Product Details

• Actors: Marcus Koch, Bärbl Kaufer
• Directors: Marcus Koch, Bärbl Kaufer
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Number of tapes: 1
• VHS Release Date: January 1, 2000
• Run Time: 105 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00005KI47
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #351,491 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

About the Actor

Marcus & Bärbl are originally from Munich, Germany. They already dance together for more than 10 years and are famous swing dancers and teachers all over the world. Through competitions, teaching, and their worldwide available instructional videotapes they were responsible for bringing Swing in many corners of the globe. Their excellent knowledge of many different Swing styles was achieved by long hours studying the original dance scenes frame by frame and by working personally with the best dance masters from the original Hollywood movies, like Gil Bradey (“Don’t Knock The Rock”), Jean Veloz (“Swing Fever”, “Groovie Movie”), Frankie Manning (“Hellzapoppin’”), etc.

Marcus & Bärbl won the German Championship in Boogie Woogie five times in a row, have been World Champion 1993, World Vice Champion 1995/97/98, got 3rd place in the World Lindy Hop Championship 1999/2000, and won tons of other titles. They received the Feather Award 1996 (Dancers’ Choice) for “The Most Outstanding Global Swing Dancer" and again 1997 for ”The Best Swing Dancers Outside The USA”. Beside competing and teaching Marcus & Bärbl are also successful choreographers and performers.

With an excellent synthesis of Boogie Woogie, Lindy Hop and Hollywood Style they formed their own style with an own outstanding character. This unique character, their happiness, and their enormous energy made them so popular all over the World. But besides all of these merits their teaching is a guarantee for a lot of fun and laughing that reflects the soul of Swing dancing.

“We hope you will enjoy the video and fall in love with swing as we did.”

The World of Swing video series comprises nine different videos with Marcus & Bärbl so far. Other videos will follow soon.

WOS #1 – 40s Hollywood Style WOS #2 – Boogie Woogie/Advanced East Coast WOS #3 – Footwork Fast & Fancy WOS #4 – Advanced Hollywood Style WOS #5 – How To Jitterbug WOS #6 – From Partner Charleston To Lindy Charleston WOS #7 – Master Trick Steps: Part 1 – Guys WOS #8 – Master Trick Steps: Part 2 – Dolls WOS #9 – Secrets Of Improvisation/Dancing To The Music

Product Description

Level: All

On this video Marcus & Bärbl will teach you everything you ever wanted to know about Charleston. With the changes of the music Lindy Hop developed out of the Charleston, therefore Charleston movements are an essential part of the Lindy Hop. Maybe the Charleston steps were the movements that attracted you most the first time you saw Lindy Hop or you just want to increase the variety of your dancing. Get these kicks and the excitement they give to you.

The video has two parts. Part one starts with Partner Charleston. You don’t need to have any dance experience for that part. Part two teaches you different Charleston movements for the Lindy Hop. To benefit from this part you should have a foundation in Lindy Hop.

Marcus & Bärbl set great store by getting you a good foundation and feeling for the dance. Every step is broken down and well explained. Marcus & Bärbl also put big emphasis on leading and following, that you won’t kick anybody on the dance floor. It makes you able to feel comfortable, and to have fun.

All steps in the World of Swing series are demonstrated to great music that will stick in your ears and makes your feet wanna move. As a bonus you can see Marcus & Bärbl jamming together with other great swing dancers after the instructional part on all the videos.

And most important of all: Don’t take dancing too serious. It’s all about having fun. You will see it when you watch the videos of Marcus & Bärbl.

Content:
Partner Charleston:
Single/Double/Triple Time Basic
Leading
Basic With Kicks
Side Touches
Turn Around In Basic
Turn Around To Open Position
Crazy Knees & Windmill
Break Away
Break Stop

Lindy Charleston:
Lindy Charleston Basic
Back Charleston
Entrance And Exit For Back Charleston
Variations On Entrance And Exit
Cross Charleston
Freeze
Traveling Charleston
Turn Around Charleston
Layout Charleston

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good, but probably not for beginners, July 25, 2003

By 

Stephen Cannon (Yokohama, Japan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: World of Swing #6 - From Partner Charleston to Lindy Charleston [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This is one of the very few commercial videotapes on the planet that provides instruction in the 20's charleston, so if you want to learn how to dance to Chicago or New Orleans jazz, here's your chance.

However, the second half of the tape abandons the 20s charleston and jumps forward ten years in history to the 1930s to teach the charleston steps that are a part of the lindy hop, an entirely different dance done to swing jazz.

Marcus and barbl, the two instructors are top notch dancers and do an admirable job of trying to communicate a large number of fairly complicated and subtle steps on this tape. In fact, I'm glad that I had a couple of years of dance under my belt when I bought the tape, because were I a total beginner, I'm sure that I wouldn't have been able to mimic the moves presented on the tape.

I see this tape as being primarily targeted to people who already have some experience with the lindy hop and want to expand their repetoire of lindy charleston steps and get a foundation in the 20s charleston.

The production isn't the best and the picture is sometimes not as crisp as I would have liked, but the instructors are enthusiastic and playful and select good jazz music for the tape.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars World of Swing #6 From Partner Charlston to Lindy Charlston, October 4, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: World of Swing #6 - From Partner Charleston to Lindy Charleston [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I really enjoyed this tape. I practiced the moves taught in the tape at home, they were very easy to follow and understand. Then I put them into my dance and they looked very stylish.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Charleston is back!, August 15, 2001

By 

Jeanny & Kurt (Vienna, Austria) - See all my reviews

This review is from: World of Swing #6 - From Partner Charleston to Lindy Charleston [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This video was great for learning steps and turns that can be used in charleston. The Instructors Marcus & Bärbl were thorough and easy to follow. The dance steps are broken down for both, the guy and girl. We know Marcus & Bärbl for a long time and we promise they have a lot of experience in teaching and competing.