May 01

Happy May Day!

mayday

May 01

Happy Beltane!

 

Summer in Edinburgh, Scotland, kicks off with an evening of whimsical revelry. Colorful characters parade atop a hill, dancing and marching to the beat of pounding drums. Fires blaze, warming the air with their bright, smoky flames.

Beltane or Beltain is the Gaelic May Day festival. Most commonly it is held on 1 May, or about halfway between the spring equinox and the summer solstice.

Also known as Cétshamhain (“first of summer”), it marked the beginning of summer and was when cattle were driven out to the summer pastures. Rituals were performed to protect the cattle, crops and people, and to encourage growth.

Special bonfires were kindled, and their flames, smoke and ashes were deemed to have protective powers. The people and their cattle would walk around or between bonfires, and sometimes leap over the flames or embers. All household fires would be doused and then re-lit from the Beltane bonfire.

These gatherings would be accompanied by a feast, and some of the food and drink would be offered. Doors, windows, byres and livestock would be decorated with yellow May flowers, perhaps because they evoked fire.

 

Apr 30

It’s National Bugs Bunny Day!

 

National Bugs Bunny Day is observed each year on April 30.  Bugs Bunny is the famous cartoon character best remembered for his roles in Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies produced by Warner Bros.  He is known  for his popular catchphrase “What’s up, doc?”

Bugs Bunny first appeared in a short film on April 30, 1938, and has since been enjoyed by millions of viewers.

 

Apr 30

Really?? It’s National Bubble Tea Day

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I love bubble tea (aka boba tea) and I’m so glad there’s a day for it.  At one point, I considered buying a machine to make my own.  Amazon now sells premade boba (of course!)

In the 1980s, the Taiwanese developed a beverage combining the refreshing goodness of tea, the wholesome creaminess of milk and the fun, delicious surprise of bubbles. The bubbles, also known as boba or pearls, are made from tapioca. The tea can be created with or without milk, ice, sugar, and toppings.

 

Apr 16

Culloden

The Battle of Culloden was the final confrontation of the Jacobite rising of 1745.
On this date, 16 April 1746, the Jacobite army of Charles Edward Stuart was decisively defeated by a British government force under Prince William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, on Drummossie Moor near Inverness in the Scottish Highlands.
1250 Jacobites died at the battle, and almost as many were wounded with 376 taken prisoner (those who were professional soldiers or who were worth a ransom). The government troops lost 50 men while around 300 were wounded.
I took the photos below when we visited Culloden in 2023.

Apr 11

Today is Barbershop Quartet Day!

National Barbershop Quartet Day is observed annually on April 11.  Barbershop quartets have a way making the heart flutter.  Very often they transport us back to a simpler time or at the least make it stand still.

Barbershop quartets are a style of a cappella or unaccompanied vocal music.  Their music features songs with understandable lyrics and easily singable melodies.

Between 1900 and 1919 barbershop music found its popularity.  In the 1920s, it began to fade into obscurity.  However, the barbershop quartet saw a revival when the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America was founded.  This tongue twister of a men’s organization grew quickly as did other similar organizations promoting barbershop music as an artform.  Today, just under 25,000 men in the United States and Canada are members of the SPEBSQSA.  SPEBSQSA often called “SPEBS” for ease is now called The Barbershop Harmony Society.

Sweet Adelines International is a worldwide organization of women singers, established in 1945, committed to advancing the musical art form of barbershop harmony through education and performances. This independent, nonprofit music education association is one of the world’s largest singing organizations for women. “Harmonize the World” is the organization’s motto. It has a current membership of 24,000 and holds a yearly international singing competition.

Several years ago we were waiting for a small Windjammer Barefoot Cruises ship when we met some folks who lived relatively near us.  Karen was also a music teacher and we clicked right away.  She belonged to a Sweet Adelines group relatively near me and I joined up.

I loved everything about Sweet Adelines – the singing, the sequins, the wigs, the false eyelashes, the competitions, the conventions – everything but the huge time commitment.

In the early days, we made our own costumes, complete with rows of sequins.  Our “sewing room” – now my mom’s room – has an outline on the floor from where I had to spray on Fray Check.  Forgot to use a newspaper underneath.  Oops!  It looks like the crime scenes on TV where there’s a body outline.

Then, I got Cushing’s and had to take a lot of time off for surgery and such.  I tried going back a time or two but I just couldn’t handle it.

I still have my collection of medals from various competitions over 10 years and some days I really miss it.

I still love to listen to Barbershop and have a large collection in Spotify.

Here’s a favorite from the men:

 

 

My old group:

 

 

Sadly, the Windjammers have gone out of business.  In October 1998, Hurricane Mitch was responsible for the loss of the s/v Fantome, a four-masted schooner operated by Windjammer. All 31 crew members aboard perished; passengers and other crew members had earlier been offloaded in Belize.

