PRE-REGISTRATION CLOSES IN 2 DAYS on (March 24th) - after that, door prices only. Don’t miss out on the savings. Join us on April 5-7 in San Diego and Newport Beach for the 10th Annual Balboa Rendezvous. This is your chance to dance to where it all began with the Red Skunk Band, CA…
Happy Birthday, Sister Rosetta Tharpe 1915-1973...Tharpe is widely held as one of the the greatest gospel performers of her generation. A flamboyant performer who forayed into blues and swing, she shocked purists with her leap into secular music and inspired countless rock and roll guitar…
Happy Birthday Jean Goldkette 1893-1962...Goldkette emigrated from France in 1911 as a classical pianist but by the 1920's he had over 20 jazz bands working under his name. The band most remembered now is his main unit which recorded for Victor from 1924-1929. The band included, at various…
Happy Birthday, Harry James 1916-1983...His exotic beginnings as the child of an acrobat mother and band leader father for the traveling Haag Circus gave Harry James a strong work ethic and sparkling personal charm. He was playing snare drum for the circus at the age of 6 and learning…
Happy Birthday, Les Brown 1912-2001...Bandleader, saxophonist, clarinetist and composer, Brown was best known for leading his big band Les Brown and his Band of Renown for nearly 70 years. He got his start as a student at Duke University with his group Les Brown and his Blue Devils playing…
Happy Birthday Ina Ray Hutton (nee Odessa Cowan) 1916-1984...Hutton lead the Melodears, one of the first all-female swing bands to be recorded and filmed and headed up other bands as well from the 1930's to the 1960's. She passed as white throughout her musical career but when she was a…
Best Dance Party on LI... Best Dance Party on Long Island with Live Music by Current Affair at Emanuel of Great Neck, Thurs., MARCH. 28, 2013 from 7-10PM, and continuing, the last Thursday of Every Month. On Thurs., March. 28 from 7-10PM, Emanuel of Great Neck throws the hottest Dance Party…
Happy Birthday, Bix Beiderbecke 1903-1931...Controversy swirls around some of the facts about Beiderbecke's life but there is no doubt about the influence he had on jazz. Louis Armstrong said about him in 1971, "Every note he blew was so beautiful--I like that "Singing the Blues." Nobody…
Happy Birthday, Georgia White 1903-1980...Her early life is a mystery but by the late 1920's she was singing the blues in Chicago nightclubs. Her first recording "When You're Smiling, the Whole World Smiles with You" was made with Jimmy Noone's orchestra in 1930. Her next foray into the…
Join us for the Balboa Rendezvous, April 5-7. Swing dance in the historic Balboa Pavilion and Portuguese Hall to the amazing sounds of the Red Skunk Band, the CA Feetwarmers and the Icy Hot Club. Join us for workshops, unbelievable competitions and fantastic memories by registering at…
So last Friday, the Mobtown Ballroom took up donations and dedicated the night in support of the Century Ballroom and was able to raise over a thousand dollars to help them out. A video was made on behalf of the Century and urges/challenges other scenes to go out and do the same. Check out…
Any info you could give me about the blues dancing scene in New Orleans would be tremendously welcome. -- Joshua. joshua@joshuakors.com
Seems like it's sold out way earlier than all the other weeks.
Happy Birthday, Jimmy Dorsey Feb. 29, 1904-1957...Son of a coal miner turned music educator and older brother to Tommy Dorsey, Jimmy Dorsey was a musical child prodigy, playing the trumpet and coronet at local parties with his father at the age of 7. He began his professional career at age…
Ladies Only / All Levels Another session with Evita, echoing her last Followers workshop, this class will again dive into Solo Dancing techniques for ladies. This 2.5 hour workshop will help you with coordination, self-control, balance and over all physical and emotional awareness. Ladies be…
Happy Birthday, Betty Hutton 1921-2007...Singer, dancer and stage, film and television actress, Hutton was described by the NY Times as a, "brassy, energetic performer with a voice that could sound like a fire alarm." She was raised by a single mother and began singing in the family owned…
Hey, I was wondering if anyone has danced to the band Postmodern Jukebox - the ones that made that Thrift Shop, Grandpa Style Remake that's been viral on youtube lately. Does that song pretty much represent their overall style and repertoire? We're considering them for a gig in Buffalo...…
Happy Birthday, Ida Cox 1886-1967...Cox began her singing career in her local church in Toccoa, Georgia, leaving home in her teens to tour with traveling minstrel shows, often wearing blackface when she performed, eventually headlining at the 81 Theater in Atlanta, Georgia in 1920. With the…
Happy Birthday, Jimmy Bertrand 1900-1960...A jazz and blues percussionist and xylophone player, Bertrand was active on the Chicago scene during the 20's, recording with musicians as diverse as Louis Armstrong, Tampa Red, Ma Rainey, Big Bill Broonzy, Jimmy Blythe and Blind Blake. He came from…
My first post in a very long time. Something I think about often are the different types of venues for swing dancing. Do you prefer a venue with all of the dancers sitting at tables, a venue where folding chairs are set up around the room or a venue where there are a few tables and chairs…
Listen 24 hours a day! Weekly updated shows
