Holiday Break

SwingCville is on break. Enjoy the holidays and we'll see you again on January 7th!

January 7th - Cats Corner with Zuzu's Hot Five

• 7:00pm - Charleston II
• 7:45pm - East Coast Swing I
• 8:30 pm - Swing 101
• 9-11pm - Zuzu's Hot Five!

SwingCville 2014 Survey

Fill out the 2014 survey to help us make next year even better! It'll make you feel all warm and good inside.

SwingCville 2014 Survey

Please fill it out before December 24th so we have time to analyze the data!

SwingCville Holiday Party - Dec 17th

It's that time of year again for the annual SwingCville Holiday Party!

Yeah, it'll be like this.

We'll have our regular lessons from 7-9pm, then from 9-11pm we will have awesomely cheesy holiday swing music for your dancing pleasure! Feel free to bring baked goods and treats to share. (Please, no nuts, and all other allergens should be clearly marked. Thank you!)

All proceeds from the night will be donated to the Shelter for Help in Emergency (SHE), as we have done for the past several years. Visit http://www.shelterforhelpinemergency.org/ to find out more about this amazing organization.

Check it out on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/events/867888266584601/

ACME Swing Mfg. Co at Cats Corner

ACME Swing Mfg. Co will be playing at Cats Corner this week to herald in the holiday season! Plus we are starting two new lesson series: Balboa II and Charleston I

Schedule:

7:00pm - Balboa II (3 week series)

7:45pm - Charleston I (3 week series)

8:30pm - Swing 101

9:00-11:00pm - ACME Swing Mfg. Co.

Farewell to Oxbridge

This Wednesday we are taking a little field trip to Oxbridge Ballroom. This will be the last dance event at Oxbridge (next semester it's becoming an exercise facility - bleh) so come help us say farewell to this little gem of a ballroom. Parking will be a bit difficult, so be sure to plan ahead.

Schedule:
7:00pm - Lindy III - Momentum
7:45pm - Balboa I - Toss-Out
8:30pm - Swing 101 - Guest instructor Doug Noel
9:00-10:30pm - DJ Paul Nguyen

Oxbridge Ballroom

314 14th St NW

Charlottesville, VA 22902

Nelson's Jazz Rascals

Look at that rascally bunch!

November is here, and our first Cats Corner of the month will feature the local dixieland group "Nelson's Jazz Rascals"! We'll also be starting two new lesson series.

Schedule:

7:00-7:45pm - Lindy Hop III

7:45-8:30pm - Balboa I

8:30-9:00pm - Swing 101

9:00-11:00pm - Nelson's Jazz Rascals

See you there!

Swing Clinic

Want to see rapid improvement in your dancing? The best way is to get private lessons and have an hour of one-on-one training with an instructor. But that can be pricey and time consuming. A great alternative is our Swing Clinic! You'll get feedback and critiques from sets of instructors during the lesson as you rotate around the circle. Be sure to bring a notepad to take notes!

Space is limited, so it is recommended that you register ahead of time. You can pay via PayPal on our Swing Clinic page - it's only five dollars!

An evening with Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox

Tonight at the Jefferson! SwingCville will be doing a short beginner lesson at 7:30pm, and a special performance at 7:45pm before the band takes the stage. See you there!

Halloween Dance

It's time once again for SwingCville's annual Halloween Party! This Saturday, October 25, will be a night of spooky swingouts, terrifying triple steps, and boogeyman blues. 

This could be you

Here's the low-down:

4:30-6:30pm - Come out to the Glass Building (313 2nd St SE, Suite 108) and learn Michael Jackson's THRILLER. We'll be performing it later than evening at the dance. Also, please note the time change from our usual 5pm workshop.

7:30-8:30pm - Beginner lesson. Don't know how to dance? Trying to convince your zombie date to learn to dance? This is where you belong. Oddfellow's Monticello Lodge, 116 4th St NW

8:30-11:00pm - Halloween Party and Costume Competition at Oddfellows! DJ Erica Vess will be spinning here scariest tunes all night. Come dressed to impress, because the winners of the costume competition will win tickets to see Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox on Monday, Oct 27th.

