Tampa Bay's Swing Dance News for October 3rd 2016

Breaking News — Reserved seats just went on sale for this year's Swingin' the New Year celebration at the spectacular St. Petersburg Coliseum, featuring UK swing sensations, The Jive Aces! Buy tickets now to get the best seats. Start organizing your group today — VIP Alcoves are available for parties of 20 or more; Reserved Tables & Group Discounts are available for parties of 10 or more. This Grand New Year's Eve Celebration for All Ages is Florida's biggest annual swing-dance event...make plans now to join us! Info & Tickets — www.NewYearSwing.com

Triple-Time Swing lessons start this Wednesday, October 5th, at the Gulfport Casino Swing Night. Triple-Time Swing forms the basis for most advanced swing dancing (including Lindy Hop, West-Coast Swing, European Boogie Woogie, Ballroom Jive, and Advanced East-Coast Swing, to name a few), for the simple reason that if you add more steps, you can perform more intricate moves. So kick your dancing up a few notches with these lessons, and learn some very cool moves in the process! Featuring instructors, Sam & Teresa, Triple-Time Swing lessons run three Wednesdays — October 5th, 12th & 19th — during the 6-7pm Bonus Lesson.

This Sunday, October 9th, is Ballroom Fusion Night at the Gulfport Casino, with West-Coast Swing Lesson 6-7pm, West-Coast/Cha Cha Fusion Lesson 7-8pm, and Dancing 8-11pm to a variety of music for a variety of dances. Just $8 includes both lessons and the dance, and students get $5 admission. Swing Time welcomes special guest instructors, Tina Castle & Russ Morris, who will teach the lessons prior to the dance. 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.

Saturday, October 15th, is Balboa Boot Camp, a complete four-week Balboa course, all in one afternoon! Learn Balboa, the top dance craze in the swing world. Two levels are offered, beginning and intermediate. Balboa Boot Camp happens 2-6pm at Simone Salsa studio in Tampa. It's followed by the Saturday Swing evening dance, which is included in the price of your Boot Camp registration. Registration is $30 through October 14th at 6:00pm (Advance Registration), or $35 at the door (Day of Event). Register online right now to save $5. Full details are below.

Saturday, October 15th, is Saturday Swing in Tampa, with Swing Dancing 9pm-12:00, plus Blues Dancing starting at midnight! Join us at 8pm, prior to the dance, for the Swing Dance Lesson. Balboa Jack & Jill Dance Contest at 11:15pm with three levels — Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced — free entry, and great prizes! Admission is $10 before midnight (includes lesson, swing dancing, and blues dancing), or $5 after midnight (includes blues dancing only). All ages are welcome, no partners are needed, and prizes are given away at intermission. Saturday Swing happens the 3rd Saturday of every month at Simone Salsa studio, 8336 W. Hillsborough Ave., Tampa, FL 33615. Simone Salsa features awesome atmosphere, lighting, and sound; its own free parking lot; and a large smooth hardwood dance floor.

Wednesday, October 26th, is Swing Time's 15th Annual HALLOWEEN COSTUME BALL at the Gulfport Casino Swing Night. Put on your best costume and get ready to swing with all sorts of exciting characters! 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 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. 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... fifteen years running! More Info

Friday, November 18th, the Suncoast Jazz Classic festival hosts its 7th annual Friday Night Swing Dance at the Sheraton on Sand Key (Clearwater Beach). The dance features an amazing lineup of live music, featuring four superbly swinging bands from across the USA! This is a must-attend event for swing dancers, balboa dancers, lindy hoppers, and music lovers who appreciate swinging big-band and traditional jazz. Get ready to dance to some world-class live music! Each band performs one full hour's set of music for your dancing pleasure. The evening's lineup is 6:30-7:15pm Swing Time Dance Lessons, 7:30-8:30pm Hot Jazz Pie (Orlando, FL), 8:45-9:45pm The Midiri Brothers (NJ/NY/PA), 10:00-11:00pm The Fat Babies (Chicago, IL), and 11:15pm-12:15am Dave Bennett Quartet (Detroit, MI). Tickets are $22 online in advance or $25 the day of event. Special advance tickets will be available for just $20 at all prior Swing Time events...you must purchase these in person. More Info

Upcoming Lessons/Instructors at Ballroom Fusion Night:
OCT 09 (Sun): West-Coast/Cha Cha Fusion Lessons with Tina Castle & Russ Morris NOV 13 (Sun): Carolina Shag Lessons with Renee Lipman

Swing Time presents Balboa Boot Camp, an intensive workshop that gives you the benefit of an entire four-week Balboa course, all in one afternoon! Two levels are offered, with instructors determining your appropriate level. Balboa Boot Camp happens Saturday, October 15th, 2-6pm, at Simone Salsa, 8336 W Hillsborough Ave in Tampa. No partners needed.

Level 1 (Beginning) — Learn Balboa! Level 1 is a complete introductory course in Balboa. It's for dancers with little-to-no Balboa 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 12 fundamental moves of Balboa. These include the Downhold Basic, Uphold Basic, Ad Libs, Scoots, Paddles, Come Arounds, Lollies, Throw Outs & Returns, Outs & Ins, Lunges & Crossovers. Learn to skillfully dance the Level 1 material, and you'll be ready for the Intermediate Level at Balboa events worldwide! Level 1 is taught by Sam Mahfoud & Teresa Ullman. (Click for instructor info.)

Level 2 (Intermediate) — Advance & Improve Your Balboa! Level 2 is for dancers already proficient at Balboa, who can skillfully dance most of the Level 1 material. Level 2 is all about increasing the quality of your Balboa dancing. Participants will refine and polish their fundamentals, learn new Balboa moves and variations, and increase the musicality of their dancing. Level 2 is taught by Tom Blair & Aryn Kelly Rathbone. (Click for instructor info.)

Balboa Boot Camp is followed by the Saturday Swing evening dance, which is included in the price of your Boot Camp registration. Registration is $30 through October 14th at 6:00pm (Advance Registration), or $35 at the door (Day of Event). Register online right now to save $5.

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 onward – Saturday Swing Dance