Thursday, June 3, 2010

The Flappettes return

I've been rehearsing for the past few weeks with my dance troupe The Flappettes.  We've been on a "haitus" for the last two years because 3 of the 9 members of the group got pregnant each within a month of each other and one of the other gals moved to europe.


This photo is from our last performance and there are two serious baby bumps going on there (the third was way to preggers to dance at this point).


We performed for Frankie Manning, the granddaddy of Lindy Hop when he was in Toronto teaching the real, old-school, original swing dance. He has always been our favourite audience member and is one of my biggest personal inspirations.



This was our low-impact "pregnancy" routine and you can see Frankie right at the very end with the wonderful smile that was always on his face. He died a year later, right before his 95th birthday.


Now swing dancing communities all over the world hold tributes and fund raisers to celebrate Frankie's amazing life, contributions and inspiration. So The Flappettes went back into the studio to revive one of our old numbers and we put on those gold dresses one more time on Saturday night.



Of course I tied eveyone else's costumes up nice and tight (I'm the troupe costume lady) and then mine comes undone! But it was so much fun to do this again and for a cause that is dear to my heart.


Here is my absolute favourite of our routines - Charleston -
which I co-choreographed.



To say that I miss doing this would be an understatement.

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