My dance career began in July, 1998, shortly after I began actively carrying around notebooks to make occasional jottings about my life and events in it (this began in December of 1997). As a result, I have almost 20 years on notes on my off-and-on again time as a swing dancer. I also have a lot of paper I have collected along the way, some of which was nicely filed away. I plan to make some regular releases of my jottings, with appropriate memorabilia.
As I read some of the journals, even at this distance, a lot of what’s written there is still a bit sensitive, and I especially don’t want to say much about the shenanigans of my “Berlin Rat Pack and Dessert Dessert Glee Club”, which existed about the same time as the excerpts here about venues, dancers and bands from July 1998 into early 1999. But this will give you a taste. Most of the posts below are about Berlin, the Lava Lounge, and the Fox and Fiddle in Richmond Hill.
I apologize in advance for some of the arcane language I use to describe followers. I feel no need to edit out my younger self.
July 12, 1998
9:02 A.M.
Don Mills/McNicoll
Suzanne and I went to the Navy Club on Friday to attend an introductory Lindy dance at the Toronto Swing Dance Society. It was excessively hard for me to co-ordinate an 8 count, my feet, my arms, and my partner, but everyone, especially Suzanne, was supportive and we’re going to try again next week. All I have to do is to learn to lead again, for the first time. Perhaps it will be easier in dancing.
September 7, 1998 2:17 A.M.
College/Broadview
Well, the joint was jumping a Lava tonight. Three sets of Jake and the Blue Midnights, the last one with a surprise appearance by Jeff Healey, who plays trumpet. There were a lot of beautiful women, too, and music I understood, yet I still could not summon the nerve to ask anyone to dance.
October 25, 1998
11:46 A.M.
On Cummer Bus
To the Palais where no-one I knew was. Frank Evans Big Band played very nice. A reservation was late arriving at the table next to me. Four ladies, two men – one of the ladies was in her 40s, others much younger. Two of the younger ladies clearly wanted to move with the music, so we danced. They had no idea what they were doing, and I fear I was not leading well. One of the younger ladies had heard about the Palais through a seniors group she worked with. They left at 11:00 P.M. and I left shortly after.
November 18, 1998
7:17 P.M.
Cummer 42 Westbound
Off to Berlin tonight to dance with Rebecca. The last of the free passes for Wednesday swing nights.
9:10 A.M. December 9, 1998
Finch-Leslie Square
Last night I checked out the Fox and Fiddle in Richmond Hill. A nice place, if a bit smoky. The teachers there do East Coast and call it Jive, but that’s no surprise. Some of the Dancing on King crowd were there, but I ended up dancing with Tanya, a 30-something who had divorced for six years and was celebrating her birthday. She even asked me to slow dance to “It’s a Wonderful World”, which apparently is the same tune she danced to with her father on her wedding night. She was fun to dance with, but during the second break she chatted someone up at the bar and my job was apparently done. I did attempt to convince the D.O.K. people that they were obligated to dance with the birthday girl, but no-one did so.
Wednesday December 16, 1998
8:21 P.M.
Don Mills/McNicoll
I was lying down and consulting my Betty Cornell “All About Boys” when I decided that I should go to Berlin after all. I thought it would pass until the new year, but apparently not. The last time I went alone it proved to be a disaster. Let’s see if it is better this time.
8:24 On Cummer Bus
Fox and Fiddle last night was a washout – no divorcees, and of the two girls I asked, one said yes, with the admonition that there were other women in the room [2017 note – I have never asked her to dance since.] The one that said no said she was a terrible dancer, but proceeded to dance with two other boys. That hurts, of course.
11:45 P.M.
Yonge Subway Northbound.
Another milestone. It may have taken me until the second set, but I asked two girls to dance, and almost managed a third except she saw me looking and met me halfway. All three dances were ECS, and they were fine. Only caught the name of one of them, which I promptly forgot. But it’s another step down the road.
Wednesday December 23,1998 11:46 P.M.
Yonge Northbound.
The band at Berlin tonight – Alligator Pie – was good. A few ladies were willing. The D.J., however, was spinning unadulterated shit from the disco era at a next-to-deafening volume. I don’t understand how this happens at swing nights.
Wednesday December 30, 1998
Cummer 42 Westbound
At the Fox and Fiddle last night two women asked me to Lindy. One of them was a teacher, to be starting at Berlin tonight. The other as learning on the floor, and had been for months. Then Tanya showed up, the divorcee from a few weeks ago. She even remembered my name. She was there on a blind date, but her date showed up late and didn’t dance, so we were able to get some in.
12:09 A.M. Thursday December 31st
Had a good first set and a half at Berlin. A table of teenagers with energy got up and danced, and I explored four of them, one of them a Lisa Loeb lookalike. The Lindy teacher at Berlin also took me for a spin or two. Then the band got funky, the D.J. got weird and they didn’t have “Tuxedo Junction.” Wipeout.
January 5, 1999
8:45
Fox and Fiddle, Richmond Hill
Not my first gig of the year. After Lindy lesson last night (Finally the 1B class slows down after the frenetic pace of December) I lumbered over to Chick N’ Deli at Mount Pleasant/Eglinton, where Whitney Smith and his Big Steam Band were holding court. Some of the gang there. The floor at Chick N’ Deli was small enough, and the Big Steam Band spilled out onto it, making for an intimate gig, but meaning there was only room for two or three couples to dance. There were a clutch of cute young things dancing with each other, but I was too tired to ask anyone to dance. Around midnight Miss Kuzmich sang “Round Midnight” very well, and that was a wrap.
January 6, 1999
7:47 P.M.
Cummer 42
To Berlin tonight. Last night at Fox and Fiddle, Tanya showed up, without a date. She was later joined by Tasha, her sister, to whom I was introduced as “my dance partner here”. Tonight, Tanya was all criticism of my leading, saying it wasn’t aggressive enough. She never looks me in the eye when we dance. Her daughter is still looking for “a new daddy”. Her ex-husband goes to Berlin on Wednesdays. The joint was dead for the first set, then got a little livelier later. Tanya drinks and smokes a lot. But she’s willing to dance.
Monday, January 11, 1999
1:00 A.M.
25 Bus at Pape Station
Burning at both ends, but worth it. Lava busy, with more dancers there than I’ve seen in a long time. City T.V.shows up and Sol Douglas dances with the broadcasting broad (it doesn’t work – she tries to lead). Sol in good spirits. Jody also there, tells Sol she needs a “stern talking to”. Sol apparently obliges, and after the break the two of them dance to “Caravan”, which Jake and the Blue Midnights pull off admirably. But why must this happen on Sunday?
Thursday, January 21, 1999
8:39 A.M.
Cummer/Bayview
On the whole, the Rat Pack performed admirably in its return to Berlin. Today, CIBC shareholders meeting and Janice Hagan in the evening. I might even get some work in between done.
11:17 P.M.
Bathurst and Queen, Northbound
Janice Hagan is bang-on, but it takes me forever to decide to dance, so I only dance twice. A huge crowd is arriving as I am leaving. In the lobby, a fine lady is complaining to a chic 40s type that no-one ever asks her to dance, for what she thinks is her tattoos. I don’t butt in.
Thursday, February 18, 1999
6:02 P.M.
Central Tech
Indifferent night at Berlin yesterday. The smoke from the suits at the Network Network is too thick and the floor is crowded by dancers who don’t look where they are going.