Thursday, December 6, 2018

"THE FOLLOW IN RED" Oil Painting By Seth Harris


 


I am so ever grateful to Seth Harris for using me as one of the subjects of his latest art pieces. I was flattered when he asked me. In all sincerity I had never had anyone to say they wanted to paint me or photograph me personally. As a plus size woman it has not been my reality.  I end up in lots of photos with other people, or by my own request but never been asked! So Seth if you read this I personally want to say thank you...it was an esteem builder! Seth was able to capture my true joy with this Harlem originated dance called the Lindy Hop. I partnered with an amazing dancer Lalaina Rkt (LaLa). And believe it or not we danced for only two hours downtown at Ripley Grier Studios while Seth went to work photographing us dancing to the grooves of Lavendar Coffin by Lionel Hampton, Flying Home by Count Basie, Shiny Stockings by Ella Fitzgerald and host more on LaLa's phone. All the while taking turns with LaLa's wife Mianja because she too would have their special painting done as well.  We changed into different color outfits and I am ever so glad he chose red with my white highlights. I am a member of the best sorority in the world Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and wouldn't you know those are my sorority colors "Crimson and Creme." Seth got it all right! We all went for drinks, shared laughs and brewed with excitement about the paintings to come! And what an amazing job done. I personally have never had a painting or drawing of myself. Lindy Hop makes you happy and Seth has managed to express this in all of the paintings he has done of Lindy community members. I was able to purchase the print copy as well as this bag through Society 6.  My bag has become a talking piece about Lindy Hop and me dancing. People have responded so well to it.  I usually invite people that show interest in the bag out to dance and a few have started attending my events and other events in NYC.



Seth Harris is a Brooklyn based fellow lindy hopper that is also an oil painter.   He is self taught learning the skill while serving as a sailor in the US Merchant Marine.  According to his website www.BrooklynSeth his paintings often emphasize people and places that are important to his life. Particularly his dance paintings, as he has been active in the New York City Lindy Hop and Balboa dance scene for several years. If you would like more information about Seth Harris or his art, visit his website at www.brooklynseth.com



Uptown Saturday Night Swing @ The National Black Theatre


Swingin' @ the National Black Theatre with Ronald Jones and myself has been one of my dreams come true. With the gracious support of the National Black Theatre's General Manager Nabii Faison we are able to provide a safe, creative and inclusive space for our bi-monthly Lindy Hop Dance events.Wanting to bring our love and the historical legacy of the Lindy Hop back to Harlem what better place than here. The National Black Theatre is located on 5th Avenue between 125th & 126th street. It is with humility, respect of the past, admiration and historical responsiblity that we pay homage to the woman that had a dream for Harlem. Harlem to many was a place of depression, but for Dr. Teer it was place that she could see her dream of creating a theatre space that could and would enhance the African American cultural identity by telling authentic stories and of the Black experience. Founded by Dr. Teer in 1968. Dr. Teer was an actress, director, producer, and community galvanizer. 


  
According to her daughter the current CEO Sade Lythcott In 1968 her mom Dr. Barbara Ann Teer moved up to a desolate war torn neighborhood in Harlem armed with only the vision to create a sustainable cultural arts institution that could & would be reflective of the power, grace, and excellence of a people. To build an art complex that was owned and operated by people she aimed to service, undying commitment, cultural integrity, self empowerment, economic autonomy and freedom. The National Black Theatre has become a second home to us. We are ever so thankful for all the staff that assists us while we are there. They even know that they are always welcome to drop in and swing with us! 

Our events have been a blast!  I will let the pictures speak for themselves!









So if you are interested in Swinging With Us Uptown on a Saturday Night look out for our events on social media on such sites at Meet Up, Harlem One Stop, Eileen Lindy Blog: This Week in Swing, Facebook's NYC Swing Events and NYC Swing Dance. Join the movement to reconnect with our /Harlem's dance legacy! (Not to mention the great health benefits!) Inter-generational, no partners necessary -- just your enthusiasm and love of dance form and movement! Or, just because... Dance lesson before social dance set. Live DJ (Swing, Blues, R&B, Soul) 



You may also email us at swingwithusproductionsnyc@gmail.com





Friday, October 12, 2018

Dancing to the Tunes of Charles Turner At Minton's Playhouse (Harlem)

