Fieldwork Diary Entry (January 11, 2013)

I start my fieldwork project today.  Tonight I attend Rosaria's Charleston classes at the Cockpit Theatre.  It feels odd to be starting fieldwork without having attended any of the module lectures; a bit of the cart before the horse so to speak.  Perhaps the fieldwork module should be the very first compulsory unit that all MA Dance Anthropology students are required to take.  Reason being that if fieldwork isn't something you take to, is anthropology something you really ought to be studying?

It is also odd that I am conducting my fieldwork with Rosaria in solo Charleston.  I'm aware that because of my previous study with her at City Lit,  I am not coming to the field with 'fresh' eyes.  I enter the field already loaded with my own assumptions and that of Rosaria about me.  I already will know some of the other students too.  In addition, this course is pretty much a repeat of what I did with her at City Lit which has pros and cons for fieldwork.  It's good in that my familiarity with the moves/technique will hopefully allow me to be more detached and focus on observing the macrocosm of what is happening in the field.   But it is bad in that the experience of learning the technique this time round will not be new and fresh.  The other odd thing is that Charleston is such a carefree dance.  It will be hard to be carefree when having to observe, assess, analyse and concentrate for the one hour class.

The Cockpit Theatre is situated off Church Street in Marylebone.  From an initial  impression, the length of Church Street spans a wide socio-economic spectrum.  At one end there are council houses and small shops selling cheap home wares and an East London style street market.  The other end houses high-end retailers; expensive antique dealers and vintage shops.  Even though it is only 6pm as I walk from Edgware Road station to the theatre, it is already dark being winter.  I make a mental note to catch a cab back to the station after class as I am not familiar with the area and it feels slightly dodgy.

I enter the foyer of the theatre to find Rosaria and another student Lynn, chatting over coffee.  I know Lynn from the Charleston course at City Lit.  Rosaria greets me with a hug.  She seems excited that I am researching the Charleston.  I know from my time as her student at City Lit that Rosaria is a strong and vocal advocate of Charleston and other vintage dances. We fall into a conversation about the lack of regular solo Charleston classes or social nights available in London. Rosaria says that the only social nights where you can dance the Charleston are swing dance nights where they may play some Charleston music during the night. She mentioned that she would love to set up a social night for the Charleston, building on the interest and momentum from her classes. I said if she did this, I would attend and help her spread the word.

A bit about Rosaria and Lynn. Rosaria Sativa is the teacher of the solo Charleston course. She looks to be in her late forties and is of Italian heritage. Her background in dance is extensive; information I have gleaned from her website.  She is dressed in vintage rehearsal fashion, something that will continue throughout the course. She wears a head band with some sort of camisole slip and tights and or leggings.  She will encourage the class to dress up similarly, to enter into the spirit of the era of the dances we are learning.  Some students will do this but others, like me will not.  I am interested in the solo Charleston form, not the 'vintageness' of it.  My standard dress for the class will be a t-shirt, jeans and ballroom dance shoes with a low heel.

Lynn looks to be a woman in her 60's and of Anglo-Saxon descent. She too is dressed vintage style in a 1920s style flapper smock, tights and flat shoes.   Before starting the fieldwork I had decided to be covert about my research so as to access the information required, i.e. interviews, questionnaires. I told Lynn about my fieldwork project and asked if she would mind being filmed and also fill in a consent form. She was very enthusiastic and after agreeing to both, she  told me that she liked dancing the Charleston compared to other dance forms she had tried (ballet, contemporary, salsa) because the moves and the music of the Charleston made her feel free and liberated.  It was also a nostalgic thing for her as the noise of the shoes on the floor during Charleston dancing reminded her of her childhood which was spent in the Windmill Theatre.  Lynn then told me all about her aunt, Linda Mattel who worked at the Windmill.  Lynn would go there after school to see her aunt and watch all the showgirls rehearse on stage.  The noise of their dancing feet being  a childhood soundtrack for her. 

Shortly after some other students arrived.  Jane, a lady in her 40's who had also attended the classes at City Lit.  A Spanish female looking to be in her early 30's called Otila and a couple from Australia called  David and Georgina.  The class totalled six in all, including me. I spoke to everyone prior to the class starting about my fieldwork and what I would be doing in class. Everyone gave me their verbal consent and signed my consent forms.  They all agreed to be filmed apart from Jane who said she was happy to fill in my questionnaire but felt uncomfortable being filmed.

The studio space allocated at Cockpit is adequate for a class of six. I wonder about the low numbers as the course I attended at City Lit had an average of 16-19 people at each class. I suspect that it is the time (Friday evening) and somewhat remote location of the venue that has caused this. The studio dance flooring  and mirrors at the front. Apart from Rosaria and Lynn, everyone else is dressed in regular street clothes or exercise type clothes, e.g. Jane dresses in 3/4 leggings and a t-shirt.



Students ready to Charleston!

The Class

Warm up

Rosaria starts the class with a 5 minute warm up. Facing the mirror, she guides everyone through the following moves:

Hip circles

Similar to hula hooping but in slow motion. Upper and lower body stil with the torso, led by the hips rotating in a circular motion.

