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Sylvia Sykes
Sylvia Sykes is an American swing dancer, instructor, judge, and choreographer. She is known for reviving the swing dance style balboa. Career Sykes and her dance partner Jonathan Bixby started dancing together when she was fourteen years old. They were staff dancers for the television show ''Shebang'' during the 1960s. From 1981 to 1984, they studied with Dean Collins, who recommended Maxi Dorf for learning balboa. They were students of Dorf from 1984 to 1987. Sykes has performed with Count Basie, Glenn Miller, Artie Shaw, and Les Brown. She has appeared on the television shows ''American Bandstand'' and ''Gotta Dance''. She and Bixby represented the U.S. in the World Boogie Woogie Championships in Grenoble, France. She has been head judge for many national swing events as well as being a teacher on how to judge. Following the retirement of Bixby, Sykes taught in Santa Barbara, California, and at workshops around the world including Herräng Dance Camp. In August 2008, she joi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Swing (dance)
Swing dance is a group of social dances that developed with the swing style of jazz music in the 1920s–1940s, with the origins of each dance predating the popular " swing era". Hundreds of styles of swing dancing were developed; those that have survived beyond that era include Lindy Hop, Balboa, Collegiate Shag, and Charleston. Today, the best-known of these dances is the Lindy Hop, which originated in Harlem in the early 1930s. While the majority of swing dances began in African American communities as vernacular African American dances, some influenced swing-era dances, like Balboa, developed outside of these communities. "Swing dance" was not commonly used to identify a group of dances until the latter half of the 20th century. Historically, the term "Swing" referred to the style of jazz music, which inspired the evolution of the dance. Jitterbug is any form of swing dance, though it is often used as a synonym for the six-count derivative of Lindy Hop called "East Co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Balboa (dance)
The Balboa is a swing dance that originated in Southern California during the 1920s and enjoyed huge popularity during the 1930s and 1940s. History Balboa came from Southern California during the 1920s. ''Balboa'' is named after the Balboa Peninsula in Newport Beach, California, where the dance was invented. The Balboa Pavilion, and the Rendezvous Ballroom are credited as the birthplaces of Balboa when dance floors became so crowded that dancers invented a dance to swing music that could be danced in place. Balboa dancing continued in California throughout the twentieth century and spread around the world to the present day. In 1978, two long-time Balboa dancers, Hal and Marge Takier, started a twice-a-month Balboa dance at a Bobby McGee's restaurant in Newport Beach. Dancers who danced at the Bobby McGee's Balboa nights and video footage from there became highly influential in informing the Balboa dance as it is done today. Two styles of modern Balboa dance developed, "Pure Bal" ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dean Collins (dancer)
Dean Collins (born Sol Ruddosky; May 29, 1917–June 1, 1984) was an American dancer, instructor, choreographer, and innovator of swing dance. He is often credited with bringing the Lindy Hop from New York to southern California. Collins worked in over thirty films and performed live and on television. Biography Collins grew up in Newark, New Jersey, and at age 13 learned to dance from his two older sisters. He participated in amateur dance contests in New Jersey. He danced at the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem, New York. In 1935, he was named Dancer of the Year by ''The New Yorker'' magazine. Collins moved to Los Angeles in 1936. During the day he worked as a janitor at Simon's Drive-In Diner, and at night he danced at the Diana Ballroom and Casino Gardens. Worried that his Jewish name would hinder his career, he adopted the name "Dean Collins" from a wallet he found. He won his first major dance contest in California at the Palomar Ballroom with his Savoy dance style. The Savoy ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
