Orlando Lindy Exchange – Analog Artist Digital World

The Orlando Lindy Exchange is a yearly Swing Dancer’s dream marathon. For close to a week, swing dancers from all over the country converge on Orlando to shake their hips and kick up their feet. Damon Natch Burke is my tech guru and he helps organize the event. I found out there would be a free dance in the Lake Eola band shell and I had to go down to sketch. Walking around the lake, I could hear the energetic retro beat and soon I saw flashes of color as people twisted and turned on stage. There were up to 50 dancers on stage and boy did they know how to dance! When the song changed, people would switch partners to add some variety to their steps.

It had been boiling hot all week, but on the day of the dance, the temperature dropped drastically. An ice cream vendor stood at the foot of the stage offering his ice cold treats. I had a sweatshirt on and when I slipped into the shade, I started to shiver. Still, when couples strolled past me away from the stage, they were glowing with sweat. It was getting towards sunset, yet when Damon walked by with his dance partner, he said they had forgotten to eat since the night before. They were heading out to find some breakfast. A couple saw that I was sketching, and they stood directly in front of me and “vogued“. He said, “Check out this move!” and he leaned his dance partner back, arching her back over his arm. I laughed, and said, “That’s great, now hold that for about 15 minuted!”

A young woman liked the sketch. She asked if I was cold and I shivered dramatically. She said, “If you want to warm up, then come on up on the stage and dance! You’ll warm up fast.” I was still messing with washes on my sketch, besides I don’t know any swing moves. Chances are, I would get up there and trip up the whole swinging crowd. Fred Astaire, I am not. But, with a few lessons, I might be able to keep up with these hip swinging kids. I’ll put it on my bucket list.

I heard that the 5th Orlando Lindy Exchange was having a free swing dance at BB King’s. BB Kings is in Pointe Orlando on International Drive. Terry and I go to the movie theater in that complex sometimes, so I have seen the club but never been inside. Large primitive folk paintings of music legends decorate the exterior. When I got inside I asked about the swing dancing but was told that the dancing had happened the night before. Rather than leave, I decided to stay and sketch the evening’s live entertainment. It was early, maybe 6pm so, only a few tables were occupied. The host seated me at a counter directly facing the stage, but I decided I wanted an off center angled view of the stage. I took the menu and utensils and moved to the Johnny Cash table in a corner. Each table had a primitive painting of a musical celebrity. Johnny’s face was hidden by the ketchup, mustard and napkins.

Selwyn Birchwood was performing. He had a solid dome of hair and his white outfit stood out in the otherwise dark room. Stage lights illuminated the stage in yellow and magenta. Huss Rodham on bass was silhouetted against the bright blue curtains and I couldn’t see Curtis George on drums. He was hidden behind a piano. Selwyn grew up in Orlando and he performed some original songs about the Florida heat and gators. Most of the music was covers of classic blues, and he shouted out for requests.

I ordered a dish of Pesto pasta and it came out fast. I stuffed fork fulls in my mouth as I worked and when the stage went dark between sets, I ate in earnest. Good food. The Coke buzzed through my veins as I sketched. When the second set started, I pulled out the paints and splashed color on the page. A little girl stood beside me watching my every move. She finally lost interest when her food arrived. Her mom commented on the sketch saying she liked it, then she stood by the stage to shoot a cell phone photo. A waitress expressed interest and asked if I do “faces“. I have been known to draw a face or two.

Parking at Pointe Orlando cost $4. Some electronic ticketing machine barked metallic orders at me until it had my money. Getting out of the garage was a nightmare. As I got ready to back out of my spot, some woman stopped directly behind me waiting for my spot. I ended up doing a ten point turn in the tight quarters and she kept inching closer in her rush to get to the evening’s entertainment. There were no signs for the exit. I drove in circles trying to find my way out with people and cars cutting me off at every turn. I finally decided to drive to the roof of the parking structure figuring I might spot a ramp down with no obstructions. It worked in theory but 15 minutes later, I drove past the parking spot I had struggled to exit. I was in the twilight zone, or a Seinfeld episode. The only signs were those that demanded money. I used my compass to try and steer only towards the north east corner of the parking structure and I sighed with relief when a ramp finally lead me down. As I drove onto Universal Boulevard, I vowed, “Never again, NEVER again.”