Boston Swing Central

Tuesday Swing Lesson and Practice @ The Whistle Stop

julie — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 06:59:00 +0000

This is week four of four for lessons with New School Swing. If you missed last week, it’s too late to jump in this week. But you can attend our open practice session from 9:15pm to 11:15 pm so you can work on your new stuff. Teachers will stick around for 30 minutes after the lessons are over.

PLEASE NOTE: THE SCHEDULE FOR TUESDAYS HAS CHANGED TO THE FOLLOWING ON A TRIAL BASIS FOR THE REST OF JULY:

7:15-8:15pm intermediate lesson

8:15-9:15pm beginning lesson

9:15-11:15pm practice session.

Check out http://newschoolswing.com for class offerings, pricing details, and sign up online for a discount!

Cost: $3 for practice session. See http://newschoolswing.com for pricing details on lessons!

Swingin’ on the Charles SPECIAL SATURDAY OUTDOOR DANCE

mike — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 06:59:54 +0000

Boston Swing Central and Community Boating are proud to present Swingin’ on the Charles! A night of dancing under the stars on the banks of the river Charles. This is another summer classic you won’t want to miss. We’ll take over the docks at sunset, provide a lesson for newcomers and then we’ll dance until 11pm.

Community Boating has also donated a Door Prize of a free 60-day Sailing Membership which includes classes, boat usage and guest privileges. We will raffle this off at around 10:30pm and you mus be present to win.

Lesson: 7:30pm to 8:30pm with Brian & Kellian (No Partner Necessary)

Dancing: 8:30pm to 11pm (rain or shine)

Admission: $10 General Admission, $8 for Students and Seniors

Proceeds will benefit Community Boating’s Dock Repair and Junior Sailing Programs, and Boston Swing Central’s Lindy Hop Preservation Program.

Community Boating is located

on the Esplanade (between the Hatch Shell and the Longfellow Bridge)

#21 David Mugar Way,

Boston 02114

MBTA Red Line: Get off at Charles / MGH Station. Turn left as you exit the station, and cross the road towards CVS. Turn right and cross Charles Street, heading towards the river. You will see stairs in front of you to a footbridge over Storrow Drive. Walk over the bridge; at the end, go down the stairs on your left. Walk along the path along the river toward the Hatch Shell, and Community Boating will be about 200 feet ahead, on the right.

Where to park - Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary parking lot (see map at left). Please bring parking ticket to the dance for validation, at a reduced rate of $5.

Detailed Directions: www.community-boating.org/directions.html

A Song is Born

julie — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 06:59:19 +0000

Suggested by our friend, Eric Dana, A Song Is Born is a classic comedy starring Danny Kaye and Virginia Mayo features artists Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, Louis Armstrong, Lionel Hampton, Benny Carter, Charlie Barnet and more! Towering giants of the swing era all caught performing in this witty and entertaining film. Tonight, we’ll be paying tribute to this movie by showcasing tunes by these important artists….A Song is Born!

Lesson: 8pm to 9pm (included with admission)
Dancing: 9pm to 11:45pm
Admission: $10 (general), $8 (students and seniors with valid ID)

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Copley Square - Free Outdoor Dance

julie — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 03:59:14 +0000

If you love the Copley dance from years past, you won’t want to miss this dance, as we are only able to host 3 dances at Copley this year, and this is the 2nd of 3. The dancing begins at 1:00pm with a free beginner lesson. Bring your friends, drop them off at the lesson and get a coffee or ice cream while they learn how to swing. And then come back in an hour and join them for some feel good summer time grooves and jams under the majestic John Hancock Building.

Lesson: 1:00pm-2:00pm

Open Dancing: 2:00pm-4:00pm

Location: Copley Square in front of the Trinity Church

Free and open to the public

Toni Lynn Washington Band

julie — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 06:59:19 +0000

Boston Swing Central is happy to see the blue skies of summer! This Friday, Toni Lynn Washington rocks the house of the Whistle Stop with her cracker jack band. Toni Lynn is a legend, an institution, a master, a treasure, and the hottest blues diva in town! If you have not heard her, you will really love her sound. Like more well known blues divas like Carla Thomas, Etta James and Ruth Brown, Toni Lynn is the real deal. At age 72, she’s going strong, belting it out and delivering the goods…we can’t wait!

And she fits in nicely with our patriotic theme for July with a name like Washington. We didn’t plan for a whole American month, but when our schedule came together, we thought it was pretty funny!

