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

Tampa Bay's Swing Dance News

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Swing Time Newsletter — Monday SEP 24th 2007

Hi Everyone!

This Wednesday (September 26th), we celebrate Allison's Birthday at the Gulfport Casino Swing Night! It's going to be a great evening of dancing, and we have a special birthday jam planned, plus cake & other good stuff. If you're one of the hundreds of folks she's helped with their dancing this last year, there's no better way to show your appreciation than being there. We hope to see a big crowd out this Wednesday, and please keep it a surprise... See you there!

This Thursday (September 27th) at Centro Asturiano, we kick off ticket sales in a big way for Swing Time's 7th Anniversary Celebration! Buy a 7th Anniversary Celebration ticket when you arrive this Thursday (only $12 in advance) and get Free Admission to this Thursday's Swing Centro event! So join us for an exciting evening of Swing Centro this Thursday, and save $7! This special offer is valid one night only and will not be repeated, so take advantage while you can!

Swing Time's 7th Anniversary Celebration is shaping up to be a huge weekend of live music and swing dancing! We're bringing one of the U.S.A.'s top swing bands, Dr Zoot, to Florida to headline two incredible nights of dance excitement at Centro Asturiano (Tampa FRI 10/19) and at Dance Orlando (SAT 10/20). In addition to Friday's and Saturday's main events, late-night blues dances (1am-5am) are in the works for both Tampa on Friday and Orlando on Saturday, plus swing-dance champions Joel & Lenka are teaching a daytime workshop Saturday October 20th in Orlando. In addition, there may be some organized or informal dinner opportunities prior to Friday's and Saturday's main events. Read on, and stay tuned to future email newsletters for full details!

We've overhauled our Dance Lesson web pages to reflect our new expanded selection of classes. All classes run one hour, happen at the beginning of the events, and are free (with paid admission to each event). Swing Time now offers nearly 40 different swing-dance lessons, each covering different moves, steps, techniques, and topics in East-Coast Swing, Lindy Hop, Charleston, Shim Sham, Free-Style Swing, and mixes of all of the above! All lessons are self-contained, with no prior experience needed. All lessons start with beginning material, and include more advanced and more challenging material as the lesson progresses. We're including a schedule below, containing the next 20 upcoming lessons. For full information, visit our new dance-class web pages!

Sam

NEW PHOTOS Online!
Nearly 200 New Photos from Two Recent Events

Photos are online from last Thursday's Swing Centro event, and from the latest (Friday September 14th) Swing Time live music/dance event! Check them all out, and feel free to grab the ones you like for your Myspace, Facebook, or other personal web pages!

Direct Links to the Photo Scrapbook Pages:
Photos - SEP 20 - Swing Centro Photos - SEP 14 - Swing Time! at the Gulfport Casino w/ The Venturas

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UPCOMING SWING TIME DANCE CLASSES
All Lessons Free! (with Paid Admission to Event)
All Lessons Taught by Sam & Allison
No Partner Needed; No Prior Experience Needed
All Levels & All Ages Welcome!

