[Dixielandjazz] Dancing at Gigs

[Steve barbone]

"Jim Kashishian" <jim at kashprod.com>

> The thread on kids dancing at gigs is little more than curious in my case,
> if you see what a typical Spanish jazz club looks like.  Take a look at the
> picture at this site.  Very little room to stand, let alone dance.  However,
> they did, last time we were there.  Basically everyone that was standing
> tried to dance in their little space allotted to them.  The picture shows a
> normal, every night of the week crowd at the Cafe Populart, Madrid.    :>
> 
> http://www.kashprod.com/eng/index.php?mostrar=noticias
> 
> Click on the calendar, on 27 March, and then click on the picture to see it
> large.

Hi Jim:

Great picture. Looks similar to many of our gigs. When we play at ones like
that, the swing dancers will do a "Balboa". That is a close belly to belly
dance, no throws, with the feet moving rapidly almost in place, to the music
beat, the faster the better. (160-200 beats per minute here)

Invented on the west coast, San Diego, I think, because of the very crowded
dance floors during WW 2. So, if you threw your partner, you were prevented
from dancing for the rest of the night. The Balboa, correctly done, has
become a real favorite at Swing Dances with large crowds and small floors
again here in the Eastern USA, and perhaps in the West also, but Joe Hopkins
in Arizona would know more about that.

Cheers,
Steve