The ship, which was sailing in the center of the hurricane, experienced up to 50-foot (15 m) waves and over 100 mph (160 km/h) winds, causing the Fantome to founder off the coast of Honduras.

The story was recorded in a compelling book The Ship and The Storm by Jim Carrier.

Apr 06

Today is National Tartan Day

We were in NYC April 6, 2019 for our daughter-in-law’s birthday and the Tartan Day Parade.  Look who the Grand Marshall was!

I am so sorry we missed 2015 when Sean Connery was Grand Marshall

Get ready to don your kilts and play the bagpipes – National Tartan Day is here, and it’s a whirlwind of plaid pleasure! Celebrated in the United States on April 6, this day throws us back to 1320, when Scotland shouted out its independence with the Declaration of Arbroath. This wasn’t just a historical moment for Scots; it set the stage for America’s own break for freedom, with a hefty slice of the Founding Fathers rocking Scottish roots!

Tartan Day Takes Off

Canada kicked off the Tartan Day party in the mid-1980s, flaunting its 15% Scottish bloodline. It’s a day for Scots far and wide to revel in their heritage and remember April 6, 1320, when Scotland declared itself free to rule. The U.S. didn’t want to miss out, so in 1998, thanks to the Coalition of Scottish Americans, National Tartan Day became a thing, tipping its hat to the stellar contributions of Scottish Americans.

This plaid-clad festivity has since gone global, popping up from Canada to Argentina, where a surprising 100,000 Scots descendants live. Scotland itself got on the bandwagon in 2004, painting the town tartan and officially joining the celebration.

What’s in a Tartan?

Tartan Day is all about that iconic crisscrossed cloth, a symbol of Scottish clan kinship. No clan tartan? No problem! The day welcomes all with universal tartans like The Black Watch or The Caledonia.

Party Like It’s 1320

Though not a public holiday, Tartan Day is a perfect excuse to sport a kilt and dive into Scottish culture. While Australia opts for a July 1 celebration, the rest of the world sticks to April 6, honoring Scotland’s rich history and vibrant traditions.

How to Rock Tartan Day

– Hit a parade and be dazzled by the kaleidoscope of kilts and the stirring sounds of bagpipes and drums.

– Embrace the kilt life, complete with a sporran – because who needs pockets when you have a stylish Gaelic purse?

– Feast on haggis and black pudding, Scotland’s culinary badges of honor.

Mind-Blowing Scottish Snippets

– Tartans are a clan’s calling card, with each pattern telling a family’s tale.

– The New Year’s anthem “Auld Lang Syne”? Pure Scottish gold, penned by poet Robert Burns.

– Bagpipes may scream Scotland, but they boast ancient Egyptian roots.

– Gaelic still echoes in Scotland, a living piece of Celtic heritage.

– And yes, Scotland’s national animal is the mythical unicorn, a nod to the nation’s love for legends and lore.

So, whether you’re a Scot by blood or just in spirit, Tartan Day is your passport to a world where history, culture, and myth blend into one fabulous festival. Strap on your tartan, and let’s make some noise!

Black Watch tartan

Black Watch tartan

Apr 04

It’s National School Librarian Day!

I spent many years helping the school librarian in my son’s elementary school.

They do fantastic things!

 

April 4th is National School Librarian Day.  It is set aside to honor all school librarians.

School librarians spend long hours keeping the library organized, helping our children find the resources they need to keep learning and are dedicated to creating an environment they can learn in every day of the year.  All of this hard work often goes unappreciated.

The school librarians aid our youth in many ways, and their patience sets an example for our children on a daily basis.

Read the entire article here: NATIONAL SCHOOL LIBRARIAN DAY – April 4 | National Day Calendar

Apr 01

It’s April Fools Day!

Q: How many critics does it take to change a light bulb?

A: Critics can’t change a light bulb. But they’ll watch you do it and tell you a hundred ways you could have done it better.

Mar 27

Happy Birthday, Harold Nicholas!

I know that I promised in Major Excitement to post about the Nicholas Brothers and this is it!

I can’t remember the first time I saw the Nicholas Brothers in a movie but I’ve sought them out ever since.  I even bought their biography in 2010, Brotherhood In Rhythm: The Jazz Tap Dancing of the Nicholas Brothers.

Tap dancing legends Fayard (b. 1914) and Harold (1918-2000) Nicholas amazed crowds with their performances in musicals and films from the 30s to the 80s. They performed with Gene Kelly in The Pirate, with Cab Calloway in Stormy Weather, with Dorothy Dandridge (Harold’s wife) in Sun Valley Serenade, and with a number of other stars on the stage and on the screen. Author Hill not only guides readers through the brothers’ showstopping successes and the repressive times in which their dancing won them universal acclaim, she also offers extensive insight into the history and choreography of tap dancing, bringing readers up to speed on the art form in which the Nicholas Brothers excelled.

