These are my brothers writings. I love how he writes so no point re-inventing the wheel! Dwight also took some fab photos and my contribution is the following You Tube clips: 

Well what a first day in PNG. Scott and I arrived about 5 am on a 5 hour flight from manilla. Needless to say we could have done with more sleep.  But we were back in PNG for the first time in 40 years and excited to be there.

An amusing immigration and customs transpired and then we made our way to a fancy hotel near the airport where we had a lovely coffee before being picked up by our guide, kevin, who took us to the Australian war graves cemetery at the start of the kokada trail and the into the dreaded port moresby. I have to say it was not the hell on earth the tour books have you believe the the razor wire and tall fences gave some sense of the environment we had entered. The guards with very large shot guns at the hotel set an early scene. We went to a craft market where saw some good local art before driving through town. Not much to see but a nice beach. The guide proceeded to tell us the Enga people were some of the worst in moresby. We then went to the museum to see lots of very interesting local artefacts and then onto Parliament House which was great and a bit of an oasis in an otherwise poor and chaotic town. We then had a few hours to kill at Pom waiting for the big wigs to show.

An uneventful flight to mt Hagen, the capital of the highlands in a very old plane was wonderful once we broke through the clouds and could see the fertile valley surrounded by mountains. It truly looked beautiful and could see the crops grown around traditional bush dwellings.

Then the fun started. From the plane we could see a large banner of the BU of PNG and a groups of girls brigade girls in uniforms.  Now Hagen is a small airport but the two baptist fish heads and Scott and I were ushered not into the terminal but to the side to be greeted  by a group of local baptists, many who knew tony. So we were mobbed with hugs and hand shakes after we had followed the marching girls brigade in step. We were presented with knitted lays? Which we wore with pride even though we had no warning to the greeting or the events to follow.

From the airport strait to the local baptist church.  Still in our 30 something hours and two flights clothes designed to look scruffy in port moresby we, after lots of hugs and handshakes had a church service. And this was not ordinary baptist affair.  It included a song written for the arrival of       Neville and tony, which we will send the video, traditional dancing from the girls brigade again and a impressive message from Neville. Tony then said a few words and we could tell the real joy and delight from the locals that he was back. It was clear he was loved and well regarded in his time, as we can only assume margaret was as well. They also seemed especially pleased to see Scott who a few of the lumusa clan clearly remembered but struggled with pickaninny number two that some how was called dot. We could not of have had a more warm welcome and lots more hand shakes and hugs followed.  Lex it was like Birmingham but 20 times bigger.  We are told today will be even bigger at baiyer river, where Scott was born.  Oh did I mention that?  He did, about 50 times but the locals all seemed to love that and it seemed to save us a bag search at customs.   Today we are told there might be thousands and a pig feast. Nice to travel with royalty of sorts.

After church we finally showered and I was finally able to dress a little better and then had a nice meal with about 50 of the group. We were on the reserved table for the fish heads but it was very warm and welcoming.  The meal was simple but very satisfying.

So that was day 1. Day two is just starting after a good ish night sleep and needless to say we are excited about what is to come and finally getting back to lumusa tomorrow.

==

Well if day 1 was big then day two was one for the most memorable of all times for the cupit boys while we think tony cupit gets this sort of treatment often.  

We started in the mission compound in hagen and were driven into town for some supplies for our trip and to get neville some prescription drugs. Our first view of the town as it was dark last night when we arrived. Hagen is clearly a rough old place, people everywhere, dirty and rundown. It makes moresby look quite nice. But there was a good vibe and lots of street sellers and general hustle and bustle. 

Amazingly in the grocery store we ran into the ex maf pilot we met the day before in the POM airport. The food choices were limited and the mobile phone top up the busiest. The check out girl queried if I really wanted the coco pops as they were 30k or about 15 dollars. Of course we said yes and are looking forward to tasting. 

We then had to stand around as the driver disappeared but it was good to watch the world at work in the gritty town. Some of the characters looked tough but I reassured scotty, did I mention I was born here, that we would be ok. 

Finally we left for baiyer, scheduled for 9.30 but about 11. I am told that is png time.  The drive was amazing in the back of a ten seater land cruiser with wonderful views of the not to distant mountains. We saw many little bamboo round houses that were the traditional home and thus clear that many still lived that way. As we climbed up into the mountains the views became more stunning and neville was not enjoying some of the steep decents sitting in the front.  

After about 3 hours we finally drove into bayier river and virtually the first thing we saw was the tinsley hospital.  You will never guess who was born there. But not time for tourism, it was strait to the baptist hq. I kid you not as we drove into a large grass field there must have been about 800 people, all lined up in rows of four. Men first in white shirts, women in several different matching uniforms of green, purple and yellow. These were the local pastors and baptist women's groups. As we drove in the started marching to local chants. Impossible to describe but sounding a bit like a war chant in low drawn out tones. The groups proceeded to march around the field as we disembarked. So quite the welcome and not something the cupit brothers were expecting.  Very moving. 

