Tampa Bay's Swing Dance News for July 11th 2016

Thank-you to everyone who attended last night's dance, making it the biggest Ballroom Fusion Night in over 16 months! Mark your calendars for the next Ballroom Fusion Night on Sunday, August 14th, and please spread the word. With your support, this dance keeps getting bigger and better! –Sam

Get your registrations in for this Saturday's Lindy Hop Boot Camp. We've had a great response so far, and are really looking forward to Saturday! Register online right now, or in person at Wednesday's Gulfport Casino Swing Night. Registration is $27 by Friday, or $30 at Simone Salsa on Saturday, and includes admission to that night's Saturday Swing dance!

This Saturday, July 16th, is Swing Time's Lindy Hop Boot Camp, an intensive workshop that gives you the benefit of an entire four-week Lindy Hop course, all in one afternoon! Two levels are offered, with instructors determining your appropriate level. Lindy Hop Boot Camp happens 2-6pm at Simone Salsa, 8336 W Hillsborough Ave in Tampa. No partners needed.

Level 1 (Beginning) — Learn the Lindy Hop! Level 1 is for dancers with little-to-no Lindy Hop experience, and for dancers who want to master the basics. Level 1 features four hours of intensive instruction, drills, and practice, taking you step by step through the 10 fundamental moves of Lindy Hop. Level 1 is taught by Sam Mahfoud & Teresa Ullman. (Click for instructor info.)

Level 2 (Intermediate) — Advance & Improve Your Lindy Hop! Level 2 is for dancers already proficient at Swing-Outs and other Lindy Hop fundamentals. Level 2 participants will polish and style their Lindy Hop, learn new moves and footwork, and gain valuable Lindy experience guided by the instructors. Level 2 is taught by Tom Blair & Aryn Kelly Rathbone. (Click for instructor info.)

SCHEDULE:
1:30-2:00pm – Doors Open, Registration, Warm Up 2:00-6:00pm – Boot Camp (includes breaks & practice time) 6:00-8:00pm – Dinner Break 8:00-9:00pm – Saturday Swing Dance Lesson (optional) 9:00pm-1:00 – Saturday Swing Dance

This Saturday, July 16th, is Saturday Swing in Tampa, happening the 3rd Saturday of every month at Simone Salsa studio, 8336 W. Hillsborough Ave., Tampa, FL 33615. Dance 9pm-1am with Swing 9pm-Midnight and a bonus hour of Blues Midnight-1am. Join us at 8pm, prior to the dance, for the Swing Dance Lesson. Admission is $8, which includes both the lesson and the dance. Parking is free. All ages are welcome, no partners are needed, and prizes are given away at intermission. Doors open 7:45pm. All participants in that afternoon's Lindy Hop Boot Camp get in free to the Saturday Swing Dance!

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.

St. Louis Shag Lessons happen every Wednesday in July, 6-7pm at the Gulfport Casino Swing Night, featuring Dominic & Jocelyn, special guest instructors. St. Louis Shag is an 8-count partnered swing dance that evolved from the Charleston. With its satisfying rhythms, tilting shuffles, and high-energy kicks, it's making a major comeback among swing dancers across the nation! Unlike Charleston and other Shags, St. Louis Shag is danced in place and it's lower impact, meaning all ages can dance it. Come any week, or take all three for the full experience. Instructor, Dominic Howarth, grew up on swing music, then five years ago decided to give the dance a try, at the Gulfport Casino. After a year of taking every group lesson Swing Time had to offer, he started soaking up swing dance knowledge from every source available, from Florida instructors to YouTube. Last year, he won both the Jack & Jill and the Solo Jazz dance competitions at Statesboro Swings Out in Georgia. Today, he and partner, Jocelyn, are leaders in the St Pete swing scene, hosting weekly classes at the Premier Dance Academy, and a monthly lesson/dance in Straub Park for the City of St. Petersburg. Instructor, Jocelyn Howard, got her start swing dancing at the Gulfport Casino when she was in high school. After graduating college, she returned to St. Petersburg and started swing-dancing "full time" (in addition to her professional day job) the last three years. While swing dancing in St. Louis, Jocelyn noticed the local dancers doing a fun new dance, and she and Dominic decided they had to learn it and teach it to others. That dance was St. Louis Shag!

Sunday, August 14th, is Ballroom Fusion Night 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.

LESSONS 6-8PM
Lesson 1: 6-7pm
Lesson 2: 7-8pm
Lesson topics and instructors to be announced

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