Help me learn to dance to "Bowlegged Woman"

August 19, 2013 1:46 PM

What would the dance genre be called for the type of music Pokey Lafarge plays on his self-titled album?

I want to learn whatever dance style is associated with this type of music, but I don't know what the genre is. Is it swing? If so, what kind? East, west-coast?

I'm in Toronto, so bonus points if anyone knows which studios might teach it here.

YouTube:
http://youtu.be/xzTsic1n9wU

Here is the Rhapsody link:
http://www.rhapsody.com/artist/pokey-lafarge/album/pokey-lafarge/track/bowlegged-woman

posted by OlivesAndTurkishCoffee to Media & Arts (4 answers total)

Definitely swing. I don't think the kind matters much here.
posted by bluefrog at 4:59 PM on August 19, 2013

You could probably Lindy Hop to it! Or Boogie Woogie. I dunno what exact musical genre it's in. It sounds like Western Swing* to me. Definitely evokes the post-swing era, which puts it in the realm of boogie-woogie really. Boogie-woogie tries to be like 50's era rocknroll dance. East coast is vaguely like boogie-woogie, but it's basically a bastardized sort of Lindy Hop that isn't fun, imho**.

For comparison:
Boogie-woogie, Lindy Hop.

But you can boogie-woogie dance to swing music and the other way around. I don't think boogie-woogie is actually taught in North America... so go learn some Lindy Hop.

*You can't dance West Coast Swing to Western Swing music. Probably. They evolved more or less separately so far as I know.
** YMMV. This may not be representative but it's not far off.
posted by BungaDunga at 5:04 PM on August 19, 2013

I've been taking Lindy lessons for about two months and I could imagine dancing to that song, although IMO it wouldn't be a song I'd choose to dance to as a beginner because it's pretty fast and hard to hear the beat (for me, at least, but YMMV since I'm definitely not a music person). The next song on his album, City Summer Blues, is more the type of song I'd be prepared to dance to right now.

A little Googling turned up Toronto Lindy Hop- their website isn't working for me but it looks like there's quite a few places that offer free lessons around the city.
posted by MadamM at 10:56 PM on August 19, 2013

Lindy Hop or Balboa, the Toronto Lindy Hop link above should help with both
posted by kbuxton at 1:21 PM on August 25, 2013