Contents
Click Here For Posts in Order of Publication
Perhaps You Might Like…
A few of my most popular posts:
A BASIC INDEX OF CLASSIC CLIPS
On Partnership (Love & Swing Part III)
The Heavy Follower
Oh, the Dances You Will Have!
Savoy Style vs. Hollywood Style: A Fight to the Death (Hopefully?)
Savoy vs. Hollywood Footnotes
The Old Timer Essay
A Few of the (Many) Reasons I Love My Partner
Implied in the Contract: The Hidden Implications of Professional Dance Instruction
The Definition of Jitterbug
A Quick Note on Floorcraft
A Way-Too-Brief History of Balboa
Pride and Pretzel-Turns
Notes from the First Jam Cellar Town Hall Meeting
REFERENCE
A BASIC INDEX OF CLASSIC CLIPS
Frankie On Film
Savoy Style vs. Hollywood Style: A Fight to the Death (Hopefully?)
Savoy Vs. Hollywood Footnotes
Cab Calloway’s Cat-Alogue
Regarding Nazi Regulations on Swing Music
THE ORIGINAL JITTERBUGS
GENERAL
Al Minns: A Dancer’s Dancer
Long Live the King: Frankie Manning Homage
A Way-Too-Brief History of Balboa
The Definition of Jitterbug
The Deal with Stripey Socks
The Deal with Keds
The Story of Mata Hari
Random Balboa Geek Discovery: New Information on the Venice Beach Clip
Savoy Style vs. Hollywood Style: A Fight to the Death (Hopefully?)
Savoy Vs. Hollywood Footnotes
Pinning Down the California Routine
Random Lindy Hop and Balboa Geek Discovery: Bal, Swing and Lindy from the Waist Down (and Something Possibly Amazing)
UPDATE: New Discoveries on the Waist-Down Dancing Clip
A Few Random Clips
For Hal (Tribute Article to Hal Takier)
Frankie On Film
My Favorite Year: 1938
“THE OLD TIMER” ESSAY
Part 1: A Classless Dance
Part 2: A Release of Energy
Part 3: Inside and Outside the Box
Part 4: “The Only Count I Know is Basie.”
Conclusion: Making Noise
INCREDIBLE FOLLOWERS NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT
Mildred Pollard AKA Sandra Gibson
Irene Thomas, sassy brunette.
Special edition: Swing Memories: Calling Irene Thomas
Willa Mae Ricker, patron saint of respect for Lindy Hoppers.
Genevieve Grazis, the lost follower (AKA Jenny Gray)
Joyce James AKA Joyce “Little Stupe” Daniels ISDFNKA #5
BREAKIN’ IT DOWN
I: Al Minns Around-the-World Charleston
“DISCOVERIES” & RANDOM RESEARCH
The Definition of Jitterbug
Random Balboa Geek Discovery: New Information on the Venice Beach Clip
Genevieve Grazis, the lost follower (AKA Jenny Gray)
Pinning Down the California Routine
Random Lindy Hop and Balboa Geek Discovery: Bal, Swing and Lindy from the Waist Down (and Something Possibly Amazing)
UPDATE: New Discoveries on the Waist-Down Dancing Clip
MODERN SWING CULTURE, TEACHING, & THE LIFE OF A PROFESSIONAL SWING DANCER
GENERAL
Long Live the King: Frankie Manning Homage
A Few of the (Many) Reasons I Love My Partner
The “Heavy” Follower
Finding Out A Team Name
The Jam Cellar Guide to Practicing Aerials.
Inspiring Neo-Swingers to Lindy Hop
The Deal with Stripey Socks
The Deal with Keds
The 2010 Swungover Year in Review
Oh, the dances you will have!
Things I’ve learned about dancing and having a bad back.
Anatomy of a Choreography: “Chimes at the Meeting”
The Etiquette of Stealing
So we made some DVDs for Balboa followers
Implied in the Contract: The Hidden Implications of Doing a Professional Dance Instruction Gig
Josh Collazo on Swing Drumming
A Space-Gravity Conundrum
In Response To “31 Signs You’re Not An Advanced Dancer Yet.”
On Having Fun
I Love You, Facebook
A Quick Note on Training Bands to PLay For Dancers
LOVE & SWING
I: “To Meet Boys.”
II: Non-Dancing Significant Others vs. Dancing Significant Others
III: Partnership
IV: Opportunity Costs
ON JUDGING
On Judging (Introduction): A Few Questions
Part 1: The Basic Competition Blueprint
Part 2: Watching and Note-Taking Technique
Part 3: Judging Philosophy 101
SWING MEMORIES
My First Lesson
Frankie Manning’s 85th
The Sewanee Swing Society (Building a College Swing Club)
Calling Irene Thomas
THE GREAT DEBATE
#1: Should Lindy Hop be danced to non-swing music?
