Shuffle Projects

Swinging Projects for Lindy Hop & Balboa Dancers

Balboa

Balboa Group Performance by «Top Drawer» at ILHC 2010

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Balboa is not really a show dance. Although there are some footages from movies and we can suppose, that these acts mostly were choreographed. Which means these have been show dances and not social dances.

Nowadays, Balboa still is mainly a social dance, even at the competitions.

From that point of view, it attracts attention to see a Balboa group perfomance (okay, spiced with some Charleston), especially if it's such a nice one as done by Top Drawer. Enjoy!

The dancers are: Marie Nahnfeldt, Nick Williams, Laura Keat, Jeremy Otth, Kate Hedin, Bobby White

DJ Chrisbe’s Song of the Week #27: Swamp Fire

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Ozzie Nelson is best-known for his acting on the television series Ozzie and Harriet (which earlier had been featured on radio).

But before that, during the 1930s, Ozzie Nelson led one of the most popular swing and dance bands in the New York area.

Nelson not only played tenor (mostly sticking to section work), but provided many of the swinging arrangements.

In 1932, Nelson – who did a lot of the singing for the band himself – added a female vocalist, a singer and would-be actress named Harriet Hilliard. They fell in love and were married in 1935.

The jazz world bible Downbeat praised the Ozzie Nelson band in 1935 for its “subtle suggestion of melodic beauty and rhythmic patterns” and wrote that these “get under your skin.”

Ozzie Nelson & His Band were the first swing orchestra ever booked into the legendary Glen Island Casino on Long Island, which became one of the most celebrated swing band venues in the world.

Read the full biography by Bruce Elder about the colourful personality of Ozzie Nelson on allmusic.com (it’s a long one).

I’m just very inspired by the Swiss Balboa Weekend from last weekend, so I decided to present another Balboa tune.

Swamp Fire

I like Swamp Fire because of the difference between the real tempo and the feeling of it: the song is quite faster than it seems to be!

Title: Swamp Fire
Artist: Ozzie Nelson & His Orchestra
Recorded: 1935
Tempo: 258 bpm
Dance: Balboa

You can find the songs of the series also on my Spotify playlist. Official hashtag of the series: #djcsotw

Do you like the «Song of the Week» series? Share your thoughts below.

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DJ Chrisbe’s Song of the Week #26: There’s Rhythm In Harlem

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It's time to write about the Mills Blue Rhythm Band.

The Harlem band was originally led by reedman Bingie Madison, later by drummer Willie Lynch.

They had a strong reputation and appeared under different names like the Blue Rhythm Band in 1930 or the Coconut Grove Orchestra.

When backing Louis Armstrong on some records, they even didn't have a name at all.

When Irving Mills, one of the leading booking agents in New York, became their manager in 1931, the group was renamed the Mills Blue Rhythm Band.

Baron Lee led the band after Lynch's departure in the same year until Lucky Millinder took over in 1934. Four years later, the group broke up and Millinder formed his own orchestra.

The big band recorded frequently during 1931-1937 and they did some really good recordings, but there is one problem, they never really could develop an individual style.

For this week I have chosen another Balboa tune, and why not having some rhythm in the title :-):

There's Rhythm in Harlem (by tenor saxophonist Joe Garland) which eventually emerged to In the Mood, a huge hit by Glenn Miller in 1939!

Title: There's Rhythm In Harlem
Artist: Mills Blue Rhythm Band
Recorded: 9.7.1935
Tempo: 210 bpm
Dance: Balboa

Click the link to download the song from: Amazon ･ iTunes

You can find the songs of the series also on my Spotify playlist. Official hashtag of the series: #djcsotw

Do you like the «Song of the Week» series? Share your thoughts below.

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Zürich Balboa Night am 3. September 2010

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Warm-Up Party für das Swiss Balboa Weekend

Ich freue mich, eine weitere Ausgabe der Zürich Balboa Night anzukündigen – der einzige monatliche Balboa Event in der Schweiz! Diesen Monat wird es eine spezielle Balboa Night, es ist die Warm-Up Party zum Swiss Balboa Weekend 2010 und wir erwarten viele internationale Besucher!

Vor der eigentlichen Zürich Balboa Night organisieren wir einen GRATIS Balboa Schnupperkurs. Die Registration ist ab sofort offen. Bitte meldet euch an, wenn ihr teilnehmen möchtet! Am liebsten gleich mit Partner/in an, dies ist aber keine Pflicht, wir werden uns bemühen, die Klasse ausgeglichen zu gestalten.

Wir werden immer wieder gefragt, ob es denn noch Platz hat im Schnupperkurs. Die Antwort ist simpel: Solange die Registration offen ist, hat es Platz!

Host
Christian Bossert

GRATIS Balboa Schnupperkurs

von und mit Valérie Bissig & Christian Bossert

Zeit: 19.30 – 20.30h
Level: keine Tanzerfahrung notwendig!
Registration: Bitte wenn möglich mit Partner/in anmelden, damit wir die Klasse ausgeglichen planen können.

DANCE NIGHT

Zeit: 21.00 – 2.00h

DJ Chrisbe's Special Guests DJ SHUFFLE DELUXE und DJ BÄNDLIMEIER spielen die heissesten Balboa-Tunes für euch!

Ort
Downtownswing, Friedaustrasse 17, 8003 Zürich

Kosten
CHF 15/10 für die Dance Night

Nächste Balboa Night: 1. Oktober 2010 mit einem Mini-Workshops vor der Party.
Die Zürich Balboa Night findet jeden ersten Freitag im Monat statt; ausser im August (Sommerpause).

DJ Chrisbe’s Song of the Week #25: Shipyard Ramble

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Sometimes it is difficult to explain how it feels like when you hear a certain song and you just want to dance to! Do you know this feeling too?

One of these songs making me immediately dance is Shipyard Ramble by Erskine Hawkins and his Orchestra.

Erskine Hawkins started playing trumpet when he was 13 and while attending the Alabama State Teachers College, he became the leader of the college band The Bama State Collegians.

1934 the band went to New York and became the Erskine Hawkins Orchestra, where they started making records in 1936. By 1938 they were quite successful and loved by swing dancers and jazz admirers alike.

Hawkins was able to keep the big band together all the way until 1953; some of their later sessions were more R&B-oriented yet never without jazz interest.

(source: allmusic.com)

Shipyard Ramble is a beautiful swinging tune, great for Balboa dancing.

Title: Shipyard Ramble
Artist: Erskine Hawkins and his Orchestra
Recorded: 15.5.1941
Tempo: 196 bpm
Dance: Balboa

You can find the songs of the series also on my Spotify playlist. Official hashtag of the series: #djcsotw

Do you like the «Song of the Week» series? Share your thoughts below.

Now Check Out: