Tampa Bay's Swing Dance News for June 10th 2019

School's out for the summer and students get $6 admission to Swing Time dances at the Gulfport Casino! That includes Wednesday Gulfport Casino Swing Nights (except for band nights) and Second-Friday Soul Nights (must arrive by 7pm and take the lesson). Take advantage of this sweet deal this summer.

Need Dance Shoes? Traveling dance shoe store, Delight in Dance, will be in the house this Wednesday, starting 6:00pm, with their collection of ultra-quality swing shoes and other dance shoes. See Nina on Wednesday to get outfitted with a great pair of shoes.

Collegiate Shag is the 6-7pm lesson topic every Wednesday in June at the Gulfport Casino Swing Night, featuring Sam and special guest instructors, Forrest Outman and Andrea Kugelman. What's Collegiate Shag? — The most popular dance of the swing era. If you like East-Coast Swing, you'll love Collegiate Shag, because it starts with similar 6-count footwork, and adds more fun & energy to the dance!

This 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! Prizes include a Sunset Sail or Dolphin Watch Cruise for Two courtesy of Dolphin Landings Charter Boat Center, Soul Night tickets and more!

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!

Saturday, June 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. Join us 8-9pm for a Swing Dance Lesson. The night also includes a Blues Dance Lesson happening 9:30-10:00pm in the Blues Room. Dancing starts 9:00pm in the Swing & Fusion Rooms, and 10:00pm in the Blues Room.

Wednesday July 3rd is Swing Time's Pre-Independence-Day Celebration featuring the Betty Fox Band, live at the Gulfport Casino! Dress up in red, white, and blue and get ready to dance! The evening kicks off with two dance lessons, Triple-Time Swing 6-7pm and Single-Time Swing 7-8pm. Dance 8-11pm — Swing, Blues, and more — to live music by blues phenomenon, Betty Fox, and her amazing band. (For anyone not familiar with the band, they're an absolute dancer favorite. Just check out any video or song on their website...we dare you!) Admission's just $12; get your tickets at the door (cash only; no free passes, birthday passes, or student specials accepted on band nights).

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