September 1, 2010 In Corvallis dances

Sept 12: Swing dance

On Sunday, September 12, swing dancing will return to downtown Corvallis.

Venue	Odd Fellows Hall in Corvallis [Info \| Map]
Date	Sunday, Sept 12
Lesson	2 p.m.
Dancing	3 – 5 p.m.
Cost	$5

The talented Linda Brown from Corvallis Swing will be teaching a shim sham lesson at 2 p.m.

All ages. [RSVP]

Upcoming Corvallis events

Sunday, October 24. Live music, dance. The Company B Jazz Band from Vancouver, B.C.
All other Sundays in October: Swing dance at OSU. Women’s Building, Rm 116. 7-9 p.m. $1.

Upcoming carpool events

Friday, September 3. Intermediate swing lessons in Eugene. [Facebook | Web]
Saturday, September 11. Beginning balboa and shag lessons in Portland. [Facebook | Web]
September 17-20. San Francisco Lindy Exchange.
Friday, October 8. Salem Big Band dance in Salem. [Web]

July 11, 2010 In Corvallis dances

Thank you. Our evening of live music with the Stolen Sweets [as seen in the Entertainer] was probably the best swing dance our town has ever seen. We had over 170 guests in attendance — a feat some had said was not possible.

The night was a reflection of our welcoming, vibrant community; more than 30 citizens built that evening with their bare hands and hearts — you created that.

And now, a new season is upon us. Take note, our summer scheme is of three parts:

Part 1 : Tuesday evening swing.

Our society will be dancing every Tuesday, in the OSU Women’s Building [map], Rm 116, starting at 9 p.m. We might stop around 10 p.m.

Swing music and dancing will follow the OSU Ballroom Club social dance, which starts at 7 p.m. in the same room and features a mix of ballroom, swing and Latin music.

Part 2 : Weekly delectation.

Summer is the time of many goings-ons in Corvallis and Oregon. The Hilltop Big Band performs in Central Park. Saturday Market begs to have swing dancing in the morning sun. Portland and Eugene continue to host their own excellent evenings of swing dancing.

Each week, we will spotlight a particularly fun event. The website will update as we make plans, and attending Tuesday dances will keep you in the know.

Part 3 : You. The important part.

Think of what events you would like to include in your summer. We are a fine social club for dancing the Lindy hop and other street dances of the proletariat. We are a society. We are a community of many honorable, upstanding citizens.

As the summer progresses, please discuss and announce your ideas at the Tuesday dances. There is one rule, that it must involve swing dancing.

Upcoming events

Stolen Sweets and Mood Area 52 in Eugene. Saturday, July 17. 7:30 p.m. $8. [Info]
Seattle Lindy Exchange. August 13-15.

June 16, 2010 In Corvallis dances, Live music

June 25: Live music, swing dance

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a special announcement:

The Stolen Sweets and the Pete Krebs Trio, live and in person, will be performing at a swing dance in downtown Corvallis on Friday, June 25.

Our society has the fine privilege of hosting this fantastic Portland sextet and trio for an evening affair of 1930s swing.

Performing since 2005, the Stolen Sweets are a 1930s jazz sextet from Portland, comprised of vocalists Jen Bernard, Lara Michell & Erin Sutherland, guitarists/singers Pete Krebs & David Langenes and bass player Keith Brush.

Honorable guests Drew & Catherina from Eugene Swing will be teaching an intro lesson at 7 p.m. Music and dancing to follow at 8 p.m.

Open to the non-dancing public; there will be plenty of seating. This is a special occasion, so dress your best.

Venue	Odd Fellows Hall in Corvallis [Info \| Map]
Date	Friday, June 25
Lesson	7 p.m.
Dancing	8 – 11 p.m.
Cover	$8

June 4, 2010 In Corvallis dances, Corvallis workshops

June 13: Swing dance

Our final dance at Odd Fellows Hall for the season is Sunday, June 13.

