24/05/2015
I didn’t really get what an ‘Echo’ was but the idea of being able to join at any level, ask questions and work together with nice ‘Echoes’ on anything you’d like to improve sounded like a great deal to me and worth 50 bucks!
I got to Thurnbury early to make sure I’d find ‘Y Dance’ ok. Outside I bumped into a friendly couple that looked like they were visiting from the 40s. They asked me if I was here for the dancing and the workshop so when I said yes, they said: "come on up then."
The 'Y Dance' is a lovely dance studio with a good vibe. It’s very bright and quite big, which you don’t expect when you’re coming up the narrow set of stairs. A lot of mirrors and different dance floors, as well as comfy sofas make it the perfect place for dancers to have a good, as well as productive time.
As Melbourne was showing its wintery side, I had to quickly change into my dancing outfit and then ready I was! Before I could even think about the fact that I didn’t know anybody and how to join in, a smart looking guy asked me for a warm up dance and then asked for another afterwards. Eventually the group warm up started and one after the other, the ‘Echoes’ entered the circle with a jazz move for everyone to copy, as they were being introduced.The day was flying by. It was filled with mini classes, which took place in one corner of the room. Anyone could join in to learn some new moves or variations as well as some basic advice on technique.
Swing music was playing all day, which was used for classes as well as for people just having a dance to practice some moves. All ‘Echoes’ were roaming the room, answering questions and giving out quick three minute 1-2-1 feedback sessions that could be booked at the beginning of the day.
At some point after one of the mini classes I wasn’t so sure what to practice or who to approach and also my feet were ‘telling me’ they needed a bit of rest, so I sat down on a blue couch and just watched the others for a bit. I have to admit that I was very impressed by the level of dancers around, especially the ‘Echoes’ obviously.
The more I watched, the more I felt like staying on the sofa to be honest, but before I could switch to being ‘super shy’ Loz sat down next to me. We had a little chat and she asked me how I liked it so far so I took the opportunity to find out what an ‘Echo’ actually is :-).
The ‘Echos of Harlem’ are a swinging Lindy Hop and jazz age dance performance group from Melbourne. They used to be linked to the Swing Patrol and although they’re independent now, there’s still a very strong connection as quite a few of the members are Swing Patrol teachers.This is why they’re welcome to advertise in class and the ‘SPREADIN’ RHYTHM AROUND’ workshop was the first one of its kind. Previous workshops were more structured and this was a fresh idea the ‘Echoes’ had come up with to finance their new performance, which will be introduced to the public at end of the year.
Before Loz left me to help out a couple of people with their new Charleston move, she made me promise to ask somebody to dance. Hmm … I did give that promise, however, my confidence was still building up again and by the time the two girls nailed the Charleston, Loz was right back. She smiled at me and asked for a dance :-).
I was happy about that and got a really nice private lesson on how to improve my swing outs. The way she was teaching really worked for me and made a lot of sense. I still need to get used to watching myself in the mirror while practicing but that’s how you get really good I suppose :-).
After our time together, she introduced me to another very nice ‘Echo’ for some more personal feedback. I couldn’t help it but had to keep smiling.
All I’ve got left to say is that from my personal experience with this workshop and getting to know the ‘Echos’ a bit, I can only recommend that you meet them in any way you can! They are lovely people, easy to approach and love to share the joy of the dance. I can’t wait to see them in action, hopefully at some point soon.
Echoes of Harlem
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