When you find yourself in
danger, When you're threatened by a stranger, When it
looks like you will take a lickin'...
There is one thing
you should learn, When there is no one else to turn to,
Caaaall for Super Chicken!! (**bwuck-bwuck-bwuck-bwuck**)
Caaaall for Super Chicken!!
Welcome to Chicken Swing!
We are an organization dedicated to improving the swing dancing vibe in
Oakland. There's been a sizable swing dance and lindy hop scene in
Pittsburgh for a while, and we (along with
CMU's
Swing Dancers Anonymous) aim to bring some of that energy to the university
scene in Oakland!
"Swing dancing" is an umbrella term
for "lindy hop,""east coast swing,""balboa,""shag" (there are various
types),
"blues dancing," etc
-- basically anything that can be done to swing/jazz/blues music.
The resident lesson instructors usually teach east coast swing or lindy
hop, but guest instructors will drop in semi-regularly.
And then there's the music! Today, "swing dance music" includes music
from the 1920's through 2004, ranging from the early greats --
Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald,
and Duke Ellington -- to
later-era blues and jazz musicians like
Oscar Peterson, Clark Terry,
and Jimmy Witherspoon -- to the
great bands that grew up around the swing dance boom, like
George Gee, Indigo Swing and our
very own
Boilermaker Jazz Band. Of course there are hundreds more artists that are heard at swing dances
today, and we aim to please.
This Week (3/4):
Ruby Red from Chicago will be teaching Ballroom Blues at Chicken Swing. She hails from Chicago, where she recently took 3rd place in the Ballroom Blues contest at Blues Shout. A devoted traveler for dance, she regularly places in jack & jill, strictly and solo competitions. - check out her website for video of her in competitions. She will be teaching at the Steel City blues clinic and is available for privates before or during the weekend - send Ruby a message if you're interested in an hour private lesson.
INTRODUCTION TO BALLROOM BLUES
Ballroom Blues, or Drag Blues as it is also known, is a close embrace traveling dance most commonly done to 20's and 30's jazz and blues music, though it can be applied to other musical genres. It is improvisational and allows for pivots, level changes, connected spins and lifts. Unlike other styles of blues dance, Ballroom Blues is more elegant and formal, as it was an imitation of white Ballroom dancers as done by the black dancers of the day.
The lesson is 7:30-8:30pm with dancing afterward, 8:30-10:30pm. We're asking students chip in $3 for the lesson, and you working folk chip in $5 - food goodies are acceptable payment. If money an issue, talk to me about some quick volunteering (~1/2 hr).
Thursday Lesson "Ballroom Blues": 7:30-8:30 pm Social Dance: 8:30-10:30 pm
If you haven't signed up for the Steel City Blues Festival this weekend already, check out SteelCityBlues.com for all the dancing and lessons - I'm really looking forward to it. If you have extra room in you place, please email Anastasia to host out of town dancers.
There is no chicken swing next week due to spring break; we'll be back on the 18th.
See you on the dance floor!
- Forrest
ps. check out the ballroom blues finals at BluesSHOUT this past year:
Dance
Information
When: Every Thursday.
Free lesson at 7:30pm.
Dance from 8:30-10:30pm.
Who:
You and your friends.
All skill levels.
No partner necessary.
Safe area in Oakland.
No
Alcohol & No Smoking.
Cost:
FREE ($3 suggested donation for non-students)
Where:
Usually
Andy's or Rangos (subscribe to
the mailing list for
updates)
Directions: Click here for directions Campus Map
- Andy's - University Center, basement (Bldg.
#28)
- Rangos - University Center, 2nd floor (Bldg.
#28)
- Margaret Morrison (Bldg. #13 Rm. 119)
Parking:
There is a parking garage right at the intersection of Beeler & Forbes
(P7 on the
campus map) that is free on weekends and after 5pm on weekdays. Park in the garage and walk back out the way you drove in. Once you're outside turn left and go down the stairs and walk past the narrow end of the track. The first building you run into will be the one you want (it has big glass doors and a rounded entranceway). Go inside and down one floor to the basement. Head straight down the hall and it opens right up into Andy's.
After
Hours
Sometimes we like to get
together after the dance and grab a bite to eat. If you're
interested in hanging out after the dance let us know.
