CAMP BALBOA SEATTLE IS THIS WEEKEND, SEPT. 3-6! Be there…
Seattle’s premiere weekend of classes, dances and non-stop Balboa madness: CAMP BALBOA SEATTLE.
Register now or at the door on Friday and get ready to learn from some of the absolute TOP Balboa instructors in the world, including champions Randy & Kara, Nick Williams, David Rehm and Kate Hedin, and many, many more. This is truly an unprecedented line-up of instructors for a Seattle Balboa event and the possibilities for what you could take away from the weekend is breathtaking.
Special thanks to local Balboa-maven Jo Coker for producing such a phenomenal event in the area. Be sure to check the website at www.campbalboaseattle.com for all the details including the instructor line-up, evening dance opportunities, class schedules and more! (P.S. Peter is going to be teaching there as well!)
AERIALS WORKSHOP THIS SATURDAY, AUGUST 28th!
THIS IS AN UNBELIEVABLE OPPORTUNITY! If you have any interest in aerials, either learning them or improving what you already know, DO NOT MISS THIS.
Kerry Ward is a world-renowned aerials instructor and coach who has worked with some of the top lindy performance teams and dancers in the world. He has studied with some incredible teachers (including Lindy Hop world champions and actual circus acrobats) and has brought YEARS of experience, learning and innovations to his aerials technique. Now, he’s coming to Seattle and YOU get to work with him!
Kerry has been an active part of the lindy hop community for many, many years and has a genuine passion for making aerials accessible to darned near anyone who wants to do them. He has a knack for making them as easy as possible, with underlying technique that minimizes strain and injury potential. On top of all this, he’s a terrific lindy hopper and just about one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet.
THIS WILL BE AWESOME. Mark your calendar NOW to spend the afternoon working with one of the absolute TOP aerialists in the world today.
Partners are recommended but NOT REQUIRED.
AERIALS & AERIAL TECHNIQUE with Kerry Ward!
Saturday, August 28th
1:30pm - 4:30pm
$25 per person
Kirkland Dance Center
835 7th Ave. Kirkland, WA 98035
DEAN COLLINS SHIM SHAM WORKSHOP IS THIS SATURDAY, AUG. 21st!!!
Oh man. One of the greatest and most beloved choreographed routines in the history of swing dancing, and it’s coming your way. We only teach this one twice a year, so don’t miss out…
By popular demand, we are offering a three-hour intensive class on this excellent routine! Based on the original Shim Sham, this is a classic choreographed number created by legendary lindy hopper Dean Collins back in the original swing era.
Dean started out in New York City, dancing Lindy Hop at the Savoy Ballroom during its heyday, and became one of the top dancers in the city, even being named “Dancer of the Year” in 1935 by The New Yorker magazine! He moved to Los Angeles in 1936 and became one of the most in-demand dancers and choreographers for swing dancing in Hollywood for many years.
Dean created his Shim Sham to be a performance piece for himself and two other dancers and it is AMAZING. It’s built off of the original Shim Sham, but with his own twist and styling on every single part of it… then he set a whole second chorus that is completely different and will BLOW YOUR MIND.
The routine is full of amazing moves and bits of styling that will help you learn to move more like a swing dancer than ever before! We are offering this workshop for the same bargain rate of just $25!
THE DEAN COLLINS SHIM SHAM
Saturday, August 21st
1:30pm - 4:30pm
$25 per person
Kirkland Dance Center
835 7th Ave. Kirkland, WA 98035
THE SEATTLE LINDY EXCHANGE IS COMING THIS WEEKEND! AUG. 12-15!
Join in the fun and meet tons of fun visiting dancers as Seattle hosts its annual Lindy Exchange! Tons of evening dances with LIVE MUSIC, late-night dances and daytime activities! It’s our chance to show off our fair city and the super-fun dancers we have around! Join in!!! Check out the website at www.seattlelindyexchange.org for all the details!!! (We will still be open on Friday night if you can’t go to the Exchange, though!)
LIVE MUSIC TONIGHT! JAZZ HISTORY: DUKE ELLINGTON TOMORROW!
Come out to Eastside Stomp this evening for out FIRST EVER NIGHT OF LIVE SWING MUSIC with legendary local band The Careless Lovers! The cover for the evening is still only $7, so come out and swing the night away with us!
