The Jam Cellar || Swing Dance and Lindy Hop

Tonight, DJ Mike Marcotte,

And, Beginner 6-Weeks Series starts tonight

Our incredible 6-week Beginner Lindy Hop series begins tonight. Tell your friends.

Boilermaker Jazz Band @ Glen Echo Park! (Sat) March 13

Need we say more? They're incredible. $15 Admission, Beginner Swing Lesson @ 8PM (Free with admission), Dance From 9PM – 12AM. Glen Echo Park Park Spanish Ballroom, 7300 MacArthur Blvd., Glen Echo, Maryland. Presented in cooperation with the Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts & Culture, Inc., the National Park Service and Montgomery County, MD

March's Inter/Adv Classes (March 2-March 23) HOLLYWOOD AND HARLEM:
Classic Moves and Styling

Drop-ins welcome in this month's new series. In the original days of swing, Hollywood and Harlem were the nation's hot spots for swing dancing. Though each dancer was unique, East Coasters and West Coasters tended to share certain styles and moves in common with others from their areas. In this class, the Jam Cellar crew will teach many of these Hollywood and Harlem styles and moves, to give inter/adv dancers great tools for leading and following, and to give their dancing that classic look. Throw in a lot of discussion on the history of jazz dance, and this thing's a steal. 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays, March 2-23. $55 for entire series. $15 drop ins. Students should be comfortable with all the material in our Building Your Basics series.

March 30– AERIAL TASTER CLASS

Are you a guy who doesn't know how to pick up a girl? Are you a girl who doesn't know if she wants to be thrown? Now's your chance to try it out, as a little taste before our month-long aerial series coming this summer. We'll learn a basic aerial or two, to get you used to the idea. This class is specifically geared towards creating good aerial posture, attitude, and practicing technique. $15 gets you into the class and dance. 8:30 p.m. March 30. Partners recommended, but not necessary. However, we do recommend comfortable clothing and sneakers for both boys and girls. (Practicing aerials can be a work out.)

OH MY GOD, DCLX BANDS

Touche', DCLX: Jonathan Stout, The Boilermakers, The Blue Vipers of Brooklyn, and the Red Hot Rhythm Chiefs. Still the best dance bang for your Lindy Exchange buck, the DC Lindy Exchange is taking registrations now.

April series: ROOTS AND OFFSHOOTS

We're bringing back one of the most popular classes we've done in the history of Jam Cellar, complete with the original staff: a celebration of dances that inspired Lindy Hop, and dances Lindy Hop inspired. We've got two weeks of Hand Dancing with Markus and Trendlyon, a week of Tap with Heidi Schultz, and a week of African Dance with Chanda Lupunga Phillips. More details coming soon.

The Old Timer, Part 2: A Release of Energy

This is the 2nd part of a 5-part essay about how the original swing dancers were probably different than you or me. As I mentioned in the last post, I've been wrestling with this deformed mutant death section for two weeks. My apartment is covered in blood and paper scraps. I don't pretend to know who won. Hope you enjoy it, though. Read Part 1: A Classless Dance, here. The other four entries are much shorter, I promise. Also, I hope it goes without saying that many dancers today DO inhabit the spirit of the original jitterbugs. The criticisms in these essays are geared towards general trends within the scene.

A Release of Energy

The first swing out was like madness. It was everyman for himself. The loud yell from the dancers meant that it was on. They made noises similar to those of Martial Arts, the sound that releases pent up energy.

–Norma Miller, describing the first night of Harvest Moon Ball semi-finals at the Savoy.

The great depression caused such a stifling melancholy on the country, it actually makes sense that people would spend money they couldn't afford to go out and hear great jazz and forget their troubles. For mild-mannered teenagers in America, the explosion of swing music expressed an excitement that sharply contrasted the boring, sugar-sweet music their parents listened to, and we all know how important music is to teenage culture.* Swing music and swing rhythm itself can be characterized by it's paradoxically relaxed but driving release of energy.

An original swing dancer probably released a great deal of their pent-up physical, emotional, and social energy through a night of dancing. Think about it: A modern person can do a million things to entertain themselves physically and emotionally. In the 1930s, and during the great depression, even a person who lived in the city had much more limited options. For most average Americans, movies, dancing, or drinking at a bar were probably the main desires as far as leaving the house, (which, come to think of it, is not very different from several of my friends). And only one of those was a place where a teenager could meet other people and socialize. Aside from the malt shop, it's where teenagers met up before the age of arcades, malls, concerts, and cocaine orgies. And even malt shops had records and dancing. It's also not surprising because, as we all know, swing dancing is fun as hell.

Let's take a California teenager, or even a person living near the Savoy, like a young Frankie Manning or Norma Miller. That person could easily dance almost every night of the week, to incredible live, big bands whose sole (and soul) purpose was playing for dancers. (A much-more-complicated-than-you-would-think art, and a lost one, with the exception of a handful of modern bands).**

Anyway, that teenager that could dance five nights a week was, like most teenagers, probably interested in gaining acceptance with their peers and dates with members of the opposite sex. This means, realistically, a good portion of their dance energy was probably spent towards impressing their partner or competing with (friendly or not friendly) rivals. Or, take Frankie and Norma, who had to constantly one-up dancers like Shorty Snowden to get recognition. Anyway you look at it, showing off was a part of the spirit of the original jitterbugs.*** For instance, can you name any other partner dance where it's common practice to have people all of a sudden start clapping around another couple and then have people take turns exhibiting their dance? The fact that Jam Circles were a part of jazz dance beautifully illustrates this spirit.

And I don't think it's a bad thing. A lot of us who grew up in the 90s, were taught, often subconsciously, that being a competitive person is at root a bad thing; that putting focus on one-upping someone else is contradictory to the more kindly spirit of simply trying your best and enjoying what you're doing. The old dancers, if they thought about it at all, didn't think the two ideas were contradictory. I believe almost all tried their best and enjoyed what they were doing, part of which was the game of trying to one-up their friends and rivals. It's a pretty easy impression to get from talking to old timers, or by reading Norma Miller's Book, the Savoy Section of Marshall Stearns Jazz Dance, and Frankie Manning's autobiography. It's a form of competition that, if fostered in a healthy way, can lead to incredibly inspiring dancing. ****

It helps to clarify that (1) "showing off" has a modern negative connotation implying a vain act, and though I do think vanity probably creeps into it somewhere for a lot of people, I don't believe it's a necessary part of it and I'd prefer for people to look on it more as a neutral term for "displaying their skills" and (2) there are different ways to show off.

Of course, the modern dance scene, especially a lot of competitors, don't seem to have much of a problem with wanting to show off. But I think there are several important problems with the way many of the modern dancers choose to show off . (For instance, I think it's easy for many competitors to choose the form of showing off where you say "Here's what I can do, can you do it?", whereas a more difficult, and more artistic, way to show off is "This is who I am, who are you?" That's what I see so clearly when I see Al and Leon dance next to each other. Of course, an up-and-coming swing modern competitor should not be expected to have reached the level of self-expression of veterans like Al and Leon.) But that's something we'll talk about later.

Chivalry

Before I do, I'd like to put forward a theory that (I think) plays an important role in the way a lot of the original dancers showed off. Despite the fact that a majority of the old timer leaders around today are "dirty old men," who would make a sexist/racist/anti-Commie/pornographic comment by the end of two shots of George Dickel, almost all of them still grew up with an idea of chivalry that is different than what we have today. This is due partly to the fact they were a lot closer to the Victorian era than we are (And don't get me wrong–chivalry, to this writer, is good human decency). But it is also probably due to the fact that chivalry, to a male teenager, is a great way of impressing women, an old-fashioned way of showing off.

