ULHS 2009: More Impressions From Not That Much Closer

Just a few more thoughts on the ULHS footage that's currently online. I don’t have much to add to my initial reactions to the Choreography Showcase, Solo Jazz, and Jack n Jill.

But I should mention how impressed I was with the Ultimate Lindy Hop Combo and the job they did for the Choreography Showcase. They played the diversity of material they were asked to do incredibly well given the time constraints.

I’m also glad that the New Mexico team, Groove Juice Special, won the Showcase. They had a great energy to their performance that still comes across pretty well over video.

ULHS 2009: First Impressions From Afar

Wonders of modern technology. I can comment about ULHS so soon after it ended, and I wasn’t even there. First up was the Street dance contest. Seems to be a straight up coupled contest. People dance until they’re tapped out, leaving three couples to dance off jam style. Dancing on the actual street just might be a little too hardcore for me as my knees hurt just from watching them dance on the concrete.

ULHS is Dead! Long Live ULHS!

The Ultimate Lindy Hop Showdown has been the standard bearer and trend setter for the Lindy Hop community ever since it started in 2002. This weekend’s 8th annual ULHS marks the event’s debut in New Orleans, LA as well as its first major format restructuring since 2003. This year, ULHS is breaking away from the phrase jam for the finals that it helped to pioneer. Instead, event promoter Amy Johnson is instituting tournament style, head to head battles for the formerly known "Liberation" division to determine which two couples will dance against each other in the final . . . wait for it . . . Showdown.

I won’t be down there this weekend, but it sounds like it’ll be the start of an exciting new era for ULHS. I’m pretty excited to hear and see how it turns out. Until then, let’s take a look back at ghosts of Liberation divisions past.