Sep 26 2007 (Wed) 7-8pm @ Gulfport Casino Swing Night: EAST-COAST SWING - Rollouts, Rebounds, Wraps & Spins
Sep 27 2007 (Thu) 7-8pm @ Swing Centro (Centro Asturiano): SWING MIX - Arm Slides, 2 Turns, Double Steps & Free-Stylin'
Oct 3 2007 (Wed) 7-8pm @ Gulfport Casino Swing Night: EAST-COAST SWING - 6 Promenade Turns, Belt Slide, Single/Triple
Oct 4 2007 (Thu) 7-8pm @ Swing Centro (Centro Asturiano): SWING MIX - Get Your Kicks! Charleston/East-Coast Swing Mix
Oct 10 2007 (Wed) 7-8pm @ Gulfport Casino Swing Night: EAST-COAST SWING - Circling, Sending, Moving & 4 Turns
Oct 11 2007 (Thu) 7-8pm @ Swing Centro (Centro Asturiano): LINDY HOP - Outside Turns & Swingouts
Oct 12 2007 (Fri) 8-9pm @ Swing Time! (Gulfport Casino): CHARLESTON - Side-by-Side Moves
Oct 17 2007 (Wed) 7-8pm @ Gulfport Casino Swing Night: SWING MIX - Turns & Jig Walks, Open/Closed, Single/Double
Oct 19 2007 (Fri) 8-9pm @ Swing Time! (Centro Asturiano): EAST-COAST SWING - 6 Inside Turns for Follows & Leads
Oct 20 2007 (Sat) 8-9pm @ Swing Time! (Dance Orlando): EAST-COAST SWING - 6 Outside/Arch Turns + Combos/Double-Turns
Oct 24 2007 (Wed) 7-8pm @ Gulfport Casino Swing Night: SWING MIX - 1- and 2-Armed Turns & Windmills
Oct 25 2007 (Thu) 7-8pm @ Swing Centro (Centro Asturiano): EAST-COAST SWING - Rubberband + 5 Outside/Arch/Ladies'/Men's Turns
Oct 31 2007 (Wed) 7-8pm @ Gulfport Casino Swing Night: SHIM SHAM - + Bonus Dance!
Nov 1 2007 (Thu) 7-8pm @ Swing Centro (Centro Asturiano): CHARLESTON - Front-to-Back Kicks & Variations
Nov 7 2007 (Wed) 7-8pm @ Gulfport Casino Swing Night: EAST-COAST SWING - Left-Right Wraps, Pivot Turns, Single/Triple
Nov 8 2007 (Thu) 7-8pm @ Swing Centro (Centro Asturiano): LINDY HOP - Circles & Closed Swingouts
Nov 9 2007 (Fri) 8-9pm @ Swing Time! (Gulfport Casino): EAST-COAST SWING - 5 Turns from Open & Closed, Moving, Single/Triple
Nov 14 2007 (Wed) 7-8pm @ Gulfport Casino Swing Night: SWING MIX - Free/Tuck/Inside Spins & Turns, Ratchet & Tag
Nov 15 2007 (Thu) 7-8pm @ Swing Centro (Centro Asturiano): EAST-COAST SWING - Tuck & Quick Spins, Rebounds & Wraps
Nov 21 2007 (Wed) 7-8pm @ Gulfport Casino Swing Night: EAST-COAST SWING - 4 Cross-Armed Turns, Belt Slide, Behind-Back Switch

Friday, October 12th, 2007
Swing Time! at the Gulfport Casino Ballroom
featuring Charlie Vegas & the New Blues Combo
Tampa Bay's Most Exciting Swingin' Act!

Get ready to jump... get ready to rock... get ready to swing! ...with Tampa Bay's most exciting swingin' act, Charlie Vegas & the New Blues Combo! This talented & energetic band features sax, drums, bass, and Charlie himself on guitar, harmonica & vocals. Whether it's uptempo & jumpin' or low down & gritty, these guys deliver a huge and varied repertoire of dance favorites... along with the power, the sound, and the excitement that'll pull you up out of your seat and get you onto your feet! It all happens Friday, October 12th at the Gulfport Casino Ballroom, starting with a group swing-dance lesson, 8-9pm (no partner needed), followed by live music & dancing, 9pm-1am, plus a dance show or contest at intermission!

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/ Charlie Vegas & the New Blues Combo, 9pm-1am
Swing Dance Instruction (no partner needed), 8-9pm
Dance Show or Contest at Intermission

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

$11 Admission includes Free Lesson; Free Parking!

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

Swing Time's
7th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION!
Friday October 19th at Centro Asturiano in Tampa
Saturday October 20th at Dance Orlando
2 Nights! 2 Cities! 2 Grand Venues! 2 Huge Events!
Both events feature one of U.S.A.'s Top Swing Bands... DR ZOOT!

Swing Time celebrates seven years of putting on Florida's premier swing events, with two nights of spectacular swinging in two of Florida's swingin'est cities! Friday, October 19th, 2007, Swing Time returns to the place where it all started in October 2000 -- the Grand Ballroom of Centro Asturiano in Tampa! Then on Saturday, October 20th, 2007, the excitement moves to Dance Orlando, Orlando's grandest dance hall! Both nights of Swing Time's 7th Anniversary Celebration feature one of the U.S.A.'s top swing acts, Dr Zoot! And each night of the Celebration includes hours of live music & dancing (9pm-1am), 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 first prize!

