Elizabeth Korsmo
Honors in Berlin 2008
Final Paper
Swing Tanzen in Berlin
I. How does social swing dancing differ between Seattle and Berlin?
During my time in Berlin, I intended to attend public swing dances in order to compare the social dancing experience in Berlin to the scene of Seattle. I expected them to be fairly similar, and found them to be so in essentials only. The dancers and their attitudes, the venues, and the music choices offered a wealth of variety against the familiar Seattle dances I usually attend.
II. In Seattle, I spend a significant proportion of my free time swing dancing. Consequently, when faced with a month cut off from the Seattle swing community, I found myself wondering about what sort of dancing was available in Berlin and how I might become involved in it. Beyond my personal interest in dance, the social nature of swing offers insight into the social interactions of the people who participate in it. Comparing and contrasting the swing scenes in Seattle and Berlin offers a microscale view of how social interactions vary between the two cities.
The largest problem I faced was actually interacting with the local dancers. As detailed in part IV, Berlin dancers are fairly insular, tending to limit their activity to their immediate social groups. This led to increased unanticipated importance of observation over experience in my assessment of the dancing itself (and limited my ability to conduct interviews). Language barriers, aggravated by the crowds and music, were less encumbering, but still notable. Difficulty in locating dance venues constituted the other main problem. They are, as a rule, not particularly well-advertised and may be hard to find even with exact addresses; this is slightly more extreme than in Seattle, but hardly unique.
III. Despite the aforementioned problems, I managed to observe the local dancers’ interactions, and participated to the best extent that I could (social dancing works best when one can locate partners). I also took note of how the venues differed between Seattle dance halls, as I experience them, and those I attended in Berlin.
I went to the dances with the idea of a Seattle dance in mind, if only because that is what my mental picture of a swing dance is. Accordingly, my notes seem to reflect the differences more than the similarities, as all similarities become confused with “givens”. I tried to compensate for this in my analysis.
[See attachments for field notes. Berlin venues attended included Clärchens Balhaus, Balhaus Berlin, Jeder ist Tanzbar, and Café Garbaldy. Seattle venues subject to comparison include Hep Cat Swing Dance (“the Russian Center”), the Century Ballroom, Halley’s Loft (“Halo”), Sonny Newman’s Dance Hall, Blues Underground, and Rhythm Revue over the period from May 2007 to the present.]
IV. While Berlin’s swing does swing, it certainly lacks a lot of Seattle’s swinging. Berliner partners arrive together and stay thus: they do not rotate with the ease of Seattle-area dancers. As a solo follow, I found it very difficult to secure partners among the German dancers. The standard practice in Seattle is for dancers to mingle and frequently change partners. Whether traveling with a group or alone, one tends to change partners often and frequently dances with strangers. In my first months on the Seattle scene, I bemusedly noted how often I would clasp hands with a stranger, dance through a whole song, and only offer a name after exchanging thanks. Dancing exclusively with a small number of people is seen as somewhat snobbish and unfriendly by the vast majority of my Seattle dancing acquaintances; it is also only common practice among certain more ‘elite’ circles.
The Berlin swing scene works on a diametrically opposed principle. The “Bring your Own Partner” model operated nigh on exclusively at each Berlin venue I attended. At any Seattle institution, I would recommend the bringing of partners to ensure that one has plentiful opportunities to dance. However, it is not necessary. Alone in Seattle, one may sit out a lot, but there will be offers or available partners to ask for a dance. Partnerless in Berlin, there are no invitations, nor people available to ask.
The notable exception was my first night on Berlin’s scene, when an older man named Steve adopted me as his partner for the evening at Café Garbaty. In the whole of the establishment, there seemed to be about three people who did not belong to one of the intimate groups. The other two were a middle-aged Irish couple, Martina and Bryan, who were in town visiting their son. Martina takes East Coast Swing lessons in Dublin, and was excited to be out dancing in Berlin. Steve, a middle-age Berliner from Neuköln, sort of adopted all of us wayward foreigners into a group of our own; every other person in the bar was part of an established group, most of them in couples (here Steve was a bit of an exception, in that his own group of apparent regulars seemed to contain both the DJ and a disproportionate number of men compared to women).