Then tomorrow, join us for another terrific afternoon of music, film clips, discussion and some dancing as we host another Jazz History workshop featuring Duke Ellington! For just $10, you get two solid hours of great stories, classic film appearances and discussions of the history and significance of one of the greatest composers in American music history! This is going to be a blast, so don’t miss out!
SHIM SHAM & JITTERBUG STROLL WORKSHOP: JULY 17TH!
J
oin us for an EPIC afternoon of classic steps and moves from the history of swing dancing!
The SHIM SHAM started out as a tap routine in vaudeville and became so popular that it is now known as the “National Anthem” of Tap. It was adopted and adapted by the swing community in the 1930s and is now a common and widely known routine that is done all over the world.
The Shim Sham is VERY FREQUENTLY done at swing dances as a chance for EVERYONE to get on the floor and be a part of this legendary performance routine. It was known by everyone from tap dancers like The Nicholas Brothers, Fred Astaire and Bill Robinson, to Lindy Legends like Frankie Manning, Norma Miller, Al Minns & Leon James. Learn this routine, and you join a long-standing continuum of dancers that stretches all the way back to the early days of vaudeville! It’s considered a classic, standard routine for all swing dancers to learn, and this is YOUR chance!
Come and learn the routine and some of the fascinating stories that surround it! Peter Flahiff spent a lot of time with the originator of the first, original Tap Shim Sham, Mr. Leonard Reed, so you’ll benefit from some first-hand anecdotes. It’s also a routine that Peter has taught regularly for well over ten years, so he can REALLY break it down for you.
SO, we’ll cover the traditional Shim Sham, The Freeze Chorus and The Boogie Chorus, AND THEN we’ll move on and learn another classic routine called THE JITTERBUG STROLL!
The Jitterbug Stroll is a more recent jazz routine created by Lindy Hop legend Ryan Francois, a man who Frankie Manning once described as the dancer who most reminded Frankie of himself! It’s a great routine with more great classic steps, suitable for 12-bar blues structure songs (a lot of Woody Herman’s music, practically everything Basie ever did, etc…!) The cost for the whole shmear is just $25, so make sure to come out and get these routines NAILED.
SHIM SHAM & JITTERBUG STROLL WORKSHOP!
Saturday, July 17th
1:30pm - 4:30pm
$25 per person
Kirkland Dance Center
835 7th Ave. Kirkland, WA 98035
JAZZ HISTORY WORKSHOP: COUNT BASIE! Saturday, July 10th!
For our second Saturday Matinee Workshop in July, we are bringing you a couple of hugely entertaining and highly informative hours with our own Peter Flahiff, talking about one of his consuming passions, Jazz History!
In case you haven’t noticed, Peter talks a lot. So this is a great chance for him to let some of that out in an appropriate environment, with an appreciative audience. Peter has been a student of the history of the music we all love dancing to, and he has a knack for passing along that history in a lively, anecdotal way. Don’t come to this chat if you’re expecting a long, boring monologue with nothing but names and dates. Peter keeps it moving with amazing tidbits and stories about the music, the players and the world they lived in. PLUS, he’s got a bunch of film clips to share with you, bringing it all to life even MORE! Let’s be honest: we all love the music we dance to, so why wouldn’t you want to know more about it???!
Peter has given Jazz history talks for many years, has been interviewed on the radio several times in this capacity, and even taught a week-long lecture series on Jazz History at the legendary Herrang Dance Camp in Sweden! He really knows his stuff and we’re sure that you will come away from this with a whole NEW appreciation for the music and musicians!
And don’t worry, what with talking about swing music and playing examples of swing music in the class, Peter will take several breaks to give everyone a chance to dance it off as well. It’s also going to be just two hours long, and therefore CHEAPER! Only $15 for this quality experience!!!
FOR THIS FIRST TALK, Peter is putting the focus on the incredible Count Basie and his Orchestra. Taking us from Basie’s youth in New Jersey, through his seminal time in Kansas City and on through to leading one of the longest-lived bands in swing history, Basie’s story is RICH with tales and tidbits that will fascinate you. Don’t miss this…
JAZZ HISTORY: COUNT BASIE with Peter Flahiff!
Saturday, July 10th
1:30pm - 3:30pm
$15 per person
Kirkland Dance Center
835 7th Ave. Kirkland, WA 98035
AERIALS WORKSHOP WITH MASTER COACH KERRY WARD: SATURDAY, JULY 3RD!
