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High-energy dancers exhibit a mix of swing classic and contemporary styles.
From Staff Reports
More than 700 people showed up at the Crowne Plaza Resort in West Asheville during the last week of December for a five-day Lindy Focus IX dance camp.
The Lindy Hop, a high-energy swing dance that reached its peak in the 1920s, ‘30s and ‘40s, is experiencing a revival around the United States and abroad. The Lindy was named after aviator Charles Lindbergh’s Atlantic crossing in 1927.
The camp, which concluded on New Year’s Eve, also focused on the
Balboa, a smoother swing hybrid of the Charleston, shag and other
dances, which originated in the 1920s and ‘30s in Southern California.
Jazz dancers and tap dancers were part of the program, as were dance competitions.
The camp attendees, who came from around the U.S. and world, were able
to learn from top dance instructors, socialize with fellow dancers,
savor music from their favorite era and dance their hearts out late into
the wee hours every night.
The Lindy Hop is described as an ultra-athletic and demanding dance that draws people who like vigorous exercise and fun
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Lindy Hop was the first swing dance.
About 700 people from around the nation attended the
weeklong Lindy Focus IX through New Year’s Eve, at Crowne Plaza Resort
in West Asheville. The gala drew competetive dancers as well as those
who wanted to learn more about the Lindy Hop, the first swing dance,
and the Balboa, a smoother hybrid of the Charleston. Other dances, such
as the West Coast Swing, were featured. Among the local dance
enthusiasts attending were Becky Walker of Waynesville.
Among the bands playing at the Lindy Focus IX camp last week were Tuba
Skinny, a New Orleans-based, old-time swing and blues
band. Another featured band was Glenn Crytzer and his Syncopators, a swing band from Seattle. In an impromptu moment
one night, Russ Wilson, band leader of his Noveau-Passe Orchestra
of Asheville, jumped from the stage as his band was performing, and
beat a rhythm on the dance floor with his drum sticks, as a tap dancer
replicated each different beat with his feet. Photos by John North
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