Tampa Bay's Swing Dance News for September 6th 2010

Join us this Wednesday, September 8th for the Gulfport Casino Swing Night featuring 2 dance lessons, swingin' music & dancing, and great all-around fun for all ages! Learn 20'S-STYLE PARTNER CHARLESTON (one of our most popular dance classes ever!) 6-7pm this Wednesday at the Gulfport Casino Swing Night. After that, join in the Swing Dance Lesson 7-8pm, then Dance 8-11pm. (details below)

CHARLESTON is the 6-7pm Bonus Lesson topic every Wednesday in September at the Gulfport Casino Swing Night. Why learn Charleston? Take all of the swing-dance moves you can possibly imagine, and half of them will be Charleston moves. So to get good at swing, you have to get good at Charleston! Swing Time offers the best Charleston classes, designed for beginning to advanced dancers. Try these out and kick your dancing up a couple of notches! All lessons are FREE, with paid admission to the dance. No partner is needed. Come any week, or take all four for the full experience! Topics are:
Sep 8 - 20's-Style Partner Charleston (very cool, fun & versatile dance) Sep 15 - Side-By-Side Charleston & Variations (now we're swingin') Sep 22 - Mixing Charleston & East-Coast Swing (mixing it up using a familiar dance) Sep 29 - Kick-Away, Traveling, & Free-Style Charleston (now we're gettin' serious!)

DINE & DANCE WEDNESDAYS CONTINUE... Swing Time has teamed up with Gulfport's finest waterfront-district restaurants to bring you an outstanding selection of Wednesday evening dining specials! Several 2-for-1 deals are available! Just purchase your swing dance tickets on Wednesday and pick up a dining certificate or coupon at the Casino display table. Every Wednesday, enter the prize drawing for your chance to win a free dinner for two at the Peninsula Inn! The Peninsula Inn's restaurant, renowned for its fine dining, is offering a Wednesday Swing Night Menu plus a Dinner for Two "Jive & Dine Special". Just 19.95 buys you TWO entrees plus your choice of one appetizer or dessert! The Swing Night Menu is valid 5-8pm Wednesdays.

SUNRISE SWING: Tuesday September 28th, FOX 13 features Swing Time! ...YOUR CHANCE TO BE ON TV! Fox 13 is featuring Swing Time in advance of our 10th Anniversary Celebration! We're putting on a swing dance for the Morning Show to be broadcast live throughout the morning on Fox 13! So on Tuesday, September 28th, 7:00AM-9:30AM (yes, that's AM in the morning), you're invited to the Gulfport Casino for a free swing dance! Please arrive early (doors open 6:45am) and enjoy the free doughnuts, bagels, coffee and juice! Dress to impress; swing & vintage attire are encouraged. We'll have general swing dancing, a mini lesson, a Shim Sham, a Dance Jam, Charleston Lines, and lots of fun stuff. Bring your best moves and tricks for the dance jam! Fox will broadcast us live throughout the Morning Show, including five teasers and three 2-3 minute segments! All swing dancers are invited, so be there!

Swing Time's 10th Anniversary Celebration happens Friday October 1st at the Gulfport Casino Ballroom. The Celebration features live & swingin' music by Charlie Vegas & the New Blues Combo, Anniversary Cake, and a Jack & Jill Dance Contest at intermission with $100 Cash 1st Prize!

The Cadillac Bombers put on an exciting show for a great crowd last Friday at the Gulfport Casino... and the CD Release Party was a huge success! The next day, the band was off to the Citrus Bowl in Orlando to appear in the Bandwagon Roadshow with the likes of Snoop Dog, Sublime with Rome, Royal Crown Revue, Reverend Horton Heat, and others. In addition to releasing their first CD, The Cadillac Bombers have just booked their first European tour! Congratulations to the Cadillac Bombers on all their recent successes! The Cadillac Bombers will appear live at the Gulfport Casino for Swing Time's Pre-Thanksgiving Bash on Wednesday November 24th... mark your calendars!

A full calendar of Swing Time events, newly updated, appears at the bottom of this newsletter.

Swing Time is gearing up to dance and perform at the Suncoast Dixieland Jazz Classic, happening November 18th-21st and featuring the best swingin' jazz bands from across the USA! Join us for the Swing Dance on Friday November 19th! The swing-dance lineup is phenomenal... playing the main ballroom (Jake's) at the Sheraton Sand Key are the following five bands. Tickets to the Swing Dance are $12 in advance or $18 day of event and can be purchased from the web site above. (Student tickets are just $10 and admit one to an entire day and night of the Festival!) This is going to be a huge amount of fun!
Mighty Aphrodite: All-Female 7-Piece Jazz Band from Western US/Canada
Bill Allred's Classic Jazz Band: Powerhouse of Jazz & Swing; Set a Swing Time attendance record in 2005
JB Scott's Swingin' Allstars: 8-Piece Swing & Jazz Band out of Jacksonville
Cornet Chop Suey: Hot Ensemble from St. Louis
Yerba Buena Stompers: Traditional Dixieland Band from Across USA
Swing Time will give away one free ticket to the Jazz Classic's Friday Swing Dance at all of our Wednesday Gulfport Casino Swing Nights between now and the festival; enter the prize drawing for your chance to win!