Dr Zoot is a horn-driven swingin' 7-piece dance band, complete with trumpet, trombone, sax/flute/clarinet, piano, guitar, upright bass, drums, and vocals! From jumpin' originals to big band favorites, these guys play it all, give it their own unique style, swing hard, and have fun doin' it! The excitement is contagious, which always keeps the dance floor movin' & shakin'! Now in their 10th year, Dr Zoot has recorded six CDs (their latest 2006 release is Pay the Viper), and their music has been featured in numerous CD compilations, TV shows, and films. The band is wildly popular with swing dancers and music lovers across the USA, regularly playing the nation's heppest clubs and dance venues, from New York to L.A., from Glen Echo's Spanish Ballroom in DC to the Showboat Casino in Atlantic City... and soon to appear in Tampa and Orlando for Swing Time's 7th Anniversary Celebration!

Based out of Pittsburgh, Dr Zoot made their first-ever Swing Time appearance back in April, and here's what we had to say: "In the seven years we've been putting on live-music swing-dance events, many people, including lindy hoppers, swing kids, and old timers too, told us this was the best band ever. The band did an amazing job for the dancers, delivering 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. 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 Florida!"

Centro Asturiano is located at 1913 N. Nebraska Ave., Tampa FL 33602 (at the corner of Palm Ave. & Nebraska Ave. in Ybor City).

Dance Orlando is located just north of Orlando at 311 Dane Lane, Longwood FL 32750.

EVENT HIGHLIGHTS (BOTH NIGHTS)

Live Music & Dancing w/ Dr Zoot, 9pm-1am
Swing Dance Instruction (no partner necessary), 8-9pm
Jack & Jill Dance Contest at Intermission -- $100+ Cash Prizes!

All Ages & Smoke-Free
Friendly Social Atmosphere
Beautiful Grand Ballroom
Huge Dance Floor
Prize Giveaways
Refreshments
Free Parking
Cash Bar

Tickets: $12/event (in advance) -or- $15/event (day of)
-or- attend both events for just $20 (advance purchase required)
Purchase Advance Tickets securely online at www.SwingTime.info
-or- in person Wednesdays at the Gulfport Casino Swing Night
-or- in person Thursdays at Swing Centro
-or- in person at Dance Orlando

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

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, Dance Jams, Prizes, Mixers, & More!

Beautiful & Historic Waterfront Grand Ballroom
Friendly Social Atmosphere
One of the World's Best Dance Floors!

* 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]

SWING NEWS BRIEFS
Click the links below for more info

Gmail Features Lindy Hoppers: New Gmail video "commercial" features Montreal Lindy Hoppers, Ann Mony & Alain Wong.

Retro Christmas Cards: WhatsBuzzin.com, the online shop run by local swing dancers Diane & Brent Dempsey, offers a selection of vintage-inspired Christmas cards & gifts. Fourteen new Christmas cards have been added for 2007, and for a limited time they come with free shipping.

UPCOMING SWING TIME EVENTS
Click the links below for details on each event

EVERY WEDNESDAY: Gulfport Casino Swing Night

EVERY THURSDAY: Swing Centro

Oct 12, 2007 (Fri): Swing Time! at the Gulfport Casino
    featuring Charlie Vegas & the New Blues Combo!
    Tampa Bay's Most Exciting Swingin' Act!
    Tickets: $11; purchase at the door

Oct 18, 2007 (Thu): No Swing Centro Tonight... SWING ON FRIDAY instead of Thursday
One Week Only -- Swing at Centro on Friday October 19th (see below)

Oct 19, 2007 (Fri): Swing Time! at Centro Asturiano in Tampa
7TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION !
featuring Dr Zoot!
One of U.S.A.'s Top Swing Bands!
Tickets: $12/advance -or- $15/day of event
Click here for Ticket Info or to Purchase Tickets!

Oct 20, 2007 (Sat): Swing Time! at Dance Orlando
7TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION !
featuring Dr Zoot!
Modern & Exciting Swing Band w/ Piano & Horn Section!
Tickets: $12/advance -or- $15/day of event
Click here for Ticket Info or to Purchase Tickets!

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

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