Solomon and Alana 2001

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Workshop Notes

The Queen's Swing Club was proud to present a Lindy Hop workshop with two of Toronto's best dancers and teachers, Solomon and Alana! The workshop was held on Saturday, January 20, 2001 at Queen's University.

Thank you to Solomon and Alana for a most memorable time at the workshop! The weekend was a blast! Here are the workshop notes.

About Solomon and Alana

Solomon and Alana in front of Barcode
photo by Jody Glanzer

The workshop is nigh! Here's what you need to know:

• Registration begins at 9:00am.
• The Robert Sutherland Room is on the 2nd floor of the JDUC.
• The lesson starts at 9:30am sharp so be prepared to dance at that time!
• There should be enough room for your coats and boots in the hallway just outside of the Robert Sutherland Room.

What to bring:

• A clean, comfortable pair of shoes that will grip the floor when you need it but will allow you to spin on the spot and swivel.
• A few shirts. You will sweat! There is a washroom attached to the Robert Sutherland Room that will allow for quick changing.
• A towel. Same reasons as above.
• A bottle of water. You'll get thirsty. You can refill them at the first floor of the JDUC by the entrance.
• A notebook. You'll learn more than you can recall next month.
• Lunch. Mmm.

Saturday, January 20, 2001
9:30 - 11am    Lindy Hop Connection and Blues

This class is open to everybody.  We'll start right in with the important stuff, namely the lead-follow connection, without worrying about footwork. (It's too early in the morning for footwork.) At the same time, you'll get an introduction to blues dancing: what to do when the music gets really slow and groovy.

11:15am - 12:45pm    Lindy Hop Fundamentals

This class is open to anyone who attended the preceding Connection and Blues class.  Building on what we covered in that class, we'll work intensely on the most important of lindy hop figures, focusing on the lindy circle and the swing out.  This will be a very important class whether you're an absolute beginner or a seasoned lindy hopper.

1:45pm - 3:15pm    Intermediate Lindy Hop

You've been lindy hopping for a few months, you feel comfortable with swing outs, lindy circles, tuck turns, and basic Charleston steps; you attended both morning classes and you're craving more. This is the class for you.

3:30pm - 5pm    Moving On

You have at least six months experience taking lindy hop classes and dancing socially.  You can comfortably vary six-counts and eight-counts, with good connection, musicality, and style.  You attended the Connection class, the Fundamentals class, and the Intermediate class, and now you're looking for a serious challenge.

This page summarizes what we taught at the Kingston lindy hop workshop on January 20, 2001.

Lindy Hop Connection and Blues

• Compression (her hands against his shoulders): he leads shift of weight from left to right, and walking forward and back, without music.
• Neutral connection (open position, two-handed hold): same exercise
• In closed position (face-to-face, neutral connection): same exercise
• With music, in open position, two-handed hold, with compression: leading boogie-sits (fishtails) transferring weight from one foot to the other, and mixing in some quick-quick steps and some boogie-sits that stay on the same foot.
• Sequence: starting in open position, two-handed hold, using compression: sixteen counts of bluesy fishtails, then gradually switch to neutral connection and lead into closed for eight counts, then eight counts of bluesy fishtails in closed.

Lindy Hop Fundamentals

• 8-count closed basic, with full turn.
• Swingout from closed
• Swingout from open
• Lindy circle

Intermediate

• First phrase: 8-count basic side-by-side charleston, skip-up leading into crossover charleston, continue crossovers, and then end crossover charleston with big kick (like finally reaching the completion of the skip-up)
• Second phrase: 8-count double under-the-arch from closed, 6-count into closed, 6-count send-out, 6-count change of places (without a rockstep), 6-count rock-step with free inside turn

Moving On

1. Swingout from open ending with shine for follower: ball-change on and-7, 4 twists right-left-right-left on 7-8-1-2.
2. Swingout ending with shine for leader: kick-ball-change on 7-and-8, triple step right-left-right on 1-and-2
3. Swingout ending with both partners doing their shine at once
4. Lindy circle
5. Texas Tommy from closed (with optional extra underarm outside turn)
6. 6-count into closed, starting with rock-step and going to "teapot" position
7. 6-count tuck-turn starting with break forward for him, rock-step for her (to continue the clockwise momentum) and ending in two-handed crossed-handed hold (left over right)
8. 6-count change of places (starting with rock-step, ending with her standing behind him, still in two-handed hold
9. 6-count banana with free inside turn

Thanks to Solomon Douglas and Alana Hock for providing these notes.