Houston Lindyfest 2011

WOW! … hold on … just give me a little time … I am just catching up with m breath after the amazing weekend I just had in Houston! All of the classes, friends, music, dancing legends, performances, and social dancing combine into one aw inspiring weekend in the heart of Texas where for the past 15 years the members of the Houston Swing Dance Society has organized one of the best Lindy Hop events of our generation.

The Great Southwest Lindyfest, or just Lindyfest as its known today, is a workshop and social dance weekend created to inspire and help others grow with in their own dancing of the Lindy Hop. Workshop classes run all day with some of the best Lindy Hop and Jazz dance instructors of the past and present. But the event is centered around one person in particular, the ambassador of Lindy Hop, Frankie Manning. Unfortunately we lost our legend and mentor in 2009, but in even though Frankie has passed on, his spirit is very much alive and strong in each an every person that walks out onto the dance floor and calls them selves a Lindy Hopper.

This tradition has played on from the first year of Lindyfest all the way to today with each instructor at this years event honoring Frankie by dedicating a class to the lessons they learned from the legend, mentor, and lover of life, Frankie Manning.

This year Nikki and I were invited to Lindyfest as featured performers during the Friday night and Saturday night shows. The first number was Nikki and I’s newest piece entitled, Georgia Swing Shift. This was one of the best and hardest pieces we have brought up to the people. And this time it was three times more exciting because we were performing in front of the living legends of Jazz dance performers of Chazz Young, Dawn Hampton and Steven Mitchell. With our nerves on fire and hearts pounding out of our chests we show the past generations what have to contribute to the legacy of lindy hop!

The next was a collaborative effort by the members of our swing and jazz dance group, Hot Club Stomp. Since not all the members of the group could make it to Houston we decided to change the routine up a bit and make it fit for 2 couples. And add in one Jo Hoffberg, of the fabulous Killer Dillers, as our special guest. One part smooth Los Angeles style swing inspired by the dancers of the 1930s and 1940s. And another part just all out free for all swing, jazz, lindy hop, or what ever it takes to get it done, dancing. This piece really flies high!

Thank you so much to each and everyone of the dancers that attended this years Houston Lindyfest it was truly a memorable and magical moment for us. And a very special thank you to Larry and Mariah and the rest of the Houston Swing Dance Society peoples for the invitation to perform for everyone at Lindyfest this year! We wont soon forget it and hope to see you again next year in Houston again.