We than had a quick rest stop and pineapple inside while the masses waited in the sun. We were then marched up the main road, well the only road, escorted by the girls brigade on a left left left right left pace. The march was about 300 yards to another large field where a raised decorated platform stood at the end. We were escorted to the platform where we about 20 seats were placed but with four blue ones dead centre for us. Then the service began with the 800 following us in chanting followed by more locals swelling the ranks to some 2000 or more. 

I have to say it was hard to follow much of the next three hours, being mostly in enga or pigeon but the highlights were the girls brigade singing the national anthem and western highlands anthem, a special song for the special guests, ok neville and dad, half way through nevilles sermon a disturbance on the side of the road where about 25 per cent of the crowd bolted to see what was going on.  I joke not it was like shots had been fired and people scurried away but all in one direction.  We had no clue what was happening and neville soldiered on while absolutely no one listened. It later turned out two women were fighting over a man. We never found out who won and the crowd settled down and most returned to their seats on the lawn. Varying levels of the png baptists fish heads all spoke in rank, seemingly a thing here, but most impressive was tony cupit who spoke in enga, something that delighted the crowd. I get the sense that very few white men speak it, if any. 

One other important note was sister K gave a speech where margaret was described as a hero. 

To our not quite surprise both cupit brothers were asked to say a few words to the assembled thousands.  Scotty got a big cheer for pointing out he was born here and I confused the translator we past and future tense about how long people had been worshipping in compton. 

So the service finally ended, although the crowed had started to drift off after the second hour and we had to face a line up of some 200 people with lots of hand shakes and hugs. A few in the crowd remembered us as little boys and seemed very pleased to see us. 

With the official duties ended we went back to the hostel we were billeted at for some pig, which we watched being carried up whole and more wonderful pineapple. 

That pretty much ended an emotional and crazy day and I am sure I missed something. Scott and I were both sad our wives were not here as we think they would have loved it. It was early to bed for the tired and still jet lagged campers. 

DC

The next day… 

While there is no way my words can capture what we have seen and experienced I will try and recap what has been another amazing day in PNG.

We woke in sister K's dorm rooms, usually reserved for mid wife training program she runs for bush mothers. Apparently they will give birth in the bush alone so a 4 week course in child birth is all the only medical attention they can expect before the event. A sobering thought having lived second hand but in the same room twice in the last 3 years to a live birth. How privileged we are to have a modern hospital a few minutes drive away.  

So on that note we set of to the tinsley hospital where scottie came into the world. Did you know he was born here? Compared to today's standards it was not much but it was pretty surreal to go into the room where it all began having been amused by the story in dad's book. No wonder it was decided to have me in australia. That special room is now an office with no evidence of the greatness the room witnessed. As seems to happen in these parts, like magic someone with a key emerged to let us in and then gave us the tour. Let's just say none of the readers would fancy any recovery time in the new wing.  We then wandered around baiyer to see an old house the cupits lived in briefly and were show a cassawary, kept in a somewhat depressingly in a  bamboo cage.  

They had said the road to lumusa was good now. Neville might disagree strongly. Parts are ok but parts 4x4 tracks people would pay good money for. The road made yesterday look like a cruise on the freeway.  The adventure was compounded by the several extras we seemed to pick up, another theme, such that with bags it was pretty cramped in the ten seater land cruiser.  

To say the drive was an a adventure would be under stating it. Apart for the deep muddy ruts, other highlights included a fallen tree which looked questionable if we would fit under, we did, as neville ducked in the front seat, a massive gorge from baiyer to lumusa, several slightly worrying bridges and the final bridge being stopped by about 10 local men. Now I have not told you that the standard kit in these parts includes a machete or axe of which all ten possessed along with a scary look. After a heated debate which we could not follow it turned out someone had taken to planks off the bridge and we could not cross the deep fast flowing gorge. The nice young men offered to put some logs on for us, which they did on one tires track.  The other tire the driver had to keep his wheel on the one inch metal supports. As you might imagine no one fancied this but in true missionary spirit we inched over the bridge slowly. Now the keen observer will not there was no chance of falling into the gorge but it did not feel like that. The png ladies broke into amazing grace as we crossed and  the polite young men then got a small fee.  This writer wondered if that was a toll but the locals seemed happy just to cross. 

It is worth noting that due to tribal fighting in recent years parts of the area have been closed, including the lumusa airstrip so the 5 minute flight from baiyer was not an option.  We were later told that we were the first whites in the area for about 4 years. The bridge apparently was closed at times to stop access when the fighting was going on. It is now over but things are not quite settled and reconciliation is ongoing. 

