Tampa Bay's Swing Dance News for September 9th 2011

Swing Time is hosting Tampa Bay's first-ever TEEN SWING DANCE on Friday, October 7th at Gulfport Casino! Since this is the first event of its kind, we're asking for your help in spreading the word to a new generation of dancers. As we all know, swing dancing is not only fun & exciting, but it's a powerfully positive influence with benefits that last a lifetime. Dancing builds social skills, self-esteem, confidence, coordination, fitness, a sense of community/belonging, and more! SO EVEN IF YOU'RE NOT A TEENAGER, PLEASE HELP SPREAD THE WORD to your family, friends and co-workers with teens, students, church youth groups, etc. If you're a teen, please let all your friends and classmates know. Ways you can spread the word include forwarding this email, referring people to www.SwingTime.info (website) or 813-840-3715 (hotline), via Facebook, Twitter, text messages, etc. If you want flyers to hand out or posters to put up, please reply to this email and let us know. Help make this first event successful, and more teen events will happen!

CHAPERONES NEEDED: Parents, teachers, or youth leaders who would like to volunteer as chaperones, please contact Sam at Swing Time by replying to this email or phoning 727-669-7830.

TEEN SWING DANCE
Friday October 7th
Gulfport Casino Ballroom

DANCE 8-11pm
Swing-Dance Lesson 7:15-8:00pm
Doors Open 7:00pm

Dance Jam & Contest... Prizes to Winners!

Open to Teens Ages 13+
( No Partners Needed )
Retro Swing Attire Encouraged
Admission $7

Teen Swing Dance

The Gulfport Casino Ballroom is
one of the world's top dance destinations,
featuring a huge dance floor
and a spectacular beachfront setting!
It's located in the St. Petersburg, Florida area at
5500 Shore Blvd. S., Gulfport FL 33707

Map/Directions Info for Parents Parking

TRIPLE TIME -- ADVANCING YOUR SWING is the 6-7pm Bonus Lesson topic the three Wednesdays, September 14th-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

Saturday SEP 24th, the Carrollwood Cultural Center hosts a Big-Band Dance & Concert with live music by the Sounds of Swing Orchestra. The dancing starts at 7:30pm. Swing Time opens the evening with a Dance Lesson 6:30-7:30pm. Tickets are $10-$14. Sam's review: The band plays a nice dance selection, with lots of swing! The hall atmosphere is laid-back and its layout is conducive to dancing. When I attended last month, the crowd loved to dance... it's well worth checking out! Visit the link above for tickets or more information. The Carrollwood Cultural Center is located at 4537 Lowell Rd, Tampa, FL 33618; Phone 813-269-1310.

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 & DEADLINE? To guarantee your spot at the current rates, please make your reservation ASAP. Call or email Brenda, our swing-dancing travel agent & organizer, at BookWithBrenda@aol.com or 562-217-1371. Earlier you could do the entire cruise, INCLUDING taxes/government/port fees, tips/gratuities, and dances/instruction for under $800; and there may still be space available at the same or similar rates. If you're looking for a cabin mate to save $, just let Brenda know and she'll match you up with another dancer. A small deposit holds your spot on the cruise. The entire ship is starting to sell out and will likely do so in the upcoming 1-2 months, so we recommend booking the sooner the better.

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!

Oct 26, 2011 (Wed): Special Event at the Gulfport Casino Swing Night
HALLOWEEN COSTUME BALL
Tampa Bay's Best Halloween Dance Party... 10 Years Running!

Nov 4, 2011 (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!

Nov 23, 2011 (Wed): Special Event at the Gulfport Casino Swing Night
PRE-THANKSGIVING BASH
Live Music by St. Pete Blues All-Stars
Jump/Swing/Boogie Woogie/Chicago Blues; 7-Piece Band!

Dec 21, 2011 (Wed): Special Event at the Gulfport Casino Swing Night
CHRISTMAS SWING-DANCE PARTY

Dec 31, 2011 (Sat): SWINGIN' THE NEW YEAR! at the St. Petersburg Coliseum
Grand New Year's Eve Celebration for All Ages!