Charleston

Vote for Laura Windley in the Hawkeye Swing Festival’s Choreography Contest!

I’ve entered the Hawkeye Swing Festival’s Choreography Contest and I’d love to have your vote! If you’d like to vote for my routine or any of the other routines, please fill out this survey at Survey Monkey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/hsfchoreocomp

For more information on the competition, please visit the Hawkeye Swing Festival’s website. The winner will be decided by popular vote and you can only vote once. Voting ends December 31, 2011.

Here are the entry videos, going in the order in which they appeared on the Hawkeye Swing Festival’s Facebook page:

Laura Windley

Katibeth Lee

Jerry Foote and Robin Carlson

Serge Nika Berg and Sarah Relander

Gabriella Cook

Michael Brafford and Dee Daniels Locke

Stacia Martin and Jeremy Fischer

Vaudevillain Revue: We’re All Mad

The Vaudevillain Revue, Raleigh’s premiere vaudeville-inspired cabaret and burlesque troupe, makes its debut at the Southland Ballroom this Friday, November 25, 2011 – prepare yourself for an evening of live music, dancing girls, vaudeville comedy, burlesque beauties, circus arts performances, a little magic, and live music by A Tin Djinn!

I have been invited to join this troupe of Vaudevillain performers and will be debuting my solo jazz routine that I created for the Hawkeye Swing Festival’s choreography competition.

Southland Ballroom
614 N. West Street
Raleigh, NC

Doors open at 9:00 p.m., show starts at 10:00 p.m.

$10 tickets available at the door.

For more information on the show and the troupe, visit http://www.vaudevillainrevue.com.

For the Facebook event invite, see http://www.facebook.com/events/294159463929072/.

RDU Rent Party: Glenn Crytzer Takes the Cake Edition, October 13, 2011

Glenn Crytzer and his Syncopators played for the Gatsby Edition Rent Party last year and burned it down, so RDU Rent Party is honored to be hosting Glenn on his birthday and would like to cordially invite you to attend and help us celebrate in style.

We will be providing a cookie cake and beverages, you provide the energy. Feel free to bring other refreshments and let’s make sure and give Glenn an unforgettable birthday!

In preparation for the Eastern Balboa Championships, Chris & Holly Owens will be teaching Balboa for the Intermediate and Beginner lessons. Bring your slick shoes and canning wax.

This Rent Party will be held at the Trotter Building in lieu of/collaboration with the normal Thursday night Hot Club of Durham festivities.

The Trotter Building
410 W. Geer St.
Durham, NC

Admission is pay-what-you-can with a suggested $10 donation.

7:00 p.m. – Intermediate Balboa lesson
8:00 p.m. – Beginner Balboa lesson
9:00 p.m. – Birthday boy takes the stage and plays until midnight

Pink Renaissance: A Jazz Affair

This Friday, September 23, 2011, I will be performing with the Al Strong Quartet +1 as a dancer at Pink Renaissance: A Jazz Affair. This concert is a fundraiser sponsored by the Kappa Alpha Alpha Sorority and the money raised will go to scholarships. The concert will feature some early jazz tunes, to fit the Harlem Renaissance theme, and will feature the dancing of local swing dancers, including myself, performing Lindy Hop, Balboa, Charleston, and Blues dancing to the music performed by the band.

The event runs from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and will also feature heavy hors d’oeuvres and an amazing cake created by Gregory Bingham of The Art of Cake.

UNC- Chapel Hill, Sonja Haynes Stone Center Theater
150 South Road
Chapel Hill, NC

For more information visit the Kappa Alpha Alpha web site.

DJ at Hot Club of Durham, September 15, 2011

I’m excited to be DJ’ing for the Hot Club of Durham swing dance again this week! Come swing out at Durham’s weekly Lindy Hop, East Coast Swing, Charleston, and Balboa night and enjoy the new swing and early jazz tunes I have ready to play for you. 🙂

Beginner lesson at 8:00 p.m., dance from 9:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. Come early and grab dinner at one of the food trucks parked across the street at Fullsteam Brewery or Motorco.

