Early bird pricing has been extended to August 31st!!! Sign up now for the cheapest price. (And by the way, there is a secret incentive to registering early. I can't tell you what it is--because even *I* don't know--but the earlier a person registers the better the surprise.)
And here's a very special note from Peter Strom about the weekend:
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Hey all, this is Peter Strom, I'm one of the 4 folks running the event, and I have been hearing a lot of questions about the Swing & Soul party lately: "What is it gonna be - Workshop? Exchange? Plain old party - what does that mean?" Well, I, along with Steven, Tena, and Manu have put a lot of thought into this event and now that I have a second, maybe I can give everyone a clearer idea of what Swing & Soul will be.
First let's start with what the event isn't:
* This event is
not a soul exchange, although it
will have the focus on tons of dancing and making new connections that makes exchanges so fun.
* This event is
not a workshop weekend, but we
will still have some great lectures and classes during our Soul Sessions on Saturday and Sunday that we hope to have everyone take part in.
* This event is
not an attempt to capitalize on the "trend" of soul music at Lindy events nor is it an outgrowth of the Blues movement, but we
will play some amazing blues, and as far as we are concerned the more people who enjoy soul music, the better.
More than anything else Swing & Soul is an outgrowth of the things that Steven, Tena, Manu, and I have always valued the most in dancing. Check out the "About Us" section at
www.swingandsoul.com.
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Now, what about what the event
is? Here's what we want everyone at Swing & Soul to get from the event:
Inspiration
We would like people who come to our event to be inspired by what they find there. We want to provide opportunities for folks to learn some new things and to grow as dancers with the Soul Sessions that we are planning (and of course at the dances at night). These will include classes in old school dance movement, line dances, partner dancing, and more, as well as some lectures from experts on soul music, maybe some inspiring video, and a discussion with some of your favorite dancers on what inspires them the most and what they think is most important in the dance.
This is why our event is one price for everything. We want to encourage people to come and be a part of the entire experience. Come get to know during the day the folks who you will be partying with at night. We believe that when we share that time together it makes the party better. We don't think of this event as a couple dances and a few hours of workshops with some lectures and other surprises sprinkled in there, we think of this as one weekend-long party with various different parts, some mellow and relaxing, some frenetic and crazy, but all fun and inspiring.
Community
We think that having everyone together for the whole event will also help us come together and create some community. With Swing & Soul, we want to celebrate not only great dancing, but also the people who make that dancing so great. As partner dancers, we are used to finding a connection with one person at a time with each new partner that we dance with. At this event, we want to extend that connection to the whole dance floor, to create that feeling that happens at the best parties, where you can feel yourself moving not just as an individual, or even as a partnership, but as part of a whole. We want to get everyone to try that line dance, to get in that jam circle or in that soul train line. Our message will be, as Jesse Jackson might put it, "Don't spectate, participate!" and be a part of that whole.
Joy
Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, Swing & Soul will be a party. We want this to be everyone's chance to come and let it all hang out. There are no rules this weekend. There is no competition to worry about, no pressure to be the fanciest dancer in the world. For this weekend, we are inviting any dancers who love music and dancing with soul to come and be a part of this celebration. We will have only the best music, some gospel and blues and all kinds of soul. There is no prescription to what we play, other than it has to be good, and it has to make you move. For now we intend to keep the music in the hands of DJ's so that we can play the quality of music that is so hard to find in a band nowadays, as well as the variety of music that one band would be hard pressed to play. We'll have music from the 40's & 50's all the way up to some current jams from today if it gets the party started, of course with tons of 60's and 70's soul in between. Soul music will be our anchor, but not our cage for this event. It is going to be all about having a good time, and what better way to do that than with some of the best music of all time and with some of the best dancers in the world?
We'll be posting more and more info as we get closer to the event, but for now here are some things you can expect from the Swing & Soul Party:
Some of the world's best Lindy Hoppers
Amazing soulful music played by DJ's from the Lindy world and beyond picked by me (as well as my own sets of course)
Classes in:
* Classic 60's dance moves
* Old school party dances
* Line dances, old and new
* Partner dancing, with a focus on soul music
* African drumming with Mama Yeye
* ...and MORE!
Special lecture by Allan "Dr.Licks" Slutsky, producer of "Standing in the Shadows of Motown"
Special dancer's forum with some of your favorite dancers from around the world
Late night soul food buffets (with vegetarian stuff too, honest!)
Some very special treats that we will keep as surprises for those who make it out to the event
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To Steven, Tena, Manu, and myself this event is very special, more than just some dances and classes over a weekend, and it can be difficult to sum up exactly what Swing & Soul is about. In one sense this event isn't about Lindy Hop. Or West Coast Swing, or Hand Dancing, or Steppin' or whatever specific dance world you come from for that matter. It isn't about a specific dance with a basic step and specific moves. In a deeper sense, though, it is about Lindy Hop, as well as all of the dances related to it. In a deeper sense it is a celebration of the energy that inspired Lindy Hop in the first place - the same energy that inspired the musicians to create the music that moved those early dancers to dance. This weekend will be a celebration of soul, that energy that inspires all of us in our music and in our dancing.
Hope to see you there!
-Peter and the Swing & Soul Team
www.swingandsoul.com
www.myspace.com/swingandsoul
