Strictly Review: Stacey and Kevin

Strictly Come Dancing 2018 reached its semi-final last weekend where Stacey Dooley and her professional partner Kevin Clifton performed an authentic 1920s Charleston routine. This is the stand out Charleston for the series for so many reasons.

Let’s start with the music, this is the first tune of the year which is actually a proper Charleston track. The piece of music chosen was ‘Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue’ (one of my favourite jazz standards) originally released in 1925 so the music really complimented the routine in capturing the Hot Jazz vibe.

Moving onto the choreography, the storyline is of an on old couple reminiscing of when they used to go out dancing back in the Roaring 20s and we see a flashback to them in their heyday.

From 21 seconds we see heaps of Charleston content: Flapper Walks, Tick Tock, Swivel Walks, Birdie Flaps, Cake Walks and Charleston Kicks all before their first lift.

After the lift, Stacey performs a series of heel flicks on the off-beat, bunny hops and and two Charlestons. Although I love the sequence, her eyes and faces does drop for just one moment and I feel you can really see her concentrating but it’s just a split second.

After their second lift, they come into hold and do a series of kicks and skips which break into Truckin’ and the Spank the Baby move (Not sure why Darcy called it Smack the Pony… or Donkey for that matter) followed by another set of Charlestons and Pushes.

At 1 mins 8 they break into Kick Charlestons and a series of low kicks, followed by a hhimmy and a lift sequence. As soon as they come out of the lifts they perform a set of Suzy Qs and Helicopters (and they have their knees together!).

After their final lift, they run back to the armchairs and we come back to the present day. 

This routine really worked for me on so many levels as it really captured a 1920's flapper-style Charleston. It has also been the only routine of the whole series to use only classic 1920s steps. Although Faye and Giovanni had a great routine too, the traveling moves where not authentic whilst this routine was jam packed from start to finish.

I also love Stacey and Kevin’s partnership and that he threw so much into the routine (I believe we choreographed this one). He is a great teacher who really brings out the best in Stacey. She is a complete dance novice and her spirit really shines in this number. The pair of them together have great stage presence and bring plenty of entertainment to the show.

If they had a bit more time to work on the routine, I would only say that Stacey needs to keep her eyes up and relax her shoulders a little but natural slightly ungainly style fits this routine. However, She smashes the syncopation which is really hard for a beginners and trained dancers. She is also brilliant at doing the swivel which again is very hard to master as a novice.

Shirley: "What an absolutely superb way to open the show – I am absolutely speechless. Is there anything you can't do? Absolutely phenomenal." (Score: 10)

Bruno: "Come on! Talk about giving it welly! She burst into action like a sparkling firecracker. It was 100% authentic 1920's flapper-style Charleston." (Score: 10)

Craig: "Well, your left foot didn't do one little swivel. But I loved it, it was quirky and eccentric." (Score: 9)

Darcey: "Stacey you epitomise the naughty flapper. It was fabulous." (Score: 10)

Our Score: 10 

Move of the Week: Tick Tocks

This week we are teaching you Tick Tocks as our Move of the Week. A simple, but also very popular move in the Charleston.

Start off with your feet parallel. Keep your knees bent at all time and go really low.

If you want to travel to the right start by turning in your knees and feet and while turning out again slide a bit to your right side.
Turn your knees and feet in again, but this time while turning out lift your left foot off the floor. Make sure that you keep the position which you had on the floor and really flex your foot.

Then repeat the same to the left. Knees in and out, while moving to your left, but this time lift your right foot up.

Now to the arms. Hold them like a marionette and just mirror your knees and this is all you need to know for the Tick Tocks.

Strictly Review: Faye and Giovanni

Faye and her partner Giovanni Pernice scored their first perfect 40 last weekend for their quirky Charleston set to ’Lonely Goatherd’ from the ‘Sound Of Music’, which saw them transformed into a pair of puppets. The judges gave them top marks and Darcey said it was ‘Stunning to perfection’. So let’s take a closer peak at the choreography and if it deserved top marks.

We first see the pair after the curtains open on the puppet stage and they perform a sequence of isolated steps which included the puppets coming to life. There was a mini Tick-Tock on the spot and some flicks which were on the off-beat (which is Charleston perfection and quite rare to see on the show).

At 34 seconds, they break into basic Charleston, and flicks on both the right and left leg whist they untangle themselves from the puppet strings then flapper walks into the centre.

After covering the floor with some skipping (not sure why that move was picked, presume they felt it was in keeping of the theme) they come into a loose hold at 58 secs for a quick series of kicks, turns and lifts.

1:12 mins they come into two Scissor Kicks, a Birdy Flap (made iconic by Charleston Queen Jospehine Baker) followed by basic Charleston and Helicopter. I think Faye is the first celeb this series to do the helicopter correctly with her knees together. They quickly move into Charlie Chaplin legs and Trench Walks followed by another series of lifts.

At 1.30 they break into a nice turning sequence with the other extra dancers on stage followed by two high kicks from Faye and a series of Wings (which you would usually see in Tap).

The routine ends with another skipping and lift sequence which brings the pair back into the centre of the stage to finish with one more Charleston and a scarecrow pose.

The routine is very intricate and capture lots of Charleston characteristics including flexed feet and flat hands. They are also the only pair this season to clearly dance the off-beat and syncopation which is a key element of this genre. Although they were quite upright, which is a little strange for a Charleston, they were meant to be puppets and they kept in character throughout. It might have been nice to have seen some basic Charleston in hold but as a duet it was perfect.

The music worked really well too (although it was quite annoying and it’s amazing they managed to listen to that for a week!) Also well done to the singer who pulled that one out the bag.

The routine was choreographed by Jenny Thomas who did a fantastic job!

Judges Scores: 

Bruno: "Everybody was on their feet! That was the ultimate crowd-pleasing, show-stopping delight. Take it to Broadway, it will run forever! A theatrical masterpiece!" (Score: 10)

Craig: "I thought the goats were good darling, you weren't bad either. Well done." (Score: 10)

Darcey: "I thought it was extraordinary. There was a move to every beat of the music. Every moment you reflected the characters of the puppets. Stunning to perfection." (Score: 10)

Shirley: "You are a pure diamond. There wasn't a flaw in anything you did there." (Score: 10)

Our Score: 10 (and 10/10 for Giovanni’s outfit)

Move of the Week: Spank the Baby

For this week's Move of the Week, we are teaching you Spank the Baby. And I promise you, it's not as harsh as it sounds.

Begin with your feet together and then tap with your right foot to the side. Then bring your left foot in again.

While stepping together, bring your right foot up and hold it there. You can feel your body weight transferring onto the standing leg, which is, in this case, the left one.

Hold your arms like a teapot. While tapping to the side, push your arm in the direction you are travelling in.

When you are coming together pull your arm in as well and the other hand slaps on the bum of the standing leg.

It is exactly the same for travelling to the other side, so keep practising both sides, because in the end you will master tapping from side to side.

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.