USO Canteen FReeper Style ~ Dance Fever ~ March 18, 2003

March 18, 2003 | LaDivaLoca

[LaDivaLoca]

Dance Fever ~ Canteen Style

"It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing" (Duke Ellington)

"Swing music is pedestrian music. When you hear It, it makes you want to move."
(Clarence Clemons)

The first known swing dance, which dates back to 1913, was called the Texas Tommy. This dance later became the Mooch and Sugar in 1916, and by 1919 was called the Breakaway.     

Swing had its beginning in the 1920s and kept on going strong for many decades.  In 1926 the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem, New York opened its doors and began to host bands and dancers from all over. 

Swing dancers were not only doing the steps, they were naming and inventing them as well.  In 1927, Shorty George Snowden coined the term Lindy Hop to describe his dance style.  It has been known as such ever since.

In 1935, Frankie Manning, one of the greatest Lindy hoppers ever, created the first air steps.  Since then, dancers have been trying to duplicate and recreate them.

Swing continued into the 40s and 50s with the big band and rock & roll eras.  The music changed and the dancing developed.  Check out the important dates below!

1920s - Early Charleston and Lindy Hop begin                                                

1926 - Savoy Ballroom in Harlem New York opens

1927 - Shorty George Snowden coins the term Lindy Hop   

1930s - The role of the band leader changed; they no longer just conducted the band, they were musicians who alternated between leading and soloing    

1934 - Cab Calloway records "The Jitterbug" and the Jitterbug dance craze takes off.

1935 - Frankie Manning creates the first air steps             

1941 - Whitey's Lindy Hoppers appear in Hellzapoppin'

1950s - Swing dancing becomes known as "rock and roll" dancing

1960s - Partnered or "touch" dancing declines as Chubby Checker's "Twist" sweeps the nation.

2002 - Swing is still very much alive and well in the 21st century.  It seems as though most dancers are trying to get back to basics, experimenting with the Lindy Hop, Shag, Balboa, and Charleston.  Today's dancers are not only learning the dances, they are adding their own unique styling and inventing new moves as well.  Swing may not be the most popular thing in 2002, but for those who fell in love with it... it will never go out of style! 

GLOSSARY OF COMMON MUSICAL TERMS
As you read the BigBands Database, some expressions may be
unfamiliar. Hopefully, you can find their meaning here.

ALLIGATOR: Musician's used to refer to each other as 'Alligators'.
          Today, the word has been shortened to just 'Gator'.
          Louis Armstrong is often referred to as 'Gate Mouth',
          - from the same source.

BACK LINE: Musical slang for 'rhythm section'. Any combo of drums, bass piano, banjo, guitar. (Early bands would also use a Jug (glass/clay, gallon size) and washboard.) The expression stems from the early Jazz bands which often were just 5 - 7 pieces. The Melody instruments would stand out in the 'front' line while the Rhythm - piano, drums, banjo, and tuba/bass fiddle - would be the 'back line'. See also, "Front Line" below.

BEBOP: Another word for 'Bop'. See 'Bop" below.

BLUE NOTES: The lowered 3rd, 5th and 7th tones of a major scale. Often referred to as the 'flatted 5th', etc., by jazzmen.

BLUES: 1) A sad ballad type of song, often sung by a female moaning about a lost/uncaring/mean/etc lover. 2) A sad song sung mainly by black singers, - male and female. The traditional structure is 12 bars divided into 3 four bar measures. The "song form" (see below) is almost always AAB. (See "Jazz Overview" Link on the Main Page for more information.)

BARRELHOUSE: (Also called "Fast Western".) A style of piano playing popular west of the Mississippi before the 1900's and into the 'teens. So named because the piano players were usually working in the crude cabarets that served whiskey directly out of the barrel.

BOOGIE WOOGIE: An "Eight beats to the Bar" Ostinato. The left hand plays a repetitive riff throughout the song.

BOP: Originally, a style of music that used the changes (chords) of a well known song, but with a wild (sometimes recognizable and sometimes not) improvisation on the original melody. The expression has racial overtones. Dizzy Gilespie said that blacks developed Bop to "exclude "lesser" (meaning - white) musicians".

For more, click on the graphic:

SWING ERA AND MODERN COLLOQUIALISMS

---

 "Swing", like most fields of endeavor, also has it's own
special lexicon. Once used mostly by the musician's
themselves, the slang has now become a part of the greater
society. And, what is even more remarkable, is the way the
language has prospered. It is still widely used today, AND
growing.

---

18 Karat        "Pure Gold"
                Ex: "He's 18 karat."

Ace One dollar; Dollar's worth, one, first rate Ex: "He's 'Ace' with me. Ex: "Slip me an Ace, Gate." (Let me have a dollar.)

Air-check An actual radio or television performance caught on tape; as opposed to a work done in a recording studio

Alligator Originally, a slang term for "Musician". Very early in Jazz history, musicians referred to themselves as "alligators". Now it simply refers to any Swing Devotee (abbrev. 'Gator or Gate) Note: Louis Armstrong is often called 'Gate Mouth', from the same source. Ex: Cat 1: See ya later, alligator. Cat 2: After while, crocodile.

Axe ANY musical instrument. Ex: Man, - what do you think of my new Axe?

Ball To enjoy Ex: We had a 'Ball' when Tommy Dorsey played.

Big Apple New York City. Ex: He's working at Roseland Ballroom in the Apple.

Baby A term of endearment. (for either sex.) Ex: Say, "baby," I got us some bread, let's "move" downtown.

Bad Good Ex: That dude does some "bad" ass playing.

