to her". She was found not guilty in May 1924.

Belva Gaertner was Watkins inspiration for Velma Kelly.
In 1924 the body of Walter Law was discovered slumped over the steering wheel of Gaertner’s abandoned car and two police officers testified that they had seen a woman getting into the car and shortly after that they had heard a gunshot. She was also acquitted in 1924.

Even the lawyers William Scott Stewart and W. W. O’Brien were models for the composite character in Chicago “Billy Flynn”.

Bob Fosse

In the 1960s, Gwen Verdon read the play and asked her husband, Bob Fosse, about the possibility of creating a musical adaptation. In 1969 the rights were sold to producer Richard Fryer, Verdon, and Fosse. Fosse directed the musical and choreographed it as well.

Bob Fosse was born in Chicago as a son of vaudevillian, which led to his early start as a dancer and in theatre.
After growing up in cabaret night clubs, the nature of Fosse’s signature dance style was sexually suggestive; this also influenced the choreography for the musical Chicago. Three of his dance trademarks included the turned-in knees, sideways shuffling and the jazz hands.

The whole Chicago revival features new choreography “in the style of Bob Fosse”.

The song “Hot Honey Rag” is a recreation of Fosse’s original dance, originally called “Keep it Hot”. He made the performance a compendium of all the steps he learned as a young man working in vaudeville and burlesque.

Here you can see our Vintage Musical Group performing our version to the song “Hot Honey Rag”.

Strictly Review: Charles and Karen

It has been yet another rollercoaster of drama this week on Strictly Come dancing as Danny John-Jules was voted off. This has caused a lot of speculation on social media to whether the voting was fixed and I couldn’t help feel that Charles and Karen had somehow got swept up in this as the judges scored them highly for their Charleston. Were they trying to save them from the dance-off? Did it really deserve a 9 from 3 judges?

Firstly, let’s discuss the music. This week’s choice was 'No Diggity' remixedby Minimatic. For once I did like the music, as this a great tune for an Electro Swing Charleston and I was happy to see Charles reunited with his hanky, so a promising sign that things were going to go well!

The theme however was a bit weird,  two cheeky windows cleaners without much purpose. It wasn’t really clear why they picked that for their theme. 

After a bit of cleaning and getting in to character thy broke into a basic Charleston at 26 seconds followed by some flapper walks and a lock turn. After throwing the hankies away we see a Tick Tock which leads to Charleston side to side in hold, a classic Lindy Hop move. This step had a nice variation with a turn which broke into a Truckin’ step at 45 seconds.

This was proceeded with a series of ‘wow’ moves. A one handed cartwheel and some complicated lifts which then went back into hold, followed by a Fall on the Log variation.

What I do like about Charles is that he brings a bit of a hip hop style to his Charleston and has a lot of control which worked well with the song. However, he did look quite nervous during this performance which is a shame as he is a great dancer and has been underrated in the show.

The next most dynamic part is at 1:25 mins with the scarecrow sequence, followed by Knocky Knee variations and a series of lifts to finish.

For the most part I did enjoy this routine, however I would have liked more steps in hold. It felt a bit more like a duet rather than 1920s partner dance. On the other hand, I really liked the song choice, I like the hip hop/Charleston fusion that Charles brought to the dance and as a pair I think they have great charisma on stage. If he were dance it again, I would like him to loose some of the tension in the upper body as it was quite stiff.

Judges Scores:

Shirley: "What an absolutely superb show, a superb ending to a superb night. You are phenomenal." (Score: 9)

Bruno: "Sparkling, squeaky clean. I like that you managed to introduce some hip-hop elements. Your best dance yet." (Score: 9)

Craig: "It was a bit too controlled and lacked eccentricity. [To boos] It's only my opinion." (Score: 8)

Darcey: "Strong characterisation between you two. Keep pushing that crazy fun side of the Charles I love." (Score: 9)

Our Score: 8

Move of the Week: The Charleston Scarecrow

This week we are covering one of the most iconic Charleston steps from the Roaring 20s: The Scarecrow. There is a great step to throw in whilst dancing and works particular well with Charleston kicks and a basic Charleston step.

Over the years, the basics of the step have always stayed the same. To start this move you need to kick your right leg on the diagonal towards the front left corner of the room and then slide the same leg back towards the back right corner of the room. After the sliding motion, you need to bring both legs together, contract in and pose like a scarecrow by popping your legs, bending your arms and relaxing your neck. Use your core to really strike a pose!

Once you have posed you then need to kick back of the position with your right leg to restart the kicking and sliding motion so you can repeat the sequence.

Below is some great original footage of the Scarecrow before by Al Minns & Leon James which was filmed 1950s/60s.

