********************************************************************** Swing News, Wednesday 12/01/99, Issue #49, (Next Issue, 12/14/99) XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX - Submissions to this newsletter XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX - Addition/deletion/address-change requests XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX - All other correspondence http://www.SwingNews.com - Swing News web site ---------------------------------------------------------------------- THE UPCOMING TWO WEEKS This Friday (Dec 3), the Swingin' Mooks return to Skipper's Smokehouse for an outdoor concert. The show starts at 8pm, costs $5, and is open to ages 18 and up (under 18 admitted if accompanied by parent). Dance on the newly expanded plywood floor in front of the stage or wherever you can find room on the surrounding wooden decks. Skipper's features a full bar and restaurant, and is located at Skipper Rd & Nebraska in North Tampa. Call 813-971-0666 for more info. This Saturday (Dec 4), the Cigar Store Indians make a return trip to Club More. The band hails from Georgia and plays a lot of very danceable rockabilly & swing. (See www.cigarstoreindians.com for info on the band.) Opening up once again will be local southern rock sensations, the Leonard Croon Band. Admission is $10, smoking is allowed, and ages 18 and up are admitted. Club More has a fair-size floorboard dance area in front of the stage, and is located at 703 Franklin St in downtown Clearwater, a few blocks south of Cleveland St. Phone 727-466-6673. "Most shows start at 9pm." Also this Saturday (Dec 4), the Orpheum in Ybor City (formerly the Fortunate One) holds "a special Saturday Night Swing Night". Andy Webber writes: "The show will feature a DJ spinning new and old swing tunes. Admission is $5 and doors are at 9pm. The club is located at 1902 Republica de Cuba (corner of 8th Ave & 14th St) and is under new ownership. Management also owns and operates the State Theatre in St Pete and has produced several swing shows including the Swingin' Mooks, New Morty Show, Cherry Poppin Daddies, & Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. The event will be held one Saturday per month. A new PA system has been installed that enhances the performance. Call 727-895-3045 for details or visit www.statemedia.com." And also this Saturday (Dec 4), BorderLine sponsors a bus trip from Tampa Bay to Atlantic Dance in Orlando. Tickets are $25 and include round-trip bus transport, admission to Atlantic Dance, drinks on bus (alcoholic beverages provided for those 21 & up), and party platters from Subway sandwiches. The bus has reclining seats, bathrooms, and entertainment centers (TV/VCR/FM/Cassette). Call 813-936-0933 for tickets; credit cards are accepted. Advanced purchase is required and only a few tickets remain. The bus departs from two locations. It picks up ticket holders at 6:45pm in Pinellas at the corner of Park Blvd & US 19 (Parkside Mall parking lot). Then it picks up Tampa folks at 7:30pm at the corner of Dale Mabry & Waters (BorderLine parking lot). At 1:30am, the bus reboards at Atlantic Dance and returns to Borderline at 3:00am; Parkside Mall, 3:30am. And rounding out the Saturday (Dec 4) events is a day of Lindy hop workshops in Orlando. Cost is $5 per workshop and space is limited to 80 people per workshop. To sign up, contact Joe Robinson via e-mail at XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX or by phone at 407-297-6442. * Workshop 1: 9:30am-10:45am, Beginning Savoy Style. Taught by Gabe (NYC/Tampa) & Anna (Orlando). * Workshop 2: 11:00am-12:15pm, Intermediate/Advanced Savoy Style. Taught by Roy (San Francisco/Tampa) & Angel (Tampa). * Workshop 3: 12:45pm-2:00pm, Intermediate/Advanced Savoy/Hollywood Style. Taught by Alfredo & Devin (Gainesville). * Workshop 4: 2:15pm-3:30pm, Beginning Hollywood Style. Taught by Regina (San Diego/Tampa). * Workshop 5: 3:45-5:00pm, More Hollywood Style. Taught by Erik (L.A./ Orlando) & Erica (Orlando). The location is the Pine Hills Chapel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (8450 Silver Star Road). Directions: Take I-4 to the East West Expressway (408), head west on it, then take Exit 2 (Good Homes Road). Fork right at the exit (north on Good Homes), then cross over Highway 50. You will come to another fork in the road. Stay to the right. Good Homes Road will dead-end into Silver Star Road. At the stop sign, take a left. The Church will be on your immediate left. Next