Amazing flow and skills. My wife and I recently decided to take a few swing dance classes and I think we’re already hooked. It’s so much fun. This video is so helpful. You’re both so incredibly talented and a joy to watch.
Hey:) I wanted to thank you for your videos and the amazing effort you two put in all of them. Im taking lessons in charleston since december and love it. I also wanted to tell you that your apartment and especially these great Arrangement of plants, your living spacebso to speak, is the reason why my bf and I will next month move in together! It was a big wish of his and i just didn't want to give up on my tiny flat;) soon we will have plenty of space where we can dance the whole Charleston 😊 🎉 Many greetings from Austria, Vienna ❤ Vero&Maxi
I may not be Frankie Manning, but the basic movement of the Charleston involves either a "scoot hop" step in place, or a "scoot hop" step slightly forward. Not just to mention those kicks and chambers.
Thank you so much for your history lessons as well, and I can add to pronunciation "After Seben" has a very racial slur to it, as it was written the way the Afro-American supposedly pronounced "Seven" and hense it was written that way. Charleston is not the grandfather of Lindy Hop but one of many dances that later became Lindy Hop. I have vividly seen many of your videos and I thoroughly enjoy them. Thank you and keep up the good work.
@@LauraGlaess I wish I knew, but as we both know- those "happy-go-lucky" days were filled up with so much racism, even Stormy Weather from 1943, which was the first major all black cast has its slut to it. The main role is by Lena Horne and she was very light skinned compared to other African-Amaricans featured in the movie. Do you think that was a coincidence?? When The Nicholas Brothers were featured in The Glenn Miller movie Orchestra Wives, they were recorded separately, so they could cut out the part for The Sourthen States. They never met Glenn either. I spoke Fayard about it 2 years before he past.
This was so helpful, thanks!! Quick question though - you mention that it doesn't matter if your partner does a triple step instead of a kick step during side-by-side Charleston since you'll both end up on the same foot. However, doesn't side-by-side Charleston take 8 counts such that you'll be two counts off from your partner?
A triple step is 2 counts long - if you're standing on your L, and triple step on your R, you end on your R foot. A kick step is 2 counts long - if you're standing on your L, and kick step on your R, you end on your R foot. Does that make sense? It sounds like you might be asking about doing a six count basic while your partner does 8 count charleston, which would get you 2 counts off, but that's a separate issue from doing a triple vs doing a kick step.
Regular ol' leather oxfords are the ones! It CAN be hard to find, but look for leather on the front AND on the heel - that's my preference. Otherwise I keep on accidentally catching the rubber heel and it throws off my spins.
Grear! Very interesting! You clearly show different steps that in 1930s became Lindy Hop, St Louis Shag , Collegiate Shag, at the least ( Balboa? Etc?) Question--- are you teaching the mid 20s,Lindy Charleston, featured in film called. ?? which seems not to br your 2 films? If not, that could be a source of more steps to teach, if different from the 2 films.
Hi! Yeah, it definitely can look mysterious. As far as changing between side by side charleston and the six count basic - this sounds unlikely - but the lead just does it. Just does it confidently. And that's it! Just really do the dance, and it feels so different that the follow feels it. This will take some practice. If the follow isn't used to feeling the difference, and if the lead isn't used to confidently transitioning, it'll require repetition, but that's everything. Just keep doing it and I firmly believe that it will happen.
At 13:56 Brooks asks Laura to come back into closed but doesn’t take her free hand. He also positions her slightly to his side rather than the basic V shape. Laura doesn’t know what’s coming so she rock steps (as does Brooks) and then he uses that momentum and his kicking left foot to signal what they’re doing. When a follow is just starting out they might miss that signal on the first try but they will pick it up on the next go round. Laura just makes it look effortless!
Do not just automatically assume that blackface means "racist." It's hard for us to understand but for 100 years it was a convention of popular theater that had little to do with mocking blacks. Do some research.
