Saturday, July 25th: Ready to add some flashy moves to your dancing? Is the whole issue of style eluding you? Want to put some personal expression into your dancing? This is the workshop for you! This afternoon workshop will cover flashy combos, great style moves, and some tricks to make you shine on the dance floor. Reserve your spot now and save over the day-of rate! Click here for more information.

We really are this time… promise!

We were suppose to guest instruct this past week, but Maria and Josh filled in for us at the last minute as we were helping to resolve a technical glitch. In the end, it all worked out well… we got the problem resolved and the dance went went along smoothly. So what does this mean? Well…

We’ll be guest instructing at the next Saturday night dance (on July 11th)! If you are looking to get a start in swing dancing, Dawn and I will be teaching the beginner lesson before the dance. The price of the class is included in the dance admission, so bring out the family and friends. We’ll be teaching all the essentials you need to get you out on the dance floor and having fun!

Ever wonder where Michael Jackson got the inspiration for his dance moves from? This video, “Origins of the Moonwalk”, takes a look back at the dancing greats from the jazz era.

“If you can walk, you can dance. If you can talk, you can sing.”
- Zimbabwean proverb

“Nobody comes out of their mother’s womb doing cucarachas.”
- Donnie Burns

“Music begins to atrophy when it parts too far from dance.”
- Ezra Pound

“I do not try to dance better than anyone else. I only try to dance better than myself.”
- Mikhail Baryshnikov

“Beginning dancer: knows nothing.
Intermediate dancer: knows everything; too good to dance with beginners.
Hotshot dancer: too good to dance with anyone.
Advanced dancer: Dances everything. Especially with beginners”
- Attributed to Richard Crum (folk dance instructor)

“The one unbreakable rule of couples dancing is that the partners must move interdependently, as a unit.”
- Anonymous

“Master technique and then forget about it and be natural.”
- Anna Pavlova

“We’re fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance.”
- Japanese proverb

“You haven’t got anything to dance about until you’re over thirty-five anyway.”
- Bert Balladine

“Basic dance–and I should qualify the word basic–is primarily concerned with motion. So immediately you will say but the basketball player is concerned with motion. That is so–but he is not concerned with it primarily. His action is a means towards an end beyond motion. In basic dance the motion is its own end–that is, it is concerned with nothing beyond itself.”
- Alwin Nikolais

“Dancing should look easy; like an optical illusion. It should seem effortless. When you do a difficult variation, the audience is aware that it is demanding and that you have the power and strength to do it. But in the end, when you take your bow, you should look as if you were saying, ‘Oh, it was nothing. I could do it again.’”
- Bruce Marks

“There is nothing so necessary for men as dancing…Without dancing a man can do nothing…All the disasters of mankind, all the fatal misfortunes that histories are so full of, the blunders of politicians, the miscarriages of great commanders, all this comes from want of skill in dancing…”
- Moliere’s Dancing Master

“I have no desire to prove anything by dancing. I have never used it as an outlet or a means of expressing myself. I just dance. I just put my feet in the air and move them around.”
- Fred Astaire

Sorry about the late notice on this… time slipped away from us this month.

Tonight the Orlando Swing Band will play for dancing at the Beardall Center. The band is a full size, community based, swing orchestra that plays a mix of big band music from Glenn Miller to Count Basie. They play for the public on the 4th Wednesday of every month. The Beardall Center is a historic school building, built in the 1920s, and is located in Downtown Orlando. It has a large parquet wood floor that is smooth and great for dancing.

The dance is from 7:30 to 10pm. Admission is only $4. Where else can you dance to a big band for that price? For questions, call: 407-246-2637

Map and directions:
View Larger Map

Note: While the dance is on the 2nd story, enter on the first floor (side of the building) and pay admission there. The city now keeps the outside 2nd story doors locked in the evenings.

Following up our well attended Swing Dance Series class, we have decided to offer our Lindy Hop (also known as Jitterbug) class once again. Starting August 2nd, this six-week series will cover all the essential moves and variations of Lindy Hop. The class will feature both the 6 and 8 count basics including the whip/swing out. There will be a strong concentration on technique and connection to give you a solid foundation in the dance. Each class will build upon information from the previous class to continuously further your knowledge week by week. Classes will be an hour long followed by a half hour of practice, questions, and individual help. Previous dance experience is helpful, but not required. No partner needed; individuals and couples welcome!

Class size is limited, so be sure to reserve your spot soon! Click here for more information.

Local PBS station WMFE aired a special last night called “The Big Band Years”. While I wasn’t able to watch more than the first few minutes, I was able to set the DVR to record it for later viewing enjoyment. It looks like it is vintage footage of some of the big band greats (Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Cab Calloway, etc.) playing back in the day. If you are interested in watching this, there is good news… you have two more chances to catch it. According to the WMFE (channel 24) schedule, they will be re-airing this special. Mark your calendars or set your DVR for:

Thursday, June 18th at 8pm

Saturday, June 27th at 6pm

Big Band Dance – “Swing into Summer”

“a 20 piece orchestra and plenty of space to dance”

The Altamonte Springs Leisure Services and the Altamonte Jazz Ensemble, Directed by Mike Arena – Will Present – “Swing into Summer” – Big Band Dance – An Evening of Dancing to the Music of the “Big Band Era” …Featuring … “Lady of Song” …Linda Cole… Singing the beautiful old standards and love songs.

Sunday Evening, June 7th
7 pm until 10 pm

Eastmonte Civic Center, 830 Magnolia Drive,
(off Ronald Reagan Blvd), Altamonte Springs
Admission at the Door: $5.00
For more information: 407-322-7528
Visit their website: Altamontejazzensemble.com

This Wednesday (May 27th) the Orlando Swing Band will play for dancing at the Beardall Center. We’ll be there… hope to see you there too!

The band is a full size, community based, swing orchestra that plays a mix of big band music from Glenn Miller to Count Basie. They play for the public on the 4th Wednesday of every month. The Beardall Center is a historic school building, built in the 1920s, and is located in Downtown Orlando. It has a large parquet wood floor that is smooth and great for dancing.

The dance is from 7:30 to 10pm. Admission is only $4. Where else can you dance to a big band for that price? For questions, call: 407-246-2637

Map and directions:
View Larger Map

Note: While the dance is on the 2nd story, enter on the first floor (side of the building) and pay admission there. The city now keeps the outside 2nd story doors locked in the evenings.