Hi Everyone!  Huge & exciting swing opportunities await you this month: Spectacular Events, World-Class Instructors, Championship Dance Contests, ..., and the Ticket Deal of the Decade!  It's all in this April issue of Swing News, so get out there and swing!  See you on the dance floor!  --Sam

Make plans now to attend Swing Time's Spring Spectacular Event this Friday, April 4th, at Centro Asturiano in Tampa!  Never before has a swing event had so much going!  The evening will feature the The Ten O'Clock Band, the state's leading 18-Piece Big Band!  (Click here for BAND info.)  We'll be holding two huge Dance Contests during band breaks (Free-Style/East-Coast & Lindy Hop Divisions), with 1st-3rd prizes in both divisions ($350+ worth of prizes!) and the winners advancing to the Florida State Swing Dance Championships!  (Click here for CONTEST details.)  Special Guests, Steven Mitchell & Virginie will be in the house, kicking off a huge weekend of Tampa Bay workshops! (Click here for workshop details.)  Join all your swingin' friends for a superb night of live music & dancing, prize giveaways, and Swing Time excitement!

Tickets to this Spring Spectacular are $11 in advance or $14 the day of event.  Advance Tickets are now available online at www.SwingTime.info.  You may also purchase them in person this Wednesday (4/2) at the Gulfport Casino Swing Night.  Special Big-Band Package:  Get a ticket to this Spectacular Event, plus three other super events -- all for $20!  (Click here for details!)

Two of the world's foremost lindy hoppers & swing dance instructors are coming to Tampa Bay the weekend of April 4th-6th!  Steven Mitchell & Virginie Jensen will kick off the weekend Friday April 4th at Centro Asturiano.  Saturday, they'll teach a day of workshops at the Pinellas Park Auditorium, and Sunday, they'll teach a day of workshops at the Zendah Grotto in Tampa.  You can register for the whole thing or for either Saturday or Sunday by itself.  A Beginner's Option has also recently been added.

Class topics include Swing Movement & Styling, Charleston, Jazz Steps, Lindy Hop Tune-Up, Dance Without Boundaries (incorporating other dance forms such as Tango & Latin into swing), The Original Lindy Hop, and Just For Fun (how to keep your dancing experience fun, fresh & exciting for years to come).  DJ Dances will follow each day of workshops, Saturday at the Pinellas Park Auditorium and Sunday at the Zendah Grotto.

• 1 Ticket to Swing Time!  Spring Spectacular w/ Ten O'Clock Band @ Centro Asturiano - Fri Apr 4th
• 1 Ticket to Swing Time!  w/ Katt Hefner & her All-Stars @ Gulfport Casino - Fri Apr 18th
• 1 Ticket to Gulfport Casino Swing Night! - valid any Wednesday through end of May
• 1 Ticket to Swing Sunday at Zendah Grotto! - valid any Sunday through end of May

That's $38 worth of tickets to Florida's finest swing events for only $20 !  This amazing package must be purchased in advance (deadline 4/3/03 at midnight).  Click here to purchase securely online at www.SwingTime.info.  Or purchase your Big-Band Package in person this Wednesday (4/2) at the Gulfport Casino Swing Night.  Only 4 days remain to purchase this special package, so don't delay!

Can't make all four events?  Give a ticket or two to a friend.  They'll thank you for years to come, and you'll still come out ahead!

Jazz singer, Katt Hefner, is joined by a swinging All-Star lineup of musical talent, for an evening of Big-Band Swing, 1940's-style!  This Swing Time live-music & dance event takes place in the spectacular waterfront ballroom of the Gulfport Casino.

Many remember Katt Hefner as the elegant songstress who headlined former swing landmarks, the Sugar Palm Club, the Jazz Cellar, and The Ritz.  She's also toured the U.S., Carribean, Europe, and Far East; has shared the stage with musical greats ranging from Patti LaBelle to The Temptations; and has amassed a list of credits that include movies, tv shows, musicals, concerts, and albums!  Recently, her band put on tribute concerts to Ella Fitzgerald & Duke Ellington.  It's no coincidence that some of her All-Stars once played with Duke Ellington, himself, as members of the Duke's world-famous Orchestra!  Other All-Stars have played with big bands ranging from Benny Goodman to Lionel Hampton, and with celebrities ranging from Ray Charles to Elvis Presley.

Katt Hefner possesses a compelling voice (with a vocal range exceeding three octaves!) that ranks in the very top echelon of respected female jazz singers.  On stage, she's truly an engaging performer who loves to entertain!  Katt's remarkable talent has been recognized by music fans and musicians alike.  To quote Connie Haines, Katt is "a dynamic personality" with "the big-band-singer sound for this generation and the future!"