We have something very special happening soon: Kerry Ward is coming down from Vancouver B.C. to teach an afternoon of Aerials and Aerial Technique at Eastside Stomp!
Kerry is a world-renowned aerials instructor and coach who has worked with some of the top lindy performance teams and dancers in the world. He has studied with some incredible teachers (including Lindy Hop world champions and actual circus acrobats) and has brought YEARS of experience, learning and innovations to his aerials technique. Now, he’s coming to Seattle and YOU get to work with him!
Kerry has been an active part of the lindy hop community for many, many years and has a genuine passion for making aerials accessible to darned near anyone who wants to do them. He has a knack for making them as easy as possible, with underlying technique that minimizes strain and injury potential. On top of all this, he’s a terrific lindy hopper and just about one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet.
THIS WILL BE AWESOME. Mark your calendar NOW to spend the afternoon working with one of the absolute TOP aerialists in the world today.
AERIALS & AERIAL TECHNIQUE with Kerry Ward!
Saturday, July 3rd
1:30pm - 4:30pm
$25 per person
Kirkland Dance Center
835 7th Ave. Kirkland, WA 98035
WORKSHOP THIS SATURDAY, MAY 22nd: MUSICALITY & IMPROVISATION WITH EMELIE & REBECKA DECAVITA!
Back in action and ready to TEACH, Emelie & Rebecka DecaVita return to Eastside Stomp for another spectacular three-hour workshop for swing dancers of all skills and abilities!
It’s MUSICALITY AND IMPROVISATION this time around, and if you’ve ever seen these two on the dance floor, you know how incredible they are at all that. Don’t miss this chance to study and learn from two of the very best in the world during their limited stay here in Seattle.
We are particularly excited to have them teaching this workshop as it will be Emelie’s triumphant return to dancing after a month-long lay-off due to a broken foot. Please come down and take this class and support these wonderful people as they share with us what they do best…
MUSICALITY & IMPROVISATION WORKSHOP WITH EMELIE & REBECKA DECAVITA
Saturday, May 22nd, 2010
1pm - 4pm
$25 per person
Kirkland Dance Center
835 7th Avenue
Kirkland, WA 98035
ARMED FORCES DAY AT EASTSIDE STOMP!
In honor of Armed Forces Day (actually Saturday, May 15th), ALL MEMBERS OF THE U.S. ARMED FORCES (Any branch; active, reserves or retired) will receive FREE ADMISSION to the Friday Night Stomp dance. It’s our little way of saying “Thank you for all you do” to everyone who serves our nation.
We couldn’t dance in freedom without you!
NEW CLASSES THIS FRIDAY AND SUNDAY!
Come to Eastside Stomp and get your Lindy Hop and Balboa up to speed! A new set of 4-week classes for beginners kicks off this Friday night, May 7th: Beginners Balboa at 6pm and Beginners Lindy Hop at 7pm. Sunday Level Two and Three classes from Noon until 4pm! Classes are $40 for a single series or $30 for two or more. Check out the Classes & Dances page for more details!
PETER IS DJ’ING THE CENTURY BALLROOM!!!
Come out and support Peter as he gets his first chance to DJ a full evening of swing music at Seattle’s legendary Century Ballroom! He’s been looking forward to having this opportunity for a really long time and now that it’s here, he’s practically jumping out of his skin with anticipation! Call everyone you know and bring them with you this Sunday Night, May 9th from 9:30pm until 12:30am for what we’re thinking will be a night of music and dancing to remember!!!
Century Ballroom
915 E. Pine St.
Seattle, WA
ALL AGES
$7.00
DANCING AT EASTSIDE STOMP TONIGHT!!! SPECIAL GUEST TEACHERS AND DJ!!!
Come to the dance tonight at Eastside Stomp! We are proud to feature Calle Johannson, lindy hopper extraordinaire, as our guest teacher for the beginners lesson at 8:15. And music this evening will be provided by none other than Keelan Kirby! Make sure to come out and show them some love tonight, Friday, April 30th! (Peter, Ben and Mark will be back next week…they’re taking a train to Montana to teach a weekend-long workshop!)
THIS SATURDAY: THREE HOUR WORKSHOP WITH REBECKA & EMELIE DECAVITA!!!
