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Monday, July 26, 2010

Swangosa - Swing, Argentine Tango, and Salsa

My break is ending, I'm going back into the Friday Night dance business, but Friday Night Swing is not coming back. Instead of just swing, this new Friday night dance will feature swing, tango, and salsa. The location, amazingly, is the old Block Party. You may remember that February 29th, 2008 was our last night in the beloved Block Party. Because of recent events, Cheryl Burke Dance closing down the Metronome location, the Block Party is reopening as a stand alone neighborhood studio. Already they have a full calendar of classes to check out.

Swangosa's opening night is August 6th - 8 pm. And it is free! So tell your friends or just bring your smile so that you can meet new ones and drop by and see what Swangosa is all about.

www.swangosa.com

Cheers,

Autumn LaVarta

Sunday, May 2, 2010

After Many Happy Years...

Friday Night Swing is taking a break from its weekly format. How long will the break be? Is it really just a break? I don't know, but watch out! Friday Night Swing might be back once every couple or few months. I hope so.

Just stay tuned...

Sunday, April 25, 2010

April 30th: Motion Explosion Swing Dance for Beginners

The Motion Explosion is a fun innovative way to learn Swing Dancing!

You will start you off dancing by yourself, so you get the steps and the rhythms (without worrying about a partner) and then you'll learn how to do the same moves with a partner!

No partner is necessary. The level of the class is good for complete beginners and experienced beginner/intermediate dancers who want to learn "Lindy Hop Movement" and work on how their body moves and not just memorize patterns.

You will:
- Move
- Grove
- Break sweat
- Learn some swing dancing moves
- Have FUN!

The Motion Explosion Dance company, founded by Michael Terkwoski, performs and teaches swing in San Francisco. Learn from working dancers who once were in your shoes, and who want to see you dancing on the dance floor tonight!

For more info about Michael Terkwoski and Motion Explosion Swing Dance Classes:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=272603020805

8pm-9pm: Beginning swing dance lesson taught by Michael Terkowski and Claire Oldfield.
9pm-midnight: Deejay Battle—Alex Fernandez vs. Autumn LaVarta.

For more info about the party and to receive discounts:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=120168361329687&ref=ts

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Live Music April 2nd—Hot Club of San Francisco

Friday, April 2nd Cheryl Burke Dance studio and Friday Night Swing proudly presents the Pre-Le Hot Sauce Party.
Join us on our amazing, sprung wood dance floor in beautiful San Francisco for a LIVE BAND MUSIC night filled with wonderful classes, great energy, live music, friendly people, a creative atmosphere, performances and more. You do not want to miss this fantastic night of dancing.

Details:

7:00 - 8:00 - Dips & Tricks to spice up your dancing - taught by Mickey Fortanasce and Kelly Arsenault - great for all styles of dancing, Lindy, Balboa, and beyond.
Safe, fun, and sassy!!! Please do have basic partnering under your belt and if you prefer to stay with a partner, that is fine, but we will also encourage people to rotate; therefore, most of the tricks will be socially leadable. : )

8:00 - 9:00 - Fast Lindy Simplified - Inter/Adv Lindy - taught by Nick Williams & Carla Heiney
This fast lindy class will help you go faster than ever as well as add some dynamic variations to those tempos.

8:00 - 9:00 - Intro to Lindy Hop - taught by Autumn & Christine
Learn the basics of Lindy Hop in this fun class.

9:00 - Open Social Dancing Begins
9:30 - LIVE BAND: Hot Club of San Francisco

Pricing:
Pre-register for the dance for Friday, April 2nd -
Dance Only = $12 / person
1 Class = $16 / person
2 Classes = $26 / person

After March 25th& At the Door
Dance only = $15 / person
1 Class = $20 / person
2 Classes = $30 / person

REGISTER HERE

Cross-Pollinating Raffle - FREE for people attending both the Pre-Party and the Le Hot Sauce Event:

If you register for The Whole Le Hot Sauce Saturday, April 3rd and also attend the Friday Night Swing event, you will be entered into a raffle for both Friday and Saturday night for great prizes.
And, if you attend The Friday, Pre-Le Hot Sauce Party @ FNS on April 2nd and also attend the Le Hot Sauce Party on April 3rd, you will be entered into a raffle as well, again for GREAT PRIZES.
You need to be present to win.
We do hope you will consider joining us for BOTH AMAZING events on April 2nd and 3rd.

Sunday, February 28, 2010

March 12th: Shirley and Dave do FNS "Their Way"



Since Autumn and Christine will be in Irvine on March 12th getting ready for the 24 hour dance-a-thon, Shirley and Dave are finally receiving their big break—they get to do Friday Night Swing their way! I'm not sure what "their way" really means, but they seem to be pretty excited about it. They're going to teach beginning Lindy from 8pm-9pm. From 9pm on, DJ Sarah Quan will play her favorite "chunky" swing tunes, which she's pretty sure will make you want to tap your feet, and maybe even dance.

On Friday March 5th, as usual, Autumn and Christine will be teaching beginning Lindy from 8-9pm. Then, after the lesson, while Christine dances and enjoys herself, Autumn will agonize over which songs will please the most dancers, and as time passes, will becoming increasingly indecisive and distraught to the point that he'll just hit the shuffle button on itunes, and hope for the best. Pathetic, but it's fun to watch!

And finally, mark your calendars for April 2nd. Le Hot Sauce V comes to Friday Night Swing. Teachers for the evening will be Carla Heiney, Nick Williams, Kelly Arsenault, and Mickey Fortanasce. We'll have more details up soon.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

New Music this Friday February 5th

I'll be sneaking new songs into my playlist this Friday. Mills Blue Rhythm Band, Andy Kirk and His Clouds of Joy, and John Kirby are just a few of the bands that I'll be featuring. I'm also thinking of sporting a 'stash like Snidley Whiplash just for fun.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Pre-party Le Hot Sauce at FNS on January 29

Special weekend event—on January 29th, Friday Night Swing and Cheryl Burke Dance are collaborating with Carla Heiney to bring you special classes with guest teachers Carla Heiney, Jeremy Otth, Karen Turman, Andrew Thigpen, Bromley Palamountain, and Jean Ma. Saturday has a amazing schedule too, with tons of classes and a dance all at City College. Get information here.

7:00 - 8:00 - Fun Lindy Hop Turns - taught by Karen & Andrew (Partnered / Intermediate-Advanced)
A lot of dancers get stuck doing the same turns all the time. We want to share some fun turns for both the leads and follows to help mix it up and end the monotony of tuck-turns and side-passes. This class is great for intermediate dancers and anyone looking for a little more variety in their dancing!

7:00 - 8:00 - Balboa Basics and Beyond - taught by Jeremy and Carla (Partnered / Beginner)
A great way to learn the basics of this dance and a few fun improvised Balboa steps to get you out there dancing right away. Great for Beginners and people who need a review of the basics.

8:00 - 9:00 - Look Ma' No Hands - taught by Jean & Bromley (Partnered / Intermediate +)
Explore the realm of partnering by taking a deeper look into the art of connection. How many ways can you think to connect with your partner besides just hand to hand. Find out with Look Ma' No Hands!

8:00 - 9:00 - Beginner Swing Dance Class with Autumn & Christine (Partnered / Beginner)

Pricing

Double-Day Bonus! If you are registered for the full day on Saturday, you receive $5 off your total entrance price for Friday.
(Must sign up for Saturday in advance by January 23, limited to one $5 discount per person.)

Early Bird Price (register by January 23rd)
$15 one class
$25 two classes

After January 23rd and at the door
$10 for the dance (no classes)
$18 one class
$30 two classes