In this way, I did get to experience the Berlin scene as an insider for one night. I would dance three to four songs with Steve, then sit out for a similar number. This allowed time to rest, chat and imbibe (mineral water for myself, though beer was by far the most popular beverage). It also allowed other couples access to the limited dance space. After several such repetitions, I paired briefly with a friend of Steve, while he took a sequence with Martina (Bryan opted to dance exclusively with his wife). This course of events was consistent with my observations at every other dance venue I attended: couples would come together (usually in large groups), socialize within that group over beers, dance several songs in row, and sit out for more socializing (repeat all evening, substituting another group member for the original partner every few song cycles). Seattle dancing, in contrast, rarely involves dancing more than a single song at a time with any given partner…and the beverage of choice is water.
My other nights in Berlin were, unfortunately, less encouraging. When I could find the locations, I still danced very little as the social barriers were never more lax than that first night in Pankow. My next best nights were both at Clärchens Balhaus; the first time, I lead another American student in Lindy Hop. The second, my last night on the Berlin scene, I actually was asked to dance by a German. We only did one song (an anomaly, but being asked was one in itself). Otherwise, I found myself met with an impenetrable wall of social taboo.
Some of the grouping, perhaps, could be attributable to the different dancer demographics of Seattle and Berlin. The age range (late teen-late middle age) was similar, however the distribution varied a lot. Seattle has a fairly large population of college-age dancers, with many more in their mid to late twenties or even early thirties. The numbers are rounded out with a few thirty, forty or fifty-something couples, though the mean probably falls in the late twenties. Berlin’s scene was almost the opposite: the bulk of the crowd was in their thirties at the very least, with only a few younger couples. I often seemed to be the youngest person present and the only member of my age group. Clärchens Balhaus seemed to be the exception here, in that a slightly larger number of teenage girls were present than at other venues (completing its similarity to the Century Ballroom on Sunday nights, which tends to attract more high school students than other venues, and always more follows than leads).
It was my own experience in Seattle that the older couples sometimes mix less freely than the younger, though even this phenomenon is very rare. The slightly older Berlin crowd may draw some of its insularity from its more mature population. On the other hand, even the few young people I did see were not mixing, and each of my (rare) dance partners seemed approximately my father’s age. The clique-ish nature of the scene seems more of a cultural phenomenon than a strictly age-based occurrence.
The attitude towards dancing, in fact, seemed fundamentally different. Seattle dancers, with their constant mingling and consequent skill improvement seem to dance in order to dance. Berliners seem to take the dance as a secondary aspect of their social interactions. I might compare this contrast to that between a movie-goer who is interested in a film for itself, versus the one who thinks that movies make for a fun date. The later, I think, is where the bulk of the Berlin dancers believe. Consistent with my own observations, many treat dancing as a fun diversion for a date or an evening out with friends, an opportunity to spend some quality time with friends, where the specific means are secondary to the intended social interaction. Seattle dancers go out to dance: perhaps with friends, but also with most anyone else who will offer. Berlin dancers go out with their friends, to share a beer and take a few turns on the floor.
How related the attitude differences are to the dry status of most Seattle area ballrooms, I cannot say. Here was a key difference: my usual Seattle haunts (the Russian Center, Sony Newman’s, Dance Underground, the Century Ballroom, Halo) are dance halls. Or, in the first case, community centers with large dance floors flanked by mirrors in the manner of dance studios. The Berlin dances I attended were primarily held in bars or cafes, with some of the tables removed to clear a dance floor. There were a few venues which seemed to be ballrooms foremost (Clärchens Balhaus, Balhaus Berlin), but even they were also functional restaurants/bars. This probably contributed to the more relax and private social atmosphere.
