Tampa Bay's Swing Dance News for January 18th 2016

Sunday February 14th, Swing Time presents the Valentine's Ball, a special event at the Gulfport Casino featuring live music by dancer favorites, Gloria West & the Gents, plus Valentine's decor, prizes, candy & chocolates! Everyone's encouraged to wear something that's red, white, or pink. Bring your sweetheart, bring your friends, or come alone... any way you make it, it's going to be a great time! Tickets are $12 in advance or $15 at the door, available in person (cash only) at the Gulfport Casino during business hours, during dances, and at the Wednesday Swing Nights. Advance tickets are not available by phone or internet.

PRIZE GIVEAWAY — Enter the Prize Drawing to win a Dolphin Watch or Sunset Sail Cruise for Two courtesy of Dolphin Landings Charter Boat Center. Additional prizes include dance event tickets and chocolates too! Drawings will happen at band intermission. Dolphin Landings offers a variety of public day cruises and private charters including the ever popular Dolphin Watch and Sunset Sails, all departing from St Pete Beach. Dolphin Landings is located at 4737 Gulf Blvd, St Pete Beach, FL 33706 (Phone 727-360-7411).

Map & Directions Lesson Info

The Hot Sardines play the Straz Center this Saturday January 23rd. "The Hot Sardines' distinctive recipe for making musical magic includes a blustery brass lineup layered over a rhythm section led by a stride-piano Fats Waller-style virtuoso. Tied together with a riveting front woman who sings in English and French, with a voice reminiscent of the Golden Age of hot jazz, this sizzling gumbo of sound fuses musical influences from New York, Paris, and New Orleans, and tours with its own tap dancer. Hailed as 'one of the best jazz bands in New York today' [Forbes], the Hot Sardines mix a little Parisian mischief into the rollicking controlled chaos of American hot jazz standards" [Straz Center]. The Straz Center is located at 1010 N MacInnes Place, Tampa, FL 33602 (Phone 813-229-7827). Tickets & Show Info

Jazz Night — Saturday February 20th
2 Lindy Lessons: Beginning-Level & Intermediate-Level

Saturday February 20th is Jazz Night, Tampa's Lindy Hop & Balboa dance. The night starts with Lindy Hop Lessons 8-9pm with 2 Simultaneous Levels! (Instructors will place you either in the beginning level or intermediate level.) Beginning-Level features instructors, Nathan Foreman & Bri Emge. Intermediate-Level features instructors, Tom Blair & Andrea Kugelman. Dance 9pm-Midnight+ to the best of Big Band and Traditional Jazz, featuring DJs Rusty Phillips (Orlando), Keegan Barkley (Tampa), and Tom Blair (Tampa). Jazz Night is a dance where you can Lindy Hop or Balboa (or Shag, Charleston, Shim Sham, etc) all night long! Doors open 7:45pm and admission is $8 (which includes both the lessons and the dance). Jazz Night happens at Simone Salsa in Tampa on the 3rd Saturday of each month.

Simone Salsa's main studio on Hillsborough Avenue features awesome atmosphere, lighting, sound, and a large smooth hardwood dance floor! Address — It's located in the Home Design Plaza shopping center at 8336 W. Hillsborough Ave., Tampa, FL 33615. Parking — Simone Salsa has a big (and free) parking lot just a few feet from its entrance. Drinks — You can BYO beverages to this venue. Bottled water and soft drinks are also available for purchase; they're in the kitchen's cooler; just drop a dollar in the fishbowl.