So we were now on the lumusa side, an 8 mile plateau on top of the most scenic country I think I have ever seen. As we got closer we could sense the excitement, especially when one old lady we passed called out cupitideeeee in the enga high pitch. They knew we were coming. 

As we neared there were petals on the road and flower arrangements on posts signalling our arrival but were somewhat concerned to drive past sister k's house that had been burnt down in the fighting along with some other buildings. 

So here we were, the place the cupit's lived for seven years. Getting here now made scott and I marvel at our parents arriving 45 years ago to no restaurants, electricity or running water. Such a remote paradise. 

We drove past the somewhat rundown old house we lived in and which I did remember, possibly only from photographs, and then did a quick drive on the disused airport. As with yesterday there was no time for tourism and strait into another baptist meeting. 

So exiting the truck we were greeted by a smalls group but the older ones who knew dad seemed very pleased to see him. We were all greeted warmly with many handshakes and hugs. We meet our old house boy and his wife, now looking very old.  So again a quick refreshment stop and onto the show. 

The service or ceremony, not sure which best describes it, was on a slightly rickety stage and followed a similar theme to yesterday. Not as many people as lumusa is much smaller and what seemed a lot further removed from the west. Highlights included a man dressed in traditional warrior dress, who later presented his traditional axe to tony and which I have now claimed as it won't fit in anyone else's bag, dad again impressing the crowd in enga, neville leaving half way through the service due to been very worried about getting back on the road, more songs written for our arrival, including a line for scott and I, presentations on billums for each of us. Again many spoke, some for too long, but it was great to be back home and enjoying the sights. As the service finished we had lots of greetings, hugs and warm welcome. One of the more amusing was a very very old stooped down blind man who gave a great hug to dad while crying.  We were later told he asked if you are cupit or Thompson. 

We then had another pig feast while children and dogs hovered around.  The kids in particular were very excited about our arrival and followed us everywhere. If no whites had been here for four years we figured most had not see our kind before. The kids and several others followed us to the old house where we had a good look but could not get in as the guy who lived in it was away. Scott stirred up the kids who then got told off by the adults for making to much noise. 

Finally we had some time to ourselves and dad and I walked to the end of the airstrip where the views were magical with multiple mountain ranges covered in mist. Dad then met some old fella who remembered him and they had a chat, which usually means while hugging or at least holding hands.  

We then returned to the house we were billeted in, which was the hollands old house that was in slightly better shape than our old one but did not have running water and electricity only when the generator was on. 

Dinner of rice, vegetable and canned meat was basic but warmly received. We then sat around the family who hosted us, taimya and tangelye and their son, his wife and a few other hangers on. 

It was good to speak to alexia that night. While not much has made it to lumusa but you can get a cell signal better than in my own home. 

So that was the day, pretty emotional but slightly sad for me that the few vague memories I have were not quite as I had them in my mind. Still wonderful to be back and put lumusa firmly in my mind. The people could not be friendlier and generous with the little they have. Funnily this part seems very fertile and the people seem well nourished.

Some other general observations

- the dress here is mostly cheap western clothes, lot with Australian rugby team shirts, or rip off copies.

- the greeting, especially for tony were warm and welcome and as said above involved lots of hugging and hand shakes

- the houses are kept neat and tidy, even the bush ones but little is bad especially in hagen and to a lesser extent baiyer

- pigs roam freely

- the men look scary, especially with the machetes but when they smile or shake you hand they have beaming smiles. 

- the kids are adorable, shy but with a little encouragement are friendly and your new best mate. 

- scott can sleep at the drop of a hat. 

Anyway enough for now. Apologies for the typos and errors but doing this on a blackberry is not easy.

Dwight's final notes: 

This will probably be the last update. Dad and I now sit in moresby airport having missed our connecting flight to madang while scott sits in the international terminal about to catch his flight to start his honeymoon. He is very excited to see Mrs cupit soon, as are we.  

Yesterday we woke up in the beautiful lumusa and the coco pops were beautiful. It was a delight to see the surrounding hills after a good nights sleep. Mapusiya, whom scott and I shared a room with was up early and praying. Tony, in his own room, slept in. 

After breakfast we walked to the market. There was a group of about 20 people hanging around outside the gate at the house. Apparently they were our tribe, the Maningiwa

People, who wanted to walk with us to the market to show that we were their people, something they were proud of. The machetes added to the experience. 

