This trio jazz routine incorporates 1920s Charleston and classic 1940s jazz steps, with a nod to the legendary Gene Kelly in films such as Anchors Aweigh (1945) and The Pirate (1948).
Dancers: Sharon Davis, Kevin St Laurent, Jo Hoffberg
Choreography by: Sharon Davis, 2010
Song: I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate, Clarence Williams
Performance: Jump Session Show, Seattle May 2010 (campjitterbug.com)
While The Killer Dillers don’t require a live band to perform to, the excitement and energy of live jazz music simply can’t be beat! The Killer Dillers have performed with many live jazz and swing bands around the world. Here are some of our favourites, who not only play the hot and swingin’ jazz music we love to dance and perform to, but also capture the style and glamour of the jazz age. These bands often tour nationally and internationally:
The Nine Pennies
Location: Bologna, Italy
Website: http://www.myspace.com/theninepennies
Email: classjazz@libero.it
Bratislava Hot Serenaders
Location: Bratislava, Slovakia
Website: http://www.serenaders.sk
Ondrej Havelka & His Melody Makers
Location: Prague, Czech Republic
Website: http://www.melodymakers.cz
The Carling Family Band
Location: Stockholm, Sweden
Website: http://www.carlingfamily.se
Jonathan Stout & His Campus Five
Location: Los Angeles, USA
Website: http://www.campusfive.com
Michael McQuaid’s Red Hot Rhythmakers
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Website: http://www.redhotrhythmakers.com
The Boilermaker Jazz Band
Location: Pittsburgh, USA
Website: http://www.boilermakerjazzband.com
Mora’s Modern Rhythmists
Location: Los Angeles, USA
Website: http://morasmodern.com
The phrase “killer diller” is jazz slang, in common use in the 1920s, 30s and 40s. To be a “killer” or a “killer diller” meant you were red hot, back in the day. So if you’re a Killer Diller you got chops, you’re gangbusters, you’re really the cat’s meow. Dig it?
The phrase can be heard in lyrics sung by the likes of Cab Calloway, Slim & Slam, Fats Waller, The Cats & The Fiddle, and Benny Goodman even played a tune called Killer Diller in his historic concert in Carnegie Hall in 1938.
Killer Diller was also the name of a film made in 1948 that, amongst other things, featured famed Lindy Hop troupe The Congaroos (including the late and great Frankie Manning) performing a fast and wildly acrobatic number that has gone down in swing dance history as one of the greatest ever. Here is that scene:
Oh, and the Urban Dictionary defines a Killer Diller as “Something so cool there are no other words to describe it.” That’s fine with us.
Tap, Cane, Lindy Hop, Musician
Lindy Hop, Jazz, Tap, Vocalist
Lindy Hop, Tap, Cane, Acrobatics
Lindy Hop, Burlesque, Charleston
Lindy Hop, Cane, Acrobatics, Comedy
Lindy Hop, Aerialist, Charleston
The Killer Dillers are a troupe of professional dancers drawn from across the globe, specializing in performance artforms of the jazz era. Aiming to bring back the spectacular style of song-and-dance entertainment from the golden age of show business, the Killer Dillers' repertoire includes Lindy Hop, Charleston, Tap and a variety of other authentic vintage jazz dances, as well as comedy, acrobatics and burlesque. » Read more...
