Tampa Bay's Swing Dance News for April 24th 2007

Tampa Bay's Swing Dance News

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Swing Time Newsletter — Tuesday APR 24th 2007

Dear Swingsters... Here are the latest & greatest swing happenings. ...Friday Band Nights in May & June, ...Gulfport's Swingin' Wednesdays, ...Centro's Swingin' Thursdays, ...classes in Lindy Hop, Charleston, and Shim Sham! --Sam

P.S. A big thank-you to the hundreds of folks who turned out for Swing Time with Dr Zoot a couple of Fridays back. From the rave reviews of people who attended, and from the band's highly evident talent and musicianship, this was one of the top swing acts to ever hit Tampa Bay! Dr Zoot delivered a powerful mix of original music plus modern arrangements of big-band favorites, all played with tremendous passion and energy. The band superbly mixed the tempos and styles, keeping the dance floor packed all night long. We hope to bring them back one day!

Swing Time! -- Upcoming Events
Read on for the full scoop about each event...

EVERY WEDNESDAY: Gulfport Casino Swing Night

EVERY THURSDAY: Swing Centro

May 11, 2007 (Fri): Swing Time! at the Gulfport Casino
    featuring The Venturas!
    Exceptional Talent w/ Hot Vocals!
    Tickets: $11; purchase at the door

Jun 8, 2007 (Fri): Swing Time! at the Gulfport Casino
    featuring The Juke Joint Kings!
    Hot & Jumpin' Swing Band!
    Tickets: $11; purchase at the door

The SECOND FRIDAY Swing Time! at the Gulfport Casino
of EVERY MONTH: Live Music & Dancing!

GULFPORT CASINO SWING NIGHT !
EVERY WEDNESDAY in Gulfport (St. Petersburg, FL)

Swing Music & Dancing, 8pm-Midnight
Dance Lesson, 7-8pm (no partner needed)
Shim Sham, Swing Rueda, Prizes, Mixers, & More!

Beautiful Waterfront Ballroom
Friendly Social Atmosphere
One of the Best Dance Floors Anywhere!

* All Ages * Smoke-Free * Full Bar * Free Parking *
Admission $6 (includes Free Lesson)

[Map & Directions] [More Info]

SWING CENTRO !
EVERY THURSDAY in Ybor City (Tampa, FL)

Swing Music & Dancing, 8pm-Midnight
Dance Lesson, 7-8pm (no partner needed)

Exciting Social Atmosphere!
Fabulous Vintage Grand Ballroom
Huge Floating-Wood Dance Floor

* All Ages * Smoke-Free * Full Bar * Prize Giveaways *
Admission $7 (includes Free Lesson); Free Gated Parking
Students Get 2-for-1 Admission!

[Map & Directions] [More Info]

Friday, May 11th, 2007
Swing Time! at the Gulfport Casino Ballroom
featuring... The Venturas!
Exceptional Talent w/ Hot Vocals

Friday, May 11th, The Venturas bring their hot mix of retro swingin' styles to Swing Time at the Gulfport Casino Ballroom. The event starts with a group swing-dance lesson, 8-9pm (no partner needed), followed by live music & dancing, 9pm-1am, plus a dance exhibition or contest at intermission!

A favorite of Bay-area swingsters, The Venturas have also made a big impression on the Florida music scene, receiving rave reviews from press & fans alike, playing for tens of thousands of people, winning Best Band awards, and recording four CDs! Each time they've played Swing Time, the band has put on a smash performance for a huge audience of fans. And each time they've played, people have remarked that it's been an incredible night of dancing, music, and all-around fun!

Swing Time is Florida's Premier Swing Event, held the second Friday of every month in Tampa Bay at the Gulfport Casino Ballroom. The Gulfport Casino is located in the St. Petersburg area at 5500 Shore Blvd. S., Gulfport FL 33707.