Emelie & Rebecka are internationally known dancers, teachers and competitors who bring a joy and style all their own to swing dancing, plus EXCELLENT technique and skill. We are extremely fortunate to count them among our friends and they have graciously offered to teach another workshop at Eastside Stomp on Saturday, April 24th. The workshops they have taught in the past have been EXTREMELY well-received and hugely informative for all who attended.
This time around, Emelie & Rebecka are offering a three-hour intensive workshop which will focus on what they call a “showclass” . This would be, in their words, “an easier choreography, not with aerials, but with dips and lifts and stuff!” Which sounds pretty amazing to us, and if you’ve ever seen these two dance, you know how greattheir choreography is…
So mark the date NOW and plan to join us for another great afternoon with the DecaVitas!
Emelie & Rebecka Workshop
Noon - 3pm
Saturday, April 24th
Kirkland Dance Center
835 7th Ave.
Kirkland, WA 98035
$25 per person
BIG STUFF HAPPENING…
Lots of amazing things happening soon: the staff of Eastside Stomp is heading to Montana for another EPIC two-day workshop in Kalispell (May 1st & 2nd — see the calendar page for details), Peter is teaching the Balboa lesson at Sunday night’s Speakeasy night at Belltown Billiards, Ben and Katie have an official website (www.benandkatiedance.com) and there are LOADS of new pictures up in the gallery of recent Friday Night dances… Whew!!!
Peter is DJing @ Sonny’s tonight!!!
Come swing the night away at Sonny Newman’s Dance Hall in Greenwood tonight from 9:30 to midnight at Peter DJs the night. It’s sure to be a killer evening of music with some of Seattle’s finest dancers on one of the best floors around!
It’s ALL AGES and only $5 to get in!
Sonny Newman’s Dance Hall
201 N. 85th St. (Greenwood area)
Seattle, WA 98103
BEN WHITE RETURNS TO EASTSIDE STOMP!!!
Join us this Friday night for a massive party welcoming back our friend and fellow instructor, Ben White, home to Eastside Stomp! It’s the usual AMAZING night of music, dancing and classes, but it’s going to be BIGGER and BETTER than ever before. Be There.
Balboa Basics class: 6pm - 7pm
Lindy Hop Basics class: 7pm - 8pm
Absolute Beginners Swing Class: 8:15pm - 8:45pm
OPEN DANCING: 8:45pm - Midnight!!
ALL AGES, ONLY $5 after 8pm
BOBBY & NATALIA WORKSHOP! MARCH 6TH, NOON - 3pm!!!
Eastside Stomp is thrilled to present another spectacular Satuday workshop, this time with two extraordinary dancers: Bobby Bonsey of Swing-amajig, and Natalia Borodulina from Moscow! They will be presenting three one-hour classes with LOADS of great material to improve your dancing! Things kick off with Solo Jazz Movement, which will work your balance and timing, teaching your body to move in those ways that are so particular to swing dancing. Then, Bobby and Natalia teach Lindy Variations, a chance for you to learn some sweet new moves to add to your social dancing! Finally, they will teach a class in Musicality — an area in which they EXCEL! Learn how to make the music that “Third Partner” in your dancing and take EVERYTHING to the next level!
The cost for the whole afternoon is just $25, or $15 for individual classes…so you might as well just do them all!!!
Saturday, March 6th, Noon to 3 p.m.
Kirkland Dance Center
835 7th Ave.
Kirkland, WA 98035
NORMA MILLER AT EASTSIDE STOMP, VALENTINES DAY AFTERNOON!
NORMA MILLER, One of the last remaining members of Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers and a true pioneer of the dance,
is coming to Seattle! Join us on Sunday, February 14th (yes, Valentine’s Day…) for a spectacular afternoon with one of the most incredible personalities you’ll ever meet!
Eastside Stomp is proud to host Norma Miller for an afternoon of music, stories and fun! We start with a screening of the documentary of Norma’s life, “The Queen of Swing”, followed by a panel discussion with this incredible woman. After this, Norma will be autographing copies of her autobiography, “Swing, Baby, Swing”!
This whole experience is just $10, so set aside a little time this Valentine’s Day to spend with the sweetheart of Lindy Hop, Norma Miller!
Kirkland Dance Center, 835 7th Avenue, Kirkland WA 98035
Sunday, February 14th, Noon - 4 p.m.