Swing Sundays are put on by the Suncoast Swing Gang.  The Zendah Grotto features a large floating-wood dance floor, and you may BYOB or buy soft drinks at the door.  Map or More Info.

The Swing Session is a new class, practice session, and dance rolled into one.  It happens every Monday, 8:00-10:30pm, at the Bay Vista Center, 7000 4th St S in St Pete (727-893-7124).  Learn to swing from other dancers, meet other dancers, share/exchange ideas, try new moves, and get comfortable with your dancing in a friendly, relaxed atmosphere.  Whether you're a novice or have been dancing for years, the Swing Session will expand & improve your dancing!  Admission is $5 for first-timers, $2 for St Pete residents, and $3.60 for nonresidents.  Directions:  From I-275, head east on 54th Ave S, turn right on 4th St, and continue south until you reach Bay Vista.  The Bay Vista Center will be on your left.

The Eckerd College Swing Club hosts Swingin' the Pub on Friday, April 11th, with DJ Paul Mallett.  This FREE dance is open to the public, with a lesson 8-9pm, and dancing 9pm to midnight or later.  It happens at Triton's Pub, located next to Fox Hall on the Eckerd College Campus.  The bar & grill will be open.  Directions:  Take I-275 to St Pete's 54th Ave S exit; head west and look for Eckerd on the left.  Tell the security guard at the entrance that you're going to Triton's Pub for the Swing Dance, and they can provide a campus map or directions.

This year's Orlando Swing Vacation will include two days of Lindy Hop & East-Coast/Freestyle Swing (Sat-Sun, April 19-20) in addition to four days of West-Coast Swing (Thu-Sun, April 17-20).  Two new divisions for Lindy Hop & Freestyle/East-Coast Swing have been added to the Florida State Swing Dance Championships, with trophies and $500 in cash prizes for 1st-3rd in each division.  Saturday & Sunday will feature four workshops by internationally renowned instructors, Rob & Diane Van Haaren.  Plus, take part in Saturday night's unique Pajama Jack n' Jill and Pizza Party by the pool at midnight!  And receive a light Breakfast Hospitality Sunday morning.  Dance to music by DJs Abdel Presume & Paul Mallett, or dance West-Coast Swing in the other room!  A $49/person all-access pass gets you entry to everything (except competitors pay an additional entry fee of $15/couple for each division).  For full details, visit www.floorplay.everplay.net and click "Lindy.htm" on the left of the page.

So far, over 230 swing dancers have signed up for this ultimate swing vacation, with new registrations coming in every day.  Dancers from most of the U.S. states, plus Canada, Sweden, France, England, Switzerland, Japan, Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands, and Australia have already signed up!  Consider going on this once-in-a-lifetime vacation.  Because of its unique cast of characters -- a who's who of famous names in the swing & lindy hop world, because it features the world's premier swing band and lindy hop instructors, and because Florida residents save big on travel expenses (after all, you're already here!), this is an opportunity that won't come around again.  Act quickly, because spaces are selling out and prices will go up on any remaining spaces by the end of March.  Leader's Special: Get a $75 discount on the workshop package if you sign up by March 31st!

Apr 3 (Thu):  Kimberly Kaye's Band:  Dinner & Dancing at Maggiano's Little Italy at WestShore Plaza Mall, 7-10pm, $40, 813-288-9000 (Reservations).

Apr 6 (Sun):  Amy & the Hank Sinatras @ Skipper's:  New-Orleans based boogie-woogie & swingin' band that recently recorded a song for the latest Rockabilly Hall of Fame compilation CD, 5pm, $5.  More Info.

Apr 12 (Sat):  Manatee School for the Arts Ballroom Students' Production:  Over sixty students, ages 11 - 17, showcase a colorful and exciting performance of Cha Cha's, Tango, Rhumba, Salsa, Samba, Waltz, and Swing.  7pm, $5, 700 Haben Blvd in Palmetto.  Phone Pam Callender at 941-721-6800 for details.

Apr 25 (Fri):  Swingin' South Florida Artists, Lorri & Mike Hafer, play the free Jazz Lunch in the Park series at the Williams Park Bandshell in downtown St Petersburg (corner of 4th St & 2nd Ave N, 11:30am-1:30pm).  Bring lawn chairs.

Apr 29 (Tue):  TampaBayWired.com Business Social:  6pm @ Whiskey Park SoHo, 720 Howard Ave in Tampa.  Meet the TampaBayWired team and connect with other local professionals at this free social.  Hors d'oeuvres will be provided.  RSVP.

Every Monday:  CitiJazz swings in Orlando:  March Schedule.

Every Thursday:  Swing City Lindy Hop Classes with Don & Haley.  More Info.

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