This week is shaping up as a busy week for live music and dance around the island. Multiple chances to dance to House Shakers, Popa Chubby’s is also playing 3 nites and a new Sunday brunch entertainment at Hardrock Cafe in Lahaina for the month of May, Metoyer’s Blues Rock & Soul Review.
Still no word on when Sharky’s will be re-opening their blues nites, but we are all looking forward to that and will let you know as soon as we hear anything. HOWEVER, House Shakers is putting in a special appearance at Diamonds in Kihei this Friday nite.
See our dance calendar for the latest line-up of live music for swing and blues dancing.
Hey ladies! The last few times I’ve been out dancing, the leads are outnumbering the follows. At our regular Monday class last night, we were turning away leads at the door and I still had to step into rotation and dance as a follow. Come on out an dance with us. Plenty of guys to dance with.
What a great class we had on Monday! 2 dozen dancers all doing the Lindy Hop. Pretty evenly balanced between Leads and Follows, too. Lots of fun!
This coming Monday is week 2 of our Lindy series and your last chance to get the discounted series pricing. After this week, it’s all drop-in pricing on a per night basis.
Series runs through May 21st. We’ll be seriously swingin’ every Monday night! Come join in the fun! More info here.
Well, our Friday Night Blues Bomb kind of bombed. Disappointing that the live music cancelled. HOWEVER, and this is a big deal, there were a few of us that refused to be daunted and live music or no, we were determined to dance.
Sharky’s management was extremely cool about it. They cleared the dance floor of tables, dimmed the house lights, put on the dance floor lights and let us plug in our iPod to the house sound system. Luckily I had a killer blues set on the iPod.
Kudo’s to Sharky’s! They were extremely accommodating to us dancers. The lack of live music kept some people away. Only about 8 of us showed up, some left by 11 and the rest danced till after midnight. But those that showed up had a great time!
Sharky’s is a venue that is willing to treat dancer’s right and we should get out and support this one. I hope everyone can make the next live music blues bomb at Sharky’s. The more the merrier. Let’s rock this joint!
Many of you have been asking for us to teach this series and it’s no wonder why. Whether it’s Slow Lindy danced to Sinatra style tunes at a Foxtrot pace, regular Lindy danced to the swingin’ Big Band sounds of the 30, 40′s and 50′s or Fast Lindy danced to Rockabilly and Electric Swing, Lindy Hop is just so cool. It’s the grand-daddy-o of all the other styles of swing.
We will begin at the beginning, so brand new, never danced before dancers are absolutely welcome. (Bring those friends of yours that keep saying they want to dance like you but never get around to taking classes.) And if you are a dancer who likes to swing, you owe it to yourself to pick up this series. By learning the very fundamentals that created all swing dancing, the steps and rhythms that started it all, your dancing will dramatically improve, whether you dance ECS, WCS, Jive, Jitterbug or any other swing style. If you want to be a great dancer, Lindy is one of those tools you need in your techniques toolbox.
We will be covering 6 and 8 count rhythms, transitioning between rhythms, basic moves and the signature move of Lindy, the Swing Out (the original WCS Whip move).
Beginner to Advanced, there is something for everyone
There will only be one class per night, approximately 1-1/2 hours in length. Intermediate variations will be presented along with the beginning material, so while beginning dancers work with the basics, intermediate dancers will be able to both revisit the basics and be challenged with new techniques. And of course, open dancing and practice after class until 10pm.
For the current Lindy Hoppers in the scene, there will also be a short clinic each evening on advanced moves, techniques, lifts, dips and tricks after the regular class and during the open dancing.
Join us for fun-filled, swingin’ evenings of dance!
Swing Maui Lindy Hop Series
Mondays, April 16 – May 21
7pm – 10pm
Open Room @ Kenolio Park (map & directions)
$40 for the Series
$10/class Drop-in
Free for Swing Maui Supporters
“Ari Levitt – absolutely one of the finest dance teachers and dancers I know. His teaching style is clear and thoughtful, with a generous dash of humor. He is extremely creative and he teaches dancers how to take steps and styling from one dance form to other dances in interesting and fun ways. His blues dancing is sensational.”
–Kurt Reisser (Jan, 2011), Denver, CO
After all the years of lessons I’ve had, YOUR CLASS taught me how to be more receptive to my partners energy and intention in ways more subtle than I ever imagined. The synch and flow with them is a real high….. and I’m dancing with top leads now. Thanks so much!
You clearly know that moves alone don’t make a dancer. You show moves in a clear way I can easily absorb, but even more, you teach the secrets of real connection with one’s partner that makes dancing with them feel so extraordinarily good.
Internationally ranked instructors, Ari Levitt & Whitney Evans, will be on island for two Swing / Blues Fusion workshop evenings!
These workshops are for EVERYONE! All levels of dance and all styles of dance from Beginner to Advanced.
One of the best Fusion instructors around, Ari & Whitney mix elements from other dance forms seamlessly into your swing, adding a whole new dynamic to your dance.
As instructors, Ari & Whitney are highly regarded for their fun, energetic, humorous teaching styles which can’t help but inspire their students with their own joy and love of dance. Ari’s clear, detailed attention to connection and partnership along with his ability to translate even the most complex dance movements into simple, understandable instructions has made him one of the most highly regarded instructors in his field.
Take one class or get even more by taking both classes!