And I think this chivalry extended into their dance: To the old timers, it was very important to be a good person to dance with. And showing off that you were a good person to dance with didn't just mean you could dance well and lead challenging steps, like it tends to do today. If you were that teenager we were talking about (Ah, yes, the teenager), you paid attention to your partner, you kept him/her from getting kicked around on the floor, and you'd be right there with them through the tricky moves. (For instance, Frankie Manning always taught, "Bow to your queen.") To top it off, you'd show off your partner to everyone else on the dance floor. *****

As further evidence for this chivalry, I'll use this anecdote: Sylvia Sykes likes having the original Pure Balboa dancer Dean Raferty judge leads in modern Balboa Jack and Jills, because he always marks down heavily for leaders who don't pay attention to their followers. Some of the "hot shot" leads in these contest won't even get passed through to finals by him–a score they should pay attention to. As evidence to the fact that this chivalry is often a double-standard, Sylvia doesn't like many old timer leaders to judge followers because they'll just choose the girl with the best legs.

I know what you're saying–the old timers muscled their women around, and in many clips, the leaders are just holding onto their followers to show off (Perhaps they will use Leon James, in his spirit moves slide jam, to prove the point–his jam is 3:03-3:30 in this clip.)

But I believe this peacock jam actually proves my point nicely. First off, yes, this is a jam where Leon James shows off (in the "Sausage Fest" section of the Spirit Moves–which I must admit I could happily watch for hours) and takes almost all of the attention away from his follower. (But she does have plenty of space in the movements to dance and show off her own styling). But, more importantly, if you watch this clip and imagine an average modern couple doing the exact same jam, what would be out of place? I think it'd be rare to see 3:25-3:33 in a modern jam–a moment where both leader and follower are simply smiling and laughing with each other. Leon James IS paying attention to his partner, he even stops all of his peacocking and breaks down for a moment to share a laugh with her.

Competition

Now that we have added a little chivalry to the mix, let's look at that teenager (what teenager?) in the other part of their dance life: competitions. A dancer in the swing era might have done contests all the time, especially if they were a California dancer. The California kids we see in the films made a lot of their spending money by winning contests, which I've heard some old timers say happened practically every night. Also, the California kids had access to Hollywood, and the opportunity to dance in a lot of films if they were good enough. Thus, showing off became an entertainment art. I believe a lot of partners began working more as stage performers than social dancers–an important distinction to make.

As far as early Lindy Hop, Balboa, and Collegiate Shag footage goes, we have almost nothing of social dancing, let alone social dancing to the actual music the dancer's are dancing to. Almost everything we see in the original footage is someone who knows there is a camera right there, which we all know affects the way people dance. But, retracing my argument from an earlier footnote, I think we can still get an idea for the spirit of the original jitterbuggers even though we're not seeing them in their natural social-dancing habitat, at least.

Modern day dancers are different people in a different world, dancing for possibly different reasons. I started off dancing not only because I was drawn to it like a moth to the flame, but because I realized I was a theater dork who had no idea how to talk to a girl I wasn't in a play with. For many others, they're the math and science types who realize that the world of meet-and-greet bars is a needlessly awkward method of socializing. And for almost all of us, it's a love for something in the past–something we have at least some level of nostalgic passion for. I think it's interesting that for us, we're enjoying a historical hobby, but for them, it was a popular, contemporary hobby. I don't think it's very important, just interesting. I think the fact we all, original and modern dancers, love the music so much, is far more uniting than such a difference in point-of-view would be dividing.

The idea that "showing off" is a part of the original spirit of the jitterbug might be hard for some modern people to latch onto. After all, a lot of us modern dancers are simply looking for a fun time, good exercise, and a chance to enjoy great music. Is there anything wrong with this? Of course not. I even think such an idea is very much in the spirit of most of the people you'd see on the dance floor in the 1930s. So perhaps I should clarify–I believe that showing off is an important aspect of the swing dance artist, which makes obvious sense, as we are the only canvas our art can be displayed on.

In discussing this essay, my partner Kate pointed out something that struck home. If you look at a lot of advanced swing dance competitors today, they seem to compete for the end product, rather than the means to that product. They dance to be thought of as a badass, to get the recognition. There dancing asks "Will this get people thinking highly of me?" rather than says something like, "This is who I am," or "I'm really loving this song," or even "Check out this great move I'm really excited about." which is, as we mentioned, an important component to the way the Old Timers showed off. ******

Perhaps an important aspect of this is that almost all chances for a modern day swing dancer to show off is a contest, with clear placements of who won or not. The jam circle, however, was a way for dancers to show off, with the only contest and placements being in the imagination of those taking part or watching. One could argue it's only a small difference, but I think an important one. I think Jam Circles, without a clear winner, helped foster showing off a dancer's individuality. And of course, having frequent jam circles helped make the original dancers very good at showing off. In my partner Kate's early days (2002-ish), they had a jam circle every week. To prepare, Kate and her partner would learn new steps to show off each week, and I imagine a lot of early swing dancers doing the same thing, in terms of practicing to show off their stuff.

Spontaneous jam circles don't happen much these days. They made a brief rebirth for a few years in certain cities and events, but I can only recall three or four I saw last year, and almost all of those were weekend events. So, like Fight Club, where Tyler Durden gives everyone homework to go out and start a fight, I'd like to push all of you readers to go out this month and start a jam circle. (1) Wait for a relatively uptempo song (2) Grab two friends (3) surround a couple that's doing well, (4) start clapping and yell when they do something inspiring (this simple Pavlovian Conditioning will get them to try to one-up themselves) (5) Make it a point for all three of you to stay their clapping until the end of the song. Even if a Jam Circle doesn't grow, imagine the exhilaration for that one couple to have their own personal jam circle. Or, they may just be scared. But it will be a start.

Now, all of this said, here is something I think is very important to modern day dancing: You don't have to be incredibly good at showing off to make a living teaching swing. Because, though showing off might bring an entertainment and inspirational element to the dance, it has almost no direct effect on teaching the dance. For that, you need a good teacher who understands the mechanics of the dance an can convey those ideas to groups in affective ways (and rotate enough to keep people from getting angry). I think many people tend to combine tightly the idea that a good competitor and a good teacher are one. They do sometimes come in package deals, but do know there are some incredible performers who teach very poorly, and there are some incredible teachers who simply don't do their best dancing in front of audiences. But if we realize this, we can have the best of both worlds–performers to inspire us, teachers to guide us.

I work very hard on the thoughts and words put into these essays. Likewise, I try to quote and give credit to those who have inspired my thoughts in this essay. If you mention these ideas to others, please throw in a reference and/or send them to Swungover.com .

——————————

*–Benny Goodman's 1935 concert at the Palamar was the first instance of the kind of energy teens in mass would later put towards Elvis and the Beatles.

**– I recently did an in-depth interview with Jonathan Stout where he goes into pretty descriptive detail about how he gears everything his band does towards dancers. Look for it on Swungover soon.

***–One could argue there's a bit of a logical circle here: I theorize showing off is a part of the original spirit of the jitterbugs; based on the evidence that I've seen it in most of the old clips and read about it in autobiographies of great dancers–clips which were taped for the purpose of showing off the dance, and great dancers who were made great by their ability to show off. See the problem? There could have been many more average dancers who never showed off that we don't see because they were never special enough dancers to be put in a clip or to write a book about their life. So, if we looked onto a dance floor of the 1930s, it might not stick out that showing off was necessarily a part of the spirit of the jitterbugs.

But to me, this problem isn't really an important one. That's because being a performer, entertaining people (if only yourself), exploring one's creativity, and making athletic demands on your body all seem to match perfectly the swing music that is being danced to. Swing music, filled with musicians showing off their solos, and bands showing how hard they can swing. It is in this sense I believe it is part of the spirit of the original Jitterbuggers. One might argue that Pure Balboa is an exception, which I mention later in the footnotes.

Being an actor and ham, I'm fine with showing off being a part of the dance. I've recently taken a long, deep inward look at myself and realized I should be a lot better at it, considering who I was as a young boy. If he saw me today, my twelve-year-old self would say "What's your problem? Why aren't you hogging all the attention in the room?" I think one reason I (and other dancers) choke a lot in modern competitions is because (as mentioned in the essay text) we're not used to focusing on one-upping each other. We're not used to allowing that competitive drive and confidence to take over at the very moment it needs to. The pressure which is crushed so easily by confidence becomes an impenetrable fortress with the lack of it. I think it's one reason why so many So-Cal dancers handle competitions well–the one-upness attitude and showing-off confidence has been an important part of their scene ever since the neo-swing craze and before.

