Thursday, November 21, 2013

WSDS Weekly 11/21/13


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Wichita Swing Dance Weekly

This Month's Classes:


*Beginning Lindy Hop 6:30-7:30

*Blues  6:30-7:30

Intro to Swing 7:30-8:00

*Students must register by 11/3 to take this class.

Next Month's Classes:

*Beginning Lindy Hop 6:30-7:30

*Solo Jazz Potpourri 6:30-7:30

Intro to Swing 7:30-8:00

*Students must register by 12/1 to take this class.

This Month at Swingin' Sunday: 

11/3 - Dance Card Sunday

11//24 - Putluck Dinner, Birthday Jam

Travel Opportunities:

The busiest season for dancing in the midwest is at it's end! Things will pick up again in Spring of 2014, and until then, you might be interested in 

Hot Rhythm Holiday in Austin, TX, Jan 23-26, 2014

The Funny Section:

The First Time You and Your Friends Try to Have a Solo Jam

Solo Jam

THIS SUNDAY, WE FEAST!

It's time to give thanks! And when I say "give thanks," I naturally mean "eat delicious foods." On Sunday, November 24th, the WSDS will host a Thanksgiving Potluck dinner! cornucopia

Bring a healthy appetite and a dish to share. We will set up tables and chairs in the back room of the studio to accomodate the feast.

WEDNESDAY, Dancing at the Wright Brothers

It's that time again! Join DJ Evan Borst at the Wright Brothers Bar on Wednesday, November 27th, from 6-9pm. He'll play the most swingin' of tunes, and the friendly staff of the bar will be happy to serve you. Please remember the purchase beverages to support the venue (food doesn't count!), and yes, this event is 21+.
WB

 Christmas Party December 15!

The WSDS Board would like to invite YOU, yes YOU to our 2013 Christmas party on Sunday, December 15th! This year's party promises to be our BEST EVER, featuring none other than Branjae and the Swint Sets from Tulsa, OK! You may remember Branjae from her last Wichita appearance, captured in part on this video:


Video

Click for Video

In addition to great live music, at the Christmas party, you can look forward to performances by our beloved local dance teams Hot Rhythm Revival, The Shiny Stockings, and Five Moes Named Guy! We'll also have refreshments and and decorate the studio especially for the party.

The board hopes you'll goin them in dressing up, showing up, and makingt this a night to remember. Admission will be $10 for everyone - that's members and non-members alike. Enter the drawing on Dance Card Sunday (Dec 1) to win free admission!

More Fun in December

The Christmas party isn't the only reason to come out next month. Check out our full month of holiday celebration!

Dec 1st - Dance Card Sunday with a chance to win FREE ADMISSION to the Christmas party.

Dec 8th - All Star Jack & Jill competition, featuring your favorite instructors and local Lindy Hop diehards.

Dec 15th - PARTY PARTY

Dec 22nd - BATTLE OF THE DJs! Drop your spare change in your favorite DJ's jar to give them the chance to play the next few songs. All proceeds go towards Sunflower Swing 2014.

Dec 29th - A special performance by a few of the Shiny Stockings to help ring in the New Year

Editor's Note: On Learning Common Solo Routines

Something I've grown to love about Swing dance culture is our "common knowledge" routines like the Shim Sham, the Big Apple, and the Tranky Doo. (Google them if you have no idea what I'm talking about.) These are solo jazz routines that Swing dancers from all over the learn in roughly the same way. That means that at any event, from a Swingin' Sunday to an international workshop, perfect strangers can do these dances together with no planning or warning!

Beyond that, these routines give individual dancers a chance to explore jazz movements within a forgiving structure; if you're brand new, you can do the moves exactly as you're taught to do them, all the while surrounded by other dancers to use as references. And, as you gain confidence, you can make the moves your own, because that's what Swing is all about. If you watch a group of all-star dancers do one of these routines together, you'll see that none of them do the routine EXACTLY the same as any others, but they share a common base that makes the performance cohesive. I hope to see lots of new faces in December's Jazz Potpourri class, where we'll be teaching the Big Apple and the Tranky Doo. Join us and become a part of this great Swing tradition!

Got thoughts? Email me.

Chelsea Rothschild
Good to know:

Your board of directors is already planning for Sunflower Swing 2014. As we begin to define the details of the event, we want to hear from you! Do you know of a venue that we could use for classes or dances? We're open to any suggestions you might have!  Email us and let us know where you'd like to dance this year!

We Need YOU:

The WSDS is looking for volunteers to help us manage Sunday nights! If you've been dancing with us for a while, and would like a chance to give something back to the scene, please email us and let us know! We will really appreciate your help. There might even be a hug in it for you.

More Swing Dancing in Wichita:

If you want to take your swing dancing to the next level, check out the Lindy Bombers! This local dance club has been meeting every Monday evening for years, working on swing dance vocabulary, technique, and musicality. The Lindy Bombers can also put you in touch with the Shiny Stockings and Five Moes Named Guy, Wichita's solo-jazz troupes. And, if you're REALLY motivated, the Lindy Bombers are also your gateway to Hot Rhythm Revival, Wichita's competitive swing dancing team. There are lots of options out there, come check them out!

Video of the Week:

IDuring next month's Jazz Potpourri class, we'll be teaching the Big Apple. Check out this video for a preview of the routine as it appeared in the 1939 film Keep Punchin

See you next week!


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