Tiffany Wyrick 01/13/10
Lucky, thank you for coming to Maui to host a 3 day blues & swing workshop. You have changed my ‘dance’ life, a dance life that has been living in partner dancing for only 5 months now. You’ve got this charisma that brought a contagious energy to the weekend, and your talents, skills, knowledge, and unique style characterized the classes. I can gladly say the time and lessons were profitable. I walked away with an elevated awareness of my body and how to use it to partner dance, to listen, to compliment my partner and to interpret the music. I learned to moonwalk! I learned how to isolate, how vital and foundational the core is to the entire dance experience. That awareness alone has made a colossal improvement in my own dancing. I gained a listening ear to differentiate and identify instruments, and I gained a freedom to interpret those instruments with my body. Lucky, your ability to break down so many concepts and communicate them effectively is the sign of a true teacher. Its difficult to teach because there is a formulaic aspect that requires a mastery and understanding of physiology, but there is also a lot of room for free style and impromptu. Finding a balance to convey that and have it understood is the challenge especially when the class was full of dancers on all levels of fitness, interest, age, gender, and experience. And yet you were effective; clearly you are no novice. I am grateful for the medium and opportunity you created where you could share your experience, knowledge, resources and passion for dance to teach me. Thank you for being professional yet authentic, friendly, fun, passionate, knowledgeable, helpful, and conscious. Thank you for changing my ‘dance’ life Lucky.
Meave Gagler 01/17/10
Lucky,
Thank you so so so much for this afternoon. It was so lovely – a terrific first private lesson. I am quite grateful for the opportunity to learn about blues but especially about partner dancing in general and then to have such a nice time doing it! What a wonderful way to connect to and communicate with a person – and now I have all of these new “words”!
I wish you safe travels and a wonderful time in Europe.
With warmth, Meave
Andy Lewis & Joo-Lee Stock – Lindy Jazz, Durham, UK
We engaged Lucky to teach and perform at our Swing / Blues event, DJam in January 2010. He taught a demanding schedule of blues classes with professionalism and cheerful good humor, and we have nothing but the highest of praise for him. He has left our students feeling confident and inspired, and the energy and warmth that he has brought to the event as a whole has been a key factor in making it the success that it was. We have had absolutely no hesitation in securing his services for next year.
Peta Cook February 3 at 5:37pm
Hi Lucky,
I just wanted to say thank you so much for my lesson last night! I’m very i couldn’t make it tonight, but i did have to stay home and learn a routine (to perform the Friday night). I have to say it was such a thrill for me to find a teacher who comes from a ballet background and so really understood how to communicate movement and body dynamics… but also understood where i was coming from when i was trying to drill into my body how a move works. I love every second of it!
Also, please say a massive thank you to Eden. She is absolutely gorgeous and has such a gentle and supportive manner. An absolute pleasure to take a class from.
I really do look forward tot he next time i get to learn from you both – gee and maybe even have a social dance!
Enjoy the rest of your time over here. Have a safe trip home, and i’ll see you somewhere in the world on a dance floor no doubt ????
Peta
New York Times
04/27/10
A review of a performance at Lincoln center NYC with the Little Orchestra Society
But the orchestra was at its best in a piece outside its usual territory: a polished, reasonably swinging rendering of “In the Mood,” the Glenn Miller-Joe Garland classic, with a lively demonstration of the Lindy Hop by two dancers, Brian Lucky Skillen and Lisa Casper.