Dry Bones...The evolution of a dance

I'm always fascinated by the creative process. What is it that compels an artist to paint, write, sing, dance, make music? What are the triggers and how does that person go about congering up the finished piece? I had the inspiration to put together a little choreography for Halloween recently and thought I would take you on my journey. Perhaps it will spark something in you and send you on your own creative quest.

Sometime during the summer Autumn LaVarta was djing at the 9:20 Special here in San Francisco and towards the end of the evening he played Fats Waller's version of Dem Bones. Fats calls it Dry Bones. I connected to it immediately. I went home that night and downloaded it and listened to it over and over again. I realized something in that song was reaching to me from my childhood. Luckily for me, Alabama in the 1960's wasn't up on current children's programming and what I got to see on TV were all of the terrific old cartoons from the 30's and 40's with their hand drawn images and great musical scores. There were The Little Rascals and Our Gang and Frances the Talking Mule and a healthy dose of Gene Autry too.

I realized that Dry Bones made me think of this performance in The Little Rascals.



That performance actually scared me so that's why I probably remembered it. It also made me think of this cartoon.



It's pretty scary too.

I always say, if it's scary then do it! Why not take my skeletons out of the closet and make them dance! I contacted some dance friends and told them my idea and asked them if they wanted to join me. I have to say I have some wonderful indulgent friends and 10 brave souls signed on to learn my danse macabre.

When I listen to certain music-and I never know when this is going to happen-I see vague dancing images in my head. Particular places in the music will jump up in my minds eye and dance. I can usually turn this off when I'm dancing with a partner but when it happens and I'm not occupied it can be rather fun. Dry Bones was one of those pieces of music and a good deal of the choreography jumped up for me that way. The opening moves, the joining of the arms and weaving side to side, the grapevines and the ring-around-the rosy for example. I also knew I wanted to put in a few "dance jokes". I think the "Thriller" dance is probably the most performed Halloween dance these days and I wanted to add a little nod to that. The Hand Jive just fit perfectly in that little section and the Macarena was a happy accident that came from desperation. That section of music would only "appear" dark to me. It turned out the Macarena fit the music perfectly and was one of the funnier bits in the choreography.

Practice space is hard to come by in San Francisco and expensive so my band of merry skeletons practiced in Golden Gate Park and on an empty playground near my apartment. Not having mirrors to work with had one big advantage-we all learned the movement through our bodies and less through our eyes. With only four meetings to learn the choreography it was crucial that we get it all down before or first performance at the 9:20 and not leaning on the mirrors as a way to check our movement turned out to be a good thing. Our masks also obscured our peripheral vision so watching our neighbor for dance cues wasn't possible.

Costumes had to be inexpensive. I wanted us to wear masks to make us unrecognizable and add some mystery, gloves to emphasize the hands and bones on our clothes. The masks and gloves were a quick click on the internet but the rest of the costume had to be just as quick and cheap. Painting bones on would take too long and would be permanent so I came up with the idea of using masking tape on the black clothes. We had a costume making day at my place and the costumes came out even better than I thought they would. Did I mention that my indulgent dance friends are also very creative?

Here's the finished product. I had a great time creating it but it would have never come to life without the help of Alan and Linda Lau, Eva Louie, Eva Chau, Louisa Song, Jennifer Tinonga, Letha Cox-Dolowitz, David Elhami, Gordon Dang, and "Ocean" Matt. I love you guys!

This performance was at San Francisco City College



This performance was at a fundraiser for the 24 hour Danceathon for Cancer Research in OC that some of the performers were raising money for.



Special thanks to the 9:20 Special, Cat's Corner, City College of SF, Lindy in the Park and the Mystery Dance for letting us perform!

Going Solo

"I'm skipping the solo Charleston/jazz/blues/movement class because...I'm not good at that...I don't see the point...I just want to learn moves I can use with a partner...I hate line dances...I never see anyone doing that...it's boring."

Sound familiar?

