So Close...

We had rain over the weekend. Its always such a treat to fall asleep to the pitter patter of raindrops. If I had my wish, it would rain every night for an hour. Just to put me to sleep.

The dancers come back tomorrow. And we have a jam packed week ahead.

While we wait, here are a couple of interesting dance novelties.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlNZF1QLrbw

The first is a riff on a traditional Apache (pronounced uh-paash) Dance. Generally in an Apache, you have a man violently throwing his partner from one pose to another. It's like a sadistic tango. The difference here is that we have two men and one woman.

This was probably a vaudeville act that was filmed as a short to be played along with feature films. Like Bugs Bunny cartoons and news briefs were. So the routine wasn't created for the film. They probably traveled around the theatrical circuit for years.



One usually doesn't associate this degree of flexibility with performers of the time, but it just shows to go you that nothing is new in this world. We just need to take time to forget it, so it can become new again.



The second piece is also an acrobatic act...



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-rx27MXH80

You have to fast forward past a rather elaborate intro (complete with singer and dancing couples), but then you strike gold!



Here we have 3 men tossing a girl around, as effortlessly as if she was a baton. The difference is, where the other number was all angst, this one is as bright and precise as the Austrian tune which accompanies it.



Don't look away or you will miss the next toss. There is one pass which I still don't now how they do it. Ah the joy of YouTube.

I'll leave you with a fun juxtaposition of Josephine Baker dancing to a current popular Latin tune... Juana la Cubana.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIsaW9Jeg2c