****–It's like the rare-but-very-powerful Lennon/McCartney syndrome. John Lennon and Paul McCartney were talented in their own right, but always inspired and pushed each other to write better and better songs, in what was an incredibly productive competitive environment. To demonstrate, I will now get Hey Jude stuck in your head. Naa-na-na-nananaaaaaaa….

*****–This is where I'd like to mention Pure Balboa briefly. Pure Balboa was a chest-to-chest dance developed on packed dance floors. If swing music is a relaxed explosion of energy, then Pure Balboa dancers emphasize the relaxed part of it more than the explosion part. It was a dance done mainly by sweethearts, and on a packed dance floor where people aren't going to see many steps. So, showing off becomes a lot more partner-focused, and more internal. What a Pure Balboa dancer shows off in leading/following and creativity is smoothness, finesse, subtly. Not having video of the original Pure Balboa dancers, I can't say for sure whether it looked like showing off was part of their dance. But I believe it was still there, again, almost part of the music.

******–Partially to blame is the fact is that competition in modern Lindy Hop has the hope of actually leading someplace–whereas to the original dancers, swing dancing was just a beloved hobby. An original dancer wasn't going to teach the dance and make hundreds, like today. A 1930s Jitterbug wasn't going to have admiration and recognition beyond his ballroom peers, other than simply being a stage performer with a novelty act. The other factor is that people try to break down the "rules" of winnign based on what they see win, and so start to structure their dancing around winning contests. Though it's good to explore the performance aspect of contests, this idea of competitors gearing their dancing to win all to easily becomes a Frankenstein that takes over a dancers chance at honest self-expression if not kept in check.

Tonight, DJ Abigail Browning!

Boilermaker Jazz Band @ Glen Echo Park! (Sat) March 13

Need we say more? They're incredible. $15 Admission, Beginner Swing Lesson @ 8PM (Free with admission), Dance From 9PM – 12AM. Glen Echo Park Park Spanish Ballroom, 7300 MacArthur Blvd., Glen Echo, Maryland. Presented in cooperation with the Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts & Culture, Inc., the National Park Service and Montgomery County, MD

March's Inter/Adv Classes (March 2-March 23) HOLLYWOOD AND HARLEM:
Classic Moves and Styling

In the original days of swing, Hollywood and Harlem were the nation's hot spots for swing dancing. Though each dancer was unique, East Coasters and West Coasters tended to share certain styles and moves in common with others from their areas. In this class, the Jam Cellar crew will teach many of these Hollywood and Harlem styles and moves, to give inter/adv dancers great tools for leading and following, and to give their dancing that classic look. Throw in a lot of discussion on the history of jazz dance, and this thing's a steal. 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays, March 2-23. $55 for entire series. $15 drop ins. Students should be comfortable with all the material in our Building Your Basics series.

March 30– AERIAL TASTER CLASS

Are you a guy who doesn't know how to pick up a girl? Are you a girl who doesn't know if she wants to be thrown? Now's your chance to try it out, as a little taste before our month-long aerial series coming this summer. We'll learn a basic aerial or two, to get you used to the idea. This class is specifically geared towards creating good aerial posture, attitude, and practicing technique. $15 gets you into the class and dance. 8:30 p.m. March 30. Partners recommended, but not necessary. However, we do recommend comfortable clothing and sneakers for both boys and girls. (Practicing aerials can be a work out.)

OH MY GOD, DCLX BANDS

Touche', DCLX: Jonathan Stout, The Boilermakers, The Blue Vipers of Brooklyn, and the Red Hot Rhythm Chiefs. Still the best dance bang for your buck, the DC Lindy Exchange is taking registrations now.

Interview with Paul Cosentino of the Boilermakers

I woke up this morning, all ready to publish Part 2 of "The Old Timer" 5-part Essay, when I discovered someone had replaced my penetrating and thought-provoking work with a rambling post full of ambiguous prose. This happens to me a lot. So, while I rework it over the next few days, I hope you will enjoy this:

Paul Cosentino, the leader of the incredible Boilermaker Jazz Band, has done countless gigs in the DC area, and with his group, still inspires even the most cynical dancers to come out anytime they play. If you've never been to DCLX before, this is a great year to go.

Do you recall any memories from the first time you played for dancers?

I played for dancers with George Gee's Band when he was based in Pittsburgh in the late '80's. I also played with Gee at the Cat Club in NYC in 1988 where the New York Swing Dance Society had their events. It was a really nasty punk club. But that was the first time I saw the Shim Sham lead by none other than Frankie Manning himself. The first time I played specifically for dancers with my own band was at the Edgewood Club in Pittsburgh which is a really cool old hall where they have had dances on Sunday nights for years. And we also played for the first Pitt Stop Lindy Hop which was about 9 years ago. But even when we played mostly Jazz Festivals, a lot of the old timers would get up and dance.

As a dancer, there are a lot of qualities that go into making us want to dance that a lot of jazz bands filled with "great" musicians don't necessarily have. Did you make specific changes to your group when you started playing so often for dancers? If so, what were those changes?

Mainly just making sure that the tunes were not too long. Each solo generally should just be one chorus instead of as many as you want. You don't want to kill anyone out there. Other than that, it is not too much different from playing a concert- change up the tempos so that it doesn't get boring, pass the vocals around. It's not too complicated if you just give it a little thought.

What are some of the worst gigs/ performing experiences you've ever had?

We got hired to play for the openings of a bunch of bagel shops. The gigs were at 7am and they would pass out free bagels to everyone. We did a street band type set up, and were outdoors. It was about 5 degrees on one of the gigs. On the other end of the spectrum, we once played for a car dealership right on the blacktop with no cover and it was around 100 degrees. Those are rough ones. We also played a wedding once where they started to raise a video screen right in front of the band in the middle of a ballad with a full dance floor. That was humiliating.

The best?

Playing at Lincoln Center for Midsummer Night's Swing was great- but really, there have been numerous dance events that just had so much energy. You never know when one of those will happen! We also did a wedding many years ago where they flew us into Vermont, the family had rented an entire country inn, and they also brought up the head chef from Commander's Palace in New Orleans. That was one hell of a shindig!

Alright, who are your favorite clarinetists?

Well, it depends what I am in the mood to hear. The guys from the early era that I like are Jimmy Noone, Johnny Dodds, Omer Simeon. Of course I also love the swing era guys- Goodman and Shaw- and some of the side players- Barney Bigard, Edmond Hall, Buster Bailey… There were so many greats!

Your favorite bands all together?

Again- how much time ya got? I love Ellington… and anything by Fats Waller!! Of course Basie, Chick Webb, Shaw, Goodman, Lunceford, Hampton, Fletcher Henderson. I like small groups sessions with men from those bands as well- stuff lead by Teddy Wilson for instance.

The boilermakers have a rhythm that's not exactly Dixieland, not exactly Charleston, not exactly late-era swing, but sounds like it belongs alongside all of those. Was this a conscious choice?

Nope. We are a jazz band in the truest sense of the word. We take songs from different eras, and by different composers etc., and try to give them our own treatment. We don't talk about trying to play a song a certain way (unless, for instance, we are playing for a Charleston competition- and then of course we would play a Charleston rhythm/ tempo). Rather, we prefer to let a tune develop stylistically, and in terms of tempo and feel, to where it is comfortable and we like how it sounds. We are not a repertory band. We are not trying to imitate anyone else, or sound like anyone else. We want to have our own unique sound. And I think we do. That was always the goal for bands that we admire. You know when it is Basie or Ellington or Waller! Louis Armstrong once said that he wanted people to know it was him playing before they saw him- just from his sound and his tone. That's jazz. True jazz musicians take a "standard" song and interpret it their own way- using tone and rhythm and tempo- and that is what we try to do as well.

If the boilermakers were allowed to go out swinging with one song before the world ended, which would it be?

