For years I’ve been waiting for a musician to do a swingin’ jazz version of Oh Canada. Solomon Douglas hits the mark! Maybe someday we can get him into the studio to do a fully fleshed out 2-3 minute version of the song. It would be perfect for a Canadian choreography. 🙂 Enjoy!
Author: Mandi Gould
Mandi Gould is a member of the Board of Directors for the Frankie Manning Foundation, was an organizer of Frankie 100, and is one of the the original founding members of Bees' Knees Dance and Toronto Lindy Hop.
Women in Lindy Hop
Can we PLEASE start to properly acknowledge women in Lindy Hop? I just read a comment that completely ignored the woman in a video of only two people dancing and she was frigging killing it, some of the best dancing I’ve seen, but people were only commenting about the man. My mind is blown. What is wrong with us that so many of us do that, even if it’s unconscious… Especially if it’s unconscious. BE conscious! This is a dance that gives and takes in the partnership more than any other dance I know of. If we can go on a huge campaign to change the name of the Jack n’ Jill, we can certainly start to open our eyes and give women proper acknowledgment. It needs to start NOW.
At the risk of missing people, I’d like to acknowledge some of the incredible women who have made an impact on my dancing and who are friggin’ AWESOME. It’s impossible to make a complete list and I don’t want to slight anyone. This is just a personal list and it includes people who have been important to me at various times, both from my local scene and the bigger Lindy Hop landscape:
Åsa Heedman
Alana Hock
Alexandra Alhimovich
Alexis Davila
Alice Meï
Andrea Gordon
Angela Andrew
Ann Johnson
Annie Trudeau
Barbara Billups
Bärbl Kaufer
Caitlin Wellman
Catrine Ljunggren
Cynthia Millman
Dawn Hampton
Devon Winn
Diane van Haaren
Eleonora Bogdanova
Emelie DecaVita
Erin Nazario
Erin Stevens
Erin Winn
Eva Lagerqvist Jansson
Evita Arce
Ewa “W” Burak
Fatima Teffahi
Frida Segerdahl
Gabriella Rosati
Hanna Lundmark
Heather Ballew
Helena Norbelie
Isabella Gregorio
Jana Jedlovsky
Janice Wilson
Jean Veloz
Jenia Salakhutdinova
Jenny Deurell
Jenny Thomas
Jessica Lennartsson
Jessica Somers
Jewel McGowan
Jo Hoffberg
Joanna Stillman
Jodi Fleischman
Johanna Müller
Josephine Baker
Josie Say
Judy Pritchett
Kelly Arsenault
Kelly Freeman
Kristan Jackson
Lana Turner
LaTasha Barnes
Laura Glaess
Laura Jeffers
Laura Keat
Lindy Greer
Lisa Jacobs
Lucy Falkner
Mable Lee
Malou Meyenhofer
Marie N’diaye
Marie Nahnfeldt Mattsson
Mia Goldsmith
Mickey Davidson
Mikaela Hellsten
Mimmi Gunnarsson
Naomi Uyama
Nina Gilkenson
Norma Miller
Olga Moiseeva
Ramona Staffeld
Rebecka DecaVita
Rory Lindo
Rusty Frank
Sandra Gibson
Sara Deckard
Shannon Moschenross
Shannon Refvik
Sharon Ashe
Sharon Davis
Sing Lim
Sugar Sullivan
Susan Wolff
Sylvia Skylar
Sylvia Sykes
Ulrika Ericsson
Ulrika Thulin
Valerie Salstrom
Violetta Lebedeva
Virginie Jensen
Zoey Gould
Thank you to all of these women for the inspiration that they’ve given me!
Swing Era Movement at its Best
I’ve been inspired by Åsa Heedman, previously Åsa Palm, since I first saw her dancing in 1999. I had been dancing for over a year but had never seen a follower bring such ownership of her own musicality and personality to the dance before. Seeing her changed my view of the dance completely.
A couple of months after seeing her dancing, I had the chance to take my first classes from her at the Herrang Dance Camp. That’s when I met Daniel Heedman. He was in my class and was also experiencing Herrang and her classes for the first time. He went on to become an incredible dancer in his own right, and eventually Åsa dance partner and husband.
These two have one of the most beautiful dance partnerships in the world, and they’re my favourite dancers in the world. They just keep getting better and better. The soul that they bring to this new clip epitomizes everything that I love about Lindy Hop and jazz dance culture. (Yes, it’s mainly solo dancing, but it’s an important part of our partnered culture too.)
Happy Birthday Frankie 2017
I want to share this clip on Frankie’s birthday. It was one of the highlights of my life and this short dance heavily influenced the way that I feel about Lindy Hop. What was truly incredible about this is the way that Frankie turned ON to perform. Though I had the chance to dance with him a bit at other times, this was the only time on camera and it was an enlightening experience. WOW. He lit up for the camera and shed 20+ years in an instant.
Understanding 6-counts with the Music
At its heart, there’s nothing like a good Swing Out, and the Swing Out is the perfect 8-count move. The Frankie Phrase (Swing Out from Closed, Swing Out, Swing Out, Circle) perfectly fits a phrase of most swing music.
However, 6-counts mixed in with your regular 8-counts make the dance more interesting. In fact, with some 6-counts mixed in for variety, those great 8-counts feel even more juicy than if you just danced 8-counts all night. Continue reading “Understanding 6-counts with the Music”
Thank You! $351 Raised!
Thank you so much for coming to the workshop, everyone!
It feels great to share Frankie Manning’s story, moves, musicality, and inspiration any time of year, but especially in May for #FrankieMonth. It felt especially *right* to offer a free workshop and I think I’ll make it an annual tradition. That was the largest group we’ve had out dancing in St. Catharines in several years–about 50 people. Continue reading “Thank You! $351 Raised!”
Important Information for this Sunday’s Workshop
IMPORTANT
The workshops will run from 1pm to 4ish followed by some social dancing. The first hour at 1pm will be extremely important for anyone who hasn’t learned the Frankie Phrase from Mandi. If you haven’t been doing swingouts for years, aren’t familiar with “straight swingouts”, and can’t do swingouts in your sleep, definitely please don’t miss the first hour. Continue reading “Important Information for this Sunday’s Workshop”
#FrankieMonth Values
Frankie Manning was a man of great honour and strong values. We are lucky enough to have had his influence on our community, and for #FrankieMonth we’re emphasizing these ideas, both in our local communities and on a global level. Continue reading “#FrankieMonth Values”
Blues Dancing Playlist
As a follow up to a little group Blues Dancing private workshop that I taught on Saturday, here is my recent favourite Blues Dancing playlist: Continue reading “Blues Dancing Playlist”
#FrankieMonth 2017 Workshop in St. Catharines
Frankie Manning Workshop in St. Catharines
Date: Sunday, May 21st, 2017
Time: 1pm – 5pm
Location: Bethany Community Church, 1388 Third St, Saint Catharines, Ontario L2R 6P9
Cost: ***There is no fixed cost, but we will gladly collect donations for the Frankie Manning Foundation. We suggest donations between $5 to $40, as is affordable to you.
Instructors: Mandi Gould & Lisa Jacobs, along with Geoffrey Holmes Continue reading “#FrankieMonth 2017 Workshop in St. Catharines”