Jason Lancaster

Besides saying our vows, this was my favorite moment of our wedding. To top it off, it’s a pretty awesome song!

We take a “private intensive group class” with the great Nina Gilkenson and Michael Seguin every Thursday night. This move was inspired from a series of moves that we were told to build on.

Sometimes great and inspired things happen when you’re with such an awesome group. And sometimes you throw your partner up in the air and she lands flat on her ass (which is what happened with a different move about 20 minutes later).

That’s just the beauty of the dance.

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This man is one of the staples of many DJ sets. He’s classic down to the last drop. Raw rhythms, a lot of them original, chunky piano, rag, stride… you name it he did it. Fats was the man. So much the man, in fact, that…

Waller was kidnapped in Chicago leaving a performance in 1926. Four men bundled him into a car and took him to the Hawthorne Inn, owned by gangster Al Capone. Fats was ordered inside the building, and found a party in full swing. Gun to his back, he was pushed towards a piano, and told to play. A terrified Waller realized he was the “surprise guest” at Al Capone’s birthday party, and took comfort that the gangsters didn’t intend to kill him. According to rumor, Waller played for three days. When he left the Hawthorne Inn, he was very drunk, extremely tired, and had earned thousands of dollars in cash from Capone and other party-goers as tips.
Waller, Maurice and Anthony Calabrese. Fats Waller. Schirmer Books. 1977.

Tell me that isn’t badass!

Update: As per my father’s suggestion below, a great primer to Fats Waller is to start with his boxed set If You Got to Ask, You Ain’t Got It! (CD | MP3).

Charm City Swing will be hosting an amazing event, the LINDY 500, June 19-21. This is actually our second year hosting the event — it was held under the name “Leap Year Lindy Weekend” last year.

Just like last year, we have an amazing lineup of guests dancing with us and teaching workshops:
Kevin St. Laurent, Jo Hoffberg, Nina Gilkenson, and Michael Seguin.

We’re now less than 2 weeks away. Registrations are starting to pour in from everywhere — DC, Philly, New York, Boston, Cali, Atlanta, and more! We’re going to have a ton of great dancers again this year.

Last but not least, the band lineup:

• Friday: Cangelosi Cards
• Saturday: Boilermaker Jazz Band
• Sunday: Sac Au Lait

Whether you’re a beginner or very experienced, there will be something for everyone. Hope to see you there!