Ha! I guess it would have to be "All God's Chillun Got Rhythm" I think we have had more fun with the tune than any other…

[Editor's Note: Dancing to the Boilermaker's All God's Chillun is one of my favorite experiences in dancing.]

This week: DJ Glenn Scales!

Boilermaker Jazz Band @ Glen Echo Park! (Sat) March 13

The Jam Cellar is combining the amazing Boilermaker Jazz Band and the beautiful Glen Echo Spanish Ballroom for an awesome night of dancing! $15 Admission,
Beginner Swing Lesson @ 8PM (Free with admission), Dance From 9PM – 12AM. Glen Echo Park Park Spanish Ballroom, 7300 MacArthur Blvd., Glen Echo, Maryland. Presented in cooperation with the Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts & Culture, Inc., the National Park Service and Montgomery County, MD

March's Inter/Adv Classes (March 2-March 23) HOLLYWOOD AND HARLEM:
Classic Moves and Styling

In the original days of swing, Hollywood and Harlem were the nation's hot spots for swing dancing. Though each dancer was unique, East Coasters and West Coasters tended to share certain styles and moves in common with others from their areas. In this class, the Jam Cellar crew will teach many of these Hollywood and Harlem styles and moves, to give inter/adv dancers great tools for leading and following, and to give their dancing that classic look. Throw in a lot of discussion on the history of jazz dance, and this thing's a steal. 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays, March 2-23. $55 for entire series. $15 drop ins. Students should be comfortable with all the material in our Building Your Basics series.

March 30– AERIAL TASTER CLASS

Are you a guy who doesn't know how to pick up a girl? Are you a girl who doesn't know if she wants to be thrown? Now's your chance to try it out, as a little taste before our month-long aerial series coming this summer. We'll learn a basic aerial or two, to get you used to the idea. This class is specifically geared towards creating good aerial posture, attitude, and practicing technique. $15 gets you into the class and dance. 8:30 p.m. March 30. Partners recommended, but not necessary. However, we do recommend comfortable clothing and sneakers for both boys and girls. (Practicing aerials can be a work out.)

The Old Timer (Part 1: A Classless Dance)

This is the first part of a 5-part essay where I discuss the world of the original swing-era dancer; a person that, in many ways, was probably not like you and me. Also, I work very hard on the thoughts and words I put into these essays. If you mention these ideas to others, please throw in a reference and/or send them to this website.

In trying to capture the true spirit of the original swing dancers, I realize often how much I fail at doing so. I think that, to some degree, the modern scene as a whole has this problem. Look at an old Jitterbug picture, and chances are there's something about it that we wouldn't quite capture in a dance picture taken today.

This is much more true for video clips. For instance, a few of us Balboa teachers work very hard to figure out why the "Venice Beach Clip" dancers look the way they do, and why we don't look like them. I believe before we can start recovering that spirit of the original swing dancers, we first have to understand how different they are from us. By which I mean this: Even though we may all be desiring to express ourselves to the same great music, the original dancers came at that expression from different paths, and I think that produced a different dance than we have today.

A Classless Dance

We often joke in classes how the original dancers are absolutely terrible at teaching the dance. A lot of the crotchety southern California old timers would teach with only the words "no", "nope," and "you're doing it all wrong." If you asked them what step they just did, they'd do it again, different, swearing that they did it the same as the first time. It's not their fault. In fact, it reminds me of my father who tried to teach me how to drive stick in his corvette, which he loved at least half as much as my mom, whom he loved more than anything in the world. He couldn't explain things very well and got very frustrated about it, especially after the sound the car made when I interpreted his instructions. The reason why he couldn't teach it is because it's something he learned to do himself, something he had perfected his own way of doing through countless years of trial and error, and something he had never been asked to teach before.

One of the large differences between the original jitterbugs and us is that we are almost all taught how to dance by instructors. This simply was not true for a lot of the original dancers, which is why they, for the most part, aren't good instructors. People like Frankie Manning, who ran a troupe of dancers and was expected to train them, and Dean Collins, who was passionate about teaching and breaking down the dance, were pretty large exceptions to the rule. For the most part, dancers learned by going to a dance and trying to steal stuff they saw others do, or by trying to make up new stuff. (Frankie Manning has said he was known as the biggest thief in the Savoy Ballroom.) Anyone who has tried to learn by this method today knows the result: in trying to steal something from someone else, you get it wrong, and in doing so invent a new step.

In a several ways, this style of learning is actually more productive for certain dancers than the modern take-a-class style. Let me explain: The act of taking a class could be looked at as being spoon-fed a dance education. To get better, or to create their own look, most of the original dancers had to be very pro-active about learning how to dance. After seeing a move they wanted to steal, they'd probably have to try it out right away, before they forgot what it looked like. They'd make up material often, and before they'd go out to a dance, they'd probably practice the new stuff they were working on to try out that night.

Working so hard to learn something by yourself without a teacher is a very personal thing. It makes the product of that learning a child, complete with some amount of the love, protection, and pride that connection infers. Something tells me this is an important part of the puzzle of the original jitterbug spirit. The great dancers you see in the past probably don't look like any other dancers, because they worked hard to build up their own personal style of swing dance. (Side note: the only reasons why others of the era look like Frankie or Dean is probably because Frankie or Dean taught them).

A note on followers: imagine a follower that never took a class in her life. She had no idea what any "steps" were, she only stepped under her feet and it was up to the leader to move her around. This meant a leader would absolutely have to lead what he wanted to do, and a follower would always step right under herself.

The downside to all of this is that the original dancers didn't really have a lot of, well, gentleness. We can tell because in a lot of the clips, it's obvious the followers are being muscled around, and that sheer pulling/pushing is doing work body leading could be doing much better. Also, different dancers might have different leading/following rules, or not many rules at all (at least, consistent ones).

Obviously, the classes-is-spoon-feeding statement is an extreme description, and I don't want you to think for a second that I'm suggesting the modern scene stop taking classes. I think the benefits of classes far outweigh the cons (especially for women's arms). Teaching is incredibly important to any modern swing dancer because it means you don't have to reinvent the wheel by trying to learn swing mechanics on your own. Because of classes, modern dancers have a much bigger range of movement, much deeper understanding of technique, I believe, and much more inspiration for what they can accomplish. And though a follower can learn an awful lot about swing dancing by thinking about how an original follower would have danced having never had a class, the original follower's couldn't do half of the super advanced things a modern master follower could do who used modern frame and following techniques.

Besides, here's the best news: it's easy to get the best of both worlds by going to classes AND trying to steal/create the way the old timers did.

This week, DJ Lee Tucker,

Will not be spending Tuesday night in gym socks reading Guns and Ammo magazine, like last week. Instead he will be at The Jam Cellar, playing music to the hordes of people who were locked up in their houses all weekend after forgetting to go buy bread at the grocery store before the blizzard, and thus survived mainly on the fig newtons at the back of the pantry that expired in 2008.

Performance Class Extra Practices

For those in our Performance Class, Kate and Bobby will hold additional 30 min classes in "the other room" from 10 to 10:30.

March's Inter/Adv Classes–(March 2-March 23) HOLLYWOOD AND HARLEM:
Classic Moves and Styling

In the original days of swing, Hollywood and Harlem were the nation's hot spots for swing dancing. Though each dancer was unique, East Coasters and West Coasters tended to share certain styles and moves in common with others from their areas. In this class, the Jam Cellar crew will teach many of these Hollywood and Harlem styles and moves, to give inter/adv dancers great tools for leading and following, and to give their dancing that classic look. (It'll also help you understand why you feel such different swing-outs from different dancers). Throw in a lot of discussion on the history of jazz dance, and this thing's a steal. 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays, March 2-23. $55 for entire series. $15 drop ins. Students should be comfortable with all the material in our Building Your Basics series.

