balboa/shag music recommendations

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djstarr · #31 Post by **djstarr** » Sat Oct 04, 2003 11:08 am

SirScratchAlot wrote:Balboa / shag recomendations...whats the connection between these two dances?

the only connection in my mind when I started this thread was that Joon was competing in both Balboa and Shag and they wanted to practice so I was looking for recommendations for both.

AlekseyKosygin · #32 Post by **AlekseyKosygin** » Sat Oct 04, 2003 1:05 pm

SirScratchAlot wrote:Balboa / shag recomendations...whats the connection between these two dances? there is nothing different between "Lindy Hop" music and "Balboa" music....
Balboa= any big band swing song regardless of tempo ,historcially speaking but today you can do it to anything under the sun.

Shag= Mid tempo Big band swing historically until it vanished around 1939-40. Today you can bounce around and do it to rock a billy music and the Shag dancers says it feels right.

If it feels right to Lindy Hop to , it feels even better to Balboa to, if your a real balboa dancer.

I see some similarities between Shag and Balboa music in that it feels real good to dance to real percussive less smooth swinging stuff as opposed to lindy hop...but I guess it's all just personal preference although I've read alot of people saying the same thing...

I don't like doing shag to anything but swing music...somehow it just doesn't feel right...I'd much rather lindy hop or balboa to rockabilly if I wanted to dance to it at all...

Also about the whole shag vanishing thing...I don't know about the west coast but I've been talking to more and more east coast jitterbugs who continue to tell me about shag competitions they competd in well into the mid forties so I think in parts of the east coast where it started it was still alive and well until at least the end of WWII...

Toon Town Dave · #33 Post by **Toon Town Dave** » Sat Oct 04, 2003 2:47 pm

What kind of Shag were the competing in? Most Carolina shaggers refer to their dance as simply shag (like WCS dancers usually just refer to it as swing). Carolina Shag has been popular with competitions for decades. Collegiate Shag and Carolina Shag are very different.

AlekseyKosygin · #34 Post by **AlekseyKosygin** » Sun Oct 05, 2003 1:09 pm

Toon Town Dave wrote:What kind of Shag were the competing in? Most Carolina shaggers refer to their dance as simply shag (like WCS dancers usually just refer to it as swing). Carolina Shag has been popular with competitions for decades. Collegiate Shag and Carolina Shag are very different.

It was collegiate but the old dancers simply call it "the shag"...i don't even think carolina shag was around in 1942 as a real developed dance...

Soma-Guy · #35 Post by **Soma-Guy** » Sun Oct 05, 2003 3:39 pm

AlekseyKosygin wrote: It was collegiate but the old dancers simply call it "the shag"...i don't even think carolina shag was around in 1942 as a real developed dance...

Basically you're correct about your comment. Carolina Shag was around starting in the late 30's on the shores of myrtle beach. In the 40's these shag dancers were still calling themselves, "Jitterbuggers" and dancing to big band music. It's not until the 50's that they started to refer to themselves as Shaggers. By this time their music had slowed way down and they were dancing mainly to Ryhthm and Blues.

#36 Post by **JesseMiner** » Mon Oct 13, 2003 2:00 pm

Rayned and I DJed a balboa contest at Boogie by the Bay this past Friday night, and here are the songs we used:

1. Blow Top - Count Basie (The Count Basie Story) (217 bpm)
2. Who Ya Hunchin' - Chick Webb (Strictly Jive) (182 bpm)
3. Bugle Call Rag - Benny Goodman (Sing, Sing, Sing) (252 bpm)

Some other songs we were considering:

- Flyin' Home - Charlie Barnet (188 bpm)
- Back Bay Shuffle - Artie Shaw (190 bpm)
- Man From Mars - Artie Shaw (220 bpm)
- Cottontail - Duke Ellington (228 bpm)
- Lunceford Special - Jimmie Lunceford (230 bpm)
- Every Tub - Count Basie (240 bpm)
- Swingtime In The Rockies - Benny Goodman (240 bpm)
- Traffic Jam - Artie Shaw (270 bpm)

Of course Kevin's initial suggestion is right on:

main_stem wrote:Just play good solid swingin' music and let the couples decide if they want to lindy shag or bal.

Jesse

Soupbone · #37 Post by **Soupbone** » Tue Oct 14, 2003 8:27 am

Doug wrote:4/4 is best and even boogie, with 8 to the bar, I find more enjoyable than 2/4. .

