lot of projects.

A year. Of djing, and dancing, and teaching, and translating.

It's all about the Lindy Hop.

I'm finding myself thinking about it all the time, but the costant is the *sharing* thing, I guess.
I really want to share my happiness when I dance, I love to share the little I know about dancing with absolute beginners, I do enjoy sharing my nerdiness about the books and the blogs I'm reading, and, of course, I'm full of joy every time I make my friends move on the dance floor.

I'm working a lot on another project, it's about bringing back the Swing (the music, the dance, the "philosophy") to the "people", the not-that-cool ones, the not-that-rich ones, the not-that-fancy ones.

I'm happy that the Lindy Hop is spreading so much in my country, Italy, I like less the fact that it is not really open to everybody, you have to be in a solid, safe situation to afford the luxury of an expensive hobby as dance lessons. But we are not in a solid, safe situation at all. So I'm humbly trying to fill a void, creating a space, in my city, where you can approach this world I love so much, and when and if you'll find yourself addicted, you'll find a way to pay for full classes, or you "simply" will go out dancing at nights.

I think that a lot of people that, back in the day, made this dance great, couldn't afford to pay to learn, they learned it the hard (still fun, but harder) way, without the explanations, and the cuddling, and the videos and so on. We are so lucky, but someone is less lucky, so I have to try and find a way to make them dance anyway. The Swing Era came from a time of deep depression and crisis, so we're dancing in similar footsteps, after all.

I've been busy.

I've djed a lot lately!

A Jack'n Jill organized by the ALIA Association (www.policoroinswing.it), a lovely springtime all-Balboa night, an after-live with Steve Coombe from London and the Roman Legion of Swing, for the workshop with Encarny & Javi as guest teachers from Valencia, and the one with Isabella & Pontus & Vincenzo of course, and tons of Swing nights with my amazing friends of the autonomous social centre Forte Prenestino, a Swing Circus event with all the teachers of my scene together, the official 99th birthday celebration for Frankie Manning with Catrine Ljunggren as super special guest, the Swing Riot at the historical Teatro Valle (occupied by artists for two years now), and the incredible, incredible meeting in Genova for the Balboa Revolution weekend with Bobby White, Kate Hedin, Adam Brozowski & Lana Mykhaylyuk.
Did I just say that I've already djed for Isa & Pontus, Vince, "Cat", Bobby & Kate..?
Did I just write it down, for everybody to see?
Yes, indeed.
I'm about to post some photos of my last events, like this closing party full of friends at the Arca Dancing Social Club in Rome; the photographer is Assunta Carpentieri, a very young gal and promising Lindyhopper as well.

PS. Ehm, I'll be djing soon at the Swing on the Beach in Pescara, at the Policoro in Swing festival in region Basilicata, and also at the Sophisticated Lady event in Genova, with Meschiya Lake from New Orleans.
I meant it. Meschiya Lake. Do not wake me up, thanks.

Dippermouth Blues.

testo italiano piùggiù ➴

Dipper mouth blues (later known also as Sugar Foot Stomp) was recorded in a studio so close to the train tracks King Oliver had to keep the schedule handy all the time to avoid that the train passages ruined the session.
His well-known cornet solo, brilliant in using wisely only a few notes, begins at 1:19 to the break -on the voice screaming "Oh play that thing!"- at 2:01.
If you haven't ever done it before, you can try and trace the Blues structure AAB in the twelve bars, repeated 9 time in the song.

Because the repeated structure in the songs we love and we dance on is like a navigator, it tells us where we are and where we are going (Marsalis ♥)

❦

Dipper mouth blues (più avanti rifatta sotto il nome di Sugar Foot Stomp) venne registrata in uno studio così vicino alla ferrovia che King Oliver doveva tenere sottomano l'orario dei treni tutto il tempo per evitare che i passaggi del treno rovinassero la sessione.
Il suo famosissimo assolo di cornetta, geniale nell'uso sapiente di poche note, si può ascoltare da 1:19 fino al break -con tanto di voce che urla "Oh play that thing!"- a 2:01.
Chi non l'avesse mai fatto, può provare a riconoscere la struttura del Blues AAB nelle 12 misure, che si ripetono 9 volte nel pezzo.

Perché la struttura ripetuta dei brani che amiamo e sui cui balliamo è come il navigatore, ci dice sempre dove ci troviamo e dove stiamo andando (Marsalis ♥)

what.

...if I'd be a Djette?
A Swing music one,
of course.













To watch the floor all night and make it bounce.
To watch my friends till morning and make them dance.
And drink the Lindy Hop with feet and ears and make it shine.