Bobby White performs a solo dance at Lindy Focus IX.

I love reading about how choreographies came together, and Bobby put up a great post about this one’s genesis and evolution.

Dancers: Bobby White.

Kevin & Jo in a social dance demo at a workshop weekend in Toronto.

According to her blog, this is one of Jo’s favorite social dances with Kevin on video.

Dancers: Jo Hoffberg, Kevin St. Laurent.

Juan, Max and Dax in the Cabaret at ESDC 2011.

Great solo dancing.

And great suits. This is why I always say a black suit is almost only appropriate for funerals (and working in the Secret Service). Check out how much character their brown, navy, and mid-gray suits give them.

Dancers: Juan Villafañe, Max Pitruzella, Dax Hock.

Peter & Alice in a showcase at Camp Hollywood 2011.

Great acting and great dancing. They look like they’re having a lot of fun here.

Dancers: Alice Pye, Peter Kertzner.

Max & Annie in the Invitational Strictly finals at ESCD 2011.

I am usually not a fan of pre-choreographed segments in Strictlys, but Max and Annie pull them off so well here. And each bit looks like it could have been socially led (which, in my opinion, follows the spirit of a Strictly competition).

They also do a wonderful job of switching up their tone and tension, sometimes multiple times within only a few counts. I feel like Max’s extremely granular control somehow continues to improve.

Dancers: Annie Trudeau, Max Pitruzella.

Michael & Ann in the Slow Dance finals at Lindy Focus IX.

Crowd favorite, both in prelims and finals. Michael plays his calm to Ann’s crazy perfectly.

Dancers: Ann Mony, Michael Seguin.

Dax & Sarah performing a social demo at GNSH 2011.

The quality and lighting of this video make it a joy to watch—not to mention the dancing. Crank the resolution up, full-screen it, and enjoy.

Dancers: Sarah Breck, Dax Hock.

Instructor Jam at 505 Stomp 2011.

I love instructor jams because they put amazing dancers in the unique position of improvising a non-judged performance—it seems to bring out really entertaining but relaxed dances.

Dancers: Naomi Uyama, Peter Strom, Laura Glaess, Mike Roberts, Nina Gilkenson, Andy Reid.

Scott & Laura in the Invitational Jack & Jill at Midwest Lindyfest 2011.

MWLF was an amazing event for many reasons, but the one that stands out to me is its size: it’s a relatively small, extremely approachable and manageable weekend. During the Invitational Jack & Jill, it was easy to feel like you were part of the action, and not simply watching a performance (check out the heckling from the crowd during the intro to this video).

I’m normally not a fan of beginning a social dance with swing-outs, especially with a good 90 seconds for the piece, but Scott makes it work well here: some relaxed no-triple-step swing-outs to complement the main melodic line of “I Found a New Baby”, and then he moves on to other ideas. After the B section (where they make great use of the space), he swings out again—a bit more intensely this time—as the melody returns.

I love how Laura takes the loose pop turn at 1:10 and starts rocking out to the violin pattern, followed by some really badass camel walks. This entire dance is great, but the solo part really stands out for me.

Dancers: Laura Glaess, Scott Angelius.

Todd & Nina performing at the Midwest Lindyfest Show 2010.

The Show is tonight, and I couldn’t be more excited. This is my favorite performance from last year.

Dancers: Nina Gilkenson, Todd Yannacone.