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When the Big Apple Came to St. Louis
by Christian Frommelt Albert Murray writes that innovations in jazz music have far less to do with originality, and much more to do with how musicians use counterstatement and variation through existing conventions. What Black dancers in South Carolina did with existing conventions is precisely what made the Big Apple so electrifying to the dancing…
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The Rendas: First Generation Immigrants Dancing Swing in St. Louis
by Christian Frommelt Eva (nee Giaraffa) and Joe Renda, born in 1922 and 1923 respectively, were life-long St. Louisans and purveyors of the dialects of swing dance known today as Imperial Swing and St. Louis Shag. As children of Sicilian immigrants growing up near Downtown St. Louis’ Little Italy district, the Rendas’ story resonates with…
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“Every Night, Twice on Sundays”: The Story of St. Louis Swing Dancer Tommy Russo
By Christian Frommelt During the first few decades of the twentieth century rows of tenement houses radiated west from the Mississippi River and north from the garment district of Downtown St. Louis. The city contained more than two and a half times its current population. A near constant fog of coal smoke darkened the sky, assassin…
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Before Shag They Danced Finale Hop, Flea Hop, and the St. Louis Hop Toddle
by Christian Frommelt There is magic in performing swing dances in public. Inevitably, some audience members will themselves be dancers, or carry with them the legend of how their parents met dancing in one of the old ballrooms. Following a demonstration of several swing dance styles at an Eden Seminary concert series in St. Louis…
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St. Louis Shag 