Tranquil Madness

Dance Dance

My town has a new annual contest in a format vaguely similar to Dancing With The Stars. A local school (with an annual dance revue performed by students) has local "celebrities" dance with a high school student at a big event to raise money. The "celebrities" are supposed to be well-known in the community. Naturally, people in the media are requested to participate.

Working at a newspaper, it was only natural there would be a request for a volunteer. One of the editors participated last year, and the contest was looking for another willing body. Because I happened to enjoy learning the few steps and moves of the Lindy Hop for a class presentation, I decided to volunteer.

The program recently held its first meeting, and I was introduced to the dance revue and several of its student/dancers. I met my dance partner, and we spoke briefly. An instructor suggested we might be able to do a fun and entertaining west coast swing routine. As I was unfamiliar with the dance, I said I'd be willing to give it a shot.

Naturally, later that night, I decided to look for performances of west coast swing. I must admit that I feel slightly intimidated.

This appears to be one of the simpler professional performances I've found. I'd be more than happy if I could come anything close to that.

A more complicated and technically difficult performance can be seen here, and a performance showcasing acrobatics and flexibility can be seen here. A performance that just amuses me greatly can be seen here.

This entire process is still in its early stages. I might not even do this style of dance, but I am curious to learn if and how fast I could learn this style.

Posted by Randy at January 10, 2008 03:20 AM | TrackBack