Monday, April 9, 7:00 pm
Open Room @ Kenolio Park (map & directions)
$20 in advance / $25 at the door
MONDAY WORKSHOP: “At Play on the Dance Floor — Energy, Connection, and the Conversation of Dance” (A Blues-WCS Fusion Workshop): In blues, as with WCS or any other form of social dance, the ability to “play” on the dance floor begins with great connection – to your partner and to the music, and an understanding of energy. In this class, you’ll learn the quiet but essential art of lead & follow dynamics, and gain valuable insight into how both partners dance by listening concurrently to each other. You’ll also learn how to ’power-up’ your movements to the level of WCS or “jump” blues — the hallmark of great improvisational dancing! Designed for dancers of all levels. No partner needed. Ideal to take in conjunction with the Tuesday “Traveling Blues” class. Tuesday, April 10, 7:30 pm
MAPA Studio C (map & directions)
$20 in advance / $25 at the door
TUESDAY WORKSHOP: “Traveling Blues” (Movin’ & Groovin’ on the Floor): Learn how to rotate, move, and stretch across the dance floor using steps and combinations as you would see in “ballrooming” or “slow drag” blues! As always, a major emphasis will be placed on lead/follow connection, giving you the foundations for great improv and play. Perfect to take in conjunction with Mondays “At Play on the Dance Floor” workshop. Designed for dancers of all levels. No partner needed.
Pre-register for your advance discount by calling 385-1879
Watch this clip from Ari & Whitney’s Seattle Workshop
Grand Finale! The final class in the Blues 6 week series is tomorrow night. It has been a great series, lots of hard work by everyone, learning some really cool stuff and having loads of fun.
We are going to end the series series in a big way by teaching how to end the dance in a big way with Dips & Tricks. We will cover some dips for the end of a song and talk about some tricks to deal with those pesky sustained song endings; you know, those songs that don’t end on a beat but seemingly taking forever to fade out.
All dancers are welcome at this class, even if you haven’t taken the Blues Series. Dips and Tricks can be put into any kind of dance. It all starts at 7pm at the Open Room. See you there.
Sneak Peak of coming weeks:
Monday, April 2: Pot Luck Dance, 7pm – 10pm. Pot Luck pupus. Come dance, practice, socialize with your dance friends and just have some fun!
Monday, April 9 & Tuesday April 10: Swing Blues Fusion Workshop with Ari Levitt and Whitney Evans.
Mondays, April April 16 – May 21: The much requested and long awaited Lindy Hop Series!
Well behaved is seldom Memorable. Spice up your dance and make it sizzle!
(and save an extra $5)
Seems like whenever I go out dancing I get comments from West Coast dancers that they like the Blusey style of my WCS. I know Jason gets the same comments. Not only is it cool and WAY FUN, but it seriously expands the kinds of music you can dance to. It no longer needs to be what is “normally” considered a WCS song. Which means more dancing! And who doesn’t like that!
So here it is. The long awaited class series that will address this fun and innovative style of dancing. Anybody can take this series, but it was especially designed with WCS dancers in mind.
We will start off the first hour with some Blues dancing fundamentals in the BallroomingBlues style. Don’t expect a lot of jazzy solo moves from the Jukin’ style of blues dancing here. We will focus on the Blues movements and style that will best combine with your WCS. This Blues fundamentals class series is open to everyone, including new dancers.
The second class of the evening, West Coast Blues, will be a fusion class. Combining the blues movements taught in the Ballroomin’ Blues class with West Coast Swing. You need to have had a WCS class to take this one. We won’t be teaching WCS as such, and will expect you to already know some of the WCS moves (although some review will be inevitable). What we will be showing you is how to take the WCS moves and add an extra layer or dimension to your dancing through the use of Blues movement. A blues class or two is also helpful, but if you are taking the Ballroomin’ Blues in the first hour, that works just fine.
So whether you just want to learn how to dance the Blues or you want to take you West Coast Swing to the next level of serious fun, this series is for you!
Ballroomin’ Blues / West Coast Blues
6-week series
Monday Nights
the Open Room @ Kenolio Park, Kihei
Feb 20th thru March 26th
7pm – 8pm Ballroomin’ Blues Class
8pm – 9pm West Coast Blues Class
9pm – 10pm Open Dancing
$35 per series for either class
$60 per series for both classes
Save an extra $5 by pre-registering!
Register for the series at Swing Maui’s online registration page and get an additional $5 off the above prices. It’s fast and easy. Our registration system lets you PAY AT THE DOORon the first night of class or pay by Paypal or Credit Cardat the time you register. Just select the appropriate radio button to chose your payment method. How cool is that! Either way, we will get your info and reserve your spot! Click on events.swingmaui.org/register or copy the link into a browser.
Want to know where all the dancers are dancin’ tonight? Want to know where the happening spots are right this minute? Want to know if the band is hoppin’ and the joint is jumpin’?
Get on the Swing Maui text message distribution list and follow all the action! It’s easy, safe & anonymous… you don’t need to sign up for twitter, twaddle or twiddly squat.
Just text the message: “follow swingmaui” or “on swingmaui” to 40404 and you will get text message updates to your phone as they are sent.*
Twitter actually sponsors this service, so if you don’t have a twitter account linked to your phone number, they will send you a message trying to get you to join up. Create an account or don’t. Your choice. You can ignore the solicitation text from Twitter (you will only get it once when you follow) and just read the Swing Maui texts.
Swing Maui organizers and volunteers keep in touch this way, so we all know where we are dancing tonight, the lead/follow balance and other info about what’s happening at the moment. Join the fun! It’s the way the cool cats keep up with the club hopping.
Not going out tonight and don’t want to see the updates? That’s easy, too.
Just text the message: “leave swingmaui” or “off swingmaui” to 40404 and you won’t get any updates. Turn it on or off as often as you wish. It’s the bees knees!
* Standard text message or data rates may apply (I’ve always wanted a chance to say that)
HOWEVER, House Shakers is putting in a special appearance at Diamonds in Kihei this Friday nite.
