Music Cut for New West Coast Swing Routine

And so begins a new year! Anna and I have discussing choreographing a new West Coast Swing routine for some time now. We have finally chosen a song out of 3 possibilities. Of the two that we did not choose this time, one was a slow blues and the other was an artsy song that reminded me of a vignette from Cirque du Soleil. The one that we did select has a folksy-rock feel with a good up-beat tempo and strong positive interpretation.

New West Coast Swing choreography for September 2011

Our student group performed at the Alvin Ailey Citigroup Theater a little over 2 weeks ago. We learned and rehearsed our West Coast Swing and Hustle choreography to Enrique Iglesias' pop song, "Tonight I'm Lovin You" for almost 90 days.

So, when I was thinking about what type of song I should use for West Coast Swing choreography for the month of September, pop music was last on the list. I didn't want anything too fast or anything that sounded like a night club.

I have generally shied away from slow music or R&B simply because it didn't have enough pep, but this was the right time! I also wanted something that the students could enjoy and attain on the surface, but find more challenging was the nuances were examined.

Performance at Alvin Ailey Citigroup Theater was a Success

Our West Coast Swing and Hustle performance as part of the Performing in NY Experience at the Ailey Citigroup Theater was a tremendous success. Personally, it was one of the most memorable moments for me both as a dancer and as a teacher.

There’s something indescribably special about working very hard in rehearsals for a special moment, then for that special moment to be as momentous as it was supposed to be.

For us, it was 19 of our dancers surviving almost 12 weeks of rehearsals, getting through the inconveniences of a hurricane, being postponed and finally having a powerful performance. The feelings of such an accomplishment and the memories that are indelibly etched are priceless.

Hurricane Irene affects Dance

Hurricane Irene

When last I wrote, we were on the "final road" to our performance of our West Coast Swing & Hustle showcase at the Ailey Citigroup Theater. However on Friday afternoon, I received a call from Kat Wildish (the producer) indicating that, because of Hurricane Irene, our Sunday double performances would be canceled and our Saturday evening performance would run an hour early.

Of course, I was disappointed but I was also relieved that I could avoid having my Connecticut cast drive into New York City on Sunday - the supposed worst day of the storm. I immediately started calling the cast starting with the two dance captains, Kim Brolet and Josh MacDonald. I had just finished reaching everyone and getting everyone ready to perform on Saturday night when my phone rang again…it was Kat.