Lesson: 8pm-9pm (included with admission)
Dancing: 9pm to 12 midnight
Admission: $15 (general), $13 (students and seniors with valid ID)

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Raise the Roof for Gospel Swing

julie — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 06:59:08 +0000

Brothers and sisters, the time has come for each and every one of you to decide whether you are going to swing, or whether you are gonna swing out! You must choose, brothers, you must choose, sisters. It takes five seconds, five seconds of decision. Five seconds to realize your purpose here on the planet. It takes five seconds to realize that it’s time to move. It’s time to get down with it! Brothers, sisters, it’s time to dance and we want to know, are you ready to dance?

Boston Swing Central welcome backs our master CD spinner, (Reverend for the evening) Joe Perrone and his pious sidekick, Brother Jay Provost for a night of Swing with a gospel kick! (Hey Jay, have you ever been called pious?) Yes, brothers and sisters, get down low on the downbeat and let your spirits soar on the upbeat to that rockin’ in the aisles of Church sorta feeling that is:
Gospel Swing!

Likely unnecessary (but we’re going to put it anyways) precautionary disclaimer: Boston Swing Central is a non-denominational organization which welcomes those of all beliefs, and we are solely dedicated to the preservation and advancement of the Lindy Hop).

Lesson: 8pm-9pm (included with admission)
Dancing: 9pm to 12pm
Admission: $10 (general), $8 (students and seniors with valid ID)

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

NEW Beginning and Intermediate Lesson Series - Starts Tuesday, July 6th!

julie — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 06:59:42 +0000

New School Swing is starting both beginning and intermediate lessons at the Whistle Stop! And we’ve really been looking forward to this! This your chance to work on your dance! So, if you’re new, start with the Beginning lesson, and if you’ve been around a while, we highly recommend checking out Shawn & Gina’s “New Moves” class….check out Gina’s dancing here: Gina & Brooks at ILHC, that stuff is DOPE folks! We all want to aspire to dance as well as Gina and Shawn!

After the lessons, we’ll have our open practice session so you can work on your new stuff. Check out http://newschoolswing.com for pricing details, and sign up online for a discount! Check out this month’s offerings:

Intermediate 7-8PM– New Moves with Shawn Hershey and Gina Helfrich

Join us for another fun, fast-paced, four-week session of intermediate Lindy Hop. This class will focus on adding style and variety to your basics, improving your technique, and building your vocabulary to make you shine on the dance floor.

Beginning 8-9M – Lindy Hop Basics and Fundamentals (6 count) Nichole Zuckerman and Joe Rabinoff

Whether you are brand-new to swing dancing or would like to refine your Lindy Hop technique, this is the class for you. We’ll focus on basic 6-count Lindy Hop moves for the brand-new dancers, but concentrate on good technique and connection. This class is one step in our two-step beginner track. Both the 6-Count and 8-Count Lindy Hop Basics and Fundamentals Classes are pre-requisites for our intermediate classes. Either beginner class may be taken first.

Open Practice Session: 9 to 11pm for $3. Teachers will stay after lessons to provide specific help/answer questions.

The Crosby Whistle Stop

24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

All-American Swing

julie — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 06:59:02 +0000

Boston Swing Central is ready for a great 4th of July weekend, and to kick things off we’re hosting a night of All-American Swing on Friday, July 2nd. That means that the Bjork, Swedish and French songs DJ RetroMike occasionally plays will have to wait another day…for tonight we’re going to be true to the Red, White & Blue and only play American artists! Americans like Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald and Sidney Bechet (who sounds French but is as American as apple pie). So, come on out and celebrate all that is American with American music and an American dance: The Lindy Hop!

Wear red, white, blue or all three on any combination on this night! We’ll also be announcing the winner’s of last week’s photo contest!

Lesson: 8pm to 9pm (included in price of admission)

Dancing: 9pm to 12pm

Admission: $10 General Admission, $8 for Students and Seniors

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Tuesday Night Practica and Practice Session

julie — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 06:59:56 +0000

Hey all you crazy cats! Don’t forget to send your suggestions for naming our Tuesday night dance to info@bostonswingcentral.org! If you suggest the winning name, you get into the Tuesday night practice session for FREE for two whole months!

Shawn Hershey and Amanda Gruhl from New School Swing will be leading a guided practice session - a practica - from 7:30 to 8:30PM. Shawn and Amanda will make sure they work one on one with everyone who attends. Most if not all of the advanced dancers and instructors have improved their own dancing by taking private lessons and working one on one with more experienced dancers. Think of a guided practice as a cheap short private lesson; an opportunity to work on whatever you want with Shawn and Amanda.

