Tampa Bay's Swing Dance News for December 21st 2018

JOIN A GROUP for Swingin' the New Year — Want to be part of a fun group New Year's Eve? Buy a Group Ticket online and we'll put you with a great group of dancers. Current groups include:
1. Swing Time / Gulfport Casino Dancers,
2. Swing Gang Dancers,
3. Meetup Groups, and more.
Space is limited in each group, so get your tickets soon, before these groups fill up, like other groups already have. All group tickets come with reserved seats.

Notice — Tickets are selling at a record pace this year, and reserved seats will likely sell out. See All Ticket Options Here

Make plans now to attend Swingin' the New Year at the spectacular St. Petersburg Coliseum featuring live big band, Gloria West & the Gents, plus midnight balloon drop, dance performances, and dancing with your favorite friends! Swingin' the New Year is Tampa Bay's best New Year's Eve dance party...get ready for the fun to begin! See www.NewYearSwing.com for tickets and full celebration info.

Want to be part of a dance performance New Year's Eve? Come to the 6:00pm lesson Wednesday to learn and practice the St. Pete Stomp plus some cool Charleston/Boogie/Jazz steps! We've choreographed the St. Pete Stomp for New Year's Eve, and everyone who learns it is invited to perform the dance at band intermission at Swingin' the New Year!

Saturday, December 29th, The Connection (Swing, Blues, & Fusion) returns to Simone Salsa studio in Tampa. The Connection features 3 simultaneous rooms of music & dancing. One $10 admission gets you into all three dances! Doors open 7:45pm. Lessons start 8pm. Dancing starts 9pm.

Get ready for Carolina Shag Lessons coming Wednesdays 6-7pm in January to the Gulfport Casino Swing Night and featuring special guest instructor, Renee Lipman. Carolina Shag is a dance known for its fluid and fancy footwork that's currently experiencing a surge of popularity. It's similar to East-Coast Swing, but is danced to R&B and what's known as "Beach Music". Instructor, Renee Lipman, has been bringing Carolina Shag to Tampa Bay for the last three years. She recently had the opportunity to compete and win first place with Shag champion, Brennar Goree.

Thursday, January 3rd (2019) — Learn & Advance in Lindy Hop — 3 Levels — The most complete Lindy Hop curriculum available in Florida. Courses are designed and taught by Sam from Swing Time, and range from absolute novice ( Lindy Hop I ) to fairly advanced ( Lindy Hop III ).

Courses are open to everyone, including dancers who learned their Lindy Hop elsewhere. Experienced Lindy Hoppers can test into the appropriate level and skip lower levels. We're confident that everyone who takes a course will benefit, advance, and learn new things. Get More Info / Register for Lindy Hop Courses

Friday, January 11th is Soul Night at the Gulfport Casino. Dance 8pm-midnight to the best in Funk, Soul, Disco, Motown, Rhythm & Blues, featuring an exciting mix of retro & modern dance music, great for a variety of partner dances (Hustle, Swing, West-Coast, Blues, Fusion, etc) plus group, line, and freestyle dancing! Arrive early for a West-Coast Swing Lesson 7-8pm. Just $10 includes the dance AND the lesson. Students get $6 admission if they show up by 7pm and take the lesson. Soul Night happens at the Gulfport Casino the 2nd Friday of every month.

Swing Time welcomes special guest instructor, Renee Lipman, who'll teach the 7pm West-Coast Swing lesson. Renee is a mover and shaker in the West-Coast world who's largely responsible for the resurgence of West-Coast Swing in Tampa Bay. Since 2006, she's won numerous competitions, including a silver medal in the 2007 U.S. Open Swing Dance Championships.