Dance Recital 2012

Clockwise from top: Sweet dancers open the show; Glinda, the Good Witch, dances; Little Scarecrows dancing; Dorothy & a jitterbug; and more adorable dancers.

For the last several years, I have been invited to take pictures at the annual dance recital for Miss Heather's School of Dance. That comes with the territory when you're the uncle of a one-time student and current teacher at the school. This year, they chose the theme to be The Wizard of Oz, using music from the movie, as well as a few other sources. So I thought I would share the pictures and a couple of songs from the movie, only done by different artists. I will lead off with The Divine Miss M, Bette Midler, with a cut off the Bette Midler album of 1973, a medley of "Optimistic Voices" and "Lullaby of Broadway".

Clockwise from top: Precious Tin Woodsmen; Dorothy, Toto & the Scarecrow long for a brain; could the girls be any cuter?; Little lions and lionesses take to the stage; and Dorothy, the Cowardly Lion, Tin Woodsman & others leaping.

Perhaps the only person who might be able to put as much into "Over The Rainbow" as Judy Garland is Philadelphia's own, Miss Patti LaBelle. So when I first heard her version of the song owned by Judy for several decades, I was blown away. Listen while you look at pictures of the dancers, from toddlers to adults, as they have fun on the stage at the Delaware State College.

Clockwise from top: The Wicked Witch is cute and can dance; the henchmen of the Wicked Witch; and The Flying Monkeys.

I just love the version of "If I Only Had A Brain" by Elvis Costello, with some great guitar work from noted musician Bill Frisell. This is from a 2009 broadcast of a special with Pop stars singing the great score by Harold Arlen and E.Y. "Yip" Harburg. Listen, and continue to enjoy the pictures.

Clockwise from top: Hip-Hop dancers join the festivities; the instructors join in, and a group takes on Modern Dance.

Patti LaBelle & Cyndi Lauper Make Sweet Music

It is tough for me to think of a more unlikely duo than the soulful Patti LaBelle and the quirky Cyndi Lauper. But as soon as they give voice to the song, you realize you have sold both far too short. Patti uses her remarkable instrument in ways few can. Cyndi might have that odd sound to her voice, but when she lifts it up, she creates a breath-taking music. Here they are appearing on a show Patti had back in 1985. Enjoy as they sing Patti's great hit, "Lady Marmalade."



It seems that turnabout is fair play, and soon the duo is tackling an early hit by Lauper, "Time After Time." I think it is rather brilliant the way they play off one another, and create an interesting jazz-infused version of the Pop classic. Give a fresh listen to "Time After Time."



Hope you are looking forward to the long weekend!

Friday Night Disco

Clockwise: Aretha Franklin; Paul Hardcastle; Exposé; Patti LaBelle; and Kool & the Gang.

If you were planning to go out dancing on a Friday night in 1985, these are some of the songs you would be guaranteed to be shaking you groove thang to. I would know, for while living in New York City, I might have been known to go out on the occasional weekend. I might slip out to dance a little at The Monster in the West Village, or maybe a few other clubs. Sure, I was more likely to be found at the Marie's Crisis or the Duplex, standing around sipping a drink when the piano bar was at full throttle, but there were a few times. Don't trust me? So, I consulted the Billboard Dance chart for 1985, and discovered these were the top songs of the year. I'll start with the #5 song of the dance year, sung by the Queen of Soul, Miss Aretha Franklin. Her Freeway Of Love is just a fun delight, and one song I definitely remember having fun to on the dance floor with some friends.



The #4 song for the year was by an English musician and composer best known for his sizzling synthesizer tracks. Paul Hardcastle also could combine politics with his art, as he did with Nineteen. The song, a statement on America's involvement in the war in Vietnam and the soldiers who returned from it, became an international dance hit. Hardcastle had other dance hits, as well as success in the smooth jazz genre.



If you wanted a smooth R&B sound, you didn't have to look further than the great sounds of Kool & the Gang. The group first formed in the Jazziacs in the early 60s, devoting their talents to making jazz. By 1969, they became Kool & the Gang, and began moving in the direction of R&B. Fifteen years later, they were still making great music, and had the #3 dance song for 1985, Fresh.



In 1984, Miami disc jockey and producer Lewis Martineé went about to make a dance band. He found Sandra Casañas, Alejandra Lorenzo, and Laurie Miller and called the group X-Posed. The group had a big club hit withPoint of No Return. That lead to the band being signed by a big label. As they recorded their first album, the label decided to go in a different direction, and Ann Curless, Jeanette Jurado, and Gioia Bruno became Exposé, the new name for the group. And here they are with the #2 dance song for 1985.



From the start of her career, it was impossible to put Patti LaBelle's talent into one category or another. The Philadelphia native first came into the public eye as part of the supergroup LaBelle with Nona Hendryx and Sarah Dash. Their performance of Lady Marmalade remains unequaled. In the late 70s, the group disbanded and Patti started making a solo career. And in 1985, she had the top dance song of the year with New Attitude, her first hit since LaBelle. It also went into the Top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100. Go Patti!

Imagine by Patti LaBelle

Not only did Patti LaBelle take part in what many still consider one of the seminal musical moments of the 80s, she also tackled one of John Lennon's iconic songs, Imagine, as only she can. So from the 1985 concert, recorded in the Philadelphia segment of the concert, here is the lady herself, Patti LaBelle.