Wednesday (Dec 8), the Camaros from NYC bring their Dangergirl tour to the Gulfport Casino's swing night. The Camaros have been a favorite of Tampa Bay swingers since their local debut at the Sugar Palm Club back in March. The band is fronted by two female vocalists and plays a nonstop assortment of enjoyable and highly danceable swing. (Some of the band members are themselves excellent Lindy hop dancers.) Details: - Free lesson 7-8pm by James & Arleene - Dance to the Camaros 8pm-Midnight - All Ages / No Smoking / Full Bar Available - $8 in advance or $10 at the door - Phone: 727-893-1070 - Address & Directions: 5500 Shore Blvd in Gulfport. From the north, take I-275 south to St Pete's 22nd Ave S exit. (From the south, take I-275 north to the 26th Ave S exit and find your way to 22nd Ave S.) Head west. Turn left onto Beach Blvd. (55th St will be on the right.) Head south until the street ends at the Gulfport Casino, located directly on the water. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- AFTER THAT Fri Dec 17: Hepcats' Christmas Dance at Casino, with Bombed Out Cat & Lounge Cat; Benefits All Children's Hospital; 727-893-1070 Fri Dec 17: Rocket 88 at Skipper's Smokehouse; 813-971-0666 Sun Dec 26: Night After Christmas Party at Italian Club; 813-248-3316 Wed Dec 29: Swing Dance at Pinellas Park Auditorium (in place of usual Gulfport Casino swing night); 727-821-9420 Fri Dec 31: Swing Dancing at St Pete's First Night; 727-821-9420 Sun Jan 2: The Day After Y2K Party at Italian Club; 813-248-3316 Fri Jan 28: Dan Electro & the Silvertones at Casino; 727-893-1070 On Sunday, Dec 26, the Italian Club in Ybor City will host The Night After Christmas Party as part of its every-Sunday series of swing nights. Free admission is offered to anyone bringing home-made baked goods to share. (Limit one free admission per dish of baked goods.) Besides food, holiday lights & decor, and a possible visit by the jolly old fat man with the white beard and the red suit, the night will also offer special door prizes, great swing music by DJ Paul Mallett, hours of dancing, and buckets of good cheer. On Wednesday, Dec 29, the Gulfport Casino will not be having its regular swing night due to Millennium festivities. Instead, the swing dance will take place at the Pinellas Park Auditorium, 7690 59th St N in Pinellas Park. This is a one-time-only substitution; the every- Wednesday swing night will resume at the Gulfport Casino on January 5. On Sunday, Jan 2, the Italian Club's Swing Night will host The Day After Y2K Party. Dress as your favorite decade (or century) of the past (or the future) millennium. A costume contest will be held with prizes for the best costumes. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- LOCAL SWING NIGHTS & BANDS Weekly Swing Nights: Sun: Italian Club in Ybor City; 813-248-3316; Nonsmoking; All Ages Tue: Dancelovers in Clearwater; 727-582-9499; Nonsmoking; All Ages Tue: Cadillac Jack's on Treasure Island; Smoking; 727-360-2099 Wed: Gulfport Casino; 727-893-1070; Nonsmoking; All Ages Wed: Club More in downtown Clearwater; 727-466-6673; Smoking Wed: Ringside Cafe in St Pete; 727-894-8465; Smoking Thu: Storman's Palace in Clearwater; 727-571-2222; Smoking Fri: Swing City Dance Studio in Tampa; 813-935-7458; Nonsmoking Dan Electro & the Silvertones Schedule: Tuesdays, Dec 7, 14, 28: Downunder Jazz Club, Sarasota Quay, 9pm-12am, 941-951-2467 Mon Dec 6: Jazzco, Pleasure Island, Orlando, 8:30pm-1:45am, 407-934-7843 Fri & Sat, Dec 17 & 18: Speakeasy Grille, 1012 Manatee Ave, Bradenton, 9pm-1am, 941-747-2729 Dec 19-26: City Jazz, Universal Studios, Orlando, 9pm-2am, 407-224-7940 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- TWO-DAY LINDY HOP WORKSHOP IN ATLANTA Leslie writes: Hi, I understand that the Tampa Bay area has been bitten by the Lindy bug. On December 11-12 in Atlanta, we will be bringing in Evin & Noel, the most exceptional Savoy instructors from Chicago and, arguably, the US for a 2 day intensive workshop containing Lindy and some other lindy-friendly dances: Balboa, Collegiate, and Blues Swing. Check out our website: www.geocities.com/failt/swing/evinnoel.html or call 770-447-6977. If anyone is interested in the drive, our dancers are housing weary travelers for the event. Come one, come all, and we'll all swing this together! