Valley events have been jazzed up and sparkling with the playful glamour of the Magnolia Sadies, a dance company dedicated to recreating the spirit and style of the Roaring Twenties, the Turbulent Thirties and the Fighting Forties.
Artistic director Shawna Serpe had returned to school at East Stroudsburg University to study her twin passions, history and dance, and there could be no better way to combine the two than by bringing old-timey music and moves to a public voracious for all things vintage. Sharing members with the earlier-established rockabilly Iron Rail Rosies, Serpe's dance company takes festivals, parties and extravagant events through a time warp with special attention to historical detail. “I would love it if people watch us dance and feel like they took a time capsule,” says Serpe. “We try to have costume, hair and makeup authentic. We really want to represent the time period.”
Her choreography is all based on vernacular jazz movement, meaning the dance average people would do. Poring over footage from the era, she's taken notes from vaudeville and each successive dance craze of the early 20th century, with guest choreographers adding tap in the style of Bojangles and the wild jitterbug.
With at least 12 members, the Sadies include seamstresses, singers and dance instructors, which helps add facets to what they can offer: sewing authentic costumes, adding a vocal element to performances and developing teaching opportunities. The Magnolia Sadies have enjoyed growing interest not only for performances, but for lessons in their vintage jazz moves, which they often spend some of their gig time teaching.
Check their Facebook to find the Sadies at the most elegant evening or the sweatiest summer festival. Keep an eye out for lessons and you too could embody this high-spirited history.