Our arrival in the market caused quite a stir. Clearly three white men don't show up often, especially so good looking. The market choices were not wonderful, some fruit, some chickens, coffee and plenty of cheap clothes, but the vibe was great. We tried to buy a few things but were largely surrounded by the locals. Father did his best enga which seemed to bring great delight and surprise. It was quite an experience and scotts video will show us completely circled with rows three to four deep wanting to see the white men. Most amusing was when scott gave some coins to one of our tribe, koeya, who said he played with scott as a boy, to buy something for him. We never saw the coins or the produce again. The market and the walk to and from it was a wonderful experience in enga life and we felt like rock stars in a small way. We had to hug a few and shake many hands. 

Koeya, still with our coins, was the deputy principal at the local primary school and wanted to show us the school. Apparently the school was also burnt down in the tribal fighting but it did not look that new to me. Somewhat strangely the deputy principal showed us the empty class rooms while the kids followed us around. We later found out the kids had the day off, except the grade 8 who had exams. Some of the senior buofpng staff had said getting the teachers to teach is a problem in these remote parts and we wondered why the principal and his deputy were showing us around. 

We made it back to the house in time for a quick walk down the airstrip one last time, followed by three little boys, and to buy a few things at the local trade store run by the son of the man who hosted us. Available to buy were coke, salt, maggie noodles, a knife, cooking oil and tinned fish. Still I think lexi could have cooked up something special. 

I asked what the sign on the door was for and it was someone selling a chicken.

So that was the end of the lumusa expedition. Not quite enough but certainly glad we pushed dad for an extra night as had we have to leave with neville the day before I would have been distraught. It was truly wonderful going back, exciting and  overwhelming. As tourists we could not have had nearly as good a time as the baptist connections and those who still remember and love mum and dad made it a joy to be there. Otherwise it would be impossible to do as we did.   It felt like part of us, perhaps for me mostly through the stories and folk law but scottie remembered more of it and loved being on his land.  

So sadly we piled into the troop carrier.  I was stuck in the back with someone on my foot but thankfully two got off at the other end of lumusa, with an old fashioned  typewriter.  We headed back to hagen via baiyer. The scenery was just as spectacular and we wondered when we would be back. Soon I hope. 

So if you think the religious stuff was over you were wrong, sister kay, kuku and other ladies put lunch, our second for the day, on at baiyer, along with speeches, songs, prayers and giving us at least 3 billums each. Margie C got another big wrap, apparently she is a big hit with these godly ladies and all our wives were thanked for letting us come. A sentiment  we shared. I promised they would come next time. 

The road back to hagen was much less eventful bit we notice how much less attractive the landscape and especially the human settlement was closer to hagen. 

We arrived safe, well and uplifted and were delighted to have the mission flat to just the three of us.  The first time we had been alone for days. 

Dinner followed at the png Baptist union hq where our second holy roller event of the day transpired. After a few songs, some in pigeon, david a blind chap from lumusa gave his testimony in word and song. We trembled about being asked for ours but got away with our third speech each over the last few days and the food came.    

Soon after we dispersed and went to the flat. What a few days.

Born in Papua New Guinea

Only twenty people from Papua New Guinea live in London and I am one of them.

I was born in Papua New Guinea and even though I am an Australian citizen and a London resident I have always had a real pride and warmth for my birth place. I keep abreast of it's international affairs and when events like the Olympic Games come on I am always flying my Papua New Guinea flag. I flew it down at Clapham Common when the Olympic Torch came near our house and people were looking at me wondering what the flag was!  I do think it's one of the great flags. The background is my parents were Baptist missionaries and my father a linguist. My father translated the Bible into one of the many dialects that exist in PNG called Enga. We grew up in the remote Western Highlands where you can only fly in and out with no road access. My brother lived there as a child so is equally fascinated about our upcoming trip.

Before my honeymoon starts I am going back to PNG with my brother and father for a reunion. I haven't been back since I was 7 ( when I lived there ) so it will be a once off unique trip. We will mainly go to Port Moresby, Madang and the town we grew up in.. Lumusa.

The above started a fun chain of events over the last few weeks.

When I sent my Visa request in to the PNG High Commission in London they phoned me as they noticed I was born there and were curious. I told them my story and they insisted I become a friend of PNG and suddenly we were invited to a special High Commissioner dinner to celebrate their 37th year of Independence  ( from Australia.)  We received a lovely gold encrusted invitation and my brother, wife and myself got booted and suited and off we sent to the penthouse at the New Zealand's Embassy. Breathtaking views over looking Westminster and all of London. It was great to not only spend a great evening with Dwight & Laura but the Papuans were so friendly and fascinated that I was born there. I felt like the prodigal son returning home. They have infectious laughs and a brilliant sense of humour.

In their speeches they thanked New Zealand for letting them use their Penthouse as they don't have the money for such a luxury in London. Apparently the Australian & New Zealand Embassies let them use their facilities regularly which I thought was cool.

