Tampa Bay's Swing Dance News for August 27th 2011

Tampa Bay's Swing Dance News

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Swing Time Newsletter — Saturday AUGUST 27th 2011

Swing Time's 11TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
Next Friday, September 2nd, 2011
LIVE at the Gulfport Casino Ballroom
featuring Live & Swingin' Music by...
THE VENTURAS!
+ Jack & Jill Dance Contest w/ $100 Cash 1st Prize!

Swing Time!

MAKE PLANS TO ATTEND -- Next 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 10:30pm with $100 Cash 1st Prize! (Sign up for the contest at the display table, located near the entrance.) Doors open 7:30pm, admission is $11 (buy your tickets at the door), prize giveaways happen throughout the evening, and all ages are welcome!

The Gulfport Casino Ballroom is one of the world's top dance destinations, offering social dance excitement in a picturesque beachfront setting. It features a huge dance floor, a full bar, and a smoke-free atmosphere. It's located in the St. Petersburg, Florida area at 5500 Shore Blvd. S., Gulfport FL 33707.

Map & Directions Where to Park

Learn Charleston Lines ("Sing, Sing, Sing") 6-7pm THIS WEDNESDAY 8/31 ONLY at the Gulfport Casino Swing Night! Swing-Dance Lesson 7-8pm; DANCE 8-11pm... all for just $7, AND students get 2-for-1 admission! No partner needed.

America's Got Talent -- Miami All-Stars Swing Their Way to Top 10

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

Bring Me Sunshine -- New Video & Recording by Jive Aces

SEPTEMBER PREVIEW: Triple Time -- Advancing Your Swing will be the 6-7pm Bonus Lesson topic the four Wednesdays, September 7th-28th at the Gulfport Casino Swing Night. Kick your dancing up a notch with triple-time swing! Triple-time swing forms the basis for most advanced swing dancing (including Lindy Hop, West-Coast Swing, and advanced East-Coast Swing), for the simple reason that if you add more steps, you can perform more intricate moves. But triple-time is not just steps; it's a whole new attitude of dancing! In these classes, we focus on movement. We'll show you how to easily impress your partner. We'll show you a variety of more advanced six-count moves. Our overall goal is to raise your dancing to that next level! Read More

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, 80 dancers have 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.

HERE's THE SCOOP: The Sea Swing Sensation is an incredible opportunity to learn from and dance with some of the world's best, while having the vacation of a lifetime! 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!

INSTRUCTORS: 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.

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 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 five cabins remain AND the rest of the ship is starting to fill up. So we recommend booking by August 31st. After August 31st, you can still book, BUT rates will fluctuate daily AND you'll be competing against the general public for the remaining spots on the ship. 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 that one was a blast! We hope you'll join us for the Sea Swing Sensation!

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): (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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