Coming up in the near and less near future

May 18th, 2012

Quick summary of what’s coming up in the near and slightly less near future, see below for more detail on each:

Baby Soda at BSC this Friday, May 18 (tomorrow night!)
Balboa on a Sunday Afternoon, May 20
Just two more needed for 2nd group discount for All Balboa Weekend
Hot Club of Cowtown plays BSC in July!
TinkerBal! (What?) Save the date!

Friday, May 18th — Baby Soda plays at Boston Swing Central!

We kinda love this band from NY — they sometimes have a more charlston-y feel, but it’s still great music for Balboa, especially when they start cookin’. Hope to see you there!

Sunday, May 20th — Balboa on a Sunday Afternoon!
This Sunday! We’ll once again have a beginner lesson starting at 3:30pm with open practice time starting at 4:30pm and DJ’d music kicking in around 5.

June 7-11 — All Balboa Weekend group discount
We still need just 2 more people to commit to attending ABW to get another discount. If you haven’t already registered or you already registered and haven’t told me you want to be part of the group, shoot me an email and we’ll get this thing done! You’ll save a bit more than $20 each for you and 8 other people!

Thursday, July 26th — The Hot Club of Cowtown at Boston Swing Central

In recent years, we’ve only been able to catch the Hot Club of Cowtown in venues without much of a dance floor and we’ve had to make do in small corners or on concrete. Well, the folks at Boston Swing Central have managed to catch them on the northeast leg of their upcoming summer tour for a special Thursday night dance. (Props to our own David Fisher for getting the ball rolling on this!) Let’s try to help pack the joint so we can get more of these special treats! Tell all your friends, even the ones who might not dance but love the music. They sound like a cross between Django Reinhardt and Bob Wills – hot!

October 13-14 — TinkerBal!

Save the date!

TinkerBal is a small-group Balboa workshop designed to support personalized learning. This weekend is a chance to really delve into the details of your Balboa. Note that we will be capping registration to keep groups small and to maintain lead-follow balance.

Our instructors are four of the world’s best: David Rehm, Teni Lopez-Cardenas, Bobby White, and Kate Hedin. Class content will be tailored by the instructors to the needs of each group.

Registration should open sometime in mid-June. Check out the website for more details!

Hope to see you soon, dancing Bal!

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May!

May 2nd, 2012

Here’s the low-down for May:

Thursday, May 3rd (TOMORROW!) — Balboa at the Stomp!

Saturday, May 12th — Balboa Crash Course!
We’re having another Balboa Crash Course where we’ll cover the basic figures and connection of Balboa in one afternoon. It’ll be a great opportunity to get your friends who keep saying they don’t know how to dance Balboa to learn the basics so they can social dance when that great Bal song comes on. MAKE THEM COME!

Sunday, May 20th — Balboa on a Sunday Afternoon!
We’ll once again have a beginner lesson starting at 3:30pm with open practice time starting at 4:30pm and DJ’d music kicking in around 5.

Other points of interest:

We need just 2 more people to commit to attending All Balboa Weekend (June 7-11) to get another discount. If you haven’t already registered or already registered and haven’t told me you want to be part of the group, shoot me an email and we’ll get you on the list!
Empire City Swing is a new event being held in New York City the first weekend of June and includes a Balboa track with Mickey Fortanasce and Kelly Arsenault! A great opportunity to get some awesome Balboa instruction only a few hours away!

Hope to see you soon, dancing Bal!

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Two Boston Balboa events this week

April 11th, 2012

Just a reminder that tomorrow, Thursday April 12 is this month’s Balboa at the Stomp. Are you sad because you thought you missed the Stomp last week? Well, good news, you didn’t miss it after all! (And yes, we’re still going to The Chilly Cow beforehand.

Also, this Sunday (April 15) is Balboa on a Sunday Afternoon!
We’re continuing to hold an introductory lesson at 3:30pm with the general practice running from 4:30pm-7:00pm. Note that this month, we’re going to try something a little different and dedicate the half hour from 4:30 to 5 explicitly for practice. We encourage you to show up during this time to work together in groups (or alone) and practice moves or technique or whatever is on your mind. We’ll start up the music sometime before the end of this practice period. See the website page for more details.