The formal proceedings included a family singing the National Anthem and then the high Commissioner gave a wonderful and honest speech about PNG and her role. She seems to be a great lady and was fascinating to talk with afterwards.

After that we just enjoyed meeting those present all with some link to Papua New Guinea including ambassadors. We loved meeting the PNG ambassador to Zambia and a day called OE ( spelt OE) who is the matriarch of the England based Papuans. We met the High Commission staff and overall it was a magnificent experience. We really wish our dad could have been there as he always amazes us with his language skills and can converse easily in both Pidgeon English and Enga. He would have loved it!

Anyway.. I have mainly written this as I know my parents and their missionary friends will enjoy the story. We are now in the loop and look forward to our next night out with the Papuans.

Some summer reflections...

I thought it was time to for a summer blog. London seems to be running smoothly over this Olympic period and I hope you have enjoyed the whole crazy energy.

First I wanted to welcome the many new dancers who have taken the plunge and are immersing themselves in the world of Lindy Hop. It's an exciting adventure and I hope every new step is a great experience for you.

We have a lot to be thankful for at Swing Patrol so I thought I would list my top ten summer highlights so far for this 2012 summer.

1. Lindy Hop in the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics.
2. Lindy Hop as part of the Olympic celebrations.
3. Lindy Hop at the many Summer Festivals
4. The London Swing Festival
5. Herräng Dance Camp  - Sweden
6. London social dancing
7. Our teachers & our venues
8. Hawaii - Sibhe - O
9. The Elusive Ball challenge
10. I got married


1. Lindy Hop in the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics.
Wasn't that amazing?! I don't think any of us ever dreamed Lindy Hop would get such exposure at the largest show on Earth. It was such a buzz for every Lindy Hopper all over the Globe and of course even more of a buzz for the dancers actually involved like Simone, Tessa, Asif, Lisa C, Lisa B, Keith, Barry, and so many others I don't know. It was brilliant!

2. Lindy Hop as part of the Olympic celebrations.
The Olympic Bid we submitted has paid off in many ways. On Thursday August 30th we are dancing in Trafalgar Square. Our daily BT Live Site gigs have been a great experience and for me personally it has been brilliant getting to know some of the dancers better.  How amazing that in the middle of summer we can still find two anchors (usually teachers) and so many dancers every day of the Olympics.

3.Lindy Hop at the many Summer Festivals
Latitude, Wyndstock, Secret Garden Party, Love Box, Camp Bestival were all amazing experiences and we still have Greenbelt, Bestival, Wilderness and Boomtown to come. Isn't that mad? Using a team of now over 80 dancers we have been partying, making new friends and sharing this dance of ours all over the place. The teams have been a combination of our most experienced dancers and many of our up & coming dancers. It has been a really inclusive programme and a great experience for so many.

4. The London Swing Festival
Deserves a mention as it was the start of summer and it was such a special weekend. The teaching line-up for 2013 London Swing Festival is off the hook, with the final teaching team to be announced soon. I am really proud of the team (a large team) and all their work to make this event so special. www.londonswingfestival.co.uk


5. Herräng  Dance Camp  - Sweden
I love this camp and love what it means to the world Lindy Hop community. I have been amazed this year how many Londoners attended and how many are still away. Even on Tuesday when I anchored the BT Live Site team I was so fascinated that half the team had just arrived back from Herrang. Some said it rained the whole time, others had the Herräng flu, some were bitten half to death by mosquitos but in true Lindy Hop fashion…they all loved it.  I think it's the coolest thing that the London crowd are investing in their dancing and getting so involved. We can't wait to have all the team back and hear all about it.


6. London social dancing
Even through summer the dancing continues and this was really highlighted last Sunday. We had to relocate venues at the last minute and after a few phone calls were given permission to run a trial night at the Bedroom Bar. With 4 days notice almost 70 people attended with Sibhe managing her first Sunday evening social. Sibhe raved about the support she got from the teaching team and thanks to the numbers the Bedroom Bar have offered us another evening on Sunday September 9th. Of course I am biased but I think this is all a stunning effort in the middle of summer. I was teaching in Durham so I was sorry to miss the night, especially after the rave reviews.

7. Our teachers & our venues
With so many of our teachers away on holidays or enjoying the Herräng experience we have had to close a couple of venues this summer. But to the credit of the remaining teachers we have kept the classes running professionally & smoothly. I am really proud of the team for this and can't thank them enough. The class planning, admin and teaching efforts is colossal as a group and I just wanted to acknowledge the hard working SP teaching team.


8. Hawaii - Sibhe - O
Sibhe has been supporting me over summer as the main point of contact for Swing Patrol with Fiona on leave. Sibhe has had lot's to learn but her whacky London humour entwined with her gritty determination for excellence has made summer a lot of fun and we are all very fortunate to have Sibhe involved. Behind the scenes Jackie, Kat, Ranall, Jody, Pippa (BBB)  and Laura are also playing important roles for SP.