March 30– AERIAL TASTER CLASS

Are you a guy who doesn't know how to pick up a girl? Are you a girl who doesn't know if she wants to be thrown? Now's your chance to try it out, as a little taste before our month-long aerial series coming this summer. We'll learn a basic aerial or two, to get you used to the idea. This class is specifically geared towards creating good aerial posture, attitude, and practicing technique. $15 gets you into the class and dance. 8:30 p.m. March 30. Partners recommended, but not necessary. However, we do recommend comfortable clothing and sneakers for both boys and girls. (Practicing aerials can be a work out.)

A Quick Note on Floorcraft*

At two recent events, I went to some dances that were packed, and thinking I'd try to show some students a good time, I made the horrible mistake of asking them to dance. I just as well could have asked someone to join me in getting kicked in the soft part of the ankle for three minutes.

And these weren't the random, apologetic kicks of someone who misjudged their Charlestons. These were the far-worse, apathetic kicks of people who simply didn't give a damn about anyone else on the dance floor, even their partners, because THEY were feeling the music. (Actually, to be more precise; they were more likely trying to make everyone, including themselves, think they were feeling the music.) I got kicked so many times I can't count, and only heard ONE SINGLE APOLOGY.

This of course happens all the time, (it was even part of swing back-in-the-day; the movie Twice Blessed used it for comical affect.) I just happened to experience it twice in under a month, a thousand miles apart, and at a time when I was exhausted from teaching people how to be considerate to their dance partners all day. I was also jet lagged and in the general mental state one gets when being woken up at 4 a.m., and thus I had dropped any silly niceness my normal demeanor has and could despise these people with the proper amount of hatred they deserved.

I could write a long essay on floor craft, (and I did for today's email, it even involved the phrase "The Texas Tommy the Nazis used on POWs" ) but I'm going to cut it short by simply saying: If you want to engage in partnership dancing, your first priority should be making sure your partner is not in any danger. Otherwise, try solo dancing.

Likewise, if you are going to enter a tight dance space, let me know what logic you're using to make you think you can dance like it's your space alone.

I might adopt that philosophy; and make sure I find a space next to you. ***

——————————————————————–

*–I just love footnotes. Even when they're pointless.**

**–Just kidding. The (*) footnote symbol was leftover from when I looked up from the original draft and realized it had grown to three pages worth of writing, and I wasn't anywhere finished about talking about floorcraft. I then put in the (*) footnote mark, pointing to a footnote that said: "Of course it's not quick. It started off that way, but this is Bobby writing, so, of course it's long as hell."

***–Original ending of this short note added the sentence. "And trust me, there's one hard-cor mother f*cker waiting to come out of me."**** Which Samuel Jackson would have nodded in agreement at looking at me when I wrote it. It felt great to write, a cathartic moment writer's live for. I guess I have some pent up feelings on floorcraft.

****–If you question the amount of hard-core ness that is available in the body of a dorky anglophile theater nerd, then you haven't seen me play basketball against hypocritical theologians.

Tonight, DJ Lee Tucker

Will be sitting at home in his pajamas watching Supernanny. Because, as well you know, the god of weather wants nothing more than to drop snow on Jam Cellar events. In light of what "The Weather Man" is saying, we're going to pre-imptivley cancel tonight's Jam Cellar. For those in our Performance Class, Kate and Bobby will hold additional 30 min classes in "the other room" at the next 2 Jam Cellars from 10 to 10:30.

March's Inter/Adv Classes–(March 2-March 23) HOLLYWOOD AND HARLEM: Classic Moves and Styling

In the original days of swing, Hollywood and Harlem were the nation's hot spots for swing dancing. Though each dancer was unique, East Coasters and West Coasters tended to share certain styles and moves in common with others from their areas. In this class, the Jam Cellar crew will teach many of these Hollywood and Harlem styles and moves, to give inter/adv dancers great tools for leading and following, and to give their dancing that classic look. (It'll also help you understand why you feel such different swing-outs from different dancers). Throw in a lot of discussion on the history of jazz dance, and this thing's a steal. 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays, March 2-23. $55 for entire series. $15 drop ins. Students should be comfortable with all the material in our Building Your Basics series.

March 30– AERIAL TASTER CLASS

Are you a guy who doesn't know how to pick up a girl? Are you a girl who doesn't know if she wants to be thrown? Now's your chance to try it out, as a little taste before our month-long aerial series coming this summer. We'll learn a basic aerial or two, to get you used to the idea. This class is specifically geared towards creating good aerial posture, attitude, and practicing technique. $15 gets you into the class and dance. 8:30 p.m. March 30. Partners recommended, but not necessary. However, we do recommend comfortable clothing and sneakers for both boys and girls. (Practicing aerials can be a work out.)

Notes from Last Week's Town Hall Meeting

9:00 –Refreshment table is set up before the Free 9 p.m. beginner lesson is to take place. Following which will be the meeting.

9:30–Meeting set to begin. Refreshment table includes fruit, but no cookies, Cran-Apple juice, but no coke. Salsa, but no Fritos. Free beginner class students suspected.

9:40–We finally decide to start meeting once Jam cellar organizers are outnumbered by people attending meeting.

9:42–Introductions made, Bobby makes welcoming error by asking the awkward guy just what the hell he's doing coming to the public meeting.

9:43–From the beginning, Andy Reid assumes Bad Cop role, Lee Tucker assumes Good Cop role, Kate Hedin assumes corrupt drug-trafficking cop role, Gretta Thorn assumes maternal role, Jeff Booth assumes absent father role, and Bobby White assume the police chief from the Police Academy Movies role. Jerry Almonte stands in a corner, listening intently and saying "hmm" a lot.

9:46–Beginning with the topic of education, the Jam Cellar, with the help of the community, discusses the rampant problems of juggling the high population of inner-city public schools. Session concludes that the ultimate problem is the stupid among the world far outnumber the wise.

9:53–The far-reaching scope of the conclusion hits home with each person individually, and the meeting spends roughly four minutes in silence.

9:57–Andy Reid says "balls."

9:59–The Jam Cellar Organizers explain why we don't have birthday dances, snowball dances, and why the annual Polka Contest was canceled.

10:10– The salsa incident happens. Andy Reid rushed to the hospital.

10:35–Doctor gives us the go-ahead to visit Andy, and conclude the meeting there. We cram into his tiny room and give him the plant someone stole on the way out of the Jam Cellar.

10:41–We begin to discuss the different roles of organizers and advanced dancers in a swing community.

10:42–Jerry Almonte stands in a corner, smiling wryly.

10:46–Meeting flow is slightly interrupted when a Jam Cellar community member accidentally unplugs Andy's respirator.

10:47–Jam Cellar community member makes a salsa pun. We all have a good laugh, except for Andy, who looks coldly at Lee.

10:50– Meeting forced back on track to the discussion of advanced dancer's roles in a community.

10:53–Gretta drops the F-bomb when discussing wedding dress shopping.

11:14–Andy's hospital room-mate chimes in, suggesting that, though advanced dancers should realize they make beginning dancers better and happier, putting a sense of obligation to someone's hobby would be off-putting to anyone. And beginning dancers should realize that some advanced dancers are simply mean people, and those dancers should not be given another thought. He concludes by asking Andy if he's got any crank.

11:32–In discussing the success of the music at The Jam Cellar, Gretta drops the C-bomb, the P-bomb, and the Q-Bomb.

11:40–Bobby concludes on the note that the meeting's main goal was to have everyone feel like Jam Cellar was more of a community, hopefully convincing people well enough to disguise the meeting's real goal of getting more volunteers.

11:41–Jerry Almonte stands in a corner, nodding knowingly.

11:53–Meeting members all return upstairs to the Jam Cellar, where DJ Allen Kerr, in front of an empty dance floor, weeps.

11:55–The Salsa Incident story is told to Allen, complete with full-body reenactment action, even the part with the roller chair. Allen cheers up and plays one last incredible song.

The next town hall meeting will take place in six months.

Tonight, Allen Kerr's Farewell DJ set and Roast,

Today, as well you know, is the Pagan holiday Imbolc. In Gaelic folklore, it's the day Cailleach the divine hag goes looking for firewood.

