Section C · Page 2
The University Daily Kansan
Friday. October 30,1998
Two swing dancers show their stuff on the dance floor. Although swing-dancing women in the '90s wear authentic clothing, the men's styles usually are incorrect. Photo by Matt Dougherty/KANSAN
Fashion flashback flops
Zoot suit was political statement in 1940s not dancing costume
By Jennifer Polsinelli special to Kansan
Every Sunday night about 125 young men shuffle into the Bottleneck wearing baggy suits, wing-tipped shoes, and wide-trimmed, narrow-crowned hats
— what swing kids wore in the 1940's, right?
Wrong, said those who remembered swing in the 40s.
"We would go out in slacks, pleated in front, slightly fuller than they are today, a belt, and a sleeveless sweater," he said.
Paul Chambers, Missouri Western State College dance instructor, recalled the days when guys wore anything but zoot suits.
According to Chambers, zoot-suits were hideous because they were baggy, showing no form to the body and used gaudy colors
The zoot suit meant something different in the 40s. According to the Journal of Negro History, zoot suits were worn by black urban youths when the fashion appeared on the scene in 1940. "Zoot" was a rebellion against accepted dress and musical styles.
"Every generation, there's a segment of the population that create a fad, people usually identify with the outcasts, as with the case of zoot suits," said Chambers.
Even though today's male swing dancers are not dressing according to '40s fashion, the women are right on. In the '40s, Chambers remembers women wearing long full skirts that were form-fitting at the waist, decal blouses, and sweaters. After the war was over, women started wearing poodle skirts, scarves in their hair, and bobby socks.
Josh Hunt, DJ for Swingset at the Bottleneck, described women
"Girls are wearing any number of things from the '50s sock-hop look to the more conservative sweater sets and long full skirts," he said.
copying that trend.
The fun of the Cherry Popping Daddies' "Zoot Suit Riot" actually hides a darker fashion history. According to the Journal of Negro History, the zoot-suit riot that occurred in Los Angeles during the 1940s was a display of racial prejudice among the police and the press. The rioters were American soldiers and sailors who beat and stripped zoot suiters of their clothing.
Citizens of Los Angeles created an atmosphere, identified scapegoats, encouraged the vigilantes and punished Mexican-Americans for allegedly molesting white soldiers' wives and girlfriends, mugging servicemen and violating wartime dress codes.
The 112 Mexican-Americans suffered serious injuries, compared to 16 servicemen and four non-Hispanic civilians. It was estimated that 135 more people were injured but did not seek help at hospitals.
The zoot-suit itself became the center of the issue. It became the focus of debate in 1942 when the Los Angeles City Council passed a resolution outlawing the zoot suit. Critics asked that vendors be prosecuted since the suits used too much material in a time of rationing.
Ninety-four Mexican-Americans were taken to jail, while 20 servicemen and 30 non-Hispanic citizens were incarcerated.
The zoot suit in the '40s was an outfit that only a sliver of the American people wore. Swingers in the '40s were conservative outfits that did not draw nearly as much attention.
Top: A couple whirls to the sound of swing music. Above: Two dancers swing in more modern dress. Photos by Matt Dougherty/KANSAN
Dance moves in full swing around town
Continued from page 1B
Sometimes going all-out with entertainment and style is a good way to go too. Warriner said.
play music you can really dance to," said Kepa. "It's a little slower, so you can actually put moves in and it's not 'flash and trash,' which is done to fast music."
"It's old-style swing; they'll really put on a show," she said of the Dave Stephens Swing Orchestra. "They'll have bubble machines, cap guns, whistles, and they'll shoot fire. They also use a 'Marvinizer' which distorts your voice — they're the only ones I've ever seen use it — and they wear tuxedos."
So why is an old style of dance showing up in the 1990s? People can probably thank dance troupes, such as Whitey's Lindy Hoppers, said Warriner.
They are the ones who did swing with lots of jumps and aerials, which made it really popular so that it spread out of New York," said Warriner.
