10 Questions With...

[swingdj]

Stay tuned to this thread....each week will be ask 10 questions to a WCS Pro and WCS DJ...

[swingdj]

10 Questions With....The Incomparable John Festa...http://re3.yt-thm-a01.yimg.com/image/25/m6/3560729486 (http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0WTefbIAM5HNgoBdmmJzbkF;_ylu=X3oDMTBpdnJhMHU zBHBvcwMxBHNlYwNzcgR2dGlkAw--/SIG=1g700tbul/EXP=1204769352/**http%3A//images.search.yahoo.com/search/images/view%3Fback=http%253A%252F%252Fimages.search.yahoo .com%252Fsearch%252Fimages%253Fp%253Djohn%252Bfest a%2526fr%253Dyfp-t-501%2526toggle%253D1%2526cop%253Dmss%2526ei%253DUT F-8%26w=169%26h=173%26imgurl=www.twirlthegirl.com%25 2FJOHN%252520FESTA-2_1.jpg%26rurl=http%253A%252F%252Fwww.twirlthegirl .com%252FFESTA%252520%2526amp%253B%252520LINDO%252 5202-25-06.htm%26size=15.5kB%26name=JOHN%20FESTA-2_1.jpg%26p=john%20festa%26type=JPG%26oid=fa8c7d56 34b8cc46%26no=1&tt=924)

1. How long have you been dancing West Coast Swing?
I’ve been dancing WCS since about 1992 or so. That was the year I competed with Debbie Ramsey at the US Open. Prior to that I was a lindy dancer (see #2).

2. What got you interested in West Coast Swing?
I came to WCS from Lindy Hop. I had been dancing for about 5 years at the time when Mario was brought into one of the first swing weekends in the Northeast. I watched him and his partner dance and thought: ‘That don’t swing a lick’. But the music was so exciting to me that I had a soft migration west (ie). I never took lessons, just squeezed my lindy circle into a slot and away we went.

3. How Long have you been a WCS DJ?
I started djing the local lindy dances around 1990 or so. I began my first weekly dance in 1992 at a place then called Doda’s on West 20th street. It’s now a strip club. About a year after that, I moved the dance to the now famous North River Bar, opening on March 23, 1993. The River closed on June 5th, 2000. So, I’ve been djing for approximately 18 years or so.

4. What got you interested in becoming a WCS DJ?
MUSIC MUSIC MUSIC
I have always been happily consumed by music. It is one of the greatest joys of my life to play music for dancers. I love sharing what I think is fantastic about a song to a roomful of eager and happy dancers. The love that ensues is magnificent.

5. How has this dance changed since you first came unto the scene?
When I first started WCS, it swung much more. It was very much closer to lindy hop, simply squeezed into a slot. We danced much faster then with a stronger connection. The focus in those days was much more footwork oriented. The dance was invented by tap dancers, after all. Then the connection got lighter (as the music slowed -- and thumped). And the focus of the dance nowadays seems to be body movement instead of foot work.

6. How has the music changed since you first came into the scene?
Clearly the music has changed drastically over the many years. The first notable change started in the very late 90’s. Much more pop and ‘other-than’ music began being heard — and enjoyed. I must say I did more than my share of introducing a new sound. It was very exciting at the time. But even though it was not traditional, the music had a swing, an easy bounce that worked well with the dance. Then, once Pandora’s Box had been opened, the discretion of what swings and what doesn’t became blurred. The advent of ubiquitous hip hop further affected what we dance to. Nowadays it is the norm to hear pure hip hop or rap at WCS dances.

7. Do you think the dance is going in the right direction?
The right direction depends on what we like. What is happening mostly today does not appeal to my tastes or my talents. I love swing dancing. I love footwork. I love the connection of 2 swinging bodies. I love the sound of musicians —not a computer programmer —bringing forth a wall of sound. So for me the change has not been great. But I am a man without a country. I seemingly stand alone. The new sound, the new dance has taken over. And you can not un-ring a bell.