About Imbolc Legend has it that if she intends to make the winter last a good while longer, she will make sure the weather on Imbolc is bright and sunny, so she can gather plenty of firewood. Therefore, people are generally relieved if Imbolc is a day of foul weather, as it means the Cailleach is asleep and winter is almost over. (It's easy to see how this holiday is a precursor to our own Groundhog's Day, though both are probably just the result of the tradition of looking for hibernating animals to awake to judge the season change). Then the Christians came in and decided to rename the holiday The Feast of the Purification of the Virgin for some reason. Anyway, to celebrate, anyone who brings enough firewood for the next six weeks tonight gets in free.

Why we're sad:As it's expected to snow today, it appears we will not have six more weeks of winter. However, this knowledge will do little to lift our spirits, forAllen Kerr, a DJ giant among men (and just a really great guy) is leaving us for San Francisco in a few weeks, where he plans to open up shop as a DJ that makes it the way grandma did. Before he goes, he's going to show us what we'll be missing tonight. Here's your last chance to catch Allen DJing at the Jam Cellar as a regular, and see how the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin can easily go off the hook.

Shamless Ploy to get volunteers:How fitting we'd be losing yet ANOTHER incredibly hard-working Jam Cellar worker, as it's yet another chance for me to remind everyone that we could sure use some volunteers. Set up, take down, or door work–all of it's a breeze, gets you in free, allows time to socialize and meet new people. It's a work-out, friends network, dating service, and character-building employment all in one. Contact huh@thejamcellar.com for more info.

Keep an eye on the Jam Cellar website if the weather gets rough

"The Man" is saying there will be snow today, and we all know the catastrophic events that happen recently when the man says that. It doesn't look like it's going to be too bad, but please check the JC website, or your email, or our Facebook, as we'll post in those places if we have to close.

TONIGHT: THE JAM CELLAR TOWN HALL MEETING OF AUGHT TEN (Feb 2)

Fine ladies and Gentlemen. And cattle. Those who love Jam Cellar, and those who don't but want to, are invited to the Jam Cellar Town Hall meeting from 9:30 to 10 p.m. on Feb. 2nd. We'll discuss the past, present, and future of Jam Cellar, and we want to know what all our patrons think about Jam Cellar's atmosphere, events, music, etc. Please come armed with suggestions and comments, or, failing that, pistols. (Pistols will be collected at the door). And yes, we will have refreshments. If you will not be there, please feel free to send comments for discussion before hand to huh@thejamcellar.com.

Tonight! New Jam Cellar T-Shirts and Hoodies for sale

For the first time in two years, we have new Jam Cellar t-shirts and hoodies for sale. They are made on American Apparel shirts and hoodies, which normally we would go against because they starve their already morbidly-depressed models to death in freezing cold minimalistic cells in the ground with nothing but tube socks for warmth. But, they're fabrics are great! These new Jam Cellar shirts and hoodies are made with special ink that supposedly feels like it's part of the t-shirt after it's washed. T-shirts $15, hoodies $30. (Which, amazingly, is about $10 less than each of them cost at an American Apparel store. We try to order the appropriate amount of the right sizes, but if you are a person who desires the same size shirt as everyone else (Men's medium, or women's small, for example) then you'd better buy them soon.

ILHC registration is open!

We here at the Jam Cellar feel a special tie to ILHC. Not just because it was founded in part by Nina Gilkenson, who also founded us in part. But also, because it's an international Lindy Hop event in our own little town, and it's goal is to bring the whole world together to inspire people's friendships and dancing. If you register now, you get in super cheap, and there's even a bonus discount if you're one of the first 50 people to get in using Paypal (which is probably Paypal's idea of getting you to open an account with them, but hey, it's a discount). Go to ILHC.com

The Worst Kind Of Snow Day. Tonight's Dance Cancelled.

Sadly, we just got the call. Glen Echo is closed for the night. So the dance is off. Unfortunately, you'll have to host your own private dance parties in your apartments tonight. Be safe and have a good weekend and see you on Tuesday.

Brooks & Crew Will Be Back…

We will bring Brooks and his massively talented cohorts in as soon as possible. It's been too long already. Stay tuned.

We'll Be Back @ Glen Echo March 13 w/ The Boilermakers.

We'll be back at Glen Echo with the amazing Boilermaker Jazz Band March 13th. Mark your calendars.

Tonight, DJ Andy Reid

Will give you what you need. Also, tonight is a very special occasion, as one of our very own Jam Cellar organizers and founders Naomi Uyama will be packing up her bags, moving to New York, and throwing her beret into the air by the weekend.

Naomi has been with the Jam Cellar since the beginning, and has been a crucial part of putting Washington DC on the map of modern swing dance history. It has, however, always been her dream to live in New York, and we're all really excited she's going to be living that dream. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (but she probably won't see it as she'll be living in the village.) Thank you for everything, Naomi!

Naomi worked very hard for the Jam Cellar each week, so now would be a great time to ask for volunteers to help at the Jam Cellar. Setting up and closing down volunteering includes 15-20 minutes of carrying not-so-heavy things a distance of twenty feet. Door volunteering includes the ability to count and not steal our (very little) money. Inquire further at huh@thejamcellar.com

THE JAM CELLAR TOWN HALL MEETING OF AUGHT TEN (Feb 2)

Fine ladies and Gentlemen. And cattle. Those who love Jam Cellar, and those who don't but want to, are invited to the Jam Cellar Town Hall meeting from 9:30 to 10 p.m. on Feb. 2nd. We'll discuss the past, present, and future of Jam Cellar, and we want to know what all our patrons think about Jam Cellar's atmosphere, events, music, etc. Please come armed with suggestions and comments, or, failing that, pistols. (Pistols will be collected at the door). And yes, we will have refreshments. If you will not be there, please feel free to send comments for discussion before hand to huh@thejamcellar.com.

Just Announced: BROOKS TEGLER big band AND small combo Jan 30

We're proud to announce that our Glen Echo dance this month will include not only Brooks Tegler's Big Band, but also his small combo. What makes that so special? First off, it's old school Benny Goodman style. Second of all, it was one of the greatest nights of music we had at the Jam Cellar last year, which is saying something. Thirdly, Brooks Teglar has floppy hair.

S0, mark your calendar, we're starting off 2010 right. And please help us share it on Facebook. $15 Admission, Beginner Swing Lesson @ 8PM (Free with admission), Dance From 9PM – 12PM. Glen Echo Park Park Spanish Ballroom, 7300 MacArthur Blvd., Glen Echo, Maryland. Presented in cooperation with the Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts & Culture, Inc., the National Park Service and Montgomery County, MD.

JAN and FEBs Class: Lindy Hop Performance CHOREOGRAPHY!

Our Jam Cellar Crew will spend 8-full weeks teaching a performance choreography complete with fancy moves. Drop-ins only allowed for partners who will not rotate during class.

A Year in Clips #3: Todd and Naomi's routine at ULHS 2005

This is the third part of an installment where we here at Jam Cellar (and Swungover) discuss a dance clip from the archives of past and present swing dance, the current goal to do so regularly for a year. Feel free to discuss your thoughts in the comments section of our Jam Cellar Blog on the website or over at Swungover

For our third clip, we'll watch what I consider one of the most influential modern Lindy Hop showcase performances: Todd and Naomi's 2005 ULHS performance. And, coincidentally, I wrote this piece awhile back, before I knew tonight would be Naomi's last night. Let's watch:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hs9gN0M8XlY

In the world of art, there are certain things that we watch once or twice, and get our maximum enjoyment out of it, like a summer Blockbuster movie. Then there are occasionally things we see that grow on us. It might not sink in at first, but something keeps us coming back to it. Then, over time, we are officially blown-away. Those are rare moments, and it takes a real dancer, not just a performer, to allow those moments to come out naturally in something as structured and performance-oriented as creating a choreography.

What came naturally out of Todd and Naomi for their showcase routine in 2005 embodied the direction Lindy was about to take nationwide. How many moves in the routine were common place on the dance floors for the next three years? How much has early jazz and Charleston/Swing transitional music taken over the dance floors of major events and small city clubs? Before it, how long had it been since top dancers had done moves like points, mini-dips, mess-arounds, and other Harlem style moves in a routine?

