ARTS Wednesday, October 19, 1983 The Michigan Daily Page 5 'Joe's jitterbug jamboree By Laura Clark F' OR VICKI HONEYMAN, the past has never passed. The 32-year-old ilm teacher-turned hair stylist knows e good times of the days gone by can be experienced at the invitation of "Would you like to dance?" However, Honeyman prefers only one dancing technique if given the chance to turn back the clock; it's the rock era's own jitterbug. Honeyman has danced the jitterbug since she learned the steps in a ballroom dancing lesson she took with her twin brother in 1962. "At that time, the jitterbug style was st going out of fashion," recalls oneyman. Despite the new trends in the early '60s, Honeyman continued to twist and swing to the jitterbug at high school parties in her native'Detroit. "I always found at least one guy at -a party who knew how to jitterbug, and if I didn't find one I'd teach someone who was willing to learn." said Honeyman. In June of 1976, Honeyman taught Jim Kruz the steps to the jitterbug when she could not find a partner with the proper dancing experience at a large party. Much to Honeyman's sur- prise, Kruz picked up the jitterbug quickly, and after a few more practice sessions the two decided they were destined to be dancing partners. In the years to follow both Jim and Vicki were regulars at many of Ann Ar- bor's local dance bars and showed no chagrin in displaying their aging dan- cing technique amongst the disco fans. Their mutual love for the dance had others coaxing them for lessons. The two never seriously considered teaching jitterbug until Joe Tiboni opened up Joe's Star Lounge in February of 1982. Tiboni, owner and operator of Joe's Star lounge, had seen Honeyman and Kruz dance together before and offered his place of business as a studio where they might teach others to jitterbug. Jim and Vicki agreed to the proposal and organized their first class in the spring of 1982. "I decided I wanted a serious and strict approach to my teaching just as I had learned ballet," said Honeyman. But the seriousness of learning how to jitterbug never interfered with the fun her students had in the class. - Every Wednesday for four weeks, students learn the basic footwork and turns involved in the jitterbug. Honeyman feels that teaching the guys and the girls seperately is essential in this dancing technique because of the distinct moves each must perform. Only until each has perfected their part can the two dance as a couple. Not surprisingly, jitterbugging takes a certain amount of coordination and sense of rhthym. And Vicki agrees that the rest is relatively easy if you possess these two attributes. For those who have perfected the basic jitterbugging skills in the begin- ning class, Jim and Vicki have recently formed an advanced class where acrobatic moves such as the famous hip swing are taught. "Teaching jitterbug we thought, would make us hate the dance," says Honeyman. "But it's really made us work harder." The hard work Jim and Vicki have put forth have paid off as the two have won the "Fabulous '50s dance contest at the Michigan State Fair for the past two years. Last year, Vicki took home another prize for the Fair's best '50s costume. The couple has also appeared in local fashion shows and recently tried out for a spot in the popular television dance show "Dance Fever." "I think we didn't make the final selection because of the type of thing they're looking for. They want a lot of skin and a lot of flash; we didn't offer that with the traditional jitterbug." Honeyman says. Despite the current trends toward a more provocative style of dance, Vicki believes the fascination with the jitter- but will never die. "If I hear the right beat in my bones, I've just got to jitterbug." Daily Photo by SCOTT ZOLTON Jim Kruz and Vicki Honeyman do the swing thing at Joe's. > ' _ >: Oingo Boingo attempts to achieve a bouncy balance I el - > \ ;"; ,. . ' ' , -_ :, . a s . '< IF By Melissia Bryan OINGO BOINGO, the California pop band brings its three ring circus to the Second Chance Wednesday, Oc- tober 19th. Just what they will be doing or the theme for the evening is anyone's guess. Once a street performing group, Oingo Boingo has been working and redefining their act for the past 10 years. Although their lead singer and founder, Danny Elfman would insist that they have always concentrated on their music, critics would beg to differ. At the height of their histrionics, the theater troupe found itself performing 2 hour performances with multitudinous costume and set changes. Oingo Boingo has since scaled down their act and the number of band members. Their music does not have the same allure as their dancing and theatrics-their tunes are rather flat and unimaginative and justify why their records have never made the charts. They have achieved moderate recognition in teenage New Wave cir- cles and this minor success led to their contract with A&M records. Although their records go unrec- NOW OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEKI MON.