Clärchens Balhaus actually bore an eerie resemblance to Seattle’s Century Ballroom. Though the dance floors are comparable, there is more seating for dining at Clärchens than at the Century; if the Century is a ballroom with a restaurant/bar attached, Clärchens is a restaurant and bar which sports a large dance floor. The dance floor was crowded, with some singles clustering on the edges (a phenomenon seen nowhere else in the city), while waiters raced by to the myriad tables that surrounded it on three sides; the Century looks much the same, but with a thinner strip of tables. Against the right-hand wall, the bar did a steady business too. The Century seems to segregate its activities a bit more: the bar is only open on 21+ nights (Wednesday for those seeking swing), and the restaurant serves dinners prior to the dancing. The music played at the two institutions was, in many cases, identical. Clärchens played a lot of specific recordings that I’ve heard in Seattle (such as Ain’t What You Do, Jitterbug Stroll,and Fever).
The other venues did not play as familiar of specific recordings as Clärchens, but the jazz was still very much the same. Instrumental recordings were bit more prominent than I have observed in Seattle, and the songs with words had English lyrics. Unfortunately, I never did hear Bei Mir Bist Du Schon while I was in Berlin; or perhaps that was more fortunate, as I can’t imagine Germans taking well to such butchering of their language. The swing was interspersed with other song styles, too. Balhaus Berlin, for instance, reguarily alternated between swing (for foxtrot), latin (salsa), and waltz music. Universally, blues/swing seemed undifferentiated between in Berlin, whereas Seattle venues tend to favor one over the other.
The Berlin DJs seemed to favor jazz with slower tempos than Seattle DJs prefer. The fastest songs I heard in Berlin were at Clärchens and Café Garbaldy—and those songs were merely moderate by the standards of Camp Jitterbug, or ‘slightly brisk’ by normal Seattle tastes. As such, I noticed more dancers participating in the fast songs than the slow, opposite Seattle’s normal trends, where if the floor is going to clear, it will be during a fast song. Songs also seemed a little shorter than Seattle standards. I would estimate two to four minute songs are the norm for Berlin versus three to six minute ones in Seattle. In the case of Café Garbaldy, this would probably be related to the unique music system: their “Shellack Tanzen in Pankow” swing night exclusively featured original (shellac) records. If the songs were a little shorter than the digital format recordings used elsewhere in Berlin and Seattle, the atmosphere enhancement was divine. The DJ had three or four portable record players in old-fashioned cases on which he played a line-up of original records (which, as I understand, were restricted in duration by recording technology). Highlights included the original Frank Sinatra recordings played at “Jeder ist Tanzbar”. There was also one unique song I remember at Café Garbaldy: a big band polka. It actually fit in really well with the rest of the music, but with notable beat change which required some fun stylistic accommodations.
Something else that was fun was Berlin dancers’ impressive clothing. It was very much like taking the best-dressed quarter of any given Seattle dance and translating that onto the whole turnout. Except for one or two people at Clärchens, jeans are not to be seen. Most men wear dress slacks with button shirts at the very least, while skirts and blouses are favored by the women (these looks are also popular in Seattle, but casual street wear is fairly common). The number of people in vintage dress was also higher: Seattle rarely features more than one couple thusly attired, save for special events. Berlin, on the other hand, had at least a half dozen people in vintage clothing at each dance I attended (most of which were more sparsely populated than Seattle dances, increasing the vintage proportion).