Finally, just some news on the group discount for All Balboa Weekend — we got our 9! (I’ll start distributing out the savings for the magical 9th registration when I get the cash in hand). If you haven’t registered yet — no worries! I’m pretty sure we can get another group of 9 — at the moment, we need just 4 more people to get another free pass. (The value of which will be distributed to the other 8.) Let me know if you’re planning on going or have already registered and I’ll put you on the list.

(Incidentally, if you’re a beginner — don’t be intimidated by the idea of going to such a large Balboa-focused event! It’s actually one of the best opportunities to really get the dance into your body. And the beginner track is offered at a discount! ABW really is not to be missed — seriously, check it out!)

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Bands and Balboa this weekend

March 15th, 2012

There are a bunch of opportunities to dance Balboa this weekend, including two great live bands Friday and Saturday night!

First up, Friday night — The White Heat Swing Sextet at Boston Swing Central! We’ve been pretty psyched by Craig Ball’s White Heat Swing Orchestra so we’re eager to check out his combo with the much touted stride piano player on BSC’s upright Steinway.

Saturday night, Hop to the Beat’s Uptown Swing Dance is bringing back the awesome Baby Soda Jazz Band!

Check it out, they’ve totally been to Boston before…

And finally, Sunday, we’re having our monthly Balboa on a Sunday Afternoon. We’re continuing to offer an introductory lesson starting at 3:30pm with the regular practice starting at 4:30pm. (Note that BSC is running its Lindy Hop Boot Camp on the same day from 1pm-4pm this month, so we’ll be starting out in the lobby of the Whistle Stop)

Hope to see you out dancing (Bal) this weekend! (Ask me to dance!)

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March update!

February 29th, 2012

So many opportunities to dance and learn Balboa this coming month! Let me count the ways:

Balboa at the Stomp – Thursday, March 1
Our monthly free Balboa dance is this Thursday from 9pm-11pm at the Episcopal Church of Our Savior at 21 Marathon Street, Arlington MA. Join us at the Chilly Cow (just a few blocks down Mass Ave) for frozen custard around 8/8:30!
Balboa classes at Providence Swings! (5 Thursdays, starting March 1)
Providence Swings will be offering 2 classes this month on Thursday nights: Balboa Basics A for beginner/intermediate dancers and a Balboa Performance Class for more experienced (intermediate+) Balboa dancers, both starting at 8.
Balboa on a Sunday Afternoon – March 18
Our monthly practice session at the Crosby Whistle Stop in Charlestown — with an introductory Balboa lesson at 3:30pm and the regular practice running from 4:30pm-7pm. (We’re itching to practice all the stuff we picked up at RMBB!)
Balboa workshops with Nelle and Javi – Sunday, March 18 in NYC
Nelle Cherry and Javier Johnson will be teaching a one-day Balboa workshop series for intermediate and advanced Balboa dancers at Dance Manhattan in NY.
Boston Tea Party – March 22 – 25
A great local event with West Coast, Lindy Hop and Balboa with amazing instructors, competitions and social dances!
Balboa Rendezvous – March 31 – April 1 in San Diego and Newport Beach, CA
World-class international instructors, awesome bands, and an opportunity to meet the some of the few remaining original masters and to dance in the historic Balboa Pavilion in Newport Beach!

Hope to see you soon, dancing Bal!

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Did you miss the early-bird registration deadline?

December 12th, 2011

You know, for the Sylvia Sykes and Marty Lau Balboa workshops being held in Boston on the weekend of February 4-5.
And if so, what were you thinking?
Maybe you don’t know who Marty Lau is?
Well, here’s a video of him winning the All Balboa Weekend American Classic Balboa Championships in 2002 with his wife Jen.

Yeah, that guy.
And he’s teaching with Sylvia Sykes.
You’re sorry you missed the deadline, aren’t you?
Well, have no fear, we’re still offering pre-registration discounts if you register by January 29th — they’re just not as crazy and amazing as the early-bird discounts. If you haven’t registered already, DO IT NOW!

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Representin’ in Raleigh!

November 11th, 2011

We’re still recovering from EBC — the Eastern Balboa Championships held in Raleigh, NC — one of the major Balboa events in North America, East-Coast or otherwise. And this year, it really came into its own with a new, larger hotel, 4 full nights of dancing and the usual world class instructors. And of course, the usual EBC shenanigans. Best of all, we had a terrific showing from New England, with 18 people from the area!