The hot Harlem club making 1940s jazz cool again


At the stroke of midnight one recent Friday at Minton’s, Wayne Tucker’s quartet comes out swinging — literally — with Duke Ellington’s “Satin Doll.”
For the next 20 minutes or so, the trumpeter and his band — David Linard on piano, Tamir Shmerling on bass, Charles Goold on drums — hold the stage, before yielding to a time-honored tradition: the Friday night jam session.
Saxophonists, a trombonist, singers and the occasional tap dancer come up to the bandstand, call out a song and show their best stuff. Their audience — a mix of students, couples out on a date and small groups of friends — sip cocktails or nibble on hot dogs from the cart near the bar.
Tucker’s jam sessions began in April, but historically date back to the ’40s, when the Harlem club was called Minton’s Playhouse. Henry Minton opened the club in 1938; a tenor saxophonist himself, he saw to it that his place put musicians first.
And so Minton’s became the spot where musicians would go after they played elsewhere — not only for a hot plate of soul food but for the chance to heat up that stage, including Thelonious MonkKenny Clarke and Charlie Parker.
Modal Trigger
Singer Lucious Conway waits for his turn to take the stage.Stefano Giovannini
Tucker, a 28-year-old who’s played with everyone from Delfeayo Marsalis to Elvis Costello, says he’s mindful of both Minton’s history and its current clientele — making sure the music is accessible even to novice jazz fans.
And while Minton’s can no longer afford to serve up heaping plates of soul food to everyone who plays, the Friday night jam sessions offer hot dogs — an innovation by co-owner Alexander Smalls and chef de cuisine Joseph “JJ” Johnson.
The club closed after a fire in 1974, and when Smalls reopened it in 2013the mood at Minton’s was far more elegant. There was a tasting menu and white tablecloths, elements he says were “off-putting” to many.
“There’s no charge to enjoy the music at the jam sessions, but we needed to have some [food] for customers who don’t want to come here for dinner,” says Smalls, a former opera singer and part-owner of Minton’s sister restaurant, the Cecil, next door.
Modal Trigger
Cart dogs include chicken or veal ($10 each) and tofu ($9).Stefano Giovannini
And so, though Minton’s serves an upscale menu earlier in the evening (items like smoked praline pork chops with bourbon yams and snap peas, $29) when there’s a cover charge — $10 for bar and lounge seating, $20 for dining room seating — Smalls aimed to make late Friday nights different.
“I mean, it’s jazz and hot dogs!” he says.
By 2 a.m., Tucker and the many musicians who’ve taken a turn in the spotlight are clearly feeling that spirit. Samuel Coleman, a dance instructor who specializes in jazz, is getting his groove on, swing-dancing with one of his students, Julia Loving, a 43-year-old librarian from The Bronx, between the rows of tables in the dining room. A group of musicians and guests are chatting at the bar, patting each other on the back if they happened to go up for a song.
One of them is Charles Turner, a 26-year-old jazz singer who held everyone rapt with his rendition of George Gershwin’s “But Not for Me.” When asked how Minton’s compares to other clubs he’s played in, Turner says this Harlem spot is doing exactly what Smalls, Tucker and Henry Minton himself set out to do when it first opened.
“They’re tweaking things here to embrace the artist and make it more accessible to the audience as well,” Turner says. “That spirit of music and community is still very much in the air here.”

Thursday, October 4, 2018

Harlem Jazz Corner & Swing Dance Event @ Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx)

Harlem Jazz Corner & Swing Dance Event

On Sunday, September 9, 2018, 25 resilient people despite the rain decided they would give up there warm comfortable homes to spend a Sunday with us at the Jazz Corner the final resting place of so many great musicians and dancers at The Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx. At this time we celebrated the lives and legacies of Jazz/Latin Jazz/ and dance legends such as Duke Ellington, Lionel Hampton, Illinois Jacquet, Max Roach, Jackie McClean, King Oliver, W.C. Handy, Ada “Bricktop” Smith, Cootie Williams, Coleman Hawkins, Milt Jackson, Jonah Jones, Ornette Coleman, Celia Cruz, Miles Davis, Harold Nicholas, our beloved Ambassador of Lindy Hop, Frankie Manning and others. We were accompanied by Mercedes Ellington grand-daughter of the late Duke Elington as well as Judy Prichett long time companion of the late Frankie Manning. We danced and shared personal narratives in a befitting tribute to them at their final resting place. #swingwithusproductionsnyc

