Tampa Bay's Swing Dance News for August 16th 2011

Tampa Bay's Swing Dance News

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Swing Time Newsletter — Tuesday AUGUST 16th 2011

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Swing WEDNESDAY at Gulfport Casino! Charleston Lessons (with new moves each week) 6-7pm every Wednesday in August; Swing-Dance Lesson 7-8pm; DANCE 8-11pm... all for just $7, AND students get 2-for-1 admission! No partner needed.

Bring Me Sunshine -- Check out the new video & recording by the Jive Aces; thanks to John for sending this in!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS -- Friday SEP 2nd at the Gulfport Casino is Swing Time's 11th Anniversary Celebration, featuring live & swingin' music by The Venturas! The Celebration includes hours of live music & dancing (9:00pm-12:30am), a group swing-dance lesson (8-9pm; no partner needed), anniversary cake, prize giveaways, and a Jack & Jill Dance Contest at intermission with $100 Cash 1st Prize! Doors open 7:30pm, prize giveaways happen throughout the evening, and all ages are welcome!

Creative Loafing Style Issue features Swing Time! ...on newsstands now

SEA SWING SENSATION DANCE CRUISE!
Lindy Hoppers of the Caribbean

Dear Dancers,

An incredible opportunity has come up, which we wanted to share with you... an opportunity to learn from and dance with some of the world's best, while having the vacation of a lifetime! Here's the scoop.... As we all know, California, and the L.A. area especially, is home to Camp Hollywood and an enthusiastic group of many of the world's best Lindy Hoppers. (For the few who don't know, "Lindy Hopper" is just a fancy name for a good swing dancer.) Every year for the past several, the L.A. swing dancers have sponsored a week-long cruise (and mini dance camp) called the Sea Swing Sensation. Normally, they leave from the west coast of the U.S.A. BUT THIS YEAR, the cruise leaves from the exotic port of Tampa, Florida! So they've invited us to be part of it!

We (Sam & Carleene) will be teaching a daily workshop on the cruise. Other instructors include Angel Jenkins (national champ and star of the famous Swing Aerials III instructional DVD), Minn Vo (tentative; all-around dance expert and champion), Morgan Day & Molly Woltz (check out Morgan's highly innovative Super Mario Brothers competition performance), Mike & Olivia Lai, and possibly others to be announced.

LINDY HOPPERS OF THE CARIBBEAN SEA SWING SENSATION DANCE CRUISE ...Daily Classes ...Nightly Dances ...World-Class Instructors ...Super Crew of Lindy Hoppers from CA & FL! January 15th-22nd 2012, the 2012 Sea Swing Sensation, a 7-day Caribbean swing-dance cruise, sails out of Tampa with stops in Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Belize, & Isla Roatan! Already, 71 dancers are signed up! Join an expected 100-200+ swing dancers from California, Florida, and elsewhere for the cruising and dancing experience of a lifetime! Check out the cruise and sign up at www.SeaSwingSensation.net.

WHAT's THE COST? Prices start at $515 for inside cabin based on double occupancy, to which you add $81 taxes/government/port fees, $70 for tips/gratuities, and $125 dance fee to cover dances and instruction. So you can do the entire cruise for under $800, all included! Carnival has the ability to charge a Fuel Supplement of $9 per day per person if oil prices exceed $70 per barrel. Currently, this fuel supplement is NOT being charged. Optional things such as fancier cabins, single occupancy, and "vacation protection" insurance are extra. And if you're looking for a cabin mate to save $, just let Brenda, our swing-dancing travel agent & organizer, know, and she'll match you up with another dancer. A deposit of $250 holds your spot on the cruise, and it's refundable until October 10th if you find you can't go for whatever reason.

RSVP BY AUGUST 31st.... Check out the cruise website ... it should be easy to decide. If you're even remotely interested in going, let us know via email by replying to this newsletter. We'll keep you updated as the cruise approaches. To guarantee your spot at the current rates, please make your reservation ASAP. Call or email Brenda at BookWithBrenda@aol.com or 562-217-1371. You can also fill out the form to register at the website above. A deposit of $250 (refundable through October 10th) will be required to hold your reservation. Brenda has a block of cabins set aside for dancers at a guaranteed price, but at the time of this writing, only nine cabins remain AND the rest of the ship is starting to fill up. So we recommend booking your cabin by August 31st. After August 31st, you can still book, BUT rates will fluctuate daily. Also, by October, the entire cruise will likely sell out.

Last time Swing Time participated in a cruise (happens about once a decade) was seven years ago on an equally worthy embarkation, for Frankie Manning's 89th Birthday party ...and let me tell you, that one was a blast! We hope you'll join us for the Sea Swing Sensation!

Sam & Carleene

A big thank-you to the hundreds of dancers who attended our Blast-from-the-Past Sock Hop featuring THE IMPACS! What an exciting time ...and the band was amazing, with such incredible energy! This is the first time I've seen a band play an entire evening -- three-and-a-half hours straight -- without taking a break! Hope you enjoyed the evening. We will definitely bring THE IMPACS back! --Sam

UPCOMING SWING TIME EVENTS
Mark your calendars... + watch this schedule as it's updated in the upcoming weeks!

EVERY WEDNESDAY: Gulfport Casino Swing Night!

Sep 2, 2011 (Fri): Swing Time! LIVE at the Gulfport Casino Ballroom
11TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
featuring The Venturas
+ Jack & Jill Dance Contest w/ $100 Cash 1st Prize!

Oct 7, 2011 (Fri): Swing Time! at the Gulfport Casino Ballroom (stay tuned for details)

Nov 4, 2010 (Fri): Swing Time! LIVE at the Gulfport Casino Ballroom
1940's USO SWING DANCE
featuring The Ten O'Clock Band
Florida's Leading 18-Piece Big Band!

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