We’ll follow the lesson up with a practice session from 8:30 to 11pm.

Lesson: 7:30pm-8:30pm
Practice Session: 8:30-11pm
Admission: $5 practica/lesson, $3 practice session

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

It’s Only a Paper Moon

julie — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 06:59:53 +0000

It’s a Barnum and Bailey World, but tonight at Boston Swing Central, “It’s Only a Paper Moon” a vintage ball. You’ll definitely want to dress up and look spiffy in fancy dress. We’ll have a photo booth complete with Paper Moon and Cardboard Sea as backdrop for youse a muggin’ or perhaps you can do a Zoolander pucker…or pucker up with your sweetie. So bring a couple extra Mr. Washingtons to pay our amazing photographer Zac Wine for capturing the moment. Props to accentuate your attire will be available on us!

Now if we can only figure out what muslin tree is…

Lesson: 8pm-9pm (included with admission)
Dancing: 9pm to 11:45 PM

Admission: $10 (general), $8 (students and seniors with valid ID)

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Beginning Lindy Hop - Week 4 and Practice Session

julie — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 06:59:29 +0000

This is week four in our month long Lindy Hop Series taught by Shawn Hershey and Amanda Gruhl from It’s All Swing. There’s no need to bring a partner or have any prior experience. If you’re a beginner, come back for next month’s series in July. If you’ve taken some Lindy before, you can join the class. Even intermediate dancers can learn from going back to the basics and are encouraged to join in! We’ll follow the lesson up with a practice session from 8:30 to 11pm. DJ’s to be announced!

AND don’t forget to send your suggestions for what to name our Tuesday night dance to info@bostonswingcentral.org! If you suggest the winning name, you get into the Tuesday night practice session for FREE for two whole months!

Lesson: 7:30pm-8:30pm
Practice Session: 8:30-11pm
Admission: $5 lesson, $3 practice session

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

The Chicks Will Have Their Say, and the Guys Will Have to Pay

julie — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 06:59:44 +0000

Boston Swing Central is tickled with the theme for tonight’s dance…”The Chicks Will Have Their Say and the Guys Will Have to Pay.” Yes, it’s our own twist on a Ladie’s Night. Tonight we’ll feature 6 lovely and talented DJs: Cara Ball, Julie Brown, Megan Damon, Tina Descourcy, Julie Irish and Nicole Zuckerman all spinning whatever they damn well please, and you’re going to love it!

We’ll also have some fun other surprises for the other ladies in the room starting with the gents picking up some of their admission, as tonight, and tonight only we’re changing the pricing to $11 for guys, and $9 for gals. That’s right gentlemen, you’re going to have to pony up, but think of all the happy ladies who will be here looking for someone to dance with. Then again, if you don’t show up, they might just learn how to lead and thus render males obsolete.

Lesson: 8-9pm
Dancing: 9pm to 12:30 AM

Admission: $11 for Gents ($9 student and senior discount), $9 for Ladies ($7 for students and seniors)

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Beginning Lindy Hop - Week 3 and Practice Session

julie — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 06:59:03 +0000

This is week three in our month long Lindy Hop Series taught by Shawn Hershey and Amanda Gruhl from It’s All Swing. There’s no need to bring a partner or have any prior experience. If you’re a beginner, come back for next month’s series in July. If you’ve taken some Lindy before, you can join the class. Or even if you’re an intermediate, you’re encouraged to go back to the basics! You may be surprised what you’ll learn. We’ll follow the lesson up with a practice session from 8:30 to 11pm. DJ’s to be announced!

Lesson: 7:30pm-8:30pm
Practice Session: 8:30-11pm
Admission: $5 lesson, $3 practice session

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Shawn Hershey Quartet & Special Bring a Friend Promotion

julie — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 06:59:44 +0000

So it’s Monday morning, and you’re standing at the coffee machine talking to your work buddy. “What did you do this weekend?” You went swing dancing!!! You’re so excited, and you want your friends to come too! But inevitably, no matter how many times you ask them, something always come up…I’ve got this date with a guy I met on match.com. He’s into Grand Theft Auto, but his picture looks cute…I’ve got to watch Glee!…. I’m too tired after the work week…… Blah blah blah. We know how hard it is to get your friends on the dance floor – we’ve all been there. And for those of you that can weed through all of those excuses and get someone new to our dance, you’re finally getting rewarded! For this night and for this night only, if you bring a friend that has NEVER been to our dance, you (the hard working, dedicated, good looking, suave dancer) get in FREE!