Hot Club of Durham
Trotter Building
410 W. Geer Street
Durham, NC

Jazz Age Lawn Party 2011

Two weekends ago flew to New York City to attend the Jazz Age Lawn Party, bandleader Michael Arenella‘s 1920’s themed event held on August 20 and 21, which is a rare opportunity for dancers to spend the day dancing entirely to 1920’s music, while picnicing on the picturesque Governor’s Island. The dance floor was crowded, but I managed to get some dancing in, per the video below and this Flickr video. I also had the pleasure of being photographed by DNAInfo.com and by Bill Cunningham of the New York Times!

RDU Rent Party: Some Like it Hot Edition featuring the Solomon Douglas Sextet

On September 1, 2011, RDU Rent Party is partnering with Hot Club of Durham to bring you a special Thursday edition swing dance at the Trotter Building in Durham, featuring Seattle bandleader Solomon Douglas and his sextet. A special 7:00 p.m. intermediate Role Reversal class will be offered as well as the usual 8:00 p.m. beginner class. The Solomon Douglas Sextet goes on at 9:00 p.m. and plays until midnight. We will also be hosting a J&J (that’s Joe & Jerry) role reversal dance contest!

The Trotter Building
410 W. Geer St.
Durham, NC

As always, Rent Party is pay what you can with a suggested $10 minimum donation to the band. For more information about the event, see http://www.rdurentparty.com.

Rent Party: Piedmont Blues Edition featuring th’ Bullfrog Willard McGhee and Tad Walters, August 12, 2011

On Friday, August 12, 2011, RDU Rent Party is playing host to the swing dance debut of Bullfrog Willard McGhee. Simply known as th’ Bullfrog to many of his fans, his bio describes him as “A multi-instrumentally talented, rambling-shaggy-dog-story-telling, torch-song-sentimental-beer-hall-bawdy-songwriting genius.” He is every part a serious blues man, storyteller and historian of Piedmont and Mountain blues. If you have any interest in blues, southern culture, or serious dance music, you owe it to yourself to be here.

And if you are not blues dance inclined, never fear! There will still be plenty of danceable music for at a variety of tempos and a beginner blues dance lesson before the dance.

Triangle Dance Studio – upstairs studio
2603 S. Miami Blvd.
Durham, NC

Beginner blues dance lesson from 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., band plays from 9:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. Admission is pay what you can with a $10 suggested donation.

Rent Party: Bad Mofo Edition Featuring The New King Rippers and TCF Bake Sale, July 23, 2011

It’s time for another edition of RDU Rent Party, featuring Triangle trad jazz superstars The New King Rippers. Jason Sager and I will be teaching an intermediate swing dance lesson that will focus on enhancing your performance and inspirational skills on the dance floor. Come as your favorite Bad Mofo and throw down in the World Famous Jack Rabbit Slim’s Twist Contest. Can you dig it? Lesson from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Triangle Dance Studio, band plays from 8:00 to 11:00 p.m.

Also, The Carolina Fascinators will be having one of their famous bake sales at the July 23 RDU Rent Party – come dance, buy some goodies, and support this local jazz dance performance troupe!

Atomic Plays TSDS and TCF Perform at Summer Solstice Festival

There’s another busy weekend in the works, with The Atomic Rhythm All-Stars taking the stage at the Murphey School in Durham, NC this Saturday, June 18, 2011 for a night of swing dancing, thanks to the Triangle Swing Dance Society.

On Sunday, June 19, The Carolina Fascinators will be performing their Shortenin’ Bread routine at Greensboro, NC’s Summer Solstice Festival, around 4:30 p.m. TCF member Abigail Browning will also be performing social swing dancing with her dance partner and partner in crime, Adam Speen. Looking forward to being a part of this outdoor festival!