you won't see this on SYTYCD

Another installment of Ultra Fast Lindy Hop: check out the flips and tricks

Some ultra-slinky west coast:

Ballroom on TV!!

Woo-hoo! After a few years of ballroom drought, PBS is back with a series called American Ballroom Challenge. There will be five episodes, airing on Wednesdays at 7 (your local times may vary). I missed the opener, the American Smooth competition, last night, but they'll show it again a few times before next week's American Rhythm competition. These are professional competitors dancing together, not pro-am (teachers and students) or amateur couples. They are also competing in American Style, not International. International style, danced in the rest of the world, is strictly competitive, not social, and dancers start learning and competing as children. American dancers often start as teens or adults, and many begin dance as a social hobby. It is the dance teachers, often poorly paid, who compete as professionals. But on TV, what you see is the glamour and the cream of the crop.
This time around, the shows will devote more attention to each category, with showcase dances as well as the competition itself (filmed at the Ohio Star Ball) and some behind-the-scenes segments about how the dancers get ready.
Here's a clip from last year's show, an exhibition that incorporates some West Coast Swing


From my very limited experience with ballroom competition as an amateur competitor and volunteer for USADanceSport (formerly USABDA) championship competitions, I have developed a huge admiration for the level of athleticism as well as the dance virtuosity of ballroom dance. Of course, like any competitive sport, it has its dark side, eloquently documented in the book Glamour Addiction. The author, Juliet McMains is both an academic and a former professional ballroom competitor. She accurately describes both the joys of dancing itself and of the ballroom life, and the exploitation and rip-offs of the industry. It may not be an easy read or a comfortable perspective for many, but I think she is absolutely right on. Back when I was dancing at an Arthur Murray studio, a bunch of students got together and filmed a "Dancaholics Anonymous" meeting as a joke/gift for an instructor. It was a joke, but all of the things we said were true: "first you start with one pair of shoes. Next thing you know you're up to five, and they're all in the trunk of your car in case you need to dance." "I started out with one private lesson a week. Next thing I new, I was up to five, and borrowing money to pay for all those dresses." "I knew I was in trouble when my husband and I were lying side-by-side in bed together, moving our feet to practice our routine."

But kids who are lucky enough to grow up with dance studio parents can start to learn at a very young age, and develop the skills to compete on the level of the International Dancers. I've seen these young dancers compete three times now, and they are amazing.

Fast Swing Dancing - ULHS 2004

Ultimate Lindy Hop Showdown, fast lindy. Sweet!