Blackface is reeeeally complicated. My understanding is that it originated with minstrelsy, which was kind of all about stereotyping Black people and commodifying their culture to entertain white people. So pretty racist origins. However, historically, Black people have appeared in blackface, and Black allies, such as Al Jolson, have appeared in blackface. I would argue that, though accepted at the time, blackface was still racist (though possibly not perpetrated by racists) because of its position in history and its role in perpetuating and codifying the white idea of what Black people "should" be. And, of course, since the After Seben clip (I'm assuming that's the clip you're referring to), blackface has pretty much universally been denounced as a racist act, so even if it WASN'T racist in the clip, it might still be offensive to people watching it. Additionally, I would argue that my comment still stands. If you learn about Lindy Hop history, you're going to run into some racism.
@@LauraGlaess Oh, Laura, you started off so well there... Yes, after 30 years of studying the matter, the history, meaning and function of blackface is a long and complex one. But you immediately reduced it to simplistic terms. No, it did NOT have it's origins in Minstrelsy and no, it was NOT A racially bigoted convention. Too complex to go into here but just recall the Frederick Douglass, the great black orator witnessed many of these shows and said that "one song of Stephen Foster's could do more for the abolitionist movement than all my speeches." Why? Because Minstrelsy was a Northern phenomenon in the mid 19th century and the reality of the South was largely unknown to the common working-class man. The Southern black was considered something of an "exotic" and it was his music that made minstrelsy so popular. However, plays and skits that portrayed the suffering of the slave were common, and such songs as "My Old Kentucky Home," brought a tear to the eye and move Douglass to say what he did. The "mocking" of blacks is complete history. No doubt no one would do it now because we have all been brought up with that mindset,. But we have NO RIGHT to judge audiJences of 200 years ago. As you correctly point out Jolson, a hero among the black community, donned blackface as a convention of performance, not as a means to deride or mock a race. The idea would have been hateful to him. Yet it is taught in schools to this day tI that Jolson was a Jew who made millions "making fun of black people." This is what has been taught since the sixties. I don't know about Lindy hop history, but I would be suspect the same is true there. Oh, there's so much more I can say....ly bigoted convention. Too complex to go into here but just recall the Frederick Douglass, the g
@@zumazuma568 Yours is the typical and unfortunately widespread opinion. It is a simple thing to say "that's offensive," but it takes an educated mind to ask "why"? And in this case "why was it used and by whom and for what purpose?" Believe me, after 30 years of researching the topic the answer is not an easy one. However, what I will say is that untill the late 1950's when black activists began to "revise' history to sui their needs NO black person entertainer, or critic decried he use of blackface. It is itoo complex an issus to go into here and I doubt it would mean anything to you. By the way, I am offended by the use of blackface, too. if it is used TODAY. But I am not so offended by practicioners like Eddie Cantor or Al Jolson who used it for VERY different purposes. And Jolson was the MOST beloved and admired entertainer among black actors and entertainers of his time. Look it up.
This is hardly "basic" of "from the ground up." No explanation of the moves--you assume that everyone already knows what they are doing. Please label appropriately. Yes, you can dance very well, but this video doesn't help anyone who wants to learn.
Sorry this wasn't a good speed for you. It builds a lot on previous videos, so if you're unfamiliar with them, you can go back to watch them. You can also slow down the youtube player if needed. If it doesn't help, I'm sure there are tons of helpful Charleston breakdowns out there. Just keep dancing :)
Thank you for taking the time talking about the history. :)
Thanks for watching it! It's so important.
Amazing flow and skills. My wife and I recently decided to take a few swing dance classes and I think we’re already hooked. It’s so much fun. This video is so helpful. You’re both so incredibly talented and a joy to watch.
I appreciate it. Thank you so much
Appreciate the interesting history lessons. It adds value to your incredible videos.
Absolutely superb instruction. So easy to follow and understand. Very much appreciated . Thank you both so much.
Easy to identify the best part cause 😂 cat is watching
Thank you 🙏🏻 for sharing
I came here to learn basic steps but you just gave me a history lesson ❤ amazing thank you 👏👏👏👏👏
Good job on tracking down the links back through Jimmy Johnson and Runnin’ Wild and Bea Jackson and the Jenkins Orphanage.
Thank you :)
Hey:) I wanted to thank you for your videos and the amazing effort you two put in all of them. Im taking lessons in charleston since december and love it. I also wanted to tell you that your apartment and especially these great Arrangement of plants, your living spacebso to speak, is the reason why my bf and I will next month move in together! It was a big wish of his and i just didn't want to give up on my tiny flat;) soon we will have plenty of space where we can dance the whole Charleston 😊 🎉 Many greetings from Austria, Vienna ❤ Vero&Maxi
This is beautiful! Congratulations!