Lindy Hop I (7-8pm)
Comprehensive Beginning Lindy Hop Course!
Swing Time's Lindy Hop I course is Tampa Bay's most comprehensive introduction to Lindy Hop! Unlike those "free" classes you might have taken, we start from the very beginning and build on that foundation, week after week, for eight weeks! We allow lots of time in class for practice, to ask questions, and for personal interaction with the instructors. After eight weeks of classes and practice, you'll not only know your first 10 Lindy Hop moves, but you'll be dancing the dance!

All That Jazz (8-9pm)
Learn Collegiate Shag, Balboa, Big Apple, and 1920's Solo & Partner Charleston!
Swing Time is gearing up to dance and perform at the Suncoast Dixieland Jazz Classic, happening Fri Nov 19 and featuring the best swingin' jazz bands from across the USA! Join us! Expand your repertoire (beyond the usual East-Coast Swing and Lindy Hop). Learn 5 new dances -- Collegiate Shag, Balboa, Big Apple, and 1920's Solo & Partner Charleston -- that go great with swinging jazz music and that you can use to tear up the dance floor at the festival and at your usual swing-dance stomping grounds!

Lindy Hop II (9-10pm)
The Ultimate Intermediate Lindy Hop Course!
We call Lindy Hop II "the ultimate intermediate lindy hop course" because there's no other course of study that even comes close. Mastering Lindy Hop II will bring your lindy hopping on par with intermediate-level lindy hoppers across the globe. You'll learn fast lindy hop techniques, gain expertise in all major lindy-charleston variations, get a foundation for swing aerials, and learn lots of cool moves to boot! So get ready to challenge yourself and kick your dancing up a notch with Lindy Hop Level 2!

About the Instructors: Sam & Carleene have traveled the U.S.A. dancing and studying with the major instructors and legends of Lindy Hop. Now they bring this expertise to you in the Lindy Hop I & II courses!

Gulfport Casino Swing Night -- Please Enable Images in Your Email program

GULFPORT CASINO SWINGS! -- Every WEDNESDAY
Exciting 2010 Format -- Bonus Lessons, Student Discounts & More!

Every Wednesday in SEPTEMBER, the 6pm Bonus Lesson topic is Charleston
Bonus Lessons are yours FREE! ...with paid admission to the event.

Bonus Lesson 6-7pm
Swing Dance Lesson 7-8pm
Swing Music & Dance 8-11pm

* All Ages * No Partner Needed *
Huge Dance Floor -- One of World's Best!
Beautiful Retro-Era Waterfront Dance Hall

Admission $7 (includes 2 Free Lessons!)
Students get 2-for-1 Admission!

Full Bar ~ Prize Giveaways ~ Smoke-Free ~ Free Parking
Celebrate Your Birthday at the Gulfport Casino Swing Night!

The Gulfport Casino is one of the world's best ballrooms, offering up social dance excitement in a picturesque beachfront setting.

Map & Directions Dance Lessons More Info

Sep 28, 2010 (Tue): Sunrise Swing 7:00-9:30AM at the Gulfport Casino Ballroom
LIVE BROADCAST BY FOX 13 MORNING SHOW
FREE SWING DANCE! Free Coffee, Bagels, Juice, & Donuts!

Oct 1, 2010 (Fri): Swing Time! LIVE at the Gulfport Casino Ballroom
10TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
featuring Charlie Vegas & the New Blues Combo
+ Jack & Jill Dance Contest w/ $100 Cash 1st Prize!

Oct 27, 2010 (Wed): Special Event at the Gulfport Casino Swing Night
HALLOWEEN COSTUME BALL
Tampa Bay's Best Halloween Dance Party... 9 Years Running!

Nov 12, 2010 (Fri): Swing Time! LIVE at the Gulfport Casino Ballroom
1940's USO SWING DANCE
featuring The Ten O'Clock Band
Florida's Leading 18-Piece Big Band!

Nov 24, 2010 (Wed): Special Event at the Gulfport Casino Swing Night
PRE-THANKSGIVING BASH
Live Music by The Cadillac Bombers
Hot Swingin' Roots & Rockabilly

Dec 3, 2010 (Fri): Swing Time! LIVE at the Gulfport Casino Ballroom
featuring Band T.B.A.

Dec 31, 2010 (Fri): SWINGIN' THE NEW YEAR! at the St. Petersburg Coliseum
Grand New Year's Eve Celebration for All Ages!