I'm pretty sure I've given at least one of those excuses in the past. To be truthful, I think I was just insecure about dancing by myself. When you dance with a partner there is some comfort in the feeling that you are in it together. If you think you are going to look foolish at least there is someone else to look foolish with you. When you do solo movement you are all alone up there and it can seem like all of the eyes in the room are focused right on you. The reality is so different but first let me address those excuses.

"I'm not good at that." I don't know about you but I can truthfully say that I am very seldom good at something the first time. If I am, it's bound to be a fluke. I usually have to work at something new over and over again to get to a point where I feel fairly comfortable with it. There are lots of "fails" and plenty of "almost have its" in the process. If I know why I'm making the effort, why what I'm doing makes sense on my quest towards a goal, I'm more likely to put in the extra time and sweat equity it takes to practice something that is initially uncomfortable. Which leads me to...

"I don't see the point" Dancing solo is part of our nature as humans. We all do it whether we want to admit to that secret booty shake when we hear a danceable beat or not. Learning solo jazz, Charleston or blues moves helps us to clarify our movement and learn better overall dancing skills. Doing solo moves helps us to identify the areas where we shine and the places that need more work in a very direct way. Because all solo movement is directed and generated by your self you will quickly find out how well you balance, turn, create pleasing lines, handle fast or slow footwork, articulate or isolate different parts of your body and incorporate your arms. All of that is valuable information for a dancer. If we become adept at dancing well solo, our partner dancing will be elevated, enhanced and more precise which leads me to...

"I just want to learn moves I can use with a partner" Ever do a kick-ball-change in your swing out? How about low-downs or breeze-the-knees? Well then, you are already adding solo movements into your dancing but now you've invited your partner to explore them too. I think of those little extras in the dance the same way I think of adding sprinkles to ice cream. The ice cream is going to taste just as good without them but definitely won't be as festive. Why limit yourself?! There's a big wide world of solo moves that you can incorporate into your dancing and-Surprise!-they are only solo if you do them by yourself. Now you have to figure out a way to learn more which leads me to...

"I hate line dances" One of the quickest ways to get some solo movement under your belt is to learn some of the classic Swing "line dances". The Shim Sham in it's many variations, the Tranky-doo and the Jitterbug Stroll are the most frequently done. You don't have to know the whole routine to be able to have fun with it. If you make a point of jumping in the back whenever the crowd gathers you will eventually pick up enough of the routine to feel comfortable. When you do a routine in a whole room full of people it's hard to feel self conscious. To help refine your skills, take a Shim Sham or Tranky-doo class when they are offered. And about that feeling that all eyes are on your very own stumbling feet in one of those classes-believe me, the other people in the class are so focused on improving their own movement they aren't going to track your every mistake. If you've got a competent and enthusiastic teacher you are going to walk out of that class more informed and with sharper skills.

I'm going to use some visuals to address the last two excuses but before I do, I want to suggest some ways to work on solo movement on your own.

Play some music you are familiar with and like to partner dance to and dance to it on your own. Let your body move in any way the music suggests to you. Now play it again and try to add some of the solo movement steps you know into the mix. Play a different familiar song with a different tempo and do the same.

Choose one or two solo steps you would like to incorporate into your social dancing and practice adding them without a partner at home. Grab a friendly partner your next night of dancing and give them a go. The more you practice on your own and with a dance friend the more successful you'll be.

Don't have a partner and a terrific tune starts playing? Start practicing your solo movement off to the side of the dance floor. Why let a good tune go to waste and others might be inspired to join in your fun!

Check out youtube for solo Charleston, jazz and blues moves. "Pay per move" sites like iDance.net or Rhythmjuice.com can also be helpful.

Here are some videos that illustrate just how awesome and non-boring solo dancing can be. There are plenty more out there to be inspired by.

Here is Sister Kate doing a great routine with Tranky-doo and Shim Sham moves sprinkled in.



These guys make me squeal every time I watch this. Dax and Max showing us how it's done.



Here is some hot solo blues.



Look for the smart use of solo movement in this terrific routine by Skye and Frida.



Your turn!