The dance itself translated across the ocean quite well. When I could dance, it was no problem to follow my leads. Most dancers stuck with simple east coast variants, which was by far the most popular basic across all the venues. I observed a bit of Charleston and Lindy at Clärchens, while Foxtrot was the preferred dance for Balhaus Berlin (though, I did see one lead there attempting to teach 20s Charleston to his follow, though that proved unsuccessful). The skill level was a bit below what I was used to in Seattle (I felt myself to be one of the best dancers in many of the venues, while “middle of the pack” would be a generous description in most Seattle situations). I attribute this in part to the lack of rotation between partners; every class I have taken has stressed that dancing with different people is the best way to improve one’s dancing (as it inhibits covering of a partner’s mistakes and forces one to assess one’s actions more carefully). The more laid-back attitude, with less emphasis on dancing versus socializing could be considered the co-cause of this. On the other hand, I tended to frequent the less expensive venues (about €5 for a DJ dance, compared to $5 standard for Seattle), so there may have been a more ‘elite’ part of the scene which favored live band venues (€12-€20+, Seattle $10-$20) or house parties and which took the dancing part more seriously.
Steve, partner #1 of mine and the only one to offer his name while speaking clearly through the music favored what he called “free-style”. I’d classify it as two-step variant that reminded me somewhat of both blues and east coast swing (with Balboa inspiration). His nameless friend (#2, ‘Zoot Suit man’), lead some Lindy Hop and Charleston. I seemed to follow well enough for them, earning the commendation “Die Amerikanerin tanzt Super!”. Partner #3 I danced with once at Clärchens Balhaus, on my last night out. He favored a turning variant of east coast, with some Charleston, though that was quickly dropped, as it transpired that my shoes were a bit slick for the floor.
Most intriguing, though, was the choreography which I saw in Berlin. The first night at Clärchens Balhaus, I saw (and participated in) two choreographed dances which perfectly copied the versions I’d learned in Seattle. Admittedly, the Shim Sham Shimmy as I learned it was performed to Tuxedo Junction, while the Berliners did it to Ain’t What You Do. The steps, however, were exactly the same. This surprised me, as regional variation of choreographed swing routines exists within the United States; I’ve personally observed slight differences in steps and styling with routines ranging from the Shim Sham to the Big Apple. Later that evening, the Jitterbug Stroll was also performed; this routine is song-specific, with the lyrics calling out each move (in English) and thus went as I expected it to.
Despite differences in the venues, dancers and atmosphere, the dancing itself remains largely unchanged on either side of the ocean. Subtler variations existed in the music selections and fashion trends.
V. The research could be continued through further international comparison, if possible. One exciting possibility would be a visit to Herräng, Sweden, for the international Lindy Hop camp held there every year. It is the largest and most famous gathering in the world, and lasts for an entire month in this rural Swedish village. It would offer a good opportunity to meet some of the best dancers in the world, from a wide variety of nations. On a more German-specific level, the best option for future research would be to befriend a local dancer, and thus integrate into one of the groups for better interaction with the dancers themselves. Alternatively, interviewing more involved members of the scene (DJs, teachers, venue managers) could allow one to gleam insight beyond the obvious. The mingling environment of an Exchange could also offer better opportunities to mingle with dancers and get involved.
Some terms explained
Lead: the dancer in a partnership who indicates moves in a social, non-choreographed dance (traditionally male)
Follow: the dancer who responds to a partner’s leading (traditionally female)
East Coast: a basic step (it defines a sub-style of swing dancing) done in 6 counts [this was the general style presented in my composition as it is easy to teach]
Charleston: another basic, developed in the 1920s and notable for its kicks; done in 8 counts (20s Charleston is a variation featuring fancy ankle twists instead of kicks)
Lindy Hop: a slightly more advanced basic done in 6 or 8 counts, usually involving turning and transitions between open and close positions within one iteration of the basic; it works well with Charleston and East Coast (less with West Coast, a separate basic), and is the “bread and butter” of the Seattle scene
Exchange: a Swing Exchange is usually a weekend series of dances hosted by the dancers of one city for the purpose of meeting non-local dancers (Portland hosts one every year, as does Seattle, and apparently München)
Camp Jitterbug: a Seattle workshop weekend; smaller than the Herräng camp, but one of the largest events in the United States