Venue	Odd Fellows Hall in Corvallis [Info \| Map]
Date	Sunday, June 13
Lesson	2 p.m.
Dancing	3 – 5 p.m.
Cost	$5

Phil & Michelle from Corvallis Swing will be teaching a ’20s Charleston lesson and DJing for the afternoon of dancing. [RSVP]

Lesson series

Phil & Michelle are teaching a Lindy hop lesson series in June, starting this Sunday. There is room for 3 more people — we are keeping the class size extra small to give you personalized attention.

The lessons will be Sunday, June 6 and Saturday, June 19, 3-4:30 p.m. at Odd Fellows Hall. Cost is $15, and includes admission to our June dance.

To RSVP, please write to us.

Upcoming events

Friday, June 4: Salem Big Band at the Mission Mill Museum in Salem. 7:30-10 p.m. $10. [Info]

May 20, 2010 In Corvallis dances

May 23: Swing dance

On Sunday, May 23 we are hosting a swing dance at OSU.

Venue	OSU Women’s Building, Rm 116 [Map]
Date	Sunday, May 23
Lesson	None
Dancing	6 – 8 p.m.
Cost	Suggested donation of $1

The talented Michelle Jordan from Corvallis Swing will be DJing for the evening.

All ages. There is no formal lesson, but our fine society has a number of citizens specialized in the art of welcoming newcomers — we’ve all started from humble beginnings. [RSVP]

Upcoming events

The Ben & Melina West Coast swing workshop this weekend has our highest recommendation, though it is not swing dancing. These are world-class instructors; their teaching tour goes from Seattle, to Los Angeles, to Spain, to Corvallis, to Atlanta, to Australia, and on. Info at the OSU West Coast Swing Club site. A Saturday pass costs $30 for students and $60 for everyone else.

If you would like a personal, one-on-one lesson with Ben Morris — he is a great Lindy hop dancer — please contact us immediately.
Pajama swing dance in Portland. Saturday, May 22, 8 p.m. – 12:30 a.m. [Info]
The Harlem Hot Shots, from Sweden, are teaching an advanced workshop next week in Portland [Info]
Our last dance of the season is Sunday, June 13, at Odd Fellows Hall. 2-5 p.m. [RSVP]

Summer swing

We will be hosting weekly dances at OSU during the summer. We are in the planning stage; if particular days work or don’t work for you, let us know.

April 30, 2010 In Corvallis dances, Corvallis workshops

May 9: Swing dance

Our upcoming Corvallis swing dance is on Sunday, May 9 — Mother’s Day!

All mothers are invited to attend, for free.

Venue	Odd Fellows Hall in Corvallis [Info \| Map]
Date	Sunday, May 9
Lesson	2 p.m.
Dancing	3 – 5 p.m.
Cost	$5

Josh & Binky from Portland’s Syncopated Rhythms will be returning to our fine town, to instruct and spin their favorite swing music from the DJ booth. [RSVP]

Josh & Binky are true exemplars. They played the main role in making our first dance in January a grand success; we are inviting them for a second appearance, to thank them for what they helped create.

Lindy hop beginners lesson series

We have four spots left in our intro to Lindy hop series taught by Rian & Michelle. It is Sunday, May 2 and Saturday, May 15. It costs $5, and includes admission to the May 9 dance: http://corvallisswing.com/class/.

Upcoming events

Our last, second-Sunday dance of the season is June 13. [RSVP]
Camp Jitterbug is May 28-31. A group of seven is heading up to Seattle for this weekend event full of world-class instruction and great dancing. Talk to us about it!

April 2, 2010 In Corvallis dances, Corvallis workshops

April 11: Swing dance

Our distinguished society will be hosting its third swing dance on Sunday, April 11.

The March dance was honored in a front-page story in the Gazette-TImes. Thank you!

Venue	Odd Fellows Hall in Corvallis [Info \| Map]
Date	Sunday, April 11
Lesson	2 p.m.
Dancing	3 – 5 p.m.
Cost	$5

Jason Isbell, of Portland fame, will be providing his finest music and high-class instruction for the lesson before the dance at 2 p.m. — the lesson will be appropriate for everyone, including your friends who “don’t know how to dance.” [RSVP]

Jason is skilled in the art of dance instruction. If you would like a personal, one-on-one lesson with Jason, before or after the Sunday dance, please write to us. He is giving you a discounted rate, because he loves Corvallis and learned to dance here.