And not only do we have a special promotion, but the Shawn Hershey Quartet will be playing songs that swing dancers love! And it’s very fitting, because Shawn is one of the most amazing and dedicated friends the BSC has out there. (SMILE!) What could be a better experience to start folks off right (on the right foot..tee hee) in their dancing careers? Start working on you friends NOW!

Promotion Qualifying Details:

1) In order to get free admission when bringing a friend, you (the dancer) needs to have attended at least one BSC Dance prior to June 11, 2010. Your friend must have NEVER, EVER, NOT EVEN ONCE been to a BSC dance. How will we know? Oh, we’ll know!

2) You must get there with your friend BEFORE 8:20PM so they can take our beginning lesson that starts at 8PM.

3) If you bring a friend and you have also NEVER been to our dance, you DO NOT qualify for the discount.

4) The person must be your friend and of the homo sapiens. Imaginary friends, Lassie, ET, pet rocks, etc. do not qualify.

5) You must mention this promotion at the door when paying admission to receive it. You can’t come back later and ask for it if you forget (if ya snooze, ya lose).

6) Who gets in free? Well that’s up to you…and how good of a friend you are. Show up with a friend and only one admission has to be paid (buy one, get one free). How you settle up is at your discretion, but please resolve any disputes by peaceful means (i.e. thumb wrestling, drawing straws, and dance offs).

7) May not be combined with any other promotions or discounts(i.e. get in free or half off coupons/passes, discounts received for angeling or DJ’ing, etc. Board Members do not qualify.)

8) If you get caught gaming the system, you may be subject to the consequences thought up on the spot by BSC staff. May include but are not limited to the following activities with your new “friend”: wearing matching ski sweaters throughout the entire dance, doing a Charleston duet to “You Can’t Touch This” to be posted on YouTube, dancing in your bare feet.

New people coming by yourselves or with other people are still of course welcome! And what a great night to come out with lots of other new people. We’re sorry you won’t qualify this time, but if we run this again in the coming months, and you attend our event this Friday, you will qualify for next time!

Lesson: 8pm-9pm (included with admission)
Dancing: 9pm to 12 midnight
Admission: $15 (general), $13 (students and seniors with valid ID)

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Beginning Lindy Hop Series - Week 2 and Practice Session

julie — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 06:59:50 +0000

This is week two in our month long Lindy Hop Series taught by Shawn Hershey and Amanda Gruhl from It’s All Swing. There’s no need to bring a partner or have any prior experience. And this is especially great for those of you that have come to our dance and learned 6 count before! Here’s is your opportunity to learn the Lindy Hop. And it couldn’t be easier b/c it’s right in our own Crosby Whistle Stop! But if you’ve never come to one of our dances before - never fear! Shawn and Amanda are patient and very experienced teachers that will show you what you need to know. Even if you missed week one it’s not too late to join it!

We’ll follow the lesson up with a practice session from 8:30 to 11pm. DJ’s to be announced!

Lesson: 7:30pm-8:30pm
Dancing: 8:30-11pm
Admission: $5 lesson, $3 practice session

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Sweet and Low Down

julie — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 06:59:29 +0000

We’re happy to welcome back Sweet & Low Down to the BSC. They played a couple months ago for us when we were at Springstep, and now they get to jam with us in our new home! The Sweet & Low Down are a side project of Miss Tess, which features Miss Tess and co-vocalist Rachel Price. They have a strong local following and reguarly play at many prominent Boston Venues, including the Beehive, Precinct, and Toad. You can check out some of their music here: http://www.myspace.com/thesweetandlowdownmusic. Now that they’ve moved to Brooklyn, it’s even more of a treat when we can get them in Boston. We are really excited to have them and hope you’ll come on out and see why!

Lesson: 8pm-9pm (included with admission)
Dancing: 9pm to 12 midnight
Admission: $15 (general), $13 (students and seniors with valid ID)

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Tuesday Night Practice and Beginning Lindy Hop Series

julie — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 06:59:45 +0000

Tonight is week one in our month long Lindy Hop Series taught by Shawn Hershey and Amanda Gruhl from It’s All Swing. There’s no need to bring a partner or have any prior experience. And this is especially great for those of you that have come to our dance and learned 6 count before! Here’s is your opportunity to learn the Lindy Hop. And it couldn’t be easier b/c it’s right in our own Crosby Whistle Stop! But if you’ve never come to one of our dances before - never fear! Shawn and Amanda are patient and very experienced teachers that will show you what you need to know.

