Name
Brad Gruber
Location:
Fort Worth, TX, United States |
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My Story:
I started dance in night clubs (pop n lock and stuff like that) then one of my friends told me about swing dancing and it all started from there.
I started taking classes in a night club, USA Cafe, on Wed. nights in Fort Worth. Then I started going to Dallas, and took lessons at a club called the Sand Castle. After that all I wanted was to get really good, so I paid for lessons at I Dance 2 studios with Jeff Miller and Elaine Hewlett they were great. The funny thing was that I always felt like I was missing something. One night I happened to see a guy dancing something different. His name was Matthew Edwards he actually was part owner of the Sand Castle. The lindy step he was doing was called DC style. At least that's what he told me. I had no idea what DC stood for back them I actually thought for a long time it stood for District of Columbia, but I would soon learn it's true meaning.
Not long after seeing Matthew he moved to Chicago so never could figure out that lindy step. So I continued to learn from Jeff and Elaine and dance until one night me and my dance partner thought we were good enough to enter an dance competition. It just so happened to be an ALHC regional. This is when the world of lindy hop opened up for me. We got schooled by a group of dancers that came in from Phoenix and man could they dance. They were doing that DC style dance. Then they started dancing this other dance hopping all around looking like a cartoon from the 40s. This was my chance. I ran up to them after the dance and asked them "what was that?" and "were did you learn that?" They said that was Dean Collins Style or some call it Hollywood style. Then they told me they learned from Peter Loggins in LA and gave me his email. They also pointed me to a web site that a guy name Natch put out on the web and that opened my eyes to an amazing world long forgetten. All these movie clips from old movies of lindy hop I actually cried because I knew then we would never be that good but I would die trying. The next morning I got up and sent an email to Peter Loggin explaining who I was and who I met and that I would pay just about anything to learn from him. Something I learned from my years in martial arts was people will go where the art is. Unfortunaley Peter was very busy and out of the country and could not meet up with me, but he did point me to Camp Hollywood. This was amazing and gave me what I was missing. You see, in the Dallas Fort Worth area at the time Savoy style was the only thing taught, let alone these other dances I learned, the SHAG and the BALBOA. It was cool though because all the people that knew me before Camp Hollywood saw me dance after learning at Camp Hollywood and came up to me and said "now you look like your dancing." After that I decided to start teaching all that I had learned in Fort Worth and we have never looked back.
After several years and several Camp Hollyoods I was still looking for that private lesson from Peter Loggins. I wanted to learn what Dean Collins was doing, I just liked his style and everyone kept pointing me back to Peter. So after many emails back and forth. Peter said he was going to be in Atlanta. So I got in my car and drove over night to get there and finally met Peter in person but by the time I got there all his time had been filled up. Man that suked. It was not all wasted though we got to talk and become friends. That night before I left he told me he would be in Houston in a month and I could get my private lesson then. That March of 2003 I got my private lesson and learned a ton of stuff about Dean Collins it was worth the wait.
Now DC is my style and I just love it. Sure we all make the dance our own but to me Dean Collins will always be the "Dean of Swing".
See you on the dance floor.
Website:
http://www.fortworthjitterbugs.org
Additional Questions
When/where did you first start doing Lindy Hop?
I started in 1998 in a bar call USA cafe.
Why did you first start doing Lindy Hop?
I thought is would be a good way to meet ladies. I was in martial art for years and you don't get to meet very many ladies doing that.
What is the size of your local Lindy community?
It is a decent size.
How often do you go out dancing or take lessons?
We try to make it out 2 to 3 times a week.
What is your favorite thing about Lindy Hop (both as an activity and as a community)?
The people . They are like an extended family.
What do you do for a living?
I'm a Sr. Application Specialist for Konica Minolta
Male/Female:
Male
Year you were born?
1973
What bit of non-swing info about you would the Lindy community find interesting?
I was actually nationally ranked in martial arts.
How has Lindy Hop changed your life?
I have made some great friends and the traveling is nice
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