Thanks to all of you for being a part of it! I’m already looking forward to next year, where we’ll hopefully have even more familiar faces in attendance.

Hope to see you Sunday at the Crosby Whistle Stop for Balboa on a Sunday Afternoon where we can practice and play with what we learned!

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It’s here!

October 23rd, 2010

The weekend is finally here which means that Adam & Nelle’s Balboa workshops are TOMORROW afternoon at the Whistle Stop in Charlestown. If you aren’t already, now is the time to get really excited! And if you’ve got stuff during the day, you can still come to the practice session/dance which will start a little after 4:15pm this month due to the workshops — still only $3 or FREE if you’ve signed up for any of the workshops! (There won’t be any planned mini-lessons this month, but still feel free to ask for help, ideas or feedback.)

But you don’t have to wait until tomorrow to see Adam & Nelle because Blues Cafe is happening TONIGHT! Adam & Nelle will be teaching a beginner lesson at 8pm and will be doing a demo later in the evening. Adam will also be be one of the guest DJs so you can totally get your Bal on!

Woo! See you soon! (Dancing Bal!)

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Balboa Month in the Northeast

September 30th, 2010

It seems that October is shaping up to be a great month for Balboa here in the Northeast. There are lots of great Balboa opportunities this month, so I figured I’d mention them while I should be packing for CBC…

First up… CBC! Yep, the Canadian Balboa Championships are happening in Montreal this coming weekend, Oct 1-3!
And if you can’t make the drive up to Montreal, maybe check out Minor Swing in Lincoln, RI — live gypsy jazz at Swing Cafe!
Thursday Oct 7 we’ll be DJing for the Balboa night at the Stomp at 21 Marathon St, Arlington, MA from 9-11pm (FREE!)
Perhaps you’re thinking about a trip to NY? Why not head down the following weekend? And then you can check out the Balboa Crash Course with Carol Fraser on Sunday Oct 10 from 1-4pm.
Saturday Oct 16 Balboa Workshops with Steve & Rebecca Drzewiczewski from 12-5:30pm at the Providence Tango Mill followed by the Harvest Moon Dance from 8pm-midnight. (Special early registration rates end Friday, Oct 1!)
Saturday Oct 23 Blues Cafe is hosting another Lindy and Balboa night , with a beginner lesson by guest instructors Adam Speen & Nelle Cherry from Philadelphia!
Sunday October 24th we’re having a special Balboa on a Sunday Afternoon with workshops with Adam & Nelle from 12-4:30pm followed by our practice session from 4:30-7pm (special early registration rate ends Friday, Oct 15!)

I hope I’ll see you at some of these great events!
(Now I gotta go pack!)

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The August Playlist and a Request

September 8th, 2010

Here’s the playlist from August’s Balboa on a Sunday Afternoon. I don’t have the BPM numbers up, but one of the things I find challenging is that many of my favorite Bal songs are in the 220-240 BPM range, but people have generally preferred songs around 190 or below. When I went through the playlist after the event, there were only 8 songs over 200 and none over 210.

What are your favorite songs to dance Balboa to? Post a top 10 in the comments or send me an email!

Other comments and feedback are always welcome, of course.

