Tampa Bay's Swing Dance News for June 6th 2016

This Sunday, June 12th, is Ballroom Fusion Night at the Gulfport Casino, with Rumba Lesson 6-7pm, Rumba/Salsa Fusion Lesson 7-8pm, and Dancing 8-11pm. Swing Time is teaming up with Salsa Rivera to bring you this month's dance lessons, highlighting one of the most useful partner dances for American popular music, the Rumba. Dancing (8-11pm) features an exciting mix of modern music for today's most popular partner dances. The night includes a special dance performance at 9:30pm intermission, followed by a prize drawing for a Dolphin Watch or Sunset Sail Cruise for two. Just $8 (students $5) includes both lessons and the dance. Full details are below.

Blues Dance Lessons happen every Wednesday in June, 6-7pm at the Gulfport Casino Swing Night, featuring special guest instructors, Will & Katy Flanery. Blues Dancing, simply put, is techniques for dancing to slower music, whether it be groovy, funky, modern, ballad, or actual blues music. Come any week, or take all four for the full experience! Blues Dance instructor, Will Flanery, practically started Tampa Bay's blues-dance scene with his legendary house parties in Gulfport. Instructor, Katy Flanery, started swing dancing at the Gulfport Casino in 2011, learned rapidly as a Swing Time student, then spent the next two years (2012-2014) as a Swing Time instructor. She's kept honing her dancing & teaching skills since the beginning, and is today one of the top follows in Tampa Bay, fluent in most partner dances. Fun fact: Will & Katy's passion for dancing, especially Blues Dancing, brought them together, culminating in an epic flashmob marriage proposal, and subsequent wedding, both at the Gulfport Casino.

Saturday, June 18th, mark your calendars for the debut of Saturday Swing in Tampa, happening the 3rd Saturday of every month at Simone Salsa studio, 8336 W. Hillsborough Ave., Tampa, FL 33615. (Saturday Swing replaces the former Jazz Night with a new name and exciting new features!) Dance 9pm-1am with Swing 9pm-Midnight and a bonus hour of Blues Midnight-1am. DJ Sam spins the first half of swing dancing, followed by DJ Jonathan Wyers the second half of swing, followed by a special guest for the blues hour. This month's lessons (8-9pm) cover Balboa with 2 Simultaneous Levels, Beginning-Level with instructors, Keegan Barkley & Les J Wardell, and Intermediate-Level with instructors, Tom Blair & Aryn Kelly Rathbone. Doors open 7:45pm, and admission is $8, which includes both the lessons and the dance. Parking is free, all ages are welcome, no partners are needed, and prizes are given away at intermission. More Info

Ballroom Fusion Night happens this Sunday, June 12th at the Gulfport Casino. All social dancers from a diversity of dance scenes, ranging from Ballroom to Swing to Latin/Salsa to West-Coast to Tango to Blues and more, are invited to attend and help create this partner-dancing fusion. Ballroom Fusion Night is partnered social dancing "outside the box", featuring lessons and music for today's most popular partner dances, plus exciting new dance music! Ballroom Fusion Night is held the 2nd Sunday of every month at the Gulfport Casino.

BIG 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. Drawings happen at 9:30pm intermission, and you must be present to win. 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).

Doors Open 5:45pm

LESSONS 6-8PM
Rumba: 6-7pm
Rumba/Salsa Fusion: 7-8pm
Instructors, Sam Mahfoud & Carol Rivera

Swing Time is teaming up with Salsa Rivera to bring you this month's dance lessons! Learn the basics of street-style Rumba and ballroom-style Rumba in the 6-7pm dance lesson. Rumba is one of the most useful partner dances for American popular music. A matter of fact, if you hear a great song and you're not swing dancing to it, odds are it would make a good Rumba! Rumba's underlying rhythm is "Slow-Quick-Quick". Salsa's is "Quick-Quick-Slow". So what's to keep you from incorporating your entire Salsa repertoire into your Rumba? Nothing at all! We'll show you how it's done in the 7-8pm lesson.

DANCING 8-11PM
8-10pm: Modern Ballroom Dance Mix
10-11pm: Fusion Mix...Anything Goes

Special Dance Performance at 9:30pm intermission

All Ages No Partners Needed Admission $8 (Students $5) Door Prizes

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 rich history, a grand dance floor, a full bar, a smoke-free atmosphere, and free parking. The Gulfport Casino Ballroom is located in the St. Petersburg, Florida area at 5500 Shore Blvd. S., Gulfport, FL 33707. Map & Directions