Around here this dance style is called "Fast Western", "Fast Texas", or sometimes "hillbilly" dancing", "swing" dancing or just "rock n' roll" dancing. It follows a six beat pattern according to our dance instructor. The name "boogie-woogie", according to Dr. John Tennison, a famous musicologist and pianist here in San Antonio, has suggested an African origin for the name. Go figure.
An early example of this style of playing is Led Belly, who grew up in Harrison County, in the community of Leigh, up in the Caddo Lake Area of northeast Texas. Boogie-woogie was made famous by Jelly Roll Morton. The origin of boogie- woogie music and dancing is Texas, which was first played up in the Piney Woods of northeast Texas. But, the most primitive boogie-woogie music and dancing is associated with Marshall, Texas and that a left-handed bass lines grew and became more complex as the distance from Marshall increased. 'Asleep At The Wheel', based in Austin, plays good music; and a good example of modern boogie-woogie is Canned Heat: Going Up The Country - 1968 from the album "Living the Blues" http://youtu.be/p0PjECSyJ7w Other examples: Hot Rod Lincoln - Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen http://youtu.be/F9QpDvhshOQ Route 66 - Asleep At The Wheel http://youtu.be/vifUaZQL8pc Work cited: 'BOOGIE WOOGIE' Its Origin, Subsequent History, and Continuing Development by John Tennison http://www.bowofo.org/ Read more: 'The Story of Boogie-Woogie: A Left Hand Like God' by Peter Silvester Scarecrow Press, 2009 'Living the Blues: Canned Heat's Story of Music, Drugs, Death, Sex and Survival' by Canned Heat Canned Heat Music, 2000 On Mon, Dec 30, 2013 at 6:33 PM, <[email protected]> wrote: > > > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tr-77vZ4_SU&feature=youtu.be<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tr-77vZ4_SU&feature=youtu.be> > > > Exhilarating. I can do without all the acrobatics. I just love to watch > the legs and feet, and the centrifugal interaction (I made that phrase up; > don't know how else to describe it) between the two dancers. > > >
