Here's the latest Swing News, and we hope you like the new tighter format.  Each issue will now showcase a Featured Event -- a big event where the whole Tampa Bay swing community is encouraged to gather together for a great evening of music & dancing!  For those who've followed the Swing News since the beginning, this takes us back to our original mission of nearly five years ago -- to gather swingsters together for the big event!

Tampa Bay has a number of groups and other good folks who put on swing events.  It's our good fortune here in Tampa Bay that nearly all of these organizers have chosen to work together, to build a community of swing dancers and enthusiasts that's become larger than the sum of its parts could ever have been.  For those that choose to work within this community, Swing News will gladly list their events, along with a pointer (usually to a web site) for more information.  For any promoter who instead chooses to go it alone and not be part of the larger community, we'll gladly leave them alone to do just that.

In summary, it's very heartening to see that so many of Tampa Bay's promoters and organizers have chosen to work together these past few years, and not just within the swing community, but within the larger music & dance communities as well.  Ask any traveling dancer who visits Tampa Bay, and they'll tell you that we have one of the biggest and best dance communities in the world!  Swing News is proud to be part of it!

Sam

This Friday (Sep 6), Swing Time welcomes back crowd favorites, Jennifer & the Venturas, one of the most talented and versatile swinging acts in the area!  Joining Jennifer & the Venturas will be all-purpose saxman, Mark Gould, who has backed music legends from Clark Terry to Ella Fitzgerald.  At Friday's Swing Time, expect to hear a diverse mix of high-energy swingin' music that'll get you on your feet!

It's been over a year now since Jennifer & the Venturas made their swing debut at Swing Time / Centro Asturiano.  That night, they brought down the house, energizing the huge crowd of dancers and enthusiasts that came to see them play.  Since then, the band has made two return appearances at Swing Time, each time putting on a smash performance for ever-increasing audiences of fans.  Each time the band has played, people have remarked that it's been an incredible night of dancing, music, and all-around fun!

Outside of swing circles, the band has also made a big impression on the Florida music scene in a relatively short time.  They were recently voted Best Band in two categories by Weekly Planet readers.  They're also the most sought after band in the area, putting on hundreds of performances each year!  Key to that demand is the band's versatility;  their swing repertoire, alone, includes jazz, jump blues, jive, sultry blues, and classic rhythm & blues / rock & roll songs, covering everything from Benny Goodman & Ella Fitzgerald to T-Bone Walker & Chuck Berry.  At Swing Time, the band will be cutting loose to do what they do best... to swing, jump, and rock the place!  So whether or not you were part of the excitement last time, be sure to catch Jennifer & the Venturas this Friday at Swing Time.  You'll be glad you did!

Swing every Sunday night at the Zendah Grotto, a weekly swing dance put on by the Suncoast Swing Gang, Tampa Bay's nonprofit swing organization.  DJs Paul or Abdel spin the tunes, while Fran and guests teach the lesson.  The Zendah Grotto features a large (2200 sq ft) floating-wood dance floor, plus excellent surround sound and A/C.  BYOB or buy soft drinks & snacks at the concession counter.  Because of airport construction, be sure to click the link below for a map.

Sep 13 (Fri):  Lindy Hop Night w/ DJ Abdel:  Held at Swing City in Tampa;  includes lesson, dancing, & snacks!  More Info.

Sep 15 (Sun):  Pepper & Fine Thyme:  Afternoon Concert, 2-5pm, at Banquet Masters (8100 Park Blvd N in Pinellas Park); smoke-free w/ dance floor; sponsored by Suncoast Dixieland Jazz Society.  Phone 727-584-0585.

Sep 28 (Sat):  Lindy Hop 411:  Workshop(s) & Dance with some of Tampa Bay's best Lindy Hoppers at the Pinellas Park Auditorium.  Check the following link closer to the date for full info.  More Info.

Vivian Wright's September Dance Classes:  National Bop Hall of Famer, John Henning, teaches four Monday nights of West-Coast Swing workshops (beginning to advanced), Sep 2-23, at Larry Silvers studio.  Workshop 7-9pm; Practice/Dance 9-9:30pm; $12/night; no reservations required; phone 727-521-9429.

Lounge Cat at Big City Tavern:  Wednesdays, All Ages, Restaurant, No Cover, 7:30-11:30pm, 1600 E 8th Ave (Ybor City), 813-247-3000.

Lucian & the Allstars Update:  The band tells us they're at the Wine Cellar (17307 Gulf Blvd on Redington Beach) every Sunday night through November, 7-11pm, playing Swing, Latin, & Popular dance music.  The lounge has a small dance floor and serves dinner & drinks (smoking allowed; reservations suggested).  E-mail the band for more info.

Frankie Manning's 89th Birthday Cruise:  Gary Bork tells us that Frankie Manning's big birthday celebration will be held at sea next May, on a 1-week Caribbean cruise departing Miami.  The world's best Lindy Hop instructors will teach aboard, and the house band is none other than George Gee and the Jump, Jive & Wailers!  More Info.

Pictures:  From Lindy Hop 411's recent Anniversary Party Weekend.  Album 1,  Album 2,  Album 3.

Nathalie & Yuval in Vero Beach:  Swing champs teach 2-day workshop this weekend (Sep 7-8).  More Info.

Swingerhead at Orlando's CitiJazz:  Monday Nights in September.  Details.

Beantown Lindy Hop Camps:  June 27-29 & June 30 - July 6, 2003.  Details.

Mark your calendars for Swing Time's 2nd Anniversary Bash on Friday, October 4th, at Centro Asturiano!  The evening will feature the 18-piece Ten O'Clock Big Band!  The celebration will include live music & dancing, refreshments, and special prizes & festivities! 

"Two years ago, it was hard to imagine we'd get this far, but Swing Time has now been putting on live-music swing-dance events, on a regular (once or more a month) basis, longer than anybody in the area, past or present -- surpassing some notable contenders such as Strictly Swing and The Sugar Palm Club!  We couldn't have done it without you, and we look forward, with your support, to keeping live swing going in a big way for years to come!"   [Swing Time]

"Tickets to this special 2nd Anniversary Bash are $11 in advance (available online at www.StudioRetro.com) or $14 at the door.  If you attend this Friday's (Sep 6) Swing Time event, however, you can buy them in person for just $10 !  Consider that you'll be swinging to Florida's Finest Big Band at Florida's Premier Swing Event.  You can't beat that combination at any price, and you won't get it anywhere else but Swing Time!"   [Swing Time]

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