9. The Elusive Ball challenge
Well we can't have a perfect summer. The slight frustration has been that we had to cancel the Swing Ball. We still have a lot of work to do on this area but never fear…we are on it and enjoying the challenge!

10. I got married
Ok so it's indirectly related to Swing Patrol but I have been quite distracted with getting married just over a month ago. Laura & I have been seriously overwhelmed by the brilliant well wishes from so many of you. I am grateful to the teachers who have been covering extra classes as a result. Naturally my focus has been away from Swing Patrol for a bit so I feel very grateful for the amazing team in London.

So that is my 2 cents written on a train. With troupe starting again soon and dancers starting to arrive back in London it's an exciting few months ahead. If you have read all this guff this far… thanks!

Keeping our scene fresh and accessible.

The word "blogger" embarrasses me as I write something just every few months. Hardly a blogger but since I am on a plane to Australia.. I have time!

So my fiancé Laura and I went up to Leeds for a little get away weekend recently. The arcades and shopping were great but we coincided our weekend away to support Alex Parker and the night he was managing as part of the Leeds University swing dancers. I left the dance completely inspired and it reminded and enforced my vision about what I want for our amazing London Swing Patrol dancers.

This is what I loved about the evening in Leeds:

First of all it had a really friendly vibe. People smiled as you walked past them and people were not only dancing -they were on the sides having a laugh. Was this because it was in the friendly North? I wasn't sure but I was super impressed by the leadership and how they conducted themselves. I watched as they greeted, shook hands, thanked people for coming and took beginners for dances. Any scene is shaped by the leadership.. and this was a positive energy that I loved being in the presence of. It reinforced that our teacher training should always talk about leadership as that is the role our teachers play in so many ways. I see any senior dancer at a social night as a leader. NO it doesn't mean you have to dance with new strangers all night.. but wouldn't it be great if we all made a commitment to ask some newer dancers for a dance at each event.

The jam session was long, entertaining and full of thrills and spills. The dancers were queueing up to jump in and people were grabbing anybody randomly. It was a really organic jam session, and I saw arrange of beginners and top kids involved and it was awesome in terms of raw energy and passion. Some flashy moves and lifts were attempted and not everything was executed as planned.. but that was what made it so cool. Dancers just having a crack with no pressure to be perfect and no concerns in the world that anyone would care. This is how a jam session should be so if you read this and are a new dancer.. a jam session awaits you. Talking to the team up there I learnt later that Cat Foley teaches what a jam session is really early on so it's part of the learning culture for beginners. I love that.

The tranky doo.. did anyone in the room NOT know it when Dipsy Doodle came on? It was a rare sight to see so many jump up for this. Was a cool moment.

The first band was tight and the second group offered variety, dance floor brilliant and seeing friendly faces from Sheffield,  Nottingham, Durham, and so forth was great.

So it steeled my resolve to ensure our social nights have a certain openness and friendliness and that jam sessions are accessible for all and more than anything.. fun! They may not get a million hits on YouTube.. but it will be great for those actually in attendance.  As scenes develop so along comes the preciousness.. I have seen it a few times. So let's look out for the new kids and make sure they feel like the y are in the bubble and not on the outside looking in.

If you have read this far.. I am amazed so thanks.
Scottie :)

History, Frankie and reflections...

So it's almost Christmas which means we started Swing Patrol in London almost three years ago. I am always reflective around this time of year and what a year it has been. We will bang on about the highlights of the year at the end of the year but  the question on my mind is whether we are doing a good job? When we first started Swing Patrol we had a very clear idea about our focus as a school. Taking our inspiration from the history of the dance, we wanted to ensure our teaching captured the joy of the dance, while instilling great technique. We also wanted to build a community of dancers that was a fun, supportive and exciting place to be part of. 

We get accolades for introducing so many new people to the London swing dance community and for staying out of the politics that can arise in any community. We have a pretty strict rule that none of our team say anything negative about other groups, other dance styles, artists and so forth.  Of course what individuals say privately or amongst themselves is well outside our influence…we only ask this when they are representing Swing Patrol, they remain positive.  We get teased and get called " Swing Control" sometimes for things like this but we kind of like this tag. We may not be everybody's cup of tea.. but we do have a certain culture and we like that culture. 

Anyway….focus… back to the main thought… Are we prepared for the year ahead? Well, we are not the group of three years ago. Back then we were thrilled if we just had ten people at a class…now with much larger classes and more venues, our focus needs to be spot on as we move into 2012. I am enjoying the challenge of ensuring our amazing community of dancers are equipped for the great journey ahead. 