Bag One's own special interest. Ex: Man, - Tommy Dorsey's "Well Git It" is my "Bag".

Balloon lungs A Brass player with good breath control. That cat has "balloon lungs," he held that note for one complete minute!

For more, click on the graphic:

Click and dance to the music:







Movies to watch:

Additional information
(click on the graphics):

[LaDivaLoca]

TONK! My hero! You are looking sharp in the pics, my friend. THANK YOU for your service to our country. God bless you and keep you safe.

[Luis Gonzalez]

Well, thank you very much!

Current Article Archives

[HiJinx]

WHOA, Tonkin!!!

You're auxiliary, right?

What's with the Warrant Officer Rank, Bro?!?!?!?

Congrats!!!

[LaDivaLoca]

Thanks for the links. I will check them out.

But for now, it's time for me to check out of the Canteen and rest my aching feet. Good night, everyone, God bless you all. See you tomorrow at Camp-run-A-Muck! LOL!

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

You're auxiliary, right?

Yes

What's with the Warrant Officer Rank, Bro?!?!?!?

NOT Warrant Officer, Flotillia Staff Officer. Rank equal of Ensign.

[Dubya]

I guess Rosie and me will go to bed.

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

Sweet Dreams
God Bless You and Thanks again for today's thread!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Woo Hoo, only 1 more get-up before helo ops night. Hope the weather will cooperate.*HUG*

[HiJinx]

G'Night, Diva!
Great dancing, see you tomorrow!

[radu]

Ok, I'm back for a bit. I'd closed my e-mail box for a while because it was somewhat depressing to see that empty in-box. Something told me to open it and there were a bunch of e-mails from overseas!! WOOOHOOO! Looks like it may be down again but at least it was up for a little while.
Nick, on the "Connie", sent this in his e-mail and I thought it was pretty darned good and worth sharing:

TRYING TO HELP
> By Dennis Miller
>
> All the rhetoric on whether or not we should go to war against Iraq
> has got my insane little brain spinning like a roulette wheel. I
> enjoy reading opinions from both sides, but I have detected a hint
> of confusion from some of you.
>
> As I was reading the paper recently, I was reminded of the best
> advice someone ever gave me. He told me about the KISS method
> ("Keep it Simple, Stupid"). So, with this as a theme, I'd like to
> apply this theory for those who don't quite get it. My hope is
> that we can simplify things a bit and recognize a few important
> facts.
>
>
> Here are 10 things to consider when voicing an opinion on this
> important issue:
>
>
> 1) President Bush and Saddam Hussein.....Hussein is the bad guy.
>
>
> 2) If you have faith in the United Nations to do the right thing,
> keep this in mind. They have Libya heading the Committee on Human
> Rights and Iraq heading the Global Disarmament Committee. Do your
> own math here.
>
> 3) If you use Google Search and type in "French Military
> Victories," your reply will be "Did you mean French Military
> Defeats?"
>
> 4) If your only anti-war slogan is "No war for oil," sue your
> school district for allowing you to slip through the cracks and
> robbing you of the education you deserve.
>
> 5) Saddam and Bin Laden will not seek United Nations approval
> before they try to kill us.
>
> 6) Despite what some seem to believe, Martin Sheen is NOT the
> President. He plays one on T.V.
>
> 7) Even if you are anti-war, you are still an "Infidel" and Bin
> Laden wants you dead, too.
>
> 8) If you believe in a "vast right-wing conspiracy," but not in the
> danger that Hussein poses, quit hanging out with the Dell computer
> dude.
>
> 9) We are trying to liberate them.
>
>
> 10) Whether you are for military action, or against it, our young
> men and women overseas are fighting for us to defend our right to
> speak out. We all need to support them without reservation.
>
>
> I hope this helps.

[HiJinx]

Equal to an ensign, huh? Even better!
OBTW, you are lookin' good in the uniform.
Bet the kids love it.

[Kathy in Alaska]

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

"Equal to an ensign, huh? Even better! "

Ensign lowest officer ranking.
Everyone knows Warrant Officers and Chiefs are the real backbone!

[radu]

HI TONK!!!
*HUG*

Isn't that lil kitty adorable? LOL!! Cote sent that a while back and I immediately put it in my "closet". I love that lil kitty. Right now, I could easily flake out like that, too. LOL!!!

Let's see, tomorrow is "helo ops night" isn't it? I hope the weather's calmed down enough to be able to get out there.

[HiJinx]

Oh, I know who's the backbone...
I just think it's neater that you-know-what that you carry the equivalent of officer rank...even if it is a low as an army butter-bar!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Beach, I love your dancing pig! Doing good. Did you get your cars all washed and spiffed up? Wanna do mine next?

[GulfWar1Vet]

Hey, all. I got pics of "demonstraters" in my hometown. They had a parade and a rally last weekend.

Here is a link:http://briefcase.yahoo.com/raptureron

:)

If anyone in Columbia has pics, please post!

[HiJinx]

Well, time for this one to head for bed...
See everyone tomorrow at Camp Run-A-Muck!!!

[radu]

Hi Diva! I've really missed everyone, that's for sure.

My back's doing better but I'm still taking it slow. Much as I love 'em, no dips on the dance floor for me tonight! LOL!! I don't know how I'll ever catch up on this fun thread but I'm giving it a shot. My e-mail in-box seems to have quieted down again. It was very sweet of my pen pals to send out a quick "hello" while the opportunity was there. What specil people they are.

Now to start dancing my way through the thread. LOL! What I've seen so far has been fun!!

[GulfWar1Vet]

TOM! LOL!

Uh, no!

I might scare some people. :D