 

From Wikipedia:

Fayard Antonio Nicholas was born October 20, 1914, in Mobile, Alabama. Harold Lloyd Nicholas was born March 27, 1921, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

The Nicholas Brothers grew up in Philadelphia, the sons of college-educated musicians who played in their own band at the old Standard Theater—their mother at the piano and father on drums. At the age of three, Fayard would always sit in the front row while his parents worked, and by the time he was ten, he had seen most of the great African-American vaudeville acts—particularly the dancers, including such notables of the time as Alice Whitman, Willie Bryant, and Bill Robinson. The brothers were fascinated by the combination of tap dancing and acrobatics. Fayard often imitated their acrobatics and clowning for the kids in his neighborhood.

Neither Fayard nor Harold had any formal dance training. Fayard taught himself how to dance, sing, and perform by watching and imitating the professional entertainers on stage. He then taught his younger siblings, first performing with his sister Dorothy as the Nicholas Kids, later joined by Harold. Harold idolized his older brother and learned by copying his moves and distinct style. Dorothy later opted out of the act, and the Nicholas Kids became known as the Nicholas Brothers.

 

From 1935.  They were already on their way:

 

 

In 1936, Fayard was 22 and Harold was 15.  They performed Lucky Number:

 

 

From 1940, Down Argentine Way, The Nicholas Brothers serve up a characteristically joyous, effervescent routine.

 

 

This video, from the film “Sun Valley Serenade” (1941), depicts the complete Glenn Miller Orchestra’s and Nicholas Brothers’ performances for “Chattanooga Choo Choo”

 

 

One of the greatest dance routines ever in movies by the Nicholas Brothers. From the 1942 movie “Orchestra Wives” – I’ve Got a Gal in Kalamazoo.

 

One of their signature moves was to leapfrog down a long, broad flight of stairs, while completing each step with a split. Its most famous performance formed the finale of the movie Stormy Weather. In that routine, the Nicholas Brothers leapt exuberantly across the orchestra’s music stands and danced on the top of a grand piano in a call and response act with the pianist, to the tune of Jumpin’ Jive.

Fred Astaire thought their “Jumpin’ Jive” production number in Stormy Weather (1943) the greatest musical sequence of all time.

I love how Cab Calloway fades away and lets the Nicholas Brothers take over!

Children: don’t try this at home – never, ever dance on a piano!

 

 

The Nicholas Brothers dance with Gene Kelly in the 1948 film “The Pirate”.  It’s not their best work because Kelly couldn’t do what they could do.  But Kelly could copy them, and The Pirate features some of his most virile and stunt-laden work.

 

 

 

We Sing, We Dance. A 1992 Arts and Entertainment documentary about the life of the Nicholas Brothers. Lots of great clips included!

 

 

 

The Nicholas Brothers’ influence can still be felt throughout our culture. Bob Fosse modeled his first dance act on them and Joseph Jackson hired Fayard to help train his children, The Jackson 5. Both Michael and Janet Jackson were later students of the brothers.

Fayard and Howard also taught at Harvard and Radcliffe.

The Nicholas Brothers got several awards and honors:

  • Harold received the DEA Award from the Dance Educators of America
  • Harold received the Bay Area Critics Circle Award (Best Principal Performance, Stompin’ at the Savoy)
  • Harold received the Harbor Performing Arts Center Lifetime Achievement Award
  • honorary doctorate from Harvard University for both brothers
  • Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame (1978)
  • Ellie Award (1984), National Film Society for both brothers
  • Apollo Theater’s Hall of Fame (1986), First Class Inductees for both brothers
  • Ebony Lifetime Achievement Award (1987) for both brothers
  • Fayard received Broadway’s 1989 Tony Award as Best Choreographer for Black and Blue along with his collaborators Cholly Atkins, Henry LeTang and Frankie Manning.
  • Scripps American Dance Festival Award
  • Kennedy Center Honors in 1991 for both brothers who were in attendance
  • The National Black Media Coalition Lifetime Achievement Award (1992)
  • Flo-Bert Award (1992)
  • New York’s Tap Dance Committee, Gypsy Award (1994)
  • A star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7083 Hollywood Blvd (1994)
  • Professional Dancer’s Society, Dance Magazine Award of (1995)
  • The 1998 Samuel H. Scripps American Dance Festival Award for Lifetime Achievement in Modern Dance
  • National Museum of Dance Mr. & Mrs. Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney Hall of Fame Inductees (2001)

 

I hope you enjoy watching these as much as I do.

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