SWING ANALOGIES
A dance floor is like a glacier
A good lead is like shouting in a library
A student is like a bad juggler
Balboa is like a poem…(cough)
A good follower is a proactive passenger
Follow up: Random Notes on Leading/Following
Your voice will probably be like a stew, and you probably don’t want it to be a ransom note
Moves are like legoes
Lindy Hoppers are 22-to-25-year-olds
Dips, tricks and small aerials are risque jokes
Swing Analogies: The Artist and the Tool Maker
SWING PHOTOGRAPHERS
Interview: Eric Bertrand
Gallery: Eric Bertrand
Interview: Hilary Mercer
Gallery: Hilary Mercer
Swing Photographers: Jason Swihart
Gallery: Jason Swihart
DIAGRAMS & GRAPHS
#1: “Friends”
#2: “Neo-Swing”
#3: “Leader’s Clothing”
#4: “Balboa / Blues”
#5: “Non-Dancing Significant Others”
#6: “Partnership”
Graph #1: Dancing Ability & Drinking
P-LINDY-X
(Basically, a lot of workout reviews)
Complete P90X Blog (Part 1 of 2)
Complete P90X Blog (2 of 2)
Bobby’s Complete P90X Plus Blog (All 4 of 4)
P90X2: Post 1
P90X2: Post 2
THE ART OF VINTAGE MANLINESS
Introduction
Shaving with a Safety Razor, Lather, and Soap
Ties
INTERVIEWS
Interview with Hilary Alexander of the Campus Five
Interview with Paul Cosentino of the Boilermaker Jazz Band
Interview with Jonathan Stout, Leader of the Campus Five
Interview with Valerie Salstrom, Mastermind of the All Balboa Weekend
Interview with Lindsay Longstreth, Organizer of Alternative-Education Swing Events
Interview with Glenn Crytzer, leader of the Syncopators Swing Band
Interview with Kyle Smith, Master DJ
Interview with Tim Vail, Deaf Lindy Hopper
Interview with Paul Overton of Paul & Sharon
RANDOM NOTES
Light and humorous swing dance travel essays
Random Notes from the 1950s
A Quick Note on Floorcraft
Random Notes from Salem, Mass.
Random Notes from Seoul Korea (June, 2010)
Random Notes from the Balboa Experiment
Random Notes from Reading and Gloucester, UK
Random Notes from Sydney, Australia
Random Notes from Wellington, “New Zillund”
Random Notes from the Airport (Part 1: Economy)
Random Notes from Melbourne, Australia
EVENT VIDEOS
The Experiment 2012 Welcome Video
All Balboa 2012
Le Hot Sauce 2012
L1ndy Phocus Time (2012/13)
EBC 2012 Chris Owens Hunt Video
The Balboa Experiment 2013 Application Teaser
Swingin’ In The Rain 2013
STRICTLY HUMOROUS
GENERAL
Pride and Pretzel-Turns
Notes from the First Jam Cellar Town Hall Meeting
News Headlines: The 2000s: A Decade in Swing
The Case of the Dancing Stud (Complete Story)
The Ballad of the Oxford Baggies
My top secret plan for ILHC next year (Muppet Hellzapoppin)
News Briefs From Yesteryear (Part 1)
The Haunted Jam Cellar: “The Sketchy Guy”
The Haunted Jam Cellar: “The Clown in the Woods”
JUNK DRAWER
Barren Wasteland of Forgotten Posts
A junk drawer of projects that are currently not in motion
A Space-Gravity Conundrum
A YEAR OF CLIPS
1. After Seben
2. Nick and Carla at ILHC 2009
3. Todd and Naomi routine at ULHS 2005
4. Rhythm Hot Shots at Can’t Top The Lindy Hop in 1994.
5. Start Cheering (original Balboa clip)
6. Lady Be Good (Collegiate Shag)
Insanity! #1
Insanity! #2
Insanity! #3
Insanity! #4 (Abort!)
Cab Calloway’s Cat-Alogue
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
The Fine Print (As announced in this giant font)
All writing material on this blog is copyright 2009 and 2010, and 2011 by Robert White. Though links and pingbacks to this website are welcome, you must have authorized permission before republishing any of this material in any form.
Basically, I appreciate greatly when you like something enough to send people to my site or link to an article. But please do not republish things without asking first.
About the Photo on this Page…
The photo of my shoes and socks was taken by Eric Bertrand, an amazing photographer (and dancer). To see more of his photos, please visit www.bertography.ca
The picture of me solo dancing was taken from a mysterious person–mysterious person, come forward!
Dear Mr White,
I just wanted to tell you that reading your posts is always a great pleasure to me.
I’ve been following your blog for a while now and always find myself thinking that your writing is really beautiful.
So I don’t find it peculiar that you are the person I’d like to ask this question I’ve been scared to ask: I have been seriously ill for more than 6 years now and until now unable to learn lindy hop physically. But all these years it’s been my dream to learn to do what you and your also incredibly talented fellow instructors do, to the extent that I also maybe would like to instruct someday etc. so that maybe, just maybe I’d inspire someone as much as you did me.
But at 21 years old and with the history that I have I might not ever get close, seeing how talented you people are I wouldn’t even dare aspiring to become -as- good as you since that is clearly impossible ;)
So what I’m really trying to say is: Do you think I’m nuts for dreaming too big? Or can’t one ever dream to big?
Best wishes, especially for this new year.
Svenja from Germany
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