Over 11 years and 570 episodes, John Rabe and Team Off-Ramp scoured SoCal for the people, places, and ideas whose stories needed to be told, and the show became a love-letter to Los Angeles. Now, John is sharing selections from the Off-Ramp vault to help you explore this imperfect paradise.
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Every weekend in LA, hundreds of people gather to participate in the oldest dance in the American canon—Contradancing. This isn't a reenactment; it's a living tradition, and it's open to all comers. Correspondent Jackson Musker put on his dancing shoes and joined the throng at a recent Contradance in Brentwood led by longtime caller Susan Michaels. (READ ON FOR VIDEOS AND SLIDESHOW)
The following video features LA-based band The Syncopaths and caller Susan Michaels at a dance in Missouri. It offers a good introduction to Contra music, calling, and dancing. For LA-specific photos and video, continue reading below the break.
Intrigued? Head over to the dance this Saturday night (10/24) at the same Brentwood location that Jackson visited. (shown in the video below). Susan Michaels is calling, and a band called the Screaming Earwigs is playing. Sounds like a great time...
This clip shows a waltz at the Brentwood Contradance. Waltzes occur twice during a typical evening of dancing: once at intermission, and once at the end of the night.
A few more Contradancing photos, from a set on KPCC's Flickr page...