In honor of Black History, Jazz Legend Dawn Hampton will speak, perform, and social dance at City College San Francisco, accompanied on stage by renowned San Francisco musicians Lavay Smith, Leon Oakley, Clint Baker, and Chris Siebert, along with dancers Chris Lee and Ashley Sarver.
When: February 21, 2011, 7:00 – 11:30 p.m.
Where: CCSF Wellness Center, 728 Ocean Ave., San Francisco, CA
Free admission, open to the public, handicapped accessible.
Groups of 10 or more should call ahead to ensure seating. To make reservations, please contact Stephanie Lyons at 415.239.3580 or at slyons@ccsf.org.
“Big Bands, Jazz Dance & Social Change”
Dawn Hampton ‘Feels’ the Music
7:00 – 7:15 p.m.
The legendary Dawn Hampton – whose cabaret career unfolded alongside eight decades of American history – expresses her belief that social dancing is the solution to almost every problem. Her narrative addresses issues of civil rights, New York City politics, and social transformation. As Dawn says, “The people of the world need to drop their guns and pick up the triple step.”
By performing a style of swing dancing that’s all her own, Dawn shows her audience how to ‘feel’ the music, that is, how to physically express oneself with creativity, confidence, and original style. Watching Dawn dance heightens the experience of listening to jazz, and reinforces the relationship between music and movement.
The Legacy of Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Billie Holiday & Ella Fitzgerald
7:15 – 8:15 p.m.
San Francisco musicians Clint Baker & Leon Oakley perform a few early jazz standards, and Clint talks about the profound legacy left by Louis Armstrong. Without the vocabulary developed by Armstrong, big-band Swing may not have come to be.
Pianist Chris Siebert and singer Lavay Smith perform songs by Count Basie, while reflecting on the raw Kansas City sound and the tremendous rhythm section of the Basie orchestra. Lavay goes on to talk about how the legendary voices of Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald forever changed American popular music.
Lindy Hop & The Castle Dance Project
8:15 – 8:30 p.m.
Chris Lee, a producer, dancer, and choreographer, and Ashley Sarver, the director of a high school, work together to advocate for the inclusion of jazz-dance programs in K – 12 schools.
Chris and Ashley discuss The Castle Dance Project: their effort to raise awareness of dance as a way of life, by using the project’s website to showcase grass-roots efforts to incorporate swing music and dance into schools’ curricula. The project advocates an integrated curriculum: Authentic Jazz and Lindy Hop as a means of physical and mental exercise, creative expression, historical investigation, and above all, as a vehicle for social connection and community. Learn how anyone can help to ensure the survival of an original American art form, by learning the dance and teaching others.
Dawn Hampton ‘Feels’ the Music, Part II
8:30 – 8:45 p.m.
Dawn tells stories from her life: joining the family band at the age of three; taking her vaudeville act on the road with a travelling carnival; performing at Carnegie Hall, the Apollo Theater, and the Savoy Ballroom; her career as a New York City jazz vocalist, singing alongside Cab Calloway and Judy Garland; and her role as a figurehead in today’s international Lindy Hop community.
Dawn again performs her dance, and this time invites the audience to join her on stage. She shows us that the swing rhythm transcends musical and cultural boundaries, by dancing her swinging style to Bhangra music from India.
Intermission / Q & A
8:45 – 9:00 p.m.
Lindy Hop Dance Lesson
9:00 – 9:30 p.m.
Chris and Ashley teach the fundamentals of the Lindy Hop: feeling the pulse of the music, connecting with your partner, and moving musically and confidently through space.
Free admission. New dancers welcome, and partners rotate.
Band Performance & Swing Dance
9:30 – 11:30 p.m.
Join Clint Baker, Leon Oakley, and an all-star band, along with Dawn, Chris, and Ashley for an evening of live jazz music and social dancing.
Open dance floor. New dancers welcome, come with or without a partner. DJ’d music during band breaks.
Co-Sponsored by the CCSF Concert & Lecture Series +
the CCSF Dance Department
Produced by Castle Dance Project
Program created by Chris Lee & Ashley Sarver. Text by Ashley Sarver.
Non-Discrimination Statement
The San Francisco Community College District does not discriminate on the basis of disability in the admission or access to, or treatment or employment in, its programs or activities. Persons who wish to request disability-related accommodations including sign-language interpreters should contact Linda R. Jackson, District ADA Coordinator: Office of Affirmative Action, 31 Gough Street, Room 16, San Francisco, CA, 94103, Phone: 415.241-2281, Fax: 415.241.2203. Please request accommodations no later than 12 working days prior to the date of the event in order to ensure the best possible arrangements.