We do some things really well…but we could write a long list of things we need to improve on. I am glad to have a team are fully supportive of our vision. The relentless desire to continually review, amend and experiment. I do get a little paranoid at times though and hope our team have enough understanding of the history of the dance. It's so key that all we do. Did I emphasise this enough at teacher training? Perhaps I should have made each teacher read my Frankie Manning book and all my books about the great artists of the day. I have geeked out on books about Lionel Hampton and Duke Ellington. Having said that .. was cool to meet Tanya recently and she was reading her Frankie Manning book on the tube, and without prompting I see our venues teaching Frankie Manning nights, or Harvest Moon themed classes…a great indicator that the team are serious about the history of the dance. Maybe I have no need to worry. :) 

Have I prepared the team well? Do we teach with the right balance of fun, joy and good technique.. and foster a real community spirit at the same time? It may sound cheesy but I wonder what Frankie Manning would think if he were to walk into one of our classes?  I have been fortunate enough to perform in front of Frankie a few times and he was always so affirming…he even made me promise to go and compete in the USA once… so I did. I was driving Frankie around Melbourne once and I will never forget the great insights he gave me and the fascinating things he said. I was amazed about his reflections on how we run classes.. he thought it was a great idea and wondered why that didn't think of running classes like this back in the day. Yes I could barely believe it.. of course back in the day you watched, copied, experimented without the structure we have today… but Frankie liked it! Sort of incredible. Maybe he was just being polite but he was pretty frank about other things that bothered him so I have no reason to assume so.  Ooops. Focus…So would Frankie have liked the classes we run in London? Would he have thought our teachers competent and being great ambassadors of the dance? I think so, but I am naturally biased. I think Frankie would have easily seen that we have a team with a variety of talents. Some are such great community builders and others are the inspiring and world class dancers that make us all want to work harder on this dance we love. 

So I reflect upon our teaching and recently we asked for some feedback from the student base about what they would like to learn and focus on in 2012. I was so pleased to see some history based topics being requested. As we plan and move into the next year.. be assured we are really in tune about our responsibility as scene leaders to ensure our students get a really great historical focus on all we do.  It is a fun thought though that as a community we are indeed part of the history and part of the Lindy Hop story in this modern age. It is the modern day Lindy Hoppers who are dancing, sharing and loving this dance to ensure the legacy continues. I mean the amount of effort to create awareness about this dance is beyond belief. It is a herculean collective team effort and I am proud to be the leader of my team and the chapters we are creating. I should point out that other groups do an amazing job also. Some scene leaders, dancers, individuals inspire me by their love of swing dancing, music and the people in the scene. London is blessed with many many truly great people who dance and work with a variety of Lindy Hop related groups. 

Watch out world.. London is making history.. now.

The unofficial mission statement

The mission statement

I emailed the teaching team the other day with a summary of our mission statement and so many of them commented that it was great to read and useful as well. I thought it might be a good idea to add some things in here also.

1. Once this Dec/Jan/Feb push is over.. we will slow down the opening of new venues and focus on really building what we have.

2. In general our teaching team have some new teachers and teacher training is key and part of the reason that I ( sadly ) relinquished Old Street recently. We have had two teacher training sessions i the last month and another one planned for early December.  There is much still to learn as a collective teaching team and creating an amazing team of teachers is a wonderful and exciting prospect. 

3. Training will also be created for outdoor gigs. We work hard to secure these events so we want to ensure more of our team are equipped to manage and enjoy a public speaking and teaching role. 

4. Once we kick off the new year with our ambitious plan to open 5/6 venues.. and if that goes ok.. we will then work on managing our venues and … creating a stronger dancer at Swing Patrol. The standard is growing no doubt but know we can move the standard more efficiently with the structure we now have.  This will involve more intermediate and advanced workshops including more guests from abroad. 

5. We are still intent on better systems. We have done a lot in 18 months but trying to automate as many systems as possible while still ensuring we offer the great personal relationship through our teaching team. This involved things like scanning registrations at workshop entry and so forth. 

6. Troupe will be a higher standard next year as the general pool of people is higher to choose from. Troupe will play a role in pushing the standard of the dance. 

7. More focus in Balboa ( more than nothing will be easy..:) 

8. More focus on the history of the dance. We already are in contact in what we consider history experts and having them run some guest seminars in 2012 as we really link the new buzz with the original charm. 

9. Streamline our systems. We want to ensure our door staff and volunteers and better supported and this includes better training for them.

10. Risks. This is about a great journey.. and as always we will take some calculated risks and see where that lands us. More on this later.

11.  A continued focus on working with the many great groups around England that think like us and love sharing this dance. We have a wonderful network of groups that we love co-sharing ideas with and that is a great encouragement for all parties to learn from each other. 