8. What are you comments on judging these days?
Judging has become an all but iimpossible task today. In order to judge effectively, one must define what is being judged. Therein based on the definition, one can opine who has done a better job of bringing forth that essence. West Coast Swing today is beyond definition, more accurately undefinable. Anything that anyone says is WCS, is WCS. Everything is WCS. (Hence, philosophically, nothing is WCS. ) Any song that anyone says is a great WCS song, is so. So on what do judges base their scores? Best show or the crowd-pleasers often win, further reinforcing the formless quality of todays WCS.

9. Who do you feel examplifies West Coast Swing and why?
There is no example of WCS. My WCS is drastically different than the dancer dancing next to me. It has become a bastion of self-expression rather than a structured partner dance. Some say that is the dance’s strong point. It is done to any music with any style of dance. I believe something precious is at risk of being lost.

10. Other than teaching, dancing and Dee Jaying West Coast Swing....what do you do?
I recently started a womens apparel manufacturing company (www.corsetrybyjohnfesta.com (http://www.corsetrybyjohnfesta.com)). It has been a tough row to hoe—I thought I knew more than I do!-- but it is very exciting. I have also started my own swing convention, the Hudson Swing Affair (www.HudsonSwingAffair.com (http://www.HudsonSwingAffair.com)) with the inauguration being Labor Day of this year. I am working hard at making it special, unique and downright fun. Beyond that, music, clothes, family and my dog Mike.

Thanks for the opportunity. Swing on . . .

[-festa-]

Oh NO .... where'd you get that picture? it must go .....

[dancin_weezie]

John, you have a BEAUTIFUL smile. I like the pic :)

[Scott S.]

John, your feelings are being echoed all over. From forums on two sites to face to face discussions, the question is being asked everywhere. "What happened to the *swing* in WCS???"

As a would-be DJ, I'm accenting my collection with a lot of the old blues and butt-bumpin' R&B. I'm not sure why it's disappeared because whenever it's played, people still pack the floor.

[swingdj]

Oh NO .... where'd you get that picture? it must go .....

OK....send me a better picture....:)

[swingdj]

10 Questions with...DJ...Ray Coker http://www.bawdc.org/images/coker.jpg

1. How long have you been dancing West Coast Swing?
22 Years


2. What got you interested in West Coast Swing?
Saw the Whip being danced in early '86... Whip has since evolved into WCS.


3. How Long have you been a WCS DJ?
19 years and counting!


4. What got you interested in becoming a WCS DJ?
Our dance club bought DJ equipment and I had the most music so I became the DJ. Shortly after, and me being hooked on DJing, Warren Jenny retired from DJing. I bought his equipment and have been on the fast track since. I switched from cds to a laptop and am now considering moving to the iPod.


5. How has this dance changed since you first came unto the scene?
The dance has evolved from the Bar Room to the Ball Room. I like the change. The instruction has vastly improved.


6. How has the music changed since you first came into the scene?
The overall music is slower and as I age, I prefer it slower. http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/tsmileys2/04.gif Pop music is more acceptable than when I started and more good jazz is being played. The tastes seem to change with the Pro's comp. music.


7. Do you think the dance is going in the right direction?
I think the dance is moving in the right direction. However, as great as the pros are, it concerns me that social dancers are working too hard to pull off some of the tricks the great pros are performing. Everyone wants to dance like the Pros.


8. What are you comments on judging these days?
Judging is very difficult at best... being fair, judging friends, spouses etc. I personally don't like the idea of disclosing the names of judges with individual judge sheets. If you have a friend dancing in a contest you are judging and knowing they will know how you score, will you score them the way you should. Just a concern of mine.


9. Who do you feel exemplifies West Coast Swing and why?
Mary Ann Nunez and Mario Robau. They both stay within the boundaries of WCS. Both are great ambassadors of the dance.


10. Other than teaching, dancing and Dee Jaying West Coast Swing....what do you do?
I am retired and enjoying my grand babies. I have two with one another on the way. One in Raleigh NC and one here in Houston.