Here I am, writing about the very first edition of the Sicily Swing Fest which happened in Catania more than two months ago by now. This is what it was all about:
4 parties
Excellent music with: Hornsgatan Ramblers, HJO jazz orchestra, Giorgio Cùscito, Maria Schilling.
Classes:
Lindy hop with Maeva&William and Peter&Katja
Solo jazz with Vincenzo Fesi
Followology with Kamile Pundziūtė
The parties were real fun! Even though not many people had yet arrived on Thursday, I got the impression this was indeed was of the most energised and explosive evenings. The second evening was a bit slower, I believe it was because it was the first in the that venue (which is very big), I guess people needed the evening to warm up to the atmosphere. However, it took off and the following two were insanely fun! The performances were also superb! Check out my video of Katja and Vincenzo showing off some balboa.
As for classes, honestly I didn’t attend many at all! I always find very challenging to conciliate classes with partying, if you put working too then BYE! So I skipped the Lindy hop and attended my very first class of Solo Jazz. It was with Vincenzo Fesi, unfortunately it was only the second class of a two hour workshop, it was fun but it really was just a taster for me. The course I really committed to was Followology with Kamile Pundziūtė (which I loooooved).
In case you are asking yourself what the heck is FOLLOWOLOGY, here is a brief intro:
Teacher Kamile Pundziute
The aim of this course is to empower the followers in the dance. The followers learn dance in a way that is often hard to address in a typical move based Lindy Hop class. A good follower is engaged in an ongoing instantaneous decision-making, taking into account the continuous flow of physical information from the leader. This role in the dance requires a great amount of skill in movement technique, connection within your own body and with partner, jazz rhythm improvisation, the vocabulary of Lindy Hop moves, styling and the like. That is quite a responsibility in the dance! You are invited to have a closer look at all those things that depend on the follower in the dance.
The course consists of two parts:
1. The Connection Perfection. These two hours are based on Body-Mind Cenering® (BMC) approach, it involves guided solo movement exploration and integration to the Lindy Hop. It is aimed at integration within the body for steady movement, healthy posture and flexible frame.
2. The Core Follower Movement Skill Set. The two hours will be dedicated for all those things all followers have to do well: swivel anatomy, spin technique, movement continuation, rhythm variations and the like.
NOTE: a part of this course involves horizontal movement on the floor, therefore comfortable and warm clothes are necessary.
Bottom line… It was exciting to host an event in my home town and to be part of the team. As far as my experience goes, taking part in an event as a guest and being part of it as a staff member are two very different experiences. Personally I enjoy both for different reasons, I definitely touched this with hand at The Snowball in Stockholm as I was only a normal party attendee in 2015 (read here) but upgraded to staff member in 2016 edition (find out how that went). However, hosting an event in your town has a different flavour…an especially sweet one considering the enthusiasm of some of my dance friends from Italy and Europe, who made an effort to be there… it was heartwarming!
Can’t wait for the next edition!
All pictures were taken by the photographer of the event, Carlo Corona.
Dunkawimba 