Black Sheep
08-11-2003, 02:38 PM
WCS & ECS Dancers,
For several months I have been observing a new unique style of dancing that has been intermingled with the Lindy, which in a past post I delineated as Eight Count novelty moves taken from the Shim Sham and the Big Apple dances of the 1930's.
Last Sunday August 10, 2003, I was at Joshua's 3rd Street Venue held outdoors on the Santa Monica Promenade, and for over 3 hours I witnessed some 30 couples dancing what appeared to be a mixture of Lindy variations, but one incident hit me like a light bulb suddenly being turned on in a dark room.
Joshua, who sponsors this FREE Venue on his own time and at his own expense and D.J.s with the best collection of modern Jazz danceable music in town, Joshua was induced by Michele Shelton from his D.J. console to join her in a dance, and as Joshua rose to join Michele, I could not help announcing aloud like a Master of Ceremony, "Joshua and Michele! Show Time!", knowing in advance they would perform an extraordinarily entertaining dance. And from the very first moment of their dance they went into modern Jazz moves that were uniquely different from any Lindy/Swing dance form in both rhythms, mood and foot patterns, which are the defining factors of a unique dance.
I found myself thinking, 'This is a completely new dance form reminiscent of the Modern Dance of Catherine Dunum of the 1940's and 1950's, but with a more rhythmic and truly free expression of the music' then the old Modern Jazz forms with their more balletisian disciplined styling.
And Joshua Castleman was and is the leading proponent of this dance form, a dancer who I have been watching progress in this direction for the past three years, thinking he was just throwing in a few eight count novelty moves. And once again, Joshua like many former dancers, brought to my attention his uniquely, 'New Jazz' while dancing in the street, 'The Santa Monica Promenade'.
But as Joshua and Michele continued to dance, they continued fascinating and entertaining me with their completely new dance form, seeming never to go into formal Swing, which can only be described as New Jazz and all 30+ couples, with few exceptions, were duplicating the Joshua Style of the New Jazz Dancing with remarkable innovative moves that tickled my funny bone and thrilled my nervous system with a euphoric sensations as I realized I was witnessing the 'Birth' of a completely new dance form that could only be described as Joshua's, 'New Jazz!'
Black Sheep, you friendly instructor.
For several months I have been observing a new unique style of dancing that has been intermingled with the Lindy, which in a past post I delineated as Eight Count novelty moves taken from the Shim Sham and the Big Apple dances of the 1930's.
Last Sunday August 10, 2003, I was at Joshua's 3rd Street Venue held outdoors on the Santa Monica Promenade, and for over 3 hours I witnessed some 30 couples dancing what appeared to be a mixture of Lindy variations, but one incident hit me like a light bulb suddenly being turned on in a dark room.
Joshua, who sponsors this FREE Venue on his own time and at his own expense and D.J.s with the best collection of modern Jazz danceable music in town, Joshua was induced by Michele Shelton from his D.J. console to join her in a dance, and as Joshua rose to join Michele, I could not help announcing aloud like a Master of Ceremony, "Joshua and Michele! Show Time!", knowing in advance they would perform an extraordinarily entertaining dance. And from the very first moment of their dance they went into modern Jazz moves that were uniquely different from any Lindy/Swing dance form in both rhythms, mood and foot patterns, which are the defining factors of a unique dance.
I found myself thinking, 'This is a completely new dance form reminiscent of the Modern Dance of Catherine Dunum of the 1940's and 1950's, but with a more rhythmic and truly free expression of the music' then the old Modern Jazz forms with their more balletisian disciplined styling.
And Joshua Castleman was and is the leading proponent of this dance form, a dancer who I have been watching progress in this direction for the past three years, thinking he was just throwing in a few eight count novelty moves. And once again, Joshua like many former dancers, brought to my attention his uniquely, 'New Jazz' while dancing in the street, 'The Santa Monica Promenade'.
But as Joshua and Michele continued to dance, they continued fascinating and entertaining me with their completely new dance form, seeming never to go into formal Swing, which can only be described as New Jazz and all 30+ couples, with few exceptions, were duplicating the Joshua Style of the New Jazz Dancing with remarkable innovative moves that tickled my funny bone and thrilled my nervous system with a euphoric sensations as I realized I was witnessing the 'Birth' of a completely new dance form that could only be described as Joshua's, 'New Jazz!'
Black Sheep, you friendly instructor.