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- BEHIND THE SCENES WITH FRANKIE MANNING / SE SAVOY WRAP-UP Pam Callender writes: The SE Savoy weekend was made possible by several very special people. I'd like to thank Jamie & Arleene and Nancy Chapman for helping share this wonderful experience with so many people. Originally, I'd contacted Frankie and scheduled him to teach and visit Sarasota Friday-Sunday. I was hoping people would travel from Ft Myers and Tampa Bay to see him and join in the SE Savoy competition. Then I considered how many people might not be able to travel, and thought Frankie would be shared by more people if I booked him in the Tampa area Friday night. The most logical people to call, I thought, were Jamie and Arleene from Right Step Studio. They were honored to host Frankie's visit, as I was, and they worked very hard to make all the arrangements for him to stay in Gulfport. The word got around and I received a call from Ft Myers. They wanted Frankie too. Who doesn't? Plans were changed to accommodate the swing crowd in Ft Myers as well, and Nancy Chapman produced a very lovely reception for him. I thought you might be interested in some behind the scenes with Frankie Manning. He is all business and very matter-of-fact regarding his schedule. It's all very exciting to us, but this is his life every day. But it didn't seem to dull his enthusiasm or interest. He values his privacy and needs rest between gatherings, but when he's teaching, he could go on forever until you stop him. In each workshop, it was evident he related to every person in the room. He paid special attention to each person to make sure they weren't left behind before he went on with another pattern. He connected to everyone through a smile, a giggle, a joke and sometimes even his undivided assistance. He is a true educator who cares for his students. The autographs, photos, and hand-shaking sometimes are a bit much. I could see it was tiresome. He appreciates that people appreciate him, but he likes to feel a part of the event. I think he's a bit modest, too. In Ft Myers, he was visited by a friend who is retired from the Postal service with him in NY. It was a nice reunion. Frankie enjoyed the waterfront views from his room, but says he loves NY and will always live there. There were many personal stories, most of them recent. He's a funny man and a real gentleman. Needless to say, it was an honor to chauffeur & escort, and to assist in his workshops. I offered to travel around the world with him if he needed the help; he laughed; we'll see! When he left, he wanted everyone to know that he appreciated people's interest in the dance and the music, and it was great to see such young people having such a great time. Now as far as the competition goes, the SE Savoy is in two parts. The open event during the day was a small group, but the winning couple in the Lindy division was Gabe Abella & Liz Kozlowski. The winning couple in the West Coast and East Coast was Donnie White & Vanessa Russo. Thanks to Donnie & Vanessa for their solo shag exhibition. The evening competition at Spats was the SE Savoy invitational, stepping stone to the 17th Annual US Open Swing Dance Championship in California. The winners received an all expense paid trip to compete in the Lindy Hop division. To compete in this event, you must qualify at Spats' dance contest on Friday or Saturday evening, and then at the monthly competition. At the end of the year, every November, at the SE Savoy, the monthly finalists are invited to compete for the trip. I'm happy to announce the winning couple, Mark Montano & Cassie Abate from Sarasota. We wish them good luck in CA, Thanksgiving weekend. Thanks to everyone for making this event a most enjoyable success. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Swing News Know any upcoming swing happenings or other news? Send them in to XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX . The deadline for each issue, which generally comes out on a Tuesday, is the prior Sunday at 5pm. Editors reserve the right to edit submissions or to select based on relevance. Be sure to call and confirm events before going! The Suncoast Swing Gang, Inc., publisher of Swing News, is a nonprofit network of swing dancers and other enthusiasts, committed to promoting events in places with large, smoke-free or open-air dance areas; to encouraging great music & instruction; and to building a united swing community! Send additions/deletions/address-changes to XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX . Check out our companion website at http://www.SwingNews.com . **********************************************************************