Continuing with our introduction to Dear Casey (taken from WhiteHeat Dec 27th, 2007 and Mar 12th, 2008) For the uninitiated, Dear Casey is a satirical twist on the advice columns found in news media. Do take every word she says seriously, as your dancing and social life depend on it.

Dear Casey,

It is far too warm during event weekends at the Century Ballroom, and while the lovely ladies prance about in their flowing skirts and spaghetti-strap tops, we men in our buttoned up suits are forced to slowly stew in our own sweatiness. I was, in the muggy depths of August, nearly ready to (excuse the pun) throw in the towel on my machismo and begin scouring eBay for plus-sized, big-boned - if you will - vintage dresses, when I found out that the latest, and assuredly the least regrettable-to-date trend in Washingtonian men’s fashion, the Utilikilt, now comes in a dapper new tuxedo cut. It seems like this would be the ideal attire for a formal evening of jumping and/or jiving, as it would serve not only to keep my special purpose cool and dry but would at least marginally decrease any communal questioning of my sexuality that might have come with donning a skirt. (more…)

Filed Under: Dance Advice, Dear Casey | Friday, January 23rd, 2009

Continuing with our introduction to Dear Casey (taken from WhiteHeat August 15th, 2007 and November 20th, 2007)

Dear Casey:
Do you believe in Karma? If so, when does the good stuff finally kick in after a long string of bad stuff?

Karma Chameleon
Dear Karma-C,

I would believe in Karma, but nothing THAT bad seems to have happened to George Bush, so it must not exist. Maybe he’s still on his string of bad things.

(more…)

Filed Under: Dance Advice, Dear Casey | Friday, January 16th, 2009

Continuing with our introduction to Dear Casey (taken from WhiteHeat May 20th, 2007 and August 8th, 2007)

Dear Casey,

With camp jitterbug coming up this weekend, I pose 2 important questions:

1) If you are hosting someone, is it inappropriate to try and make out with them?
2) Conversely, is it inappropriate for guests to try and make out with their host? What if doing allows you to sleep in a bed instead of on the floor?

Preparing for the best/worst,
Swing Girl

Dear Swing Girl,

You have a knack for asking questions that aim right at the slutty core of lindy hop. Well done. (more…)

Filed Under: Dance Advice, Dear Casey, Travel Advice | Tuesday, November 25th, 2008

Continuing with our introduction to Dear Casey (taken from WhiteHeat Oct.27, 2006 and Feb.04, 2007)

Dear Casey

I’ve been mulling over what to ask you. I was going to start with something lame like “As a DJ, what should I do when people ask for real swing music like BBVD or Mambo #5 and I don’t carry it in my book?”

But instead I will ask about something that is of immediate concern to me. I’ve been dating again and have been out several times over the past two months with a lovely man named ‘J’. At our last date, J told me about his dream relationship, me, him and another woman who would be our caretaker. I soundly told him off and said I wasn’t interested, and wrote him a long email listing all his faults, and not expecting to hear back from him.

Today, he writes me and wants to get back together. What should I do?
oh and Casey - J’s idea of real swing music is Kenny G, he listens to the Smooth Jazz station.

Ms. Starr (more…)

Filed Under: Dance Advice, Dear Casey | Tuesday, October 14th, 2008

We’re pleased to announce the international debut of “Dear Casey”. For those unfamiliar with her column, Casey Schneider has been responding to swing dancers in an advice column format for a couple of years now on White Heat, advising Seattle dancers on everything from social dancing etiquette to bringing the grit back into Blues dancing. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be publishing ten of her most *serious* posts to introduce you to her column. Send your questions to casey@lindybloggers.com

Dear Casey,

Is there any etiquette for birthday songs or jam circles, i.e. how long to let someone dance before jumping in or priority for who gets to jump in first?

Sincerely, Waiting to Jump

Excellent question! “Improper” behavior is one of my pet peeves in RE jams of any kind.

Yes, there’s etiquette and then there’s reality. For a birthday dance, I would say etiquette - and knowledge of this dance - dictates waiting for at least a phrase in slow to mid-tempo song, and possible two if the song is very fast. Now, reality dictates that not everyone will do this, and some people are so popular that you might need to cycle through more quickly to satiate the desire of all the non-birthday dancers. But in REAL reality, none of us are that cool, so give a person a phrase, people. It’s not hard. (more…)

Filed Under: Dance Advice, Dear Casey | Monday, October 6th, 2008

This is the first part of a two-part feature with World Lindy Hop Champion and Balboa Mastermind Nick Williams. For the second part, Williams, an avid “clip collector” and historian, will take us on a You Tube tour of some of his favorite clips.  First, though, we sat down with Nick over IM to talk about Lindy Hop, Balboa, and the unseen dangers of shooting a commercial.

I’m sitting here (metaphorically speaking) with Nick Williams, champion Swing Dancer.  Let’s do the obligatory ones first…how did you start swing dancing?

NW. I started when I went to college at USC.  My longtime friend knew of a student-run club that offered a 12 week swing course.  We joined and immediately got hooked.  This was in the beginning of 1998. I had seen the movies like “Swing Kids” but never really mad e the connection or realized there was an entire scene with such awesome dances to go along with it. Visalia, where I grew up, wasn’t exactly a hip and happening town, so I had to find these things out when I moved to LA for school.  So I knew very little about jazz at all.

Was there a particular moment when you decided that what you wanted to do for a living was be an incredible swing dancer? Or did it just happen slowly?

NW. Well, I had been going out dancing with my USC friends and never realized there was a “swing scene.” There were so many clubs at that time that had swing nights in LA it was easy to get lost into it. Eventually I realized there was a scene with top dancers and friends that knew each other from club to club. Although I never thought I could be as good as they were. (more…)

Filed Under: Dance Advice, Dancer Interviews, Upcoming Events | Monday, September 29th, 2008