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WELCOME TO THE SWINGIN’SHOES FAMILY!

Beat by Beat Swingin’Shoes Edition is dedicated to MUSIC.

“I started dancing not because I loooved jazz, it was because I was mesmerized by the movement and the energy of the dancers.

So it took me quite a bit of years to appreciate swing music for its music and a looong trip to New Orleans, city of jazz,  to fall head over heels with all this swinging business.

As I remember, at first it was just “I want to move – play me anything I can do that rock-step-triple-step thing, let’s go!”, I couldn’t understand why some people at the parties just listen to the band, but do not dance.

Now it’s quite often when I prefer listening to a live band than dancing.

Fun fact – now, when I teach, I often say that music is first and just then it’s me and the person I’m dancing with.

 

Music is what unites us in a dance.

Music is what defines the groove.

Music is what makes me move.

Music is what invites me to create.

Music is what defines the style of a dance.

Music is what creates space for my dancing interpretations.

 

If you search for a definition what does DANCE mean, you will find something similar to this: “Dance, the movement of the body in a rhythmic way, usually to music and within a given space, for the purpose of expressing an idea or emotion, releasing energy, or simply taking delight in the movement itself.”

Music and dance are deeply connected, when the music was changing –  the dance was changing, because in the dance we impersonate what we hear.

Since I grew enough to appreciate jazz music – it has been my main/favorite/most challenging, always inspiring teacher.

What we choose to listen to, what we let ourselves to hear in the music, how we interpret our movement to it – it defines us and our style! I always remember this quote of Ella Fitzgerald:

 

“Everybody wants to know about my style and how it came about. It’s no big secret. It’s the way I feel.”

 
 

and she is definitely one of the best musicians in history of jazz and performed many tunes that we love to listen and dance to.

There is so much I can say about this topic, oh goodness!..”

– PAMELA

Info you should know about boots:

 Defects & Return policy

 Care instructions

And there are things we wanna share with you 

Additional tips how to tie your low Swingin’Shoes boots 

Well, and we are super very happy to have so many talented friends around us! Meet the DJ, the dancer, the shag pride, the mentor, the friend, the master of  words, the coffee lover, the life climber, the one and only – Lord Arnas

 
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A post shared by Pamela Gaizutyte (@pamelamelaela) on Dec 7, 2018 at 6:46am PST

 
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A post shared by Pamela Gaizutyte (@pamelamelaela) on Dec 9, 2018 at 12:23pm PST

 
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A post shared by Pamela Gaizutyte (@pamelamelaela) on Dec 8, 2018 at 4:44am PST

 
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A post shared by Pamela Gaizutyte (@pamelamelaela) on Dec 10, 2018 at 7:24am PST

Lord Arnas recommends

MUSIC

    – Classic Jazz On Line http://www.jazz-on-line.com/

    – Spotify, for example Arnas’ playlists https://open.spotify.com/user/1178148491?si=ivaHm7fQQ-WAc4YjZfDT8w

    – Bandcamp, for new modern swing music https://bandcamp.com/arnas

 

For wannabe DJs

    – Old but gold https://swingdjresources.com/

    – Talk to your local and international people doing this, ask questions, get involved

 

INTERNET

    – https://swungover.wordpress.com/

    – https://jassdancer.blogspot.com/

 

BOOKS

    – Wynton Marsalis – Moving to Higher Ground: How Jazz Can Change Your Life

    – Elijah Wald – How the Beatles Destroyed Rock’n’Roll: An Alternative History of American Popular Music

    – Any decent biography of some big name jazz artist

 

VIDEOS

    – Jazz: A Film By Ken Burns

    – Everything Remains Raw

    – Wynton Marsalis at Harvard and/or Family Concert “Who is Count Basie”

And the last but not the least, our dear friend Felix Berghäll wants to share with you the podcasts that he finds inspiring. And we do agree with him!

The app to download – “NPR One”

Then for the search write “jazz profiles”

and here you are! – ALL THE PODCASTS ARE WORTH LISTENING