Swing Station

Last night was Swing Station which was totally AWESOME. 

I have tried four different ways to sum it up and it seems I cannot in any kind of cohesive and grammatical sentence. Therefore: bullet points! The order of the ideas has no relation to the importance of the idea in relation to the other ideas.

• dance
• video
• clown/percussionist
• live band
• tap/balboa/lindy/charleston/air steps
• train station
• train
• club
• couple
• gang
• children
• underwater
• mime
• drum solo with smoke
• THOMAS BLACHARZ

I had a ridiculous grin on my face for the rest of the evening, it was so charming and the musicality was fantastic. The choreography and the music are specific to the show but I couldn't work out if the music was written to the movements or the movements were choreographed to the music. There was a really interesting vignette in which three dancers each represented (or were represented by?) a different instrument (piano, double bass, violin). The interplay and choreography was very impressive. 

I so badly need to dance. Unfortunately the social dance I was looking forward to on Wednesday will not happen until next Wednesday due to the venue not confirming until a couple of hours until the social was supposed to take place (seriously, wtf?).

However, it turns out these dances will be every other Wednesday and the university wants a social dance once a month as well. No classes at the moment but there will be dancing!

As for the job front, I've handed out a number of CVs and taken the initial test for one but not heard anything so far. There seem to plenty of offers for shop assistants but having done that (when I was 16) I'm really looking for a post-uni job. Surely someone in this town must want someone who can speak English and not just people with a degree in administration (?!?)

Seriously? SERIOUSLY?

Three days of outdoor summer swing dancing in Montreal which I would so love to go to:
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Saturday, August 14, 2010

For the first I'll be at the qualifying of the Montreal Formula 1 Grand Prix YAAAAAYYY!!!! Which is a good enough reason to miss the dancing, except the racing doesn't go on that late. But the dancing is not so much a "day" as an "afternoon" so that is NO help.

The second I plan to be at the VANCOUVER FOLK FESTIVAL. Oh. Yes. Hopefully. Tickets not a problem but there is a distinct lack of accommodation and as I'll have all my stuff with me camping is not an option. 

The third I plan to be in England for. So I think you'd better start planning me an awesome Welcome Back party, hadn't you?

On a completely unrelated note, I bought some cherry sweets which loudly proclaimed that they contained "real fruit juice". Only when I read the ingredients did I find this to be pear juice. Um, okay.

The toe bone's connected to the heel bone (what?)*

I was stopped on the way to school today. It was by an elderly but well dressed couple who wished to compliment me on my sartorial choices saying that it was nice to see a vraie femme.

Tomorrow night I plan to go to a gig for the first time in weeks. I've really not been to enough gigs this year, it is a bit pathetic. Now, had I been in Montreal....

*Doing The Body with Sec 1s and using Fats Waller's version of Dem Dry Bones. Does include some questionable science (the chin bone's connected to the nose bone?) but has almost all the essential body vocabulary.

Hugs and kisses and treats in a bag

Tuesday evening, Barfly, downtown Montreal.

Having arrived Monday afternoon and done my best to stay up until 10pm local time (23 hours since I got up) to try and fool my body clock into not being jet lagged, Tuesday was my opportunity to see some of Montreal before the training started. And what an introduction to Canada it was.

Two other monitors had arrived Monday evening and a few more turned up Tuesday day time, four of whom I cajoled into heading downtown for a gig I’d been told about.

After a slice of pizza and a can of fizz for almost no money we turned up at the bar – black and scruffy on the outside, dark and dingy on the inside, “Montreal’s favourite dive bar” according to one of the band. The drinks were cheap, $4.75 a pint while light outside, $5.45 when it got dark.

The band was L’embouscade – three key members plus a few friends, including Mark Berube, one of my all time favourite musicians. He was sitting at the bar by the stage when I went over to say hey, not really expecting him to recognise me after more than two years. I should’ve had more faith in the friendliness of Canadians.

“Hey, Jen! You made it. How’s it going?” accompanied by a hug and kiss on the cheek. So we had a chat, later on he came over to where I was sitting with my friends to meet them too before disappearing. He came back just before the band were due on stage, sidled up and said “a present, don’t tell anyone” as he passed me his new album under the table. The joy of this was magnified by the fact that to save weight I'd left all my CDs at home and was stuck with just mp3s. I was already missing my music collection so a CD with a jewel case and insert was just what I needed.

The band was amazing. I’d read a review that said “as precise as a terrorist strike and as tight as the finest knit sweater” and I’d have to agree. It was just a shame that it was the drummer’s last gig with the band before he goes to study in Vancouver and that the band seemed to be built around the drummer who also did lead vocals and played melodica.

It was the perfect start to my time in Canada. Perfect.

Lindy ate my life

Friday night went to Leeds for Lindy Fridays Stays Up Late - we lindy hopped until 1am - there were only about eight of us left by the end including some of the best leaders. Hurrah! Got home sometime after 2am.

Saturday King Pleasure and the Biscuit Boys played the Foundry, supported by my beloved Carmen Ghia and the Hot Rods. It isn't that I stalk them, they offer up the information freely. I got to see my friend Tom who I'd not really seen since before Christmas. Carmen Ghia, swing music, dancing, good friends, alcohol - it was a lot to take. Then headed t'pub to see Mike's DJ set and meet up with some other people. Got home sometime around 2am.

Sunday went to see Pockets Filled With Matches at The Grapes and got to talk to the lead singer, Elie, and that made me feel cool. There's just something about these stylish female lead singers. Le sigh. She's like an angsty punk Joni Mitchell. It's amazing.

Tuesday, after Swing Dance, headed down to the Old House for a speakeasy - live music from the Dizzy Club. Dressed up flapper style and flapped at some people I don't know very well. Also discovered someone I'd briefly met before likes Kimi and doesn't like Lewis (for all the same reasons I hate him - hoo-bloody-rah!).

T'was Lindy tonight. Sadly Mike'll not be there for a while as he's been given a DJ slot in town on a Wednesday night and is keen to persue it as he's just starting out. Damn good though.

I'm not giving anything up for Lent. The only thing that really would mean something is Lindy and I need to get as much of that in as possible.

Ella says that music is her boyfriend. Dancing is mine but I'm cheating on it with shoes.