We’ll follow the lesson up with a practice session from 8:30 to 11pm. DJ’s to be announced!

Lesson: 7:30pm-8:30pm
Dancing: 8:30-11pm
Admission: $5 lesson, $3 practice session

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Piers Park - Boston Swing Central and BIX

julie — Mon, 31 May 2010 06:59:19 +0000

This the first of our outdoor dances! We’re very excited to be throwing a dance here again this year, so come on out, it’s FREE to the public and part of BIX! The view from the park is spectacular, it’s one of the best views of downtown Boston and overlooks the Harbor. We will be spinning some of their finest feel good Springtime music, keep your fingers crossed for good weather (the forecast shows that it’s going to be a sunny 68 degrees as of Sunday - but keep watching). In any event bring a light jacket, it’s by the water, so it can get a little chilly and breezy…Details below

Details:

Address: Piers Park, 95 Marginal St, East Boston, MA 02128

Date: Sunday May 30th, 2010

Time: 2pm - 5pm

Cost: FREE!!!

Here’s a link to the park for further info. Check out that view! http://www.bostonharborwalk.com/placestogo/location.php?nid=4&sid=24

Rain Location: The Crosby Whistle Stop. If it rains, we’ll bring it inside so we can keep on dancin’!

BIX - The Fried Bananas AND The Rusty Scott Trio!

julie — Sat, 29 May 2010 06:59:43 +0000

We look forward every year to BIX. It’s one of the biggest dance weekends in Boston and it’s not to be missed! So what is BIX? Boston Independence Exchange (BIX) is a national event that draws other dancers from around New England and sometimes the world to Boston for a weekend full of awesome dances and late nights. Everyone comes out of the woodwork for this event and we love seeing all of the faces old and new come fill our dance floor. This year, we’re excited to share our new venue with folks from out of town. Check out our Grand Opening pictures for a preview of our venue.

Tonight, we have TWO live bands, TWO amazing venues and TWO themes! High society in full attire is the main event for Friday, so start the evening out in your best black and white. Tuxedos, gowns, top hats, tails and satin glove… can it get any more stunning than that? Late night turns from bourgeois to the bawdy Vaudeville, full of life and color to overwhelm your senses. Fancy dress is optional, and all are welcome.

We will be at two venues tonight, Our own Crosby Whistle Stop for the early dance, and Springstep in Medford for the late night. Below are the details on the bands and venues. We can’t wait to see you!

Please note, we will not be accepting passes on this night as it’s a special event.

Early Dance - Shawn Hershey and the Fried Bananas

The Fried Bananas (www.thefriedbananas.com) were created with the goal of providing music for swing dancers and plays a mix of swing, gypsy jazz, and blues. The majority of the members live in Boston though Josh lives in New York. The band is comprised Lindy Hoppers and this band knows what to play to get your feet moving! Always a favorite with their music and memorable antics (like when they all dressed up as Bananas for our first Halloween dance in 2008) we can’t wait to have them as our opener for BIX!

Lesson: 8pm-9pm (included with admission)
Dancing: 9pm to 12pm
Early Dance Admission: $17 (general), $15 (students and seniors with valid ID). Late and Early dance Package - $25 for Both (no student/senior discount). BIX registrants - included in package

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Late Night - Rusty Scott Trio

We love The Rusty Scott Trio, and he’s back for another engagement. He is a soulful and groovy pianist who has been a fixture on the Boston jazz scene for some time. Check out their versions of Night Train and Tuxedo Junction. His playing reminds us of a little bit of Jimmy Smith and Gene Harris combined. We can’t wait to have him back for our special late night at the beautiful Springstep. Let’s dance the night…and morning…away!

Maps will be available showing directions from the early dance to the late night.

Dancing: 12:30am to 4am

Late Night Dance Admission: $15 (general), $13 (students and seniors with valid ID). Late and Early dance Package - $25 for Both (no student/senior discount). BIX registrants - included in package

Springstep
98 George P Hassett Drive
Medford, MA 02155-3202

Sinti Rhythm - Django Reinhardt Tribute Band

julie — Sat, 22 May 2010 06:49:36 +0000

We’ve goth Rhythm, Sinti Rhythm! We’ve got music! Who could