Anyway.. these are just a few thoughts to keep you in the loop of where we are heading . I hope they assist or are of interest. 

Scottie :) 

Just feeling greatful.. for an extraordinary team.

What a crazy weekend and one I can and should reflect on. I don't consider myself a blogger .. and certainly wouldn't expect anyone to read my fluff but for me it's a record of my feelings and experiences and I wish I wrote more. 

I taught in Durham all weekend. The dancers in the North are fantastic and a pleasure to work with. They love their dancing and was a really great experience as always. 

Feeling just so grateful and proud. 

I write this on the long train road home on Sunday night. I am missing Red Rhythm and today was an important day for Swing Patrol London. What amazes me is that we have such an extraordinary team to achieve so much this weekend..,. with Fiona ( my admin manager ) in Australia and myself away since Friday. 

First thing on my mind is the troupe auditions. In a packed hall in Angel we had a block buster amount of people try out for troupe. FInding a date for these auditions was impossible. With BBB next weekend and then Ben & Tanya abroad.. this was the best weekend so I made the decision that troupe auditions should proceed without me. I have put a lot of trust in Ben & Tanya and I knew that would do a great job and they cleverly asked Loz, Cam & Erin to assist in the adjudication.  I haven't really heard much at the time of this train trip but I know that Ben & Tanya are very capable organisers and leaders and would have done a super job. 

I am also grateful to the many dancers who put themselves on the line. This is a tough day as many will miss out and not being accepted for something you want can be tough to hear. I am flattered that people want to be in a troupe that our group runs and think it's a testament to the current members and the leadership of the Rhythm Rascals. 

We also had a DJ seminar/workshop and many who really care about the music were involved. Chris Gammie and Loz plus a lot of other well established and up & coming DJs attended and I also can't wait to hear how this went. 

Red Rhythm is on as I write this ( slightly sad ) but  I am completely relaxed as Chris Gammie is in charge and  we have great door and bar staff. This is an epic event to manage as we run the bar and have to abide by some very clear venue guidelines. There was a time where I would not have trusted the reputation of Swing Patrol with anyone else but me.. but this is a ridiculous notion nowadays as truth be told.. event managers like Chris and David Clarke are more thorough than me and always ( without fail ) do a sterling job. I am extremely grateful for this. 

So these are the obvious things that tick.. but what you don't see is the myriad of other things that are going on. I really sit here feeling very fortunate and blessed by the team around me. While I can't confirm any of the following I would place a bet that the following happened this weekend: 

1. Pippa. Blues Baby Blues is this coming weekend so I will bet that Pippa is consumed in the preparations.. all with me not much help in Durham

2. Laura. Our graphic designer has a long list of jobs we have and she will have spent some time this weekend producing draft art work for me to sign off on.

3. Richard. Richard Warner manages our asset register and would have spent time researching and ordering a new system for one of our new venues.. and for us to use at BBB

4. Our teachers.. every teacher would have updated their diary notes, inputted email addresses, loaded You Tube clips and kept an eye on the admin relating to their venue.

5. Our troupe.. had troupe. Despite auditioning .. it was business as usual for our troupe. What a massive day for them. 

6. Gordon. Gordon is working with Asif on the marketing of Putney Bridge. I saw the email exchanges.. lot of planning took place this weekend. 

7. Fiona. You can get that Fiona was still working for Swing patrol at the air port and when she landed in Australia. You will find it hard to meet someone so dedicated as Fiona. 

8. Blues baby Blues team. Janet, Sibhe, Gemma, Laura, David, Robyn etc. 

I haven't listed all the names.. but the team is now in full swing with little time for anything else now. It's 5 sleeps till show time. This Festival simply wouldn't run without these guys. 

9. Two of our teachers danced at an event in Brixton this weekend. Massive thanks to Chris G & Laura. I have no idea what the details were. 

10. Erin and the Sunday afternoon Spitalfields class - 22 people this weekend.. a record for Sunday afternoons. 

11. Social dancers.. Red Rhythm always has 50-90 people. Swinging out on a Sunday night. I love the London scene for their love of social dancing. These dancers make Red Rhythm an awesome night. 

Can you believe all this energy.. and I am out of London. So I am sure you can see .. why on this train trip from Durham to Kings Cross I am feeling very grateful for an amazing team that due to their collective energy create a community that has a buzz and always has a crazy weekend of activity. 

Not sure if anyone will read this.. and ( in my tired state ) after three nights of dancing and two full days of teaching.. I am sure I have missed a few things.. but I am extremely proud, grateful and inspired by the Swing Patrol team.

Scottie 

* currently this train is being held at York until further notice due to signalling problems in Doncaster. Thank goodness for my Kindle.