Brilliantly broken down to easy pieces I can follow. Thank you.
Thank you so much for the playlists!
I may not be Frankie Manning, but the basic movement of the Charleston involves either a "scoot hop" step in place, or a "scoot hop" step slightly forward. Not just to mention those kicks and chambers.
Hey Laura, thanks for this great video. It's awesome to start my Saturday morning with ya'll. 🙈😁☝🏽
Just barely made it!
And all of this made me thinking as a Lindy Hop instructor in the 40s charleston - the "rock step kick....double kick, step." If I were an instructor.
Not horrible. My grandparents (b. 1903 and 1905) taught me to Charleston, so I have an advantage. Your musical choices are commendable. ❤
such a goooood teacher!!!! thank you for great video!!
Love the history. Thank you ❤
Thank you so much for your history lessons as well, and I can add to pronunciation "After Seben" has a very racial slur to it, as it was written the way the Afro-American supposedly pronounced "Seven" and hense it was written that way.
Charleston is not the grandfather of Lindy Hop but one of many dances that later became Lindy Hop.
I have vividly seen many of your videos and I thoroughly enjoy them. Thank you and keep up the good work.
Man, why's everything gotta be so racist... :-/ Ok, after seben. Thanks for your insight! I appreciate you sharing
@@LauraGlaess I wish I knew, but as we both know- those "happy-go-lucky" days were filled up with so much racism, even Stormy Weather from 1943, which was the first major all black cast has its slut to it. The main role is by Lena Horne and she was very light skinned compared to other African-Amaricans featured in the movie. Do you think that was a coincidence??
When The Nicholas Brothers were featured in The Glenn Miller movie Orchestra Wives, they were recorded separately, so they could cut out the part for The Sourthen States. They never met Glenn either. I spoke Fayard about it 2 years before he past.
This was so helpful, thanks!! Quick question though - you mention that it doesn't matter if your partner does a triple step instead of a kick step during side-by-side Charleston since you'll both end up on the same foot. However, doesn't side-by-side Charleston take 8 counts such that you'll be two counts off from your partner?
A triple step is 2 counts long - if you're standing on your L, and triple step on your R, you end on your R foot.
A kick step is 2 counts long - if you're standing on your L, and kick step on your R, you end on your R foot.
Does that make sense? It sounds like you might be asking about doing a six count basic while your partner does 8 count charleston, which would get you 2 counts off, but that's a separate issue from doing a triple vs doing a kick step.
@@LauraGlaess Ahh that makes perfect sense, that's cleared things up for me. Thanks again Laura 😁 love your stuff!
love the cool cat, wondering, „what are they up to now…“
Cool shoes you two are wearing! Are those dance shoes? Just regular leather-soled oxfords? Very classy bowling shoes? Please advise.
Regular ol' leather oxfords are the ones! It CAN be hard to find, but look for leather on the front AND on the heel - that's my preference. Otherwise I keep on accidentally catching the rubber heel and it throws off my spins.
Grear! Very interesting! You clearly show different steps that in 1930s became Lindy Hop, St Louis Shag , Collegiate Shag, at the least
( Balboa? Etc?)
Question--- are you teaching the mid 20s,Lindy Charleston, featured in film called. ?? which seems not to br your 2 films? If not, that could be a source of more steps to teach, if different from the 2 films.
I'm not sure what film your referring to. If you think of it, let me know! Maybe I haven't seen it, and I love watching new things
sounds cool !!!
Real workout!
Great video! I still don't see how the man tells the woman what to do other than eye contact for the side dancing.
Hi! Yeah, it definitely can look mysterious. As far as changing between side by side charleston and the six count basic - this sounds unlikely - but the lead just does it. Just does it confidently. And that's it! Just really do the dance, and it feels so different that the follow feels it. This will take some practice. If the follow isn't used to feeling the difference, and if the lead isn't used to confidently transitioning, it'll require repetition, but that's everything. Just keep doing it and I firmly believe that it will happen.