-FRI. 9 A.M.-8 P.M. SAT. 9 A.M.-7 P.M. SUN. 11 A.M.-4 P.M. ARMY SURPLUS 201 E. Washington at Fourth 994-3572 " commended, their performances are widely recognized as predictibly un- predictable and very energetic. The stage should be a little bit crowded with all eight members jumping around, but it should be silly and fun. If you want a bit of fluffo entertain- ment, light hearted and all that, then walk, don't run to the Second Chance on Wednesday. Oingo Boingo will jump into the thick of it tonight at the Second Chance. Jim Post cleans and polishes By Deborah Robinson W HEN JIM POST played at the Ark this last weekend, it was no place for sissy-fairy-worms-but it ~~s a heck of a good time. I first heard Post when he played The Ark three years ago. At the time, he was very amusing, but his frequent sexist comments curtailed any further interest I had in hearing him. Three years later, another chance. He opened the show by saying, "Now that the church doesn't run The Ark, I'm going to do any X-rated show." Gulp. But I was delighted. What followed was a thorough exposure of the singer- ngwriter on stage, without any ferences to women's body parts. And he bared himself without shedding a stit ch. Post is a rude and randy songster who loves to perform. He loves life, and whether he is singing "1 Love My Life," "Ripple" by The Grateful Dead, of "Mambo Man," that sentiment is strongly communicated. Many of his songs show a strong social, ecological and political correc- tness. In "Brain Damage," a Post classic, he criticizes DDT, nukes, and war taxes while questioning the effect of LSD on the brain. The song was more a skit than just a song. Post is a master of sound effects and gesture - he rolls his eyes with a particularly angelic effect. The show was a conglomeration of monologue, song and drama, with facile and frequent mood changes. He did a brilliant Gilbert and Sullivan imitation, and as good a caricature of Bob Dylan. His voice has similarities to Dylan's-an intense soft tenor but without the broken croaking quality. His guitar work is not spectacular; it is laboriously executed at times, but complements the vocals well. Cartoons and video will be Post's next media attempts. Somebody out in Iowa has been inspired to put "African Honeymoon," "Wind Dance," and "Teardrops on the Moon" on magnetic tape. Watch out MTV! Jim, thanks for cleaning up your act. Now please go home and kill your pet. He has the perfect musicians pet. It doesn't need much care. It's green, grows on the shower wall, tastes great after blending, and is high in clorophyll. AN EVENING WITI THE Jim Morrison & d Featuring Two Unforgettable Hours Of Rare and Exciting Film Footage of JIM MORRISON and THE DOORS! H Jim Post ... eats his Wheaties Triumphant'Children'learn to communicate By Joseph Kraus IGN LANGUAGE? In a Tony award winner? Children of a Lesser God, the 1980 Tony award-winning play about a young woman who has a hearing disability, will actually feature several hearing impared actors who will com- municate in American Sign Language (ASL). The play, produced by the Common Ground Theater Ensemble and Canter- bury Loft, deals with the story of Sara, 0 hearing impaired woman. Sara must some to terms with a world more in- Merested in "helping" her to become what they want, rather than in accepting her as she is. She refuses to learn to speak, preferring to communicate in ASL, and must defend this decision in the face of society. "What she is fighting is the myth of the melting pot; we will not all be the same," said direc- tor Elise Bryant. The Common Ground Theater En- a series of workshops entitled, "Theater for a Barrier Free Society," which instruct hearing impaired in- dividuals in acting and staging of plays. Proceeds from the production of Children of a Lesser God will go towar- d: continuing these workshops. In accord with playwrite Mark Medoff's wishes, the play does incor- porate ASL throughout and interprets it for the hearing audience. The featuring of hearing impaired actors is unique in the Ann Arbor area for any company, although Children has been performed similarly elsewhere. Children of a Lesser God opens Oc- tober 20 and runs through the 23rd at. Lydia Mendelsson Theater. Tickets are available for all shows at the Michigan Union and all CTC outlets. Prices for the Thursday and Sunday performan- ces are $4.00 and all others are $5.00. For group ticket information call 662- 8872. JOIN US AT THE MICHIGAN UNION FRIDAY OCTOBER 21. 19 The Worlds Longest Sicilian Pzza fil 983