EVENT HIGHLIGHTS

Live Music & Dancing w/ The Venturas, 9pm-1am
Swing Dance Instruction (no partner needed), 8-9pm
Dance Contest or Exhibition at Intermission

All Ages & Smoke-Free
Friendly Social Atmosphere
Beautiful Waterfront Ballroom
Huge Dance Floor
Prize Giveaways
Full Bar

For more info, visit www.SwingTime.info on the web, or click the links below:
[Band Bio] [Map & Directions] [More Info]

SWING CENTRO LESSON SCHEDULE
FREE Lindy Hop & Charleston CLASSES!

Learn a variety of swing dances, plus new moves, steps, and techniques in East-Coast Swing, Lindy Hop (that other swing dance), partner Charleston (which can be incorporated into most swing dances), Shim Sham, and more! Gain added versatility and experience more dance excitement on the floor! Lessons are free (with paid admission to the event) and can be attended by dancers of all levels, either with or without a partner. No prior experience is needed. To add these new & exciting things to your swing dancing, just arrive at Centro Asturiano by 7pm for each class!

Apr 26 (Thu): CHARLESTONS - Front-to-Back Moves
May 3 (Thu): LINDY HOP - Close Swingouts, Circles & Turns
May 10 (Thu): CHARLESTONS - Side-by-Side Moves
May 17 (Thu): LINDY HOP - Swingout Moves & Variations
May 24 (Thu): SHIM SHAM
May 31 (Thu): SWING RUEDA

Charleston Mini-Workshops (April 26 & May 10) Learn the Charleston steps, plus how to work not just your legs but your arms and body into the dance. We'll cover partnering, leading and following, various styles and variations of Charleston, plus how to work the Charleston into your swing dancing. The moves and styles and variations taught will vary from week to week. Moves and variations will include a variety of Side-BY-Side, Side-TO-Side, Hand-to-Hand, Front-to-Front, and Front-to-Back Charlestons! The Charleston mini-workshops offer something for everyone from the beginning to the more advanced dancer. All three classes stand on their own; you need not take one to take any of the others; but the more you take, the better your Charleston dancing will be! There are no prerequisites, and no partner is needed.

Lindy Hop Mini-Workshops (May 3 & May 17) Learn Lindy Hop, the original swing dance! Our innovative teaching methods (no math or counting required) will have you swinging & grooving to the Lindy Hop in no time! We'll cover single-time & triple-time Lindy Hop footwork, arms, open & closed body positions, partnering, leading & following, and numerous techniques, styles, moves and variations. Moves will include the Swing Out from Open Position, Swing Out from Closed Position, Lindy Circle, Tuck & Double Turn, Open Break, Outside Swingout Turn, Inside Swingout Turn, Free Swingout Turn, Texas Tommy, and more! You'll learn how to incorporate Charleston into your Lindy Hop and how to mix Lindy Hop with East-Coast Swing. Whether you're new to Lindy Hop or have taken several classes, try these out -- we know you'll like them! The Lindy Hop mini-workshops offer something for everyone from the beginning to the more advanced dancer. All three classes stand on their own; you need not take one to take any of the others; but the more you take, the better your Lindy Hopping will be! There are no prerequisites, and no partner is needed.

Shim Sham Mini-Workshop (May 24) Learn the Shim Sham, plus useful jazz steps for swing dancing, all in one accelerated 60-minute session! The Shim Sham is a swing line-dance & mixer that goes back to the early days of swing, jazz & tap dance. It has become a tradition at swing dances across the world, and is a fun & energetic part of just about every swing dance in the Tampa Bay area! There are no prerequisites, and no partner is needed.

Swing Rueda Mini-Workshop (May 31) Swing Rueda is an exciting group swing-dance based on the Lindy Hop, where moves are called out by a caller, and all participants dance the called moves to transition from one partner to the next. Besides learning Swing Rueda, you'll also gain valuable experience Lindy Hopping! Prior Lindy Hop experience is helpful if you're taking this class (ie, taking the Lindy Hop mini workshops is recommended) but not absolutely required. No partner is needed.

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