Recent News from Barcelona/ESDC

Last weekend was the European Swing Dance Championships, headed by Sharon Davis and assisted by local Barcelona swing dancers. I was mainly attending because I wanted to be at a European lindy hop. ESDC seemed to be the big one and coincided with my current travels. I was also motivated because I enjoy Barcelona and my favorite European spot, Ohla Bar run by Max La Rocca, is here. My final reason is because I do too many blues events and was even asked if I do other dances besides blues. Yes, that question did hurt.

I registered for ESDC early on, originally signing up for the Jack ‘n Jill lindy hop and balboa comps, and balboa strictly with Louise Tangermann. Eventually, I added the All Star Strictly with Kate Patsky from Sydney, Australia. This is what I learned from ESDC.

1. Europe has a great lindy hop scene and I want to visit and dance with more lindy hoppers

2. Only attend ESDC if you’re serious about the competitions. And by serious, I mean you’ve trained a lot with this partner. I trained balboa with Louise in between our blues gigs, even training in Heidelberg where I met Ali and Katja. Training can supplement, but never replace social dancing. My balboa and lindy hop social dancing has been lagging behind other work. It showed this weekend. Also, you might see the announcement of *live music* *killer DJs*. It’s still a competition heavy event. Good luck with your social dancing.

3. Frankie stories still matter. At Ohla Bar, Kevin St. Laurent was recounting a story when Frankie Manning was first demonstrating lindy hop. He’d start on the count he found most interesting and did the most inspiring step as he led a swingout. Each time it was different, uniquely musical. However, it wasn’t something easily teachable, so the swingout was codified, made digestible for the masses. What does this mean to me? Be musical. Get inspired. Dance like no one’s watching.

4. Competition heavy events are like the bad dj we all avoid. I appreciated the long competition intervals solely because I needed those 30-45 minutes to dry my soaking wet clothes. Otherwise, those long waits mentally took me out of the game. Sitting down so often and for so long made me cold. But what about all those awesome competitions and great dancers? Here’s my favorite:

 

Recent News from Zurich, Switzerland

I’ve been in Zurich, Switzerland for a week. I arrived last Thursday, June 7, to visit a friend and to teach. This was my second time teaching for WestieStage, Zurich’s west coast swing dancing group. They do their lessons in Club X-tra’s main dance hall from 7-9pm and then dance upstairs adjacent to the Zouk room. I taught with Jenny Cooper this time. We covered the regular beginner and intermediate lessons, which are embedded below. We finished the teaching portion with a west coast swing taster for the salsa dancers.

Next up, I’ll be in Barcelona for the European Swing Dance Championships. I’ll be competing in lindy hop and balboa divisions and frequenting my favorite restaurant and bar hidden inside Ohla Boutique Hotel.