But this routine isn't about the trends it helped start. It's about two dancers dancing their own dance, showing off their own personalities. For instance, I'd like to personally nominate Naomi's nonchalant theatricality in this routine as a model for dancers wondering how they can perform without plastering a giant smile on their face and making large expressions and making judges sick. Naomi is simply having a great time doing this routine and allows it to show on her face, which is a large part of it. For the rest, it's the little personality she puts into everything that adds to it. Look at the subtle motions she adds throughout the routine: The hand flick she does before going into a swivel side-pass. The swimming she does when on Todd's back. The slap on Todd's butt on beat to the music after he puts her down.

She keeps her head and shoulders up, she dances like it's nothing, and she has a great time. You don't need anything else for great performance theatricality. Well, except yourself. Naomi almost always adds that in her performances, when a lot of other dancers forget to.

Coupled with Todd's great styling, moves, and lines, and how well they dance together in this routine, and the fact that every move goes so well with the music and flows naturally out of and into the other moves, it's no wonder this is a routine with lasting power.

Oh, and they also get points for not using a song from the Swing Kids soundtrack.

Tonight, DJ Betsy Kipperman

Will show you how to party like it's 2010.

In other news, Apple on this day in 1983 announced the first personal home computer with a mouse. And, Robert E Lee was born. (see below for more information)

New Building Your Basics series begins Jan 19!

That's tonight!

THE JAM CELLAR TOWN HALL MEETING OF AUGHT TEN (Feb 2)

Fine ladies and Gentlemen. And cattle. Those who love Jam Cellar, and those who don't but want to, are invited to the Jam Cellar Town Hall meeting from 9:30 to 10 p.m. on Feb. 2nd. We'll discuss the past, present, and future of Jam Cellar, and we want to know what all our patrons think about Jam Cellar's atmosphere, events, music, etc. Please come armed with suggestions and comments, or, failing that, pistols. (Pistols will be collected at the door). And yes, we will have refreshments. If you will not be there, please feel free to send comments for discussion before hand to huh@thejamcellar.com.

Just Announced: BROOKS TEGLER big band AND small combo Jan 30

We're proud to announce that our Glen Echo dance this month will include not only Brooks Tegler's Big Band, but also his small combo. What makes that so special? First off, it's old school Benny Goodman style. Second of all, it was one of the greatest nights of music we had at the Jam Cellar last year, which is saying something. Thirdly, Brooks Teglar has floppy hair.

S0, mark your calendar, we're starting off 2010 right. And please help us share it on Facebook. $15 Admission, Beginner Swing Lesson @ 8PM (Free with admission), Dance From 9PM – 12PM. Glen Echo Park Park Spanish Ballroom, 7300 MacArthur Blvd., Glen Echo, Maryland. Presented in cooperation with the Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts & Culture, Inc., the National Park Service and Montgomery County, MD.

Clean-up Volunteers needed!

If interested in helping out tonight, contact us at huh@thejamcellar.com.

JAN and FEBs Class: Lindy Hop Performance CHOREOGRAPHY!

Our Jam Cellar Crew will spend 8-full weeks teaching a performance choreography complete with fancy moves. Drop-ins only allowed for partners who will not rotate during class.

Happy Birthday, Bobby Lee

At the university I went to in Tennessee, one of the fraternities was founded by Robert E. Lee. The reason why he founded the frat was because, all prejudice aside, Robert E Lee was a very morally-driven man and cared about making sure young men had a place that would steer them in the direction of being gentlemen. Well, in my opinion, the modern fraternity had missed this point completely. They thought they were gentlemen because their upper-middle-class moms and dads said so, and bought them a navy blazer.

I went through house visits, where you meet each fraternity and they give a speech and feed you potato chips and coke that taste strange. You realize, after your fourth house visit, that the soda is at least 20 proof, and everyone has a blazer except you. (It didn't help that I was both naive and had a sweet tooth, and was more or less addicted to Coke throughout college. So I drank quite a lot before realizing the effects it would have.) Well, anyway, the Robert E Lee fraternity told us all a story that I don't feel comfortable repeating here (But I do here), but needless to say it was something that should have made every boy in that room revolted, and in hindsight I should have probably spent less time being revolted and more time contacting the authorities. (If you are unsure what stories to believe about Southern Fraternities,take it from me, you can probably believe it, especially if it has that Faulknerian touch.)

My friends and I on several occasions hatched schemes to steal this painting, which I imagined was the Dorian Gray of all the frat boys that were humiliated below it. Hazing was rampant in the Robert E Lee fraternity, and I imagined everything those baby-faced southern boys went through, some of it involving picante sauce, making it's mark upon Robert E Lee, aging him, making him prematurely gray, himself carrying the weight and sins of his offspring, (though in reality it was the weight and sins of his own South that made him look like that).

We never did steal it. They were far too protective of it. But we certainly tried, and were soon not allowed anywhere near the place without someone getting suspicious. Others did steal it, but it always found it's way back, or perhaps they had a stock-pile of them. Today, I can't help but mourn something for Robert E Lee; by many accounts, he was admired by the greatest men of the age, both Northern and Southern, as a man of his word, a man of loyalty (perhaps his tragic trait), a man who tried to create an organization that would inspire young men to be both good and great men. I can't look at anyone I met at that fraternity's house visit and see greatness, except perhaps a great bratiness and privilege unearned, or the great enemy in the south's haunted and feeble battle for unironic chivalry, another battle Robert E Lee might loose.

Err…too dark?

Tonight, DJ Luke Albao

Bow-chikka-bow-wow.

JAN and FEBs Class: Lindy Hop Performance CHOREOGRAPHY!

Our Jam Cellar Crew will spend 8-full weeks teaching a performance choreography complete with fancy moves. By doing so, we will build the sort of team comradery one only finds in combat. This performance should test intermediate dancers and advanced dancers alike. The two months of classes cost only $95, saving you over $25 in Jam Cellar class value. Partners not required, but encouraged. Drop-ins only allowed for partners who will not rotate during class. Classes begin Jan. 5th. 8:30-9:30 p.m.

Just Announced: BROOKS TEGLER big band AND small combo Jan 30

We're proud to announce that our Glen Echo dance this month will include not only Brooks Tegler's Big Band, but also his small combo. What makes that so special? First off, it's old school Benny Goodman style. Second of all, it was one of the greatest nights of music we had at the Jam Cellar last year, which is saying something. Thirdly, Brooks Teglar has floppy hair. S0, mark your calendar, we're starting off 2010 right.

Clean-up Volunteers needed!

For just fifteen minutes of moderate cardiovascular labor at the end of Jam Cellar, you can receive free admission as well as the love and affection of the Jam Cellar Organization staff, the admiration of all your peers, and an increased prowess among the opposite/same sex. If interested in helping out tonight, contact us.

New Building Your Basics series begins Jan 19

Tell your mom.

The Art of Vintage Manliness: SHAVING

This is the first in a series of articles dedicated to trying out the common–and sometimes uncommon–things our grandfathers and their grandfathers did. For this article, I'd like to give a shout-out to Allen Kerr, master of the safety razor.

OCCAM'S SAFETY RAZOR

The era of modern shaving was beautifully summarized by The Onion in a fake article written by the Gillette CEO titled "F— Everything, We're Doing Five Blades," which was a lot more funny before Gillette actually DID put out a five-bladed razor (with two lather strips). Then it became a little sad. (Gillette even found a way to add a battery, as if winning a meeting room bet.)

Before 1901, most people shaved with straight razors for that classic Sweeny Todd shave, then Gillette put out the first safety razor which made its real money off of disposable blades, thus creating the business model of modern day shaving, as well as printers, electric toothbrushes, and Britta pitchers.

When World War I came around, Gillette brilliantly worked out a deal with the army to put a safety razor into every soldier's hands, an act which almost single-handedly gained the consumer loyalty of an entire country of men.

