DANCE NOTES
By Mary Ann Carter
Girls in dresses, platform heels and pearls; guys in vests, ties and fedoras; the band is swingin, the place is jumpin' and everyone's jivin' to Topsy and Smokey Joe. Is this a scene from the cotton Club in the '30s? Guess again--it's Portland;s own Crystal Ballroom, and it's 1998. Grunge is out, spats are back and everything old is new again!
More than 400 energetic stompers did the Swing, the Charleston and the Lindy Hop for four hours last Sunday to the irresistable beat and sweet harmony of Casey McGill and the Spirits of Rhythm. And this was after a two-hour Lindy Hop lesson, ably taught by Gail Boger and Mark Greene, with well over 200 enthusiastic participants..
Many of these high-energy dancers were high-school students, with only a few of us over 30. So, it seems that that wonderful Swing music from the '30s and '40s has been re-discovered by a whole new generation; it's happening in Chicago, too, but Portland's Crystal Ballroom had the biggest turnout I've seen to date. An extra treat was a spectacular impromtu tap-dance duet by Aaron Kay and Don Elliott.
Good news: Casey McGill and company will return to the Crystal Ballroom July 5th for a repeat performance--a good bet for a great time!
But you don't have to wait until July to do the Lindy Hop; there is a great new venue for Swing fans: the elegant, beautifully renovated ballroom in the new Southeast Civic Center at S.E. Foster and Holgate is featuring the big band sounds of the Keith Werner Swing Revue every Wednesday from 8 to 11 p.m. with Lindy Hop lessons from 7 to 8. It's a smaller, more intimate setting and a great sound for dancing; last Wednesday talented vocalists Johnny Martin and Lloyd Rice treated us to a great Sinatra tribute.
Now picture a very different scene: willowy girls in long, slinky dresses held close by macho-looking guys in sharp suits and slicked-back hair; haunting violins are playing Jealosy and La Comparsita. This could easily be in Paris or Buenos Aires in the '30s, but it's our own Crystal Ballroom again, and it's the '90s, believe it or not. May 17, 1998, to be exact, and the Tango Tonic Orchestra set the mood for hundreds of young tanqueros (tango dancers) in training. This time the lesson was given by Clay's Dance Studio to a very full house of enthusiastic tango hopefuls. The highlight of the evening was a skillful Tango demonstration by several Poartland area teachers, ending with a breathtaking performance by Evan Wallace and Michelle Badio of Seattle.
This was by no means a one-time event; Tango enthusiasts can dance at different venues at least five nights a week (they say Tango is not just a dance, it's a passion.) This writer had a wonderful Tango experience last Tuesday at Sege's Art Bar, where we were privileged to be taught by Manuel Ortiz of Argentine, who truly expresses the language of Tango with every cat-like move. There is Tango dancing and a lesson every Tuesday at 7, at Sege's, 818 S.W. 1st, which has an intimate, cabaret-style ambience, perfect for those passionate Tanqueros!
How wonderful that a whole new generation has discovered the sensouos beauty of the Tango; and the fun and excitement of the Swing; and best of all they've discovered the joys of dancing together- Viva la Dance!