The transition from one year to the next is usually a time for reflection and resolutions. This invariably entails some disappointment for not fulfilling the previous year’s resolutions, but let’s not get hung up on that! There’s always time. However, sometimes we get to bask in the glow of a year well spent. Perhaps I’m looking at 2023 like an …
When my housemate, Ruth, first asked if I’d heard about Swing, I thought she meant dating as a couple. In her mind, it was a potential hobby to help me soothe my break-up blues. We only cleared up the confusion once Ruth said she took a few classes with hundreds of people before she got married. Still, I could do …
October is Mental Health Awareness Month in South Africa, and World Mental Health Day was celebrated on the 10th of October. In 2004, the World Health Organization redefined mental health as “a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is …
There are two entries about the Swing team’s getaway: “The Summary” and “The Weekend”. They need different kinds of attention. You can read the “The Summary” like you’re driving in a car to a place you have in mind. You only have to look at what you need to. The second is more for those who aren’t in a hurry, …
There are many things I love about South Africa: the dramatic landscapes, the wild oceans and springtime flowers for a start. Then there’s the fact that traffic lights are called “robots” (and that you can do some shopping while you wait for them to turn green), there’s wine at children’s parties, you’re expected to be thirty minutes late to everything …
Dear Reader, While I was preparing this piece about the women who lead the Swing community, I was reminded of two things. The first thing I’ll mention at the end, but the second thing was an insight of a much older person during my early years of studying: “When you have any doubts, when you feel lost, and you turn …
In the third instalment of CTS’s Women in Jazz blog series, we turn the spotlight on the pioneers of jazz and swing in the USA. Two of our members, Alisa and The Funky Dak, showcase some remarkable women who made a huge impact. Not only did they help create the Swing scene that we know and love today, but these …
In this second instalment of the Women’s Month blog series, we take a look at some of the women who shaped the jazz scene here in South Africa. In a country overflowing with talented women, narrowing down the spotlight to fit into one blog post alone was no easy task. But the women featured here- Miriam Makeba and the Skylarks, …
As it is Women’s Month, we will be posting a series of blog entries that showcase the experiences and viewpoints of women. To begin, we believe it would be timely to share the insights gleaned from a recent gathering for women in the dance and movement communities of Cape Town. Recently, Cape Town Swing (CTS) took part in a significant …
Humans crave intimacy. There are many feelings and sensations that come with holding hands, touching a person’s leg to show you’re listening, and hugging someone so tight you can’t breathe. It can be magic, but it can also be tainted by pain. In 2021 I recalled an act that I had not dealt with, which had traumatised my body five …