Interesting, as the boogie feel doesn't make me want to bal as much as 2/4. But, I completely agree on the 4/4 straight beat stuff. Viva la difference!

gatorgal · #38 Post by **gatorgal** » Tue Jul 20, 2004 7:59 am

I'm bumping this thread because I've been asked to DJ during a Bal/Lindy workshop weekend coming up in August. I get occasional requests for Bal friendly songs, but I've certainly never done a whole set.

So I'm re-reading this thread... but would be interested in updated suggestions. Looking less for artists (there are plenty suggested in the previous pages) and more about what the "feel" of a Bal dance should be. Or am I just nervous and overthinking?

Thanks in advance,
Tina

Soupbone · #39 Post by **Soupbone** » Tue Jul 20, 2004 11:53 am

Just play good swinging music and let it happen. Peeps have differing opinions on what give a bal feel.

For kicks, here's the song list I used for the All Balboa Weekend invitational J&J:

1. Mora's Modern Rhythmists "Rigamarole" (all skate)
2. Luis Russell "Saratoga Drag"
3. Bunny Berigan "Chicken and Waffles"
4. Horace Henderson "Minnie the Moocher's Wedding Day"
5. Spike Hughes' All American Orchestra "Firebird"
6. Fletcher Henderson "Can You Take It!"
7. Chick Webb "What a Shuffle"
8. Al Cooper's Savoy Sultans "Rhythm Doctor Man"
9. Fletcher Henderson "Moten Stomp"
10. Mills Blue Rhythm Band "Rhythm in Harlem"
11. Mildred Bailey Orchestra "Shoutin' in the Amen Corner" (all skate)

djstarr · #40 Post by **djstarr** » Tue Jul 27, 2004 1:08 pm

I just took a Balboa class where the instructor used "Lindyhopper's Delight" to dance to.... to make a point obviously.

I love doing balboa to Django Reinhardt -- the strum strum synchopation makes me want to dance bal -- specific songs from the American Friends album are "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea", "Avalon", "Sweet Sue, Just You".

I also like Bechet's "Rose of the Rio Grande".

falty411 · #41 Post by **falty411** » Tue Jul 27, 2004 3:16 pm

djstarr wrote:I just took a Balboa class where the instructor used "Lindyhopper's Delight" to dance to.... to make a point obviously.

What instructor would do a thing like that?

CafeSavoy · #42 Post by **CafeSavoy** » Tue Jul 27, 2004 4:18 pm

gatorgal wrote: So I'm re-reading this thread... but would be interested in updated suggestions. Looking less for artists (there are plenty suggested in the previous pages) and more about what the "feel" of a Bal dance should be. Or am I just nervous and overthinking?

Thanks in advance,
Tina

I'm a new Bal dancer, but to me there's a smooth feeling to songs that make you want to dance Bal. And if the music has more of a vertical lilt rather than horizontal flow. For example, lots of the songs by John Kirby Sextet, Artie Shaw, and Fletcher Henderson.

djstarr · #43 Post by **djstarr** » Tue Jul 27, 2004 10:00 pm

falty411 wrote:
djstarr wrote:I just took a Balboa class where the instructor used "Lindyhopper's Delight" to dance to.... to make a point obviously.
What instructor would do a thing like that?

lol.... and I learned quite a bit from the class btw; I'm going shopping for some nice heels this week. [side note: I wish I was still in Herrang dancing -- I will never again leave before week 4 is over, I was pretty blown away by the talent that showed up the last week].

Doug · #44 Post by **Doug** » Sun Aug 01, 2004 4:14 am

CafeSavoy wrote: I'm a new Bal dancer, but to me there's a smooth feeling to songs that make you want to dance Bal. And if the music has more of a vertical lilt rather than horizontal flow. For example, lots of the songs by John Kirby Sextet, Artie Shaw, and Fletcher Henderson.

Hey - Rayned. Doug here. We met at All Bal. Ya Kirby. I love to Bal to Kirby. To Lindy at 200 BPM I want a song with very high energy. And a lot of Kirby's up tempo tunes don't seem to have it. But balboa is much more accommodating.

Current Kirby favorites include
At The Crossroad (240)
Jumpin' in the Pump Room (235)
Kansas City Caboose (200) and
Shoo Shoo Baby (175)
Although I find nearly ANYTHING by Kirby in the right tempo range is excellent for Balboa!

Doug · #45 Post by **Doug** » Sun Aug 01, 2004 4:29 am

gatorgal wrote:...looking less for artists (there are plenty suggested in the previous pages) and more about what the "feel" of a Bal dance should be. Or am I just nervous and overthinking?

You are way overthinking this.

. There is a huge range of opinion and no real consensus. As an example, everything by Kirby or by Bechet makes me want to get up and dance Balboa - even with my broken ankle!! But others will disgree. Oh well.