Health benefits of Charleston dancing

It’s no secret that dancing brings a wide range of physical and mental health benefits with it, which is why dancing is a fun way to stay fit for people of all ages, shapes and sizes. Charleston dancing is a complete body and mind workout, which has a positive effect on your quality of life, body image and mood, which also helps reduces depression and decreases anxiety.

 PHYSICAL HEALTH BENEFITS

Improved condition of your heart and lungs

Charleston dancing is a full body workout

The movement of dancing makes the heart more efficient – the blood circulation improves. And the lungs also benefits from the increased oxygen production.

Improved balance and spatial awareness

Dancing ensures a good posture and trains balance. The mobility of the spine is increased, which helps to prevent a slipped disc.
Requiring focus, coordination and varying levels and intricacy of motor skills, dance also exercises the mind.

Better coordination, agility and flexibility

If you spend the whole day sitting at your desk, Charleston dancing is a good remedy for tension and stress. Through the movements, while dancing the tendons and ligament are supplied with more blood. Which leads to a maintaining mobility or it even improves your mobility.
The mix of different patterns or different movements of upper and lower body at the same time works on your concentration, coordination, balance and agility.

MENTAL HEALTH

Having fun at our classes

Improved mental functions

Charleston dancing improves the blood circulation in the brains, so you are more awake and efficient – you can remember more. Some studies even say that dancing reduces the risk of dementia.
The coordinated and rhythmic movements keep your brain young because dancing improves the connection between the brain cells.

Greater self-confidence and better social skills

While dancing a lot of endorphins are released which means you are more relaxed, happy and satisfied. Charleston dancing increases your good mood and helps to prevent depression.
When you are attending a dance class you also get to know a lot of new people, which can boost your self-confidence.

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If you now fancy some Charleston dance lessons, have a look at our courses, which will be starting again.

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.

Strictly Review: Ashley Roberts and Pasha Kovalev

Ashley Roberts scored a hat trick after she received three 10s with her dance partner Pasha Kovalev for their Halloween themed Charleston. At the end of the night, they were joint top of the leaderboard with Faye Tozer and Giovanni Pernice.

Ashley and Pasha received a standing ovation from not only the audience but also from Bruno Tonioli and head judge Shirley Ballas after their “swivellious” Trolls-inspired routine. Bruno even exclaimed it was the highlight of the season so far. But what made it so good and stand out against the other Charleston routines we have seen so far?

First of all, I know what you are all going to say ‘She trained professionally!’ which is true, but let’s put that aside and take a look at the choreography and content on this dance which is what made it shine.

First of all, the pair are great at setting the scene. Pasha, the troll, puts a spell on Ashley, a bergen, to get her to fall in love with him. She executes the flapper walks and isolation steps of being under a spell perfectly. (If you are unclear of the reference, the characters are based on the Disney film Trolls).

Once the spell has been cast they break into Helicopters, Rock Steps and Charlestons in perfect sync. We see some other nice classic steps at 0:51 seconds where Ashley performs Camel Walks, Birdie Flaps, Lock Turns and Swivels on one leg which then goes straight into Charleston kicks across the body with two Bunny Hops. This is followed by Charleston in hold and a nice turning section. The whole section is jam packed and they keep going with great content as this is followed by Flapper Walks, a Basic Charleston with a kick and some lifts. 

As soon as they break out of the lifts, they perform two Smack the Babies and some classic Pushes and another seamless lift. Towards the end of the routine, they bring it back to the storyline where Ashley then tries to cast a spell on Pasha this time which leads to them throwing the spell book away and them being happy little trolls in love which each other.

What we love about this routine is the story and the choreography are perfectly put together. Sometimes the storylines are quite loose and don’t make sense but this one was clear and beautifully presented. It was also very fast, full of content and the pair of them were perfectly synchronised. Ashley is also the first celeb this series who has mastered the art of the swivel.

The only drawback to this routine is the music. The tune is so annoying that it distracts from the routine and If they had used something with a bit more swing, we could have seen some even more complicated steps with the use of cross phasing and syncopation which would have made it stand out even more. However, we are being picky and as this is a family show, I’m sure lots of kids loved the Disney reference and the music.

Judges Scores:

Bruno: "Astonishing! A magical spellbinding, exuberant, action packed, musical comedy Charleston. One of the best Strictly moments of the season." (Score: 10)

Craig: "Swi-vel-licious, darling." (Score: 9)

Darcey: "A terrific contrast from last week. How the choreography is led by the story, and that face was working as hard as the body." (Score: 10)

Shirley: "One of the best choreographic routines I've ever seen. Fantastic." (Score: 10) 

Our Score: 9 

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!