Tranky Doo: Classic Solo Jazz Routine
The Tranky Doo is a 1940s solo jazz routine tied to lindy hop, with figures like fall off the log, boogie forward and shorty George. The class learns it in blocks and rehearses in groups with video support to get to know a piece of swing history.
How to play
- Watch a clip of the original Tranky Doo and explain its background (3 min).
- Block 1: the opening phrase and fall off the log, copying the teacher (6 min).
- Block 2: boogie back, boogie forward and shorty George (6 min).
- Rehearse in groups of five with the video slowed down on the tablet (6 min).
- The whole class dances both blocks to the original music (4 min).
Rules
- No partner contact; keep about one and a half arm's lengths of space around you.
- Bent-knee figures go only as deep as each person can manage without pain.
- In the groups, anyone can ask to repeat a section without being judged.
- Tablets go in a corner, outside the dance area.
Variations
Easier
Block 1 only, at reduced speed.
Standard
Two blocks of the Tranky Doo to the original music.
Harder
Each group learns a third block on its own from the video.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: adapts the figures to the upper body and marks the rhythm with shoulders and hands.
- Hearing impairment: follows the teacher's finger counts and the speaker's vibration.
- Knee injury: replaces deep knee bends with marching and arm swings.
Learning goals
- Learn a historic vernacular jazz routine.
- Learn independently from a video model.
- Appreciate the African American roots of swing.
Equipment for a class of 25
- speaker: 1
- tablets or phones: 6
Teacher tip
The best-known version is danced to Tuxedo Junction. If the group already knows the Shim Sham, compare the two routines at the end.
PatioLab has "Tranky Doo: Classic Solo Jazz Routine" and 5176 more activities ready to drag into your lesson and run from your phone in the gym.
More main activities for High School
1-2-3 Touch Cooperative Rally
1-2-3-2-1 Running Pyramid Intervals
An interval workout where the fast segments build from 1 to 3 minutes and back down, with half that time as jogging recovery.
1-on-1 from Triple Threat: Jab Step, Fake and Go
1-on-1 duels that always start in triple threat (shoot, pass or dribble), where the attacker uses the jab step and the shot fake to read the defender before going.
1-on-1 Self-Pass Volleyball
10-20-30 interval running in pairs
The 10-20-30 method strings together 30 seconds of easy jogging, 20 at a moderate pace and 10 at top speed, in five-minute blocks.
1v1 Ball Volley Matches
1v1 ball volley: singles games on a small court with a low net, hitting the ball over the net and allowing one bounce.