?????? pm/am - Will there be an afterparty? You'll have to come and find out.

See them at the Jefferson! Alive!

Prices: $10 for the workshop, $10 for the dance, $15 for both. Students get $3 off.

Photos from Lindustrial Revolution

Photos are finally here from the Lindustrial Revolution. Thanks to our photographer Andre Hilliard (www.andrehilliard.com).

Check 'em out:
Lindustrial Revolution 2014 Photos

October at SwingCville - Going Green for Halloween!

Going Green!

During Cats Corner this month we're going green - no more red solo cups clogging up our trash cans! We are encouraging everyone to bring a water bottle, and we will still provide cold water to fill them up. If you absolutely must have a Red Solo Cup (they're so hip) they will be available at the front door for $1 each.

Red Solo Cup, you're more than just a cup. You're my friend.

A friend who is very detrimental to the environment.

Goodbye Red Solo Cup.

Cats Corner - Wednesdays

Also this month we are starting two new lesson series on Wednesdays. Lesson series are $20 for the month.

7:00pm - Lindy Hop II

7:45pm - Blues I

And of course we'll have our drop-in Swing 101 lesson at 8:30pm followed by social dancing from 9:00-10:30pm.

Crash Course - Oct 23, 7:30-9:30pm

This month at the Crash Course we will be learning Balboa! Come out and learn this fun, fast dance from California.

Halloween Dance - Oct 25

It's time for the 6th annual SwingCville Halloween Dance! Be sure to dress up because we'll have a costume competition. And from 5-7pm we will be learning Michael Jackson's THRILLER. Guest DJ Erica Vess from Richmond will be playing her spookiest swing tunes for your dancing pleasure.

Schedule:

5:00-7:00pm - THRILLER @ The Glass Building

7:30-8:30pm - Beginner lesson @ Oddfellows

8:30-11:00pm - Halloween Dance @ Oddfellows

Pricing: 

$10 - workshop

$10 - dance

$15 - both

Students get $3 off

There will be pelvic thrusting. You've been warned.

Learn the California Routine

The California Routine has a long and complicated history, but it's one of the most important pieces of choreography in the swing dance world. You'll see bits and pieces of it in almost every Lindy Hop performance. Bobby White does an excellent job breaking down it's complicated history on his blog Swungover: http://swungover.wordpress.com/2011/09/12/pinning-down-the-california-routine/

Come out this Saturday to learn the California Routine before the Cville Savoy dance!

Schedule:
5-7pm - California Routine workshop, $10 at the Glass Building
7:30-8:30pm - Beginner lesson (at Oddfellows)
8:30-11:00pm - Cville Savoy Dance (at Oddfellows)

Prices:
Calfornia Routine workshop - $10
Cville Savoy dance + beginner lesson - $10
Both - $15
Student discount: $3 off

Venues:
Workshop - Charlottesville Tango Studio, 313 2nd St SE, Charlottesville, VA 22902
Dance and Lesson - Oddfellow's Monticello Lodge, 116 4th St NE, Charlottesville, VA 22902

Lindustrial Revolution Survey

Were you at Lindustrial Revolution? Let us know how we did by taking the Lindustrial Revolution Survey

Take the Survey!

September Events

September is here, school is back in session, and it's time to go out dancing!

Every Wednesday in September we have Cat Corner at the Greek Orthodox Church:

7:00pm - Big Apple

7:45pm - Lindy Hop I

8:30pm - Swing 101

Thursday, September 25th, 7:30-9:30pm will be our Beginner Blues Dance Crash Course!

Finally, our 4th Saturday dance, The Cville Savoy, will be on Saturday, September 27th. Stay tuned for more details!

Also, check out hashtag #LR to see photos and videos from last weekend's Lindustrial Revolution! Here are a few of the photos, compliments of Andre Hilliard (http://www.andrehilliard.com/gallery):

Lindustrial Revolution is almost here!

Lindustrial Revolution

Aug 29-31

It's almost here! Lindustrial Revolution is coming to town, and it's bigger and badder than ever! If you haven't signed up yet, you had better hurry. 

