The Swingapore Flyer – Swing Dancing and Lindy Hop Social Dance Night in Singapore

If you’ve not heard, the Singapore Flyer is not just a place to go around on the giant ferris whell, but also a place to go around your partner in a Swing-out.  The venue has been growing steadily since March this year, with a good mix of absolute beginners who come for the free class, and regulars who come for the swingin’ sets at the socials.  We also do regular jazz steps, including the Shim Sham, and sometimes the Tranky Doo and the other routines.  So do swing by the flyer every Monday (details/map in welome note)!

Do catch the Beginner-Intermediate class dancers, as they will be performing Frankie’s Lindy Chorus this Monday 1st June.

Note that the socials will go on despite my long teaching tour in Europe, and  Guest DJ GrooveMerchant will also be featured on some weeks, so swing by!

Count Basie – Swingin’ the Blues

The start of this is an exerpt from “One O’clock Jump”, which then moves on to “Swingin’ the Blues”.  Ain’t nothing like a blues that swings so hard and hot!  I’ll let the clip do the talking…

Here’s another with an all star cast, swingin a “Hot and Fast Blues”.  (Check out the smoke coming out of the horn at 1:27 – did he take a hit just before playing!?)

Saigon Swings Workshop (May 09)

3 years and 5 weekend workshops later, it is great to see the Saigon Swing dancers develop to a level where there are some really nice dancers. Although a short weekend in and out of the city, it was a productive one, with 10 hours of instruction, mainly Frankie’s moves, including his Tranky Doo and the Lindy Chorus, as a tribute to him.  Here’s a short clip of one of the classes.

This is also the first time with a dress-up party with a live jazz band playing, and it was an awesome party, though I must say, it feels out of place to dress up in Saigon, with the constant buzz of motorbikes and grimy streets.  It was a great venue as well, nice ambience, good floor.  All in all, one of the best parties in the 3 years I’ve been travelling here.  Here’s a video of that vintage party, with Adam Lee (formerly Beijing Swings)  jamming with the band on saxaphone as well.