Tampa Bay's Swing Dance News for May 20th 2019

Enter the Prize Drawing this Wednesday to win a free pass to the Stars & Stripes USO Show at the Coliseum! We're giving away two tickets Wednesday. You can also buy an advance ticket at the front desk Wednesday for $25.

Charleston Lessons happen this Wednesday and the next, May 22nd & 29th, 6-7pm, at the Gulfport Casino Swing Night instructed by Sam and Andrea. Don't miss this once-a-year opportunity! Charleston is a vital extension of both East-Coast Swing and Lindy Hop, so everything you learn in these Charleston classes can be added onto either dance, extending your repertoire. Here's the schedule — May 22nd: Charleston with a Kick, May 29th: Tandem Charleston.

This Sunday, May 26th, is Frankie Manning's 105th birthday. Celebrate by dancing at the Stars & Stripes USO Show at the St. Petersburg Coliseum. This Wednesday, May 22nd, at the Gulfport Casino Swing Night, we'll have special Frankie 105 Tickets available, which get you into the Stars & Stripes USO Show for $25. You'll save $10, plus you'll get to sit anywhere in the Frankie 105 Reserved Section with fellow dancers and Shim Shammers. Around 9pm, Frankie 105 Ticketholders will be called onto the dance floor to dance the Shim Sham live to the GI Jive 17-piece big band, with video taken of everyone doing the Shim Sham to celebrate Frankie's birthday! The evening includes live music, dancing, entertainment, and much more. More Info

Friday, June 14th, is a special Disco Edition of Soul Night at the Gulfport Casino! Dance 8pm-midnight to the grooves and beats of the 1970's. Arrive early for a Hustle Lesson 7-8pm. Get ready for the Soul Train! Just $10 includes everything; students get $6 admission if they show up by 7pm and take the lesson.

Disco Costume Contest at 10pm — Prizes for the funkiest fashions!

Swing Time welcomes special guest instructor, Luigi Ritarossi, who'll teach the 7pm Hustle lesson. Luigi is a world-class dance performer, with 40 years of professional experience that has taken him from coast to coast, from NYC to L.A. & Las Vegas, internationally as a dance performer for multiple cruise lines, and on and off Broadway as a performer and actor. He's known for his high energy performances in a variety of dance styles. His extensive training and knowledge of the body gives his lessons depth and style. The Hustle is one of his all-time favorite dances to dance and teach!

Summer Swing Courses start Thursday, July 11th, and run six Thursday evenings at Simone Salsa studio in Tampa. Registration is now open for Swing I (7pm), Lindy Hop I (8pm), and Balboa I (9pm). This is your chance to get really good at one, two, or all three of these dances! We'll get you dancing these dances on a regular basis, like they're second nature. Each dance features a 6-week Level-One course, followed by a 6-week Level-Two course. Over 20 years of dancing and teaching experience went into designing these courses, and there's nothing else like them in all of Florida. I hope you'll take advantage of this opportunity, and please spread the word! —Sam

Thursday, July 11th, 7:00pm, Swing Time starts a new 6-week course at Simone Salsa studio in Tampa, SWING - BEGINNER I: Introduction & Foundations of Swing Dancing. This course is designed and taught by Sam, it's a progressive series of lessons where each week builds upon prior weeks, and it's for people with zero prior dance experience, and for experienced swing dancers who want to correct any bad habits and fundamentally improve their overall dancing. In this 6-week course, you'll learn how to dance the easiest and most popular form of swing, known as East-Coast Swing or 6-Count Swing. You'll also gain a solid foundation in swing dancing that'll prepare you for more-advanced forms of swing dancing. After six weeks, you'll know how to lead or follow 20 different moves & turns, plus how to combine these moves & turns into infinite variations. You'll gain footwork and turning skills, dance to a spectrum of swinging music, and learn solid partnering and dancing techniques. At the end of this course, you'll be able to attend any swing dance and enjoy dancing the entire evening! Swing - Beginner I will be followed by a 6-week Swing - Beginner II course which starts August 22nd. You must take level one (or test out of it) in order to enroll in level two. More Info / Registration

Thursday, July 11th, 8:00pm, Swing Time starts a new 6-week course at Simone Salsa studio in Tampa, LINDY HOP I. This course is designed and taught by Sam, and it's a progressive series of lessons where each week builds upon prior weeks. In this 6-week course, you'll learn how to dance the Lindy Hop. After six weeks, you'll know how to lead or follow more than 16 Lindy Hop moves & turns. You'll also learn the fundamental Lindy Hop positions and footwork, plus solid partner-dancing techniques. At the end of this course, you'll be comfortable dancing basic Lindy Hop. Whether you're new to Lindy Hop, or have taken classes but are not yet fluent in Lindy Hop, try this course out — we'll get you dancing the dance! Lindy Hop I will be followed by a 6-week Lindy Hop II course which starts August 22nd. You must take Lindy Hop I (or test out of it) in order to enroll in Lindy Hop II. More Info / Registration

Thursday, July 11th, 9:00pm, Swing Time starts a new 6-week course at Simone Salsa studio in Tampa, BALBOA I. This course is designed and taught by Sam, and it's a progressive series of lessons where each week builds upon prior weeks. This course is recommended both for people with no prior Balboa experience and for experienced Balboa dancers who want to learn more Balboa and fundamentally improve their Balboa dancing. This 6-week course takes you step-by-step through all of the fundamental moves of Balboa. You'll learn the Downhold Basic, Uphold Basic, Ad Libs, Scoots, Paddles, Serpentines, Come Arounds, Lollies, Throw Outs & Returns, Outs & Ins, plus combinations and variations. You'll gain leading and following skills, and experience dancing the Balboa through six weeks of instruction, drills, and practice. Learn to skillfully dance this course's material, and you'll be ready for the Intermediate Level at Balboa events worldwide! Balboa I will be followed by a 6-week Balboa II course which starts August 22nd. You must take Balboa I (or test out of it) in order to enroll in Balboa II. More Info / Registration