BOOGIE BY THE BAY.

In the past I made short forays into other social dance forms. Tango scene proved to be hard to crack. Lindyhop became my second passion. It was time to explore the West Coast Swing.

First of all, I got to admit to my initial prejudice. My first brief encounter with WCS was not very positive. How could they name the dance “swing” when it has nothing to do with the original music term designating a jazz rhythm wildly popular in the 40’s? WCS uses modern pop or blues music, the dance looks more like hustle or salsa and they call it swing? So its dance origins do come from swing dancing, but now it looks more like a subdued hybrid of lindyhop and salsa. Leaving behind the complicated salsa rhythms and its “foreign” content and forgoing lindy’s wild energy and old jazz music WCS attracted folks who felt more at home with contemporary beats and smooth styling. (For more info on the dance’s origins go to http://www.tngsdc.org/faq.php ) As a result, the scene is a reverse of salsa and lindy. Whereas those two attract predominantly young crowd, WCS dancers under 30 were a minority (at least at this event).

Boogie by the Bay (BbB) is the name of the WCS annual convention (they don’t call it “congress”) and it includes the smaller lindyhop division as well. Unlike West Coasters, lindy dancers are keen on reviving and preserving – as mush as they can - old and forgotten dances such as jitterbug, shag, charleston, balboa and others. They painstakingly searched old movies and videos to find and compile dance clips from bygone eras. This friendly and tight community survives thanks to its volunteers who organize numerous events and facilitate exchanges with lindy communities in other cities and countries. The free weekly dance at the Golden Gate Park, Lindy in the Park has recently celebrated its 9th anniversary.

Just like lindyhoppers, west coasters are very well organized. Sponsored by The Next Generation Swing Dance Club, a non-profit organization run by volunteers, BbB is held at the Hyatt Regency SF airport with 2 dance halls for workshops, competitions and dances. Advanced full tickets are $110 and include complimentary full dinner, pizza party for dancers under 18 and a coffee break with snacks. The club decided to forgo live bands due to cost and complaints about inconsistent dance music.

Besides workshops, BbB’s main attraction is Jack&Jill competitions of various divisions including Masters (dancers over 50). It seems most attendees don’t mind large chunks of time taken by the competitions leaving little time for dancing that is scheduled between competitions and late into the night. No shows either, just a few non-competitive presentations between competitions.

Salseros compete with partners of their choice, with the song they selected and routines they created. They are judged only on the quality of execution. West Coast dancers are judged primarily on their social dance skills: ability to connect with an unknown partner and music interpretation among others (for more details: http://www.tngsdc.org/bbtb/2005/?p=rules ) The only controlled part is a division they sign up for so that beginners would not compete with champs. There’re also Strictly Swing divisions where you can choose your partner, but not the music and no choreography. This emphasis on social dance skills forces competitors to work on different qualities. In a choreographed routine most dancers fail to hide a mistake – that’s not what they practised. In a spontaneous dance when mistakes are bound to happen, improvisation is the key: you make it part of your dance. These “mistakes” then become special creative features that wow the audience.

Here’s just one example. A follower was late coming out of a dip. So rather than be late trying to catch up (something everyone would notice) she simply broke down her rise into short spurs of movement corresponding with the music beat and gradually appearing from under her partner’s arm – simple but very impressive.

These skills are not acquired overnight of course, but swing dancers are taught improvisation and music interpretation along with their regular dance instruction so by the time they reach advanced levels they can improvise and interpret any song. Granted, they might both know the DJ’s selection, but they still need to coordinate their responses. Seeing advanced and champs divisions changed my mind about WCS. Their technique was so impeccable, so natural and smooth it made me forget my impression of mismatched style and music in WCS.

Like in salsa, most WCS dancers appear to go through motions, too reserved to express their passions. But some, like Sheena and Tatiana, are full of life and playfulness as well as a few guys who are not afraid to humor everybody (including judges) and have fun. Lindy Showcase division included 2 guys who came out on the floor in style – arm-in-arm, took off their top shirts and put it...on the head of a woman judge, then danced their funny and creative number executed to perfection! They took 3d place.

Some divisions do allow choreographed routines. Once again, the dancers’ jaw-dropping technique AND creativity in music interpretation blows your mind. WCS top dancers – all of them - have that flowing quality in their movement that makes the most complex patterns look like liquid butter, but in flawless timing. It’s totally mesmerizing!

The 2 video versions of the event will be coming out in 6 weeks. It costs more than the event itself though. One includes short takes of workshops as well as the competitions ($135 for VHS) The cheaper version ($100 for VHS and $115 for the DVD) will include all competitions (Contact www.imagesinmotion.com ) You’ll recognize some salsa moves, but also many swing creations that are easily adaptable for salsa. To bypass the expense, our aspiring choreographers would benefit from “googling” both lindyhop and WCS videos.

Would I attend again? Absolutely, if I find a generous dancer like John Woodruff who performed and competed (4th place in Lindy Showcase) and was still willing to dance with a “nobody”. However, just like in other social dance circles WCS has its share of “stars” who judge an unfamiliar book by its cover (or is it because you know salsa, Angel?)
West Coasters are welcoming everybody. They started events including not only lindy “cousins”, but salsa dancers as well. There’re yearly celebrations of New Year’s Eve in Palm Springs and Reno Sensation in April. Both combine swing and salsa and many of our own Bay Area salseros and instructors attend both events.

Why bother with other dances if we have fun in salsa? Because it opens our minds, expands our horizons, enriches our experiences and promotes unity not only through salsa, but beyond.

DIP (dance in peace)