Lesson series: Lindy hop basics

Phil & Michelle will be teaching an intro to Lindy hop series in May.

The lessons are tailored for Corvallis folks who enjoy swing dancing and are excited to learn the Lindy hop! The series is perfect for you if have a little bit of (any) dance experience and want to get started Lindy hopping, or if you want to be more comfortable dancing to faster music.

To keep the quality of the instruction high, we’re limiting the class size to 20 people.

For $5 you get:

Lesson 1 on Sunday, May 2, from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m.
Admission to our May 9 swing dance.
Lesson 2 on Saturday, May 15 from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m.

To reserve your place, please write to us or sign up at http://corvallisswing.com/class/. The series will be held in Odd Fellows Hall.

We canceled the April lessons we previously advertised, as Easter is not a good time to host a lesson.

Upcoming events

Our next swing dances will be on second Sundays: May 9 and June 13.
Live band at a benefit swing dance on Saturday, April 24 from 6:45 to 10 p.m. at the Corvallis Senior Center. [More info]
Camp Jitterbug is May 28-31.

A special, top-class dance workshop is being put on by the OSU West Coast Swing Club on May 21-23. The instructors, Ben Morris and Melina Ramirez, are world class, top tier, and we are very excited to have them in town. [More info]

This is a West Coast swing workshop, which is a bit different from Lindy hop. However, the WCS club has been saving up for years to host such a workshop, and we highly recommend it.

February 23, 2010 In Corvallis dances, Corvallis workshops

Free swing dance #2

We’re hosting another free swing dance on Sunday, March 14.

Our first dance was an honorable success, with the likes of 90 fine citizens from Corvallis, Portland, Eugene, Salem and Newport!

Venue	Odd Fellows Hall in Corvallis [Info \| Map]
Date	Sunday, March 14
Lesson	2 p.m.
Dancing	3 – 5 p.m.
Cost	Free

Like we’ve done at all our dances, there will be an intro lesson starting at 2 p.m. — so bring your friends, family, and associates you want to impress!

Special guests Drew and Catherina from Eugene Swing will be providing the lesson instruction and manning the DJ booth. [RSVP]

Workshop: Lindy hop fundamentals

Jason Isbell will be escaping from Portland to school our fine society in the art of swing dancing. This workshop is tailored for citizens well versed in the basic rhythms of the swing out, who wish to obtain a more cultured understanding of the street dance we call Lindy hop.

Venue	Odd Fellows Hall in Corvallis [Map]
Date	Sunday, March 7
Time	2 – 5 p.m.
Cost	$10

The workshop will be in three, one-hour parts, and probably run casually late, because we take our time to do things well. [RSVP]

For absolute beginners, we’re plotting an April event.

Upcoming events

A prestigious collection of swing dances will be happening in Oregon in the coming weeks. It might be a year until a series of events like this happens again within our state:

Feb 25. Live band at the PPAA in Portland. [more info]
Feb 26-28. Seaside Jazz Festival. 12 bands. 3 days. [more info]
March 7. Two live bands at the Crystal Ballroom in Portland. We will be carpooling. [more info]

January 12, 2010 In Corvallis dances

Free swing dance

We’re hosting a free swing dance on Sunday, January 31. This is the first swing dance Corvallis has seen in years!

Venue	Oddfellows Hall in Corvallis [Map]
Date	Sunday, January 31
Lesson	2 p.m. — taught by Josh & Binky from Portland’s Syncopated Rhythms
Dancing	3 – 5 p.m.
Cost	Free

For the entertainment of our guests, a beginner’s lesson will be held before the dance.

If you are new to swing dancing — or have never had the pleasure — do come! You will not be alone, and it will be a grand occasion.

If you’re a dancer, we’re suitably excited to know you’re coming already: RSVP on Facebook.

To exhibit the variety that is great, swinging jazz music, this dance will have disc jockeys manning the sound. The first set will be DJ’d by our special guests, Josh & Binky from Portland’s Syncopated Rhythms, and the second set will be DJ’d by Phil from Corvallis.