	Song Title	Album	Artist	Year
1	Hop, Skip And Jump	D5vb1105 RCA-20-1800	Artie Shaw’s Gramercy 5	1945
2	Chicago	Django Reinhardt 1936-1937	Django Reinhardt
3	At The Clambake Carnival	M791 Okeh -6896	Cab Calloway & His Orchestra	1938
4	The Seargent Was Shy	The Classic Tracks Of The 1920′s & 1930′s	Duke Ellington	1930
5	Peckin’	09569-1 Victor -25621	Benny Goodman & His Orchestra	1937
6	Four Or Five Times	All-bal 2006	Mora’s Modern Rhythmists
7	For Dancers Only	Jimmie Lunceford : 1934 – 1942	Jimmie Lunceford	2007
8	Rose Room	The Genius Of The Electric Guitar	Charlie Christian	1939
9	Jacquet In The Box	The Ultimate Jazz Archive 23 [disc 2]	The Illinois Jacquet Sextet	1946
10	Flying Home		Lionel Hampton
11	Sioux City Sue	Decca 18745	Hoosier Hot Shots (v. Sally Foster, Two-Ton Baker)
12	Cross Your Heart	055064 RCA Victor-26763-b	Artie Shaw And His Gramercy 5	1940
13	Three Swings In And Out	M746 Vocalion-3995	Cab Calloway & His Orchestra	1938
14	King Porter Stomp	Brunswick-8366	Harry James And His Orchestra	1939
15	In The Mood	Harlem Joys	Edgar Hayes	2005
16	Strictly Swing	027958 Bluebird-10012b	Erskine Hawkins & His Orchestra	1938
17	Muskrat Ramble		Sidney Bechet Bluenote Jazzmen	1945
18	Vol Vist Du Gaily Star	The Very Best Of	Slam Stewart	2009
19	Jump Steady	20th Century Closet	Mora’s Modern Swingtet	2004
20	Satchel Mouth Swing	Decca-1636	Louis Armstrong And His Orchestra	1938
21	Hawaiian War Chant (ta-hu-wa-hu-wai)	Coral-60510	The Ames Brothers Feat. Roy Smeck And The Serenaders	1951
22	Candy Shop	Oh! The Grandeur	Andrew Bird’s Bowl Of Fire	1999
23	Night And Day	Souvenirs	The Quintet Of The Hot Club Of France
24	Minor Swing	All-bal 2006	Django Reinhardt
25	Oh, Lady Be Good	Complete RCA Victor Small Group Master Takes, [disc 1]	Benny Goodman
26	McPherson Is Rehearsin’ (to Swing)		Ella Fitzgerald	1939
27	Massachusetts		Anita O’day
28	Pennsylvania 6-5000	Best Of The Big Bands – Ii – Various Artists	Glenn Miller
29	East St. Louis Toodle-oo	The Classic Tracks Of The 1920′s & 1930′s	Duke Ellington	1930
30	Ragging The Scale	Jimmie Lunceford : 1934 – 1942	Jimmie Lunceford	2007
31	Reet, Petit And Gone	Five Guys Named Moe: Original Decca Recordings, Vol. 2	Louis Jordan	1946
32	Out West		Swing Session
33	Three-quarter Boogie	Gold Collection-lionel Hampton [disc 2]	Lionel Hampton	1941
34	Sweet Sue, Just You	Complete RCA Victor Small Group Master Takes, [disc 1]	Benny Goodman
35	The Flat Foot Floogie	The Very Best Of	Slam Stewart	2009
36	The Jumpin’ Jive	The Jumpin’ Jive	Cab Calloway & His Orchestra	2008
37	Joshua Fit The Battle Of Jericho		Sidney Bechet
38	I Want To Be Happy	Victor-25510	Benny Goodman And His Orchestra	1937
39	Dig These Blues		The Four Clefs
40	Sugar Foot Stomp	19669-2 Brunswick-7735	Artie Shaw And His Orchestra	1936
41	Rock Hill Special	Victor 26114	Lionel Hampton & His Orchestra	1938
42	Lindyhopper’s Delight	Strictly Jive	Chick Webb	1999
43	Sing You Sinners	The Chronological Classics: 1937-38	Fletcher Henderson & His Orchestra	1937
44	I Want The Waiter (with The Water)	Lunceford Special	Jimmie Lunceford	2001
45	You’re A Lucky Guy – V T P	Bluebird-b-10482	Artie Shaw And His Orchestra	1939
46	Jacquet And No Vest	The Ultimate Jazz Archive 23 [disc 2]	Illinois Jacquet	1946
47	Posin’	The Chronological Classics: 1937-38	Fletcher Henderson & His Orchestra	1937
48	Tutti Frutti	The Very Best Of	Slam Stewart	2009
49	Jeepers Creepers	Quintette Du Hot Club De France	Django Reinhardt
50	Darktown Strutters Ball	Stomping At The Savoy Featuring Ella Fitzgerald 1934/1949	Chick Webb
51	In The Bag	Gold Collection-lionel Hampton [disc 2]	Lionel Hampton	1942
52	Glass Figurine	Thrills	Andrew Bird’s Bowl Of Fire	1998
53	Back Beat Boogie	Columbia 39484	Harry James
54	Lafayette	All-bal 2006	Hot Lips Page
55	Carioca	Self Portrait	Artie Shaw
56	Topsy	Victor-26107	Benny Goodman And His Orchestra	1938
57	Goodbye Little Darlin’	Dla2402 Decca -18767b	Bing Crosby	1941

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