Somewhere along the 1960s and 70s, that heavy metal contraption your grandfather used started disappearing. Gillette introduced replacement blades sealed within plastic, many believe so that they could keep other other companies from making blades that would fit their razors. Then, in the 70s, they started adding blades. (In depth research provided by Wikipedia).

Nowadays, a razor is a sleek, futuristic, sometimes bright looking plastic-handled thing and shaving lather grows from a can. Ideally, we've gotten to the this point because five blades and an aloe strip is better for you than shaving with one blade from a safety razor.

However, how many of these blades were added simply to bring novelty and attention to a brand, or to fight back in a "how many blades" war? The battery-powered razor, at least, was discovered to be a cheap trick. A court found its claims that it raised the hair up and away from the skin for a better shave to be inaccurate and unsubstantiated. I'm more willing to believe that simplicity is better here. So, to put that to the the big test: How does a Safety razor and lather shave compare to a Mach 3 and a can shave?

Brush vs. Can

Brushes are made out of many kinds of animal hair, but badger is the finest. A badger brush ranges from Cheap-ish ($20) to expensive ($180 at the Art of Shaving stores in posh malls. They also have a silver one for $1,200.) I went for cheap-ish.

Why a badger brush? Apparently, the badger hair is not only known for its great texture, it's also very good at holding water. The hot water you put in the brush goes into the lather and then between your skin and the razor. The brush allows you to lubricate your shave in a way that canned shaving cream doesn't, and is, according to many experts, one of the most important parts of getting a comfortable shave. If this wasn't enough, there's the added bonus of not getting shaving cream all over your hands, and consequently, your hair and shirt when you miss wiping off a spot.

Cheap shaving soap is at almost any drug store, I imagine for their 80-year-old picking-up-prescription clientele. But fancier soaps are popping up at random stores all over the place, you'd be surprised. For extra vintage manliness points, I have been using a shaving soap that comes in a wood bowl and hasn't changed its recipe since 1805, when it was the choice of Scottish royalty. (The only reason I have this was because I found it at a going-out-of-business sale).

It's taken me awhile to learn how much water I like in the brush, and how long I need to stir up the lather in the soap. But, I personally like it a lot better than getting canned shaving cream all over my fingers. Plus, the lather can be made with hot water, which feels great while being brushed onto the face.

Once the lather is applied, however, there's a few minutes of shaving before it dries. I'm still working on shaving with the Safety Razor faster, but there's only so fast you want to push it.

Heavy, Weapon-like Artifact Safety Razor vs. Mach 3

I have to admit, there is something pretty damn manly about holding a heavy safety razor in your hand. First off, it's a big chunk of metal with moving parts. You have the feeling that you could throw it at a burglar if you needed to, thus protecting your family. Second of all, it looks classy leaving it lying around a bathroom, unlike a Mach 3 razor, which looks kind of like an alien had given birth to something on your counter.

I chose for my Safety Razor a Parker 22R . It's got a butterfly head, which means the top opens, you drop a blade in, and then close it. The device works by curving the blade so that the razor is angled nicely (it pretty much bends the razor at the sort of angle modern razor cartridge blades are angled at.)

The first few times I shaved with it, I did one of those half-and-half commercial tests, where I shaved one side of my face with a Mach 3, and the other side with a safety razor. At the time, I couldn't determine one being a particularly closer shave than the other, and since the Mach 3 bends its blade contour slightly to my face, I think I could trust it for more of a uniform shave. However, after getting a little more familiar with the safety razor, I do feel like I'm getting closer shaves.

In Bernhard Roetzel's Gentleman: A Timeless Fashion, Roetzel recommends a safety razor over a modern razor, but mentions that a replacement safety razor razor is so sharp it's almost impossible to not cut oneself, and so dull by the third or fourth shave that it irritates the skin easily. I recently have had several bloodless shaves with brand-spanking new razors, so don't be afraid of his criticism. I can see how they dull out quickly, though. (Plus, getting used to blood is all part of learning how to shave with a safety razor.) (Er.. what?)

How to Wet-Shave with Brush, Lather, and Safety Razor

1. Wet brush under hot faucet for few seconds longer than you would think. (It has to soak it up like a sponge). Hold it up until water stops dripping from it. Then, rub it circular around the soap until it the frothy lather looks like you would imagine it does, like in an old war movie. If you wish, you can add a macho apathy laced with a deep depression to give it that WWII touch.

2. Apply to face in circular motion, inventing your own method for not getting lather up your nose. Some recommend an up-and-down motion to stimulate the hairs. I haven't noticed a difference. Find which one you prefer. If this is your first time, I recommend doing everything longer than you would imagine. Hold the brush in water longer than you would think, rub it in the lather longer than you would imagine, apply it to the face a long time, etc.

3. Start with the razor at an easy part, like the side-burn and side of the face. Don't push down hardly at all, but allow the gravity of the tool to glide it down your skin. Start off with the razor at a 45 degree angle or less (In other words, so the handle gets closer to being parrallel with the floor, and the razor close and closer to being parallel with your skin.)

The Art of Manliness (the inspiration for this series's title) website has this to say about it:

Angling your razor is probably the trickiest part. The proper angle is somewhere around 30 and 45 degrees. To get the proper razor angle, put the top of the razor head directly on your cheek, with the handle parallel with the floor. Now slowly lower the handle until the blade can cut your whisker. Practice on your arm if you're not comfortable practicing on your face.

The key here is that you will have to change the way you shave–slower, and with less force than a modern razor, which are designed to let sleepy, bumbling modern men rake it across their face in an ape-like fashion while flinging poo.

4. Shave with the grain, and if you want additional smoothness, shave across it after having first shaved with it. Shaving against the grain can easily lead to burns or ingrown hairs with a safety razor. Try to limit the amount of times you run the razor over your skin; you can scratch an itch with a Mach 3, but a safety razor only needs a few passes, and additional ones will really irritate the skin.

5. If it starts to burn or hurt, reduce the angle. A modern razor doesn't require you to think about the angle much, but it's what the Safety Razors and Straight razors are all about. If it still hurts, or your face it drying out, splash hot water on your face, and re-lather your face. The secret to the wet shave is to keep your face moist. This might take a few dunks in the sink.

6. When done, splash lots of cold water on your face to close your pores, and PAT your face dry, don't wipe it. (This is especially true of hotel towels and lower-grade sandpaper.)

Costs

It's in the long-term costs that safety razors and lather make sense. A new Mach 3 is only $8, whereas a new safety razor ran me $20ish. But I can get 100 safety razor blades for $17, whereas eight Mach 3 razor replacements costs that much. A Mach 3 razor blade would have to last at least 10 safety razor blades for that to be worth it, but a safety razor blade, if all four shaving angles are used, would probably only take two or three to get the same mileage as a Mach 3. New shaving soap can be cheap or costly, but either one can last for a hundred shaves, whereas a can doesn't.

Also, a pile of used safety razor blades and soap scum is a whole lot less waste than a pile of shaving cans and Mach 3 blades.

Current Conclusion

I've recently realized that my shower and shave have become a sort of thirty minute spa. The room full of shower steam and heat, the shaving process now has a lot sensations it didn't always have. There's the smell of the soap and the feeling of the warm lather on the face, followed by the gentle scratch of the razor. Several times through the process I'll splash my face with various warm and cold water.

Basically, I'm beginning to understand that a big part of having a "satisfying" shave means having a relaxing one. I remember reading one time that a man should spend at least a few minutes everyday looking at himself in the mirror and reflecting on himself and where he is in his life. I've recently found myself doing that more often because of the ten or fifteen minutes I now spend shaving.

I'm going to continue shaving with the safety razor, especially when I'm at home. For traveling and on-the-fly shaving, however, the Mach 3 is nice to have around. In doing so, I think I'm taking the best of both the past and the present, and getting the added bonus of screwing over The Man. (Not that The Man will notice the 0.0000000031 drop in The Man's Gillette stock.)

Finally, now that I'm beginning master the safety razor shave, my final goal is a straight razor. Provided they have internet in the hospital, I'll write about it.