@@LauraGlaess I used to salsa and bachata. We would use our hands and shoulders to lead the woman. I guess this is a bit different.
At 13:56 Brooks asks Laura to come back into closed but doesn’t take her free hand. He also positions her slightly to his side rather than the basic V shape. Laura doesn’t know what’s coming so she rock steps (as does Brooks) and then he uses that momentum and his kicking left foot to signal what they’re doing. When a follow is just starting out they might miss that signal on the first try but they will pick it up on the next go round. Laura just makes it look effortless!
Prayer here if needed! Praise God for dance like- thank Jesus!
Turkey tom sent me here
Do not just automatically assume that blackface means "racist." It's hard for us to understand but for 100 years it was a convention of popular theater that had little to do with mocking blacks. Do some research.
Blackface is reeeeally complicated. My understanding is that it originated with minstrelsy, which was kind of all about stereotyping Black people and commodifying their culture to entertain white people. So pretty racist origins. However, historically, Black people have appeared in blackface, and Black allies, such as Al Jolson, have appeared in blackface. I would argue that, though accepted at the time, blackface was still racist (though possibly not perpetrated by racists) because of its position in history and its role in perpetuating and codifying the white idea of what Black people "should" be. And, of course, since the After Seben clip (I'm assuming that's the clip you're referring to), blackface has pretty much universally been denounced as a racist act, so even if it WASN'T racist in the clip, it might still be offensive to people watching it. Additionally, I would argue that my comment still stands. If you learn about Lindy Hop history, you're going to run into some racism.
@@LauraGlaess Oh, Laura, you started off so well there... Yes, after 30 years of studying the matter, the history, meaning and function of blackface is a long and complex one. But you immediately reduced it to simplistic terms. No, it did NOT have it's origins in Minstrelsy and no, it was NOT A racially bigoted convention. Too complex to go into here but just recall the Frederick Douglass, the great black orator witnessed many of these shows and said that "one song of Stephen Foster's could do more for the abolitionist movement than all my speeches." Why? Because Minstrelsy was a Northern phenomenon in the mid 19th century and the reality of the South was largely unknown to the common working-class man. The Southern black was considered something of an "exotic" and it was his music that made minstrelsy so popular. However, plays and skits that portrayed the suffering of the slave were common, and such songs as "My Old Kentucky Home," brought a tear to the eye and move Douglass to say what he did. The "mocking" of blacks is complete history. No doubt no one would do it now because we have all been brought up with that mindset,. But we have NO RIGHT to judge audiJences of 200 years ago. As you correctly point out Jolson, a hero among the black community, donned blackface as a convention of performance, not as a means to deride or mock a race. The idea would have been hateful to him. Yet it is taught in schools to this day tI that Jolson was a Jew who made millions "making fun of black people." This is what has been taught since the sixties.
I don't know about Lindy hop history, but I would be suspect the same is true there. Oh, there's so much more I can say....ly bigoted convention. Too complex to go into here but just recall the Frederick Douglass, the g
@@zumazuma568 Yours is the typical and unfortunately widespread opinion. It is a simple thing to say "that's offensive," but it takes an educated mind to ask "why"? And in this case "why was it used and by whom and for what purpose?" Believe me, after 30 years of researching the topic the answer is not an easy one. However, what I will say is that untill the late 1950's when black activists began to "revise' history to sui their needs NO black person entertainer, or critic decried he use of blackface. It is itoo complex an issus to go into here and I doubt it would mean anything to you. By the way, I am offended by the use of blackface, too. if it is used TODAY. But I am not so offended by practicioners like Eddie Cantor or Al Jolson who used it for VERY different purposes. And Jolson was the MOST beloved and admired entertainer among black actors and entertainers of his time. Look it up.
This is hardly "basic" of "from the ground up." No explanation of the moves--you assume that everyone already knows what they are doing. Please label appropriately. Yes, you can dance very well, but this video doesn't help anyone who wants to learn.
Sorry this wasn't a good speed for you. It builds a lot on previous videos, so if you're unfamiliar with them, you can go back to watch them. You can also slow down the youtube player if needed. If it doesn't help, I'm sure there are tons of helpful Charleston breakdowns out there. Just keep dancing :)