Featured dancer: Bob Fosse

My favorite jazz choreographer -- Bob Fosse was a one-of-a-kind dancer, musical theater choreographer/director and film director.

Years ago I saw an interview of Bob in which he explained how he developed his style of dancing -- the inward knees and toes and rounded shoulders. He claimed he was just exaggerating his own, physical flaws so that the audience wouldn't notice they were flaws. ;-) He didn't explain where the "stylized, cynical sexuality" elements came from. Perhaps the inspiration came from the burlesque clubs that he worked in (as a vaudeville-type performer) at age 13 as featured in his biopic, 'All That Jazz'.

Here's some early Fosse choreography and dancing from 1951 from the Colgate Comedy Hour (yeah, that's Jerry Lewis hosting!). Although it's kinda kitschy, there are already some hints of the future Fosse style here with the exotic "Indian" moves and body isolations. Dancing with Fosse is his first wife, Mary Ann Niles:

From the 1955 film 'My Sister Eileen', here's Fosse and Tommy Rall performing a piece choreographed by Fosse. The characters are meant to be showing off their skills to each other, but mostly they're just showing us how they can defy gravity!

From around the same time (1956?), here's Bob and the incomparable Carol Haney on The Ed Sullivan Show performing 'I Love a Piano' from 'The Pajama Game'. This dance really starts to show the trademark Fosse style:

Finally, one of my all-time faves -- 'A Ssssnake in the Grassss' from 'The Little Prince'. I love the bit where he sprinkles some sand on the sand for a soft-shoe. ;-) Pure Fosse!

Muppet dance performances!

Kermit performs Happy Feet!:

"Jazz" from some Tube Muppets!:

Muppet Pigs perform Russian dance!:

Muppet Square Dance!:

Saturday night at the hop - Zydeco!

Now here's a social dance I'm sad to say I've never tried -- which is a crying shame after watching these folks and seeing how much fun it obviously is!

Here's some Zydeco dancing (from Louisiana) for ya -- here's an awesome brother and sister team! Nothing like dancing in your stocking feet in the kitchen. :-)

And, some clips from the Louisiana Zydeco Live television show:

And another couple of dancers from the Louisiana Zydeco Live television show:

For more, see ZydecoOnline.com!

Friday night at the movies - "The Cell Block Tango"

From the movie Chicago, 'The Cell Block Tango' choreographed by Rob Marshall. Go Catherine!

Meanwhile, over in another cell block...

Dance in art - Degas' 'The Little Fourteen-Year-Old Dancer'

The model for Degas' 'The Little Fourteen-Year-Old Dancer' ('La Petite Danseuse de Quatorze Ans'), modeled in 1880, was Marie Van Goethem, a student at the École de Danse in Paris and dancer at the Opéra. The sculpture received mixed reviews at the time it was first displayed (it was cast in 1922) as some reviewers thought it appallingly ugly. I think she's wonderfully life-like (especially since she's life-size!).

Degas seems to have captured her during a moment of contemplation perhaps while being shown a new step or simply while "standing at the side of the classroom, perhaps admiring older, more advanced dancers in an exercise" as Evan @ DancingPerfectlyFree suggested.

Lovely:

Zulu Indlamu

From South Africa, the Zulu people have a traditional war dance known as the Indlamu:

[I]t is regarded as a touchstone of Zulu identity. Full regimental attire, precise timing and uncompromised posture are required. It is danced by men of any age wearing skin (amabeshu), headrings, ceremonial belts, ankle rattles, shields and weapons like knobkeries and spears.

The dancers show off their strength and skill with their weapons via mock stabs and energetic lifts of one foot over the head, bringing it down hard on the downbeat as a display.

Here is a video of an Indlamu performance from Zululand (slightly NSFW, some topless women occasionally in the scene). The warriors' kicks begin around 5:40:

Another performance from South Africa. I love the attitude of one of the dancers around 1:38 after he finishes a series of high kicks -- as if to say, "Oh yeah? You think you can take me?" ;-) Great stuff!

Dance craze - "Shake a Tail Feather"

Here's a gaggle of dance crazes featured in a scene from 'The Blues Brothers' with Ray Charles singing 'Shake a Tail Feather'! The lyrics describe the crazes performed by Jake and Elwood and the "pedestrians" out on Maxwell Street:

...Do The Twist
Do The Fly
Do The Swim
And do The Bird
Well do The Duck
Aaah, and do The Monkey
Hey hey, Watusi
And, ah, what about The Frug
Do The Mashed Potato
What about The Boogaloo
Oh, The Boney Maroney
Come on let's do The Twist....

If you wanna brush up on your Watusi or your Pony, check out these instructions at SixtiesCity.com.

Friday night at the movies - "The Carioca"

Honey: "What's this business with the forehead?"
Fred: "Mental telepathy."
Honey: "I can tell what they're thinking about from here."

Here's Fred and Ginger from their first movie together, "Flying Down to Rio". In the first scene here, they're supposedly trying out a Brazilian dance, the 'Carioca'. The dance, though, was simply created for the movie -- a Carioca is, in fact, a resident of Rio de Janeiro.:

The singer of "The Carioca" is Etta Moten of Porgy and Bess fame.

And, speaking of Gershwin, here's Fred and Ginger from "Shall We Dance" tap-dancing on roller skates -- as one does!:

Featured dancer: Ann Miller - Fastest tap in the West!

Tap-dancer Ann Miller was a Hollywood musical staple in the 1940s and 1950s. Born in Texas, she was discovered by Lucille Ball at age 13. Her agent claimed Miller could produce 500 taps per minute. That may have been a slight exaggeration, but whatever the true figure, the girl could sure tap FAST!

(She also invented pantyhose! Who knew?!)

Here she is performing "Too darn Hot" in "Kiss me Kate" - 1953:

"Shakin' the Blues Away" from "Easter Parade" - 1948 (now THIS is FAST!):

And from "Deep in My Heart" - 1954 -- a tap-Charleston!:

More on Ann Miller @ Turner Classic Movies.

Tango Finlandia!

Finnish Tango demo:

Finnish Tango in TURKU:

Finnish Tango(?) in rainstorm:

"The Tango and the Finnish Soul"

Tangomarkkinat (Annual Tango Festival)