Thursday, May 17, 2018

Inclusivity in the Lindy Hop Community


I was recently asked by Judy Pritchett Board Member of the Frankie Manning Foundation to assist her in responding to a request from the Swing community in Greece to help them make their events more inclusive with regards to the inclusion of more African Americans into their scene. Why me? I guess because I've learned to navigate through my own feelings of isolation in this dance community.  I was a wallflower when I first started! Being black, older, plus size, and culturally not use to asking men to dance. But I had the encouragement from two great guys Samuel Coleman and Ryan Francois both of whom are swing dance instructors. They encouraged me to learn more and just hang in there and I am thankful for that. Now I rarely sit on the sidelines. So for the record swing dance has changed my life in so many positive ways and therefore I felt it necessary to respond as honest, reflective and  thoroughly as I could. After responding to her email she asked if I would mind her posting my response on the Frankie Manning Foundations website to which I have agreed. I thought it to be important to share this with you all because you because it is indeed an important topic in our global dance community. So here is the link and the actual blog post:  https://www.frankiemanningfoundation.org/questions/

HOW WOULD YOU ANSWER THESE LINDY HOP QUESTIONS?


Questions for Event Organizers, Teachers, and Scene Leaders in the Lindy Hop Community


Julia Loving at the monument where the Savoy Ballroom once stood in Harlem.

There have been some important discussions taking place in the Lindy Hop community about recognizing the Black origins of the dance. Julia Loving has created a list of some questions for event organizers to think about. This is a great list for Lindy Hop Event Organizers, Teachers, and Scene Leaders around the world to truthfully ask themselves in order to assure their events are inclusive.
Bringing light to an issue that needs correcting is the first step. We thank all event organizers for their efforts to create a more diverse, inclusive swing dance community and increasing Black representation is part of that.

Questions to Ask Yourself

Courtesy of Julia Loving

  1. Do I actively recognize that Lindy Hop is a Black art form? Is that recognition and acceptance represented in the way that I run dance events, classes, and overall dance scene?
  2. Am I comfortable dealing with or discussing race matters? If not, am I in a partnership with someone else that is?
  3. Do I look for, consider, or hire qualified bands or orchestras that are led by or include Black musicians and singers?
  4. Do I look for, consider, or hire qualified Black instructors on all levels?
  5. Do I look for, consider, or hire qualified Black DJs for my events or to cover band breaks?
  6. Does my event’s attendance (instructors, bands, audience, dancers) reflect the diverse populations of the world? If not, do I have a plan in place to make my event more welcoming to people of diverse backgrounds?
  7. Does the way that Lindy Hop is danced in my community look and feel like the original?
  8. Do I want to gain knowledge and do I seek out understanding about the African American experience? What about the dance history?
  9. Do I hire staff that have been vetted for non-discriminatory practices in the scene?
  10. Do I invite constructive responses for policy and programs to address racial inequities within my events?
  11. Do I invite local dance communities of non-whites to events?
  12. Do I share resources with my community about the origins of the dance, Black history, biographies of the original dancers, jazz musicians, music collections, etc.?
  13. Do I encourage my students to take field trips to venues or historical sites that represent the African American history or experience, especially those cities that are rich with the history?
  14. Am I committed to the long-term message of Black history and recognition, not just when the topic is trending?
  15. Do I lead by example as a dance instructor by including history lessons as an integral part of my classes. For example; we all do the Shorty George but did you know that Shorty George was a Black man who danced at the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem? Etc.
  16. Do I pledge to welcome everyone regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identification, age, body type, physical ability, and mental ability?
  17. Do I encourage my students and fellow dancers to be open to dancing with everyone and to actively ask people of all kinds to dance? Especially those that might not get asked to dance very often? There should be no wallflowers!
  18. Do I encourage mentorships, trainings, or extra tutelage for any new Black dancers in my scene?
  19. Am I willing to accept and embrace change even though it may change how I originally experienced the Lindy Hop community?
Thank you Julia for sharing this excellent list of questions. We welcome feedback and suggestions for what can be added to this list.