The music is Cajun zydeco, the dancing jitterbug, but at about 2:55 on for ten seconds or so, you can see the demonstrating instructors drop into some shimmying, which was yesterday’s topic.
Next Sunday’s jazz post (and it’s a bit of a blockbuster, songs already saved in the vault) is about the whole crossover with Gennet and Vocalion in the 1920 to 30 period, including the race divide and the move from ragtime to boogie woogie and flappers and then onto brass and woodwind. Though next Sunday is primarily piano, it is also a mix of all those genres.
In short, it’s the history of modern music encapsulated in four songs, ranging from 1923 to 1976. I became lost in it last evening. So here’s the first of the zydeco:
The things which struck me about this below were why old men have to look so grumpy much of the time and act in such a curmudgeonly manner? He’s a nice guy looking after his band as you’ll see and yet the two women at the far end seem to be shoved out of the way, while bags of space seem to surround the old man. Hope I never get old, ha ha.
The music? Very danceable, the whole intention … but that’s about it … not a lot of variation.
Back to the shimmying and there were two types … the shoulder shimmying favoured by the westerners as more discreet … and the hip shimmying favoured by the non westerners, inc. the Asians, plus Elvis … better known as belly dancing in the case of the girls.
No excuse now, boys … up on yer feet, come on y’all, weight off yer heels and onto your insteps … ready? 😎