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.

proud?

testo italiano piùggiù ➴

Not anymore.

Not so proud anymore! I have been AWOL, since May, darn it!
So much for being on a schedule...
Karma is a thing, do ya all remember (all=me, myself, and I) the lovely shoes I put my eyes on?
Well, they won't fit at all!
They hurt my poor feet so badly that I had to pass them on.
A dear friend of mine, with a smaller foot, is now really, really happy.
And I had a good My-name-is-Earl  lesson.
But I will write again.
No pretty shoes involved or bold promises anymore, though.
I promise.


Actually I did write something lately.
On a blog I care a lot, the Roman Lindy Hoppers one, it's worth a look, but it's in italian only.

❦

Non più.

Non più tanto orgogliosa!
Mi sono data alla macchia, da Maggio, porca pupazza!
Alla faccia del rispettare le scadenze...
Il Karma esiste, vi ricordate tutti (e per tutti intendo: io, me e me stessa) le adorabili scarpe su cui avevo messo gli occhi?
Beh, non mi stavano nemmeno lontanamente!
Mi facevano così male che ho dovute darle via.
Una carissima mia amica, dal piedino più piccino, ora è molto, molto felice.
Ed io mi sono beccata una bella lezione in stile My-name-is-Earl.
Ma scriverò ancora.
Senza coinvolgimenti di meravigliose scarpette o sfrontate promesse, però.
Prometto.


A dirla tutta, qualcosa ho scritto, di recente.
Su un blog a cui tengo molto, quello dei Roman Lindy Hoppers , vale la pena buttarci un occhio, è in italiano.

proud.

I made it!

I'm on (my kid) school duty, and I'm back from a very late wedding, so I'll be posting some photos and details tomorrow night, but I'm pretty proud.

Twice.

❦

Ce l'ho fatta!

Sono di corvée per la recita di mio figlio, e reduce da un matrimonio finito piuttosto tardi, perciò posterò foto e dettagli domani sera, ma posso dirmi orgogliosa di me stessa.

Doppiamente.

deadline.

Time's running out!

Sta per scadere il tempo!

definitely.

testo italiano piùggiù ➴

I'm gonna make myself a spiffy cloche hat.
Within a month.
Uh-huh, sure!

baby steps.

testo italiano piùggiù ➴

The "Shout Sister Shout" is a Lindy Hop event in Rome.
THE Lindy Hop event in Rome.
The 2nd edition took place from 2 till 4 of December 2011, and it was awesome.
It was my baptism of fire, as "intermediate" dancer (in Rome the scene is really young, the standard really soft) and as a "craftswoman".

first thing first. and 2nd. and 3rd.

testo italiano piùggiù ➴

1st: I'm an italian gal and my English isn't the best.
No fancy language courses, private schools, or traveling around the world for me. I've learned my English by watching tons of tv shows & movies. I'm a bit shy about reading and writing in my second language, but I'm diving into it and loving learning it, so please be patient, smile at my attempts and have a good-humored laugh with me. I'm trying my best.

2nd: Over the past few years I have started to learn different crafts...

newborn.

A newborn blog about an Italian Gal's journey
through the 1920s, 30s and 40s,
and her adventures dancing, crafting and...

❦

Un blog neonato sul viaggio di una donzella italiana
attraverso gli Anni Venti, Trenta e Quaranta,
e le sue avventure ballando, creando e...