Demonstrating Hip Circles

Dosey doe with the feet (or Fancy feet)

The feet start flat on the floor. Lift one foot up and invert from the ankle so the tip of the toe only touches the floor. The motion is then reversed where the foot is flexed and only the heel touches the floor. The leg inverses from the hip and then rotate outwards, following the movement.

Hip pushes to each side

A travelling step. Torso facing the direction you are moving, you lead and step onto the leg that is the direction you want to go. Putting weight onto that leg, you thrust your hip and bum out before stepping in with the back foot.

Boogie forward and back

A travelling step moving backwards and forwards. Starting with feet hip width apart and keeping the upper body still, you lift one leg, led by the knee upwards towards the chest to a 45 degree angle. Then rotating outwards from the hip, you move the leg in the same shape to a 90 degree (if possible) to the side before putting the leg down. Repeat on alternate legs moving forward and back.

Fishtail

A travelling step moving backwards. Sticking out your bum, with torso forward and knees bent, shift weight onto one leg with hip jutted out. Step backwards with free foot and transfer weight onto other leg and repeat. The feet slide backwards on the floor

                                        Rosaria demonstrating Hip pushes, Boogie forward and Fishtail

Tick Tock

A pose whereby you invert the legs so that the knees touch and tips of toes face one another. This rotated so that the feet face away from open another in legs are in a first plié position.  Repeat.

Tick-tock

As I chose to participate in this class, I realised quickly  that it will be very hard to record the dance moves in retrospect. Whilst I am familiar with the moves, I cannot break them down quickly in a recording way whilst also participating.  Even if I weren't participating, it would be very hard to do. Rosaria teaches at a quick pace and the need for filming becomes apparent to me.

Introduction of Movements

Rosaria then teaches us specific Charleston moves and phrases. In this class, we covered the following:

Basic Charleston step

Step forward onto right leg and at then lift left leg off the floor and swing forward, tapping left foot onto the ground in line with the right foot (as if on a tightrope). Then swing left foot back behind the right foot, transfer right into the left foot and swing right foot back and tap right foot in line with the left foot.  Both feet are continually buoyant throughout, almost bouncing as it were but never quite off the ground.  Arms swing perpendicular side to side. Repeat many times. Rosaria explained that in the American style of this move, the torso is held much more upright compared to the African style where the torso is slouched and lower.

Basic Charleston step with foot swivel

Exact same step as above but both feet swivel in and out at the ankle as well.  

Granny knees

Iconic Charleston move, also called Bee's Knees amongst other names.  Said to be named after Bee Jackson who performed the Charleston in London at the Piccadilly Hotel in 1925.  Start by inverting the knees so they touch and you are in a knocked-kneed position with feet hip width apart. Bring the knees together and apart, feet remaining still. The arms are straight, with hands placed over the knees. When the knees come together in the knock-knee position, quickly switch over the hands to the opposite knee.

Windmill Arms

Both arms hang loosely alongside the body. From the shoulder, swing one arm in a full circle from the front of body to back. keeping it straight. Reverse the orientation. Repeat with other arm. Then do with both arms swinging in tandem.





Demonstrating Windmill Arms



Josephine Baker

Feet hip width apart with hands on hips, rise onto the balls of the feet and transfer the weight between feet in a  fast triplet rhythm whilst undulating the hips. Turn on the spot as you execute this movement.

Black Bottom

Feet hip width apart in semi squat. Bend over from the torso, swing one arm over your head to touch the ground, and then the other arm. Straighten up torso to standing, swinging one arm back to place hand on hip and then the other arm.

Propeller

A personal favourite.  With feet wide apart and torso positioned forward,  lift one foot off the ground and rotate the lower leg from the knee in a circular, propeller-like motion. 

Around the World, Black Bottom & Josephine Baker

Throughout this section of the class, Rosaria repeatedly emphasised that Charleston is about the feet moving very quickly with sudden transfers of weight.  That the body must always remain low, not upright.  Slouching is ideal as this allows for a more fluid and faster progression from one step to another. She emphasised the importance of the music and encourages us to  tap in to the rhythm and beat of the music.  And to dance "big and crazy".  

Big and crazy appeals to me right now.  I am in need of a dance form that allows for uninhibited craziness.  I have studied a plethora of dance forms but none have made me laugh spontaneously or feel happy like the Charleston.  I notice much laughing  and sharing of smiles throughout the class from other students.  As much as this can be attributed to Rosaria's enthusiasm and skill at teaching, I believe it is also as much the nature of the dance in that it encourages fun and silliness. 

I wrote up these notes post class and upon reflection, I know I will need to film and film quickly as it is only a six week course, of one hour classes.  Six hours is not a lot and I already know I will have to miss the last class as my daughter is having a brain scan the same day. 

I am planning to invite a friend along next week to film the class while I participate. I leave the class feeling very positive about the fieldwork.  Everyone so far has been supportive and Rosaria seems happy that someone is taking such an interest in Charleston.