For those of you who are registered for classes, the workshop titles for all classes are now up on the website: LR Workshop Schedule

And even if you can't make it to the whole thing, you can still come out and enjoy some of the festivities:

• Sac Au Lait is playing Friday night, 8-midnight at Greek Orthodox Church, $15
• Solomon Douglas Sextet is playing Saturday night, 8-midnight at Greek Orthodox Church, and it's STEAMPUNK NIGHT! $15
• Late-night dancing at Oddfellows on Friday/Saturday 12:30-3:30am and Sunday 10:30-2:00am. $7
• Sunday Picnic at Elks 389, 6-10pm. $7 [NOTE: The venue has changed]

www.LindustrialRevolution.com

Lindustrial Revolution is coming!

Just a few short weeks before Lindustrial Revolution! This year we have Lindy Hop and Balboa Workshops, two incredible bands, and lots more. If you haven't signed up yet... what are you waiting for!?

A few notes to people who have signed up or are thinking about it:

• T-shirt sales end Wednesday, August 6th at noon. Get it quick!
• Tier 3 of the Int/Adv workshop passes has sold out. Hurry and get your tickets before prices go up!
• Beginner follows are sold out. There is still room for beginner leads.
• We have added pre-game parties at Escafe! 7-9pm on Friday with ACME Swing Mfg. Co and 7:30-9pm on Saturday with Stephanie & Hod.
• Bring your musical instruments! There will be music jams at Lee Park during lunch on Saturday and Sunday.
• Have you been working on your costume? Don't forget we have the Steampunk Costume Competition on Saturday. But everyone should dress up, whether you want to compete or not!
• There's just a few spots left in our Jack & Jill competition. Sign up ASAP! Prizes include passes to The Process, BABBLE, Lindy on the Rocks, Beantown, and LaBLove.

Buy your t-shirt before Wednesday, 8/6 at noon!

Details and registration at

www.LindustrialRevolution.com

July 30 - Swing Clinic and Live Music!

Wednesday July 30th is a big day for SwingCville!

1) Swing Clinic
If you haven't been to one of our Swing Clinic's you are missing out! Get one-on-one feedback from a variety of instructors in this intensive, fast paced lesson. Many students say they get more out of this lesson than in a whole month's worth of group lessons. Space is limited, and we will not be accepting walk-ins. Please sign up in advance on the Swing Clinic page.

2) LIVE MUSIC: Chelsea Reed and the Fair Weather Five
Our first out-of-town band to grace Cats Corner! Help us welcome Chelsea and her band to Charlottesville. They will be playing from 9-11pm. Check 'em out at http://thefairweatherfive.com/

Cats Corner with ACME Swing Mfg. Co

We're kicking off July in style with ACME Swing Mfg. Co!

Wednesday, July 2nd
7:00pm - Lindy Hop II
7:45pm - Charleston I
8:30pm - Swing 101
9-11pm - ACME Swing Mfg. Co

Prices:
$5 for Swing 101
$20 for a month of Lindy Hop II and/or Charleston I classes
The dance is included with lessons, or $5 without lessons.

Bring a Friend Night:
Bring someone brand-new to SwingCville and they get into the Swing 101 lesson for free! (Only on the 1st Wednesday of every month.)

Guest Instructor Swing Clinic!

This Saturday, June 28th, we are hosting our first-ever Guest Instructor Swing Clinic. From 5-7pm, get one-on-one feedback from our fantastic guest instructors: Andy Nishida & Rita Shiang, Trey Gomes & Brooke Hinrichs, and Erica Vess & Ryan Lemar.

It's only $25 for the workshop, which includes admission to the dance Saturday evening. Sign up on the Cville Savoy page.

Events in June

It's time for Summer fun at SwingCville!

Wednesdays in June come out to Cats Corner:
7:00pm - Lindy Hop I
7:45pm - East Coast Swing I
8:30pm - Swing 101
9-11pm - Social dancing

June 4 - Bring a Friend Night! Bring someone brand new to SwingCville and they get into the Swing 101 lesson for free!

June 20 - Lindy Bomb on the Downtown Mall - 6-7pm in front of Five Guys at the 4th Street crossing. Let's show Charlottesville what we're made of!