HOP FOR HAITI FUNDRAISER THIS TUESDAY, JANUARY 26th
Help donate to the relief efforts in Haiti! Eastside Stomp is donating every single penny that comes through the door for their Tuesday Night Dance on January 26th to Doctors Without Borders!
If you’ve been concerned about the plight of the suffering in Haiti following the devastating earthquake there but haven’t gotten around to donating, or aren’t sure how do help out, this is an easy way to do it, PLUS it’s a night of great swing dancing!
Admission is just the usual $5 at the door (although you are certainly welcome to donate more!!!) and you can dance the night away til midnight, helping a worthy cause: Doctors Without Borders!
This fundraising event is part of a larger nationwide movement on the swing scene, conceived and coordinated by Rusty Frank in Los Angeles, with many other scenes pitching in over the next two weeks, including New York City, Phoenix, Orange County, Orlando and now SCOTLAND! It’s international!!!
Make sure to mark your calendar now and tell your friends. Swing out for a good cause!
WEEKLY DANCES ARE BLOWING UP!
Come and dance with us on Tuesday and Friday nights — The word is out in the greater Seattle area that this is the place to be for your swing fix on those nights and the place is just JUMPING! Tuesdays are a great night to come and work out your swing — a little less crowded but still loads of great dancers and fun music with a beautiful floating hardwood floor and mirrors all over the place! Fridays are the big night with TONS of dancers from all over coming in to swing the night away and having a BLAST! Make sure to come and join us — Always ALL AGES, Always just $5!
Tuesdays from 9pm - Midnight
Fridays from 8pm - Midnight
Free Absolute Beginners Lesson in the first half-hour, included in the $5 admission. No partner required!
Kirkland Dance Center
835 7th Ave.
Kirkland, WA 98035
DEAN COLLINS SHIM SHAM WORKSHOP THIS FRIDAY NIGHT! AND BEN VISITS!!!
This Friday night, we are offering the much-anticipated Dean Collins Shim Sham workshop, from 6pm - 8pm, for the bargain rate of just $15!!! That’s right, a complete routine in a two-hour intensive class! This classic choreography was created by legendary lindy hopper Dean Collins, based on the original Shim Sham, but with amazing additional movements and steps what will add LOADS of great style to your vocabulary and inspire you! Don’t miss out — it’s gonna be GREAT.
AND! Our dear friend and lead-extraordinaire, BEN WHITE, is returning for a visit from Spokane. Make sure to join us and dance his feet off, and book a private lesson or three while he’s in town! He’s AMAZING…
Dean Collins Shim Sham Workshop
6 p.m. - 8 p.m.
$15 per person
Kirkland Dance Center
835 7th Ave.
Kirkland, WA 98035
COLLEGIATE SHAG WORKSHOP THIS FRIDAY, DEC. 11th!!!
Join us for an amazing TWO-HOUR intensive workshop in Collegiate Shag! One of the original and classic swing dances from the 30s and 40s, Shag is high-energy, super-fun, and will give you a whole new arsenal of moves and steps for your swing dancing! It’s popularly done to fast and energetic swing music, so wear your comfy shoes and supportive clothing (it’s a bit bouncy…) and prepare to have MORE FUN than you can imagine!!! Only $15 for the whole two hours! 6pm-8pm, Dec. 11th. Followed by our Friday Night Stomp dance ($5)
Kirkland Dance Center
835 7th Avenue
Kirkland, WA 98035
CALENDAR CHANGES FOR DECEMBER…
The holidays are here and things are getting crazy! Here is the schedule for Fridays at Eastside Stomp: NO BALBOA 1 OR LINDY HOP 1 CLASSES ALL MONTH! We’re sorry about this but Peter is traveling the first Friday and Christmas Day is the fourth Friday, so that leaves just two Fridays to have classes, so no Basics for December ONLY. But on the remaining two Fridays, we offer some super-cool workshops: December 11th COLLEGIATE SHAG TWO HOUR INTENSIVE!!! And on December 18th DEAN COLLINS SHIM SHAM TWO HOUR INTENSIVE!!! Both workshops are going for just $15 a piece and will be a BLAST. And yes, we will have our regular Sunday classes (Balboa 2&3 and Lindy Hop 2&3) all through December as usual!