Other inspirations include one of the original members of the Wits Lindy Hoppers, Frankie Manning, 84, who still offers lessons, workshops and even has videos out nationally.
No matter how old swing may be,
seems new because it is really a freestyle kind of dancing. Kepka said.
"The beautiful thing about swing is that you can make up your own moves and you can put as much pizzazz and panache in it as you want." she said.
KU Ballroom Dance Club will be offering swing lessons on November 1 and 8 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Kansas Union in either the Ballroom or Kansas Room.
Lawrence musical acts depend on hometown crowd to keep the beat
Musicians balance work and performances hoping to achieve success on the stage
By Mike Miller Kansan correspondent
the paths local bands travel can be radically different from one another, but the destination and results invariably are the same.
Bands' music may be based on rhythm and blues, hard rock or punk, but with several musical venues available in downtown Lawrence, such as the Jazzhaus, 926 1/2 Massachusetts St., the Bottleneck, 737 New Hampshire St., and the Replay Lounge, 946 Massacusetts St., bands always can find an audience.
"I might field 40 calls or receive 10 promo kits a day from bands; it's never a problem filling days," said Rick McNeally, scheduling manager at the Jazzhaus.
reaturing blues, jazz and folk rock, the Jazzhaus has shows Wednesday through Saturday, McNeally said, and 40 percent of those acts are local bands.
After hooking up at a party and jamming together, members of the Sugadad-
dies grabbed their name from a Jackson 5 song. Describing their music as mix of Earth, Wind and Fire, John Coltrane and Aretha Franklin, their performances appeal to a large local following. Sporting a bass guitar, lead guitar, keyboards, drums, tenor and alto saxophones, trumpet, congas and auxiliary percussion, the Sugadaddies are one of the larger bands in the area.
The Sugadaddies have managed to play once a week at local bars, even though eight of their 10 members are younger than 21.
"It makes it harder for us to play at some places, but usually the management is pretty cooperative about us playing despite our ages," said Jaimie Turner, the band's lead singer.
Tawni Freeland, of the Glitter Kicks, another local band, said writing songs for fans was like sharing her thoughts.
Freeland started with another band before meeting Ed Rose, guitarist for the Glitter Kicks.
"It's great when the fans can relate to our songs," she said.
The Glitter Kicks have been together for almost seven months. Members try to find time to practice between 60-hour work weeks and performances every weekend in the Lawrence area.
Enormous amounts of work become the norm for band members, whether playing while in school or trying to make a living after college. Despite this, most musicians say their music is what keeps them together.
The members of Danger Bob have been playing together for six years. They started in bars and developed their music through the years by moving on to different venues.
Although the band's members have gotten involved with other projects recently, they still get together a couple of times a month to play.
Bands without a great sound still can break through with a large fan base. But even if a band is great, greatness is an arbitrary term, McNeally said.
"I try to give the local musicians a chance, but ultimately what makes them successful is if people like them and they want to come see them play," he said.
Thulium's bass player Drew Scoffield and guitarist Brian Chesen rock the Bottleneck with their fast paced alternative music. The five person local band performs at clubs in Kansas City, Lawrence, and Manhattan. Photos by Matt Dougherty/KANSAN
We have everything but the players themselves.
Downtown @ 837 Mass 842-2442
- Full line of KU and pro merchandise and apparel
* Workout and casual apparel
- Over 300 styles of hair,
including 100 KU, college and
all pro teams
- 150 shoe styles to choose from
- Workout and casual apparel
M-W 9:30-7
Thur 8:30-8
Fri 9-6
Sat 9:30-6
Sun I2-5
DRINK SPECIALS
pitchers $2.25
$2.50 Bloody Marys SUN 75¢ draws
$3.50 pitchers MON
NIGHTS AND
520 WISCONSIN 842-9445
FOOD SPECIALS
DAY free burger bar 5 pm
DAY burger,fries,and a draw $3.00
DAY 25¢Wings extra hot on request
DAYS OF
4
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