June 26 - Charleston Crash Course, 7:30-9:30pm. Get a solid introduction to Charleston, the dance that started it all

June 28 - Cville Savoy
5-7pm - Guest Instructor Swing Clinic - Get one-one-one feedback from our fabulous guest instructors. Registration is open online and at Cats Corner.
7:30pm - Beginner lesson
8:30-11:30pm - Social dancing with DJ Erica Vess

Frankie 100!

Frankie Manning would have been 100 years old next Monday the 26th. In honor of his legacy, we are having a full weekend of celebrations.

Friday - 
ACME Swing Mfg. Co plays at Escafé, 7-9pm
The SwingKats play at Cville Coffee, 8-10pm

Saturday - 
Shim Sham workshop 5-7pm
Beginner swing lesson 7:30-8:30pm
Frankie100 Watch Party and Dance 8:30-11:30pm
We'll be streaming live video from the big Frankie100 festival in New York City!

Sunday - 
Potluck Picnic and Dancing at Pen Park Shelter #3, 5-8pm - FREE!

Get directions and details

SwingCville is on Spotify!

Want to get into swing music, but don't know where to start? Need some practice music? SwingCville is now on Spotify! We've put together a couple of playlists of music for swing, charleston, balboa, blues, and jazz routines. Follow us at http://open.spotify.com/user/swingcville

Registration is open for Lindustrial Revolution, Aug 29-31!

We are offering three levels of both Lindy Hop and Balboa workshops with Mickey & Kelly, Adam & Abigail, Dan & Kate. Plus music provided by The Solomon Douglas Sextet and Sac Au Lait.

The event also features two nights of live music, two late-night dances, a Steampunk Costume Competition, a Jack & Jill competition, and a Sunday Cookout at the Park.

Join us Labor Day weekend for a truly Revolutionary weekend!

www.LindustrialRevolution.com

Moving Party and Free Dance!

Wednesday nights are moving to a new, bigger location! Join us on May 7th at the Greek Orthodox Church for free lessons and dancing with ACME Swing Mfg. Co!

Join the event on Facebook: SwingCville Moving Party

Events This Week

There's so much going on this weekend, we just had to let you know about it all!

Friday

ACME Swing Mfg. Co at Escafe, 7-9pm.
One of our favorite local bands will be playing downtown at Escafé. Check 'em out! There's plenty of room to dance.
https://www.facebook.com/events/1439003119675465

Eli Cook at BON, 8pm
As part of the Tom Tom Festival, Eli Cook will be playing at BON.
http://www.tomtomfest.com/

Saturday

Music Listening Party at the House of Franny and the Beards, 1-3pm
Brian will be leading a music listening party. Come learn about swing music and enjoy some classics and some selections you might not have heard before.
https://www.facebook.com/events/1411250752473459

Fellini's JazzFest at Fellini's 4pm-1am
As part of Tom Tom Festival, Fellini's will have live jazz music playing from 4pm-1am out in the parking lot for free!
http://www.tomtomfest.com/

And here's the birthday jam from last night!

50's Sock Hop - Apr 26

From our DJ Stephen Soghoian:

Hey all you cool cats, slick chicks and solid senders (who are not going to DCLX), put on your ground smashers and make the scene at the 3rd annual SwingCville 1950s rock and roll sock hop dance at our usual venue Oddfellows Lodge Sat April 26th. Admission is a double sawbuck ($10) and beginner East Coast Lesson 730-830PM by those Terpsachord Titans Sarah & Andre. WTJU Radio DJ & Swingkats Band leader Stephen Soghoian aka "Doctor Jazz" himself, will be spinning the hottest wax from the Original artists by Fats Domino, Bobby Darin, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard and all the most solid cats of the 1950 scene. Stay Tuned for a Facebook Event from our own "Pickled" Herring!

Well, what are you waiting for? Join the Facebook Event and iron your poodle skirts!

Bring on the Blues survey

If you were at Bring on the Blues last weekend, please take a few minutes to fill out our survey and help make next year's event even better!

Bring on the Blues II - Attendee Survey

Bring on the Blues

What an amazing weekend! Can't wait to start planning next year's Bring on the Blues. But this will be a hard year to top!

Everybody was rocking out at the Sunday Afternoon Dance!

Birthday Jam 3/26/14

Bring on the Blues!

It's almost here! The workshop track is sold out and there are just 6 dance passes left. Time to hop off that fence your sitting on and register at www.bring-on-the-blues.com

Here's the schedule so you can plan your weekend. Prices listed are for at-the-door sales, which may be limited, so come early!

• Friday 3/21
• 7:00-9:00pm - Warmup with ACME Swing Mfg. Co at Escafé
• 8:00-9:00pm - Beginner Blues Dance lesson at Oxbridge Ballroom
• 9:00-midnight - Elizabeth Wise and the Shooflies at Oxbrige Ballroom ($15)
• Midnight-4am - Late-night at Oddfellow's Monticello Lodge ($7)
• Saturday 3/22
• 11:00-1:00pm - Workshops with Joy Arico (sold out)
• 2:00-5:00pm - Afternoon dance at Oddfellow's Monticello Lodge ($7)
• 8:00-9:00pm - Beginner Blues Dance lesson at Greek Orthodox Church
• 9:00-Midnight - Eli Cook at Greek Orthodox Church ($15)
• Midnight-4am - Late-night at Oddfellow's Monticello Lodge ($7)
• Sunday 3/21
• 11:00-1:00pm - Workshops with Joy Arico (sold out)
• 2:00-5:00pm - Afternoon dance at Oddfellow's Monticello Lodge ($7)
• 5:00-7:00pm - Grilled-Cheese Extravaganza at Oddfellow's Monticello Lodge

Birthday Jam from March 5th

Want your birthday to be like this? You should come to Cats Corner on Wednesday nights!

Blues Month Kicks Off

This Wednesday at Cats Corner we are starting blues dance series:

7:00pm - Lindy Hop II
7:45pm - Blues II
8:30pm - Blues I (Drop-in lesson)

Blues II is open to anyone who has done blues before, or who took the Crash Course last week.

And of course all of this is just getting us prepared for Bring on the Blues!

Blues Dance Crash Course

Thurday, February 27th will be our Blues Dance Crash Course! No experience is necessary. This 2-hour lesson will give you a solid foundation in blues dance and get you ready for our month of blues coming up in March!

Beginner Blues Dance Crash Course
Thursday, February 27th, 7:30-9:30pm
Oddfellows Monticello Lodge
116 4th St NE, Charlottesville, VA 22902

$15 (or free if you have a SwingCville Punch Card)

To help explain what blues is, here is the blues/slow drag competition at Lindy Focus X.

To further explain the situation, here is a comic from The Declaration of LindepenDANCE:

Two great events this week

Have any plans for the weekend? No you don't! Or if you did, you don't anymore. Here is your new itinerary:

1) ACME Swing Mfg. Co

Friday, 8-11pm at Escafé, 215 Water St W

Come out an enjoy live swing music at Escafé! This band is a ton of fun, and has been around since the beginning of SwingCville. They have a great bar, good southern food, and ample room for dancing. Come on out an join the party!

2) Cville Savoy - Doin the Jive!

Saturday, 5-11:30pm

It's time once again for our 4th Saturday dance. After Friday's warmup, we'll be ready to dance all night long!

Schedule:

• 5-7pm - Come out and learn "Doin the Jive", a fantastically fun jazz routine that's been sweeping the swing dance nation. [at the Charlottesville Tango studio] - $10
• 7:30-8:30pm - Beginner swing dance lesson - included with admission
• 8:30-11:30pm - Cville Savoy dance with local DJs [at Oddfellow's Monticello Lodge] - $10

Special deals:

• "Doin the Jive" workshop + Cville Savoy dance for only $15
• Students get $3 off

Venues:

• Doin the Jive workshop will be at Charlottesville Tango Studio, 313 2nd St SE, Suite 108, inside the Glass Building
• The beginner lesson and dance will be at Oddfellow's Monticello Lodge, 116 4th St NE, above Market St Market