Tampa Bay's Swing Dance News for October 6th 2015

Shag lessons start this Wednesday at the Gulfport Casino Swing Night! Collegiate Shag is the 6-7pm Bonus Lesson Wednesdays October 7th, 14th & 21st. What's Shag? — The most popular dance of the swing era! Special guest instructor, Forrest Outman, leads the Shag lessons. Forrest has spent the last many years researching the Shag, positioning himself as one of the world's foremost experts on the dance. Last year, he competed in the Shag division of the 2014 American Lindy Hop Championships!

Want to learn more West-Coast Swing? Come to this Sunday October 11th's Fusion Night at the Gulfport Casino Ballroom, where we're offering two hours of beginning-level & intermediate-level West-Coast classes, taught by Tina Castle & Russ Morris....6-7pm is Beginning-Level (West-Coast Swing), then 7-8pm is Intermediate-Level (West-Coast / East-Coast Fusion)...that's right, Tina & Russ will show you how to combine East-Coast & West-Coast Swing!

Dance 8-11pm, where we'll play a solid mix of West-Coast Swing, East-Coast Swing, and all of your other favorite dances (Cha Cha, Waltz, Tango, Blues, Rumba, Hustle, Salsa, Bachata, Fusion...you name it...all requests welcome!) Just $8 admission includes both lessons and the dance, students get $5 admission, and all ages are welcome!

LESSONS 6-8PM:
Beginning-Level 6-7pm (West-Coast Swing)
Intermediate-Level 7-8pm (West-Coast / East-Coast Fusion)

DANCING 8-11PM:
Modern Musical Mix — Ballroom/Fusion/Requests

All Ages No Partners Needed Admission $8 (Students $5) Door Prizes Cash Bar More Info

BREAKING NEWS — Tickets just went on sale for Swingin' the New Year at the spectacular St. Petersburg Coliseum. Already, people are buying tickets, reserved seats, and alcoves. This year's Celebration features the world-renowned Mitch Woods & His Rocket 88's! Get ready to jump & boogie, rock & swing! Buy tickets now to get the best seats. Earlybird Special — Save $5/Ticket — Purchase by October 31st. Group discounts and VIP Alcoves and Tables are available for parties of 10 or more, so start organizing your group today. Free Alcove SuperSpecial — Save $323! This Grand New Year's Eve Celebration for All Ages has become Florida's biggest annual swing-dance event...make plans now to join us! Info & Tickets — www.NewYearSwing.com

Saturday October 17th is Jazz Night in Tampa, a dance where you can Lindy Hop or Balboa (or Shag, Charleston, Shim Sham, etc) all night long! Dance to the best of Big Band and Traditional Jazz, featuring multiple DJs from all across Florida! October 17th's Jazz Night will include a Lindy Hop Lesson 8-9pm (instructors to be announced), followed by Dancing 9pm-Midnight+. Doors open 7:45pm and admission is $8 (which includes both the lesson and the dance). Jazz Night happens at Simone Salsa, 8336 W Hillsborough Ave, Tampa, FL 33615. Mark your calendars for future Jazz Nights on the 3rd Saturday of each month.

HALLOWEEN COSTUME BALL — Wednesday, October 28th, 2015

Put on your best costume and get ready to swing with all sorts of exciting characters! It's Swing Time's 14th Annual Halloween Costume Ball at the Gulfport Casino Swing Night! The Ball starts with a one-of-a-kind dance lesson: Shim Sham (with Special Zombie Styling!) 7-8pm; no partner needed. Starting at 8pm, dance 'til the midnight hour to the Ultimate Halloween Swing/Dance Music Mix... that's right! — all Halloweeny music, all the way to midnight! The Halloween Costume Ball features a Costume Parade & Contest with $500+ worth of Cash & Prizes for the best costumes! (See categories.) The Ball features loads of Chocolate, Candy, & Trick-or-Treats; Door Prizes; a Zombie Shim Sham; a Steal Dance Mixer; plus Special Halloween Decor & Atmosphere! Gulfport Casino's vintage waterfront grand ballroom is smoke-free and provides a full bar and free parking. Just $10 admission includes EVERYTHING, and all ages are welcome! (No free passes or student specials accepted at this special event.) Experience Tampa Bay's Best Halloween Dance Party... fourteen years running! More Info

BREAKING NEWS — Advance tickets are now available online. The band schedule has now been finalized (see below).

FRIDAY NIGHT SWING DANCE
at the 25th annual Suncoast Jazz Classic festival
Friday November 20th, 6:15pm-12:15am, at Sheraton Sand Key

The weekend before Thanksgiving, the Suncoast Jazz Classic festival happens at the Sheraton and Marriott on Sand Key (Clearwater Beach). This year, the Suncoast Jazz Classic hosts its 6th annual Friday Night Swing Dance with an amazing lineup of all-new bands and a new/bigger venue at the Sheraton Sand Key! All lindy hoppers, swing dancers, balboa dancers, etc, who appreciate swinging big-band and traditional jazz are encouraged to attend. Support your very own Tampa Bay jazz festival by bringing your dancing self and friends, and get ready to dance to some world-class live music! Dance to FOUR superbly swinging bands from across the USA! Each band performs one full set of music for your dancing pleasure. The evening's lineup is:

6:15- 7:15pm - Swing Time Dance Lessons (Swing, Charleston, Balboa) 7:30- 8:30pm - Tom Rigney & Flambeau (San Francisco, CA) 8:45- 9:45pm - The Fat Babies (Chicago, IL) 10:00-11:00pm - Miss Ida Blue & the Yerba Buena Stompers (Brooklyn, NY) 11:15-12:15am - Dave Bennett Quartet (Detroit, MI)

SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE: Attention Dancers — Your ticket gets you into both the Swing Dance AND the other four music halls of the festival from 6pm onward! If you'd like to check out more bands, or follow your favorite bands around, you're welcome to do so. From Big Band Swing to Cajun/Zydeco to New Orleans & Dixieland Jazz to Blues, this festival has it all! Complete Band Schedule

LARGE DANCE FLOOR — This dance takes place in one of the ballrooms (Zorch's Place, 1st Floor) of the beautiful Sheraton Sand Key resort. For one night only, the ballroom will be set up dance-style, with chairs moved to the walls and the dance floor cleared for dancing! This year's ballroom will be even bigger than last year's. Doors open 6pm.

Tickets are $22 in advance -or- $25 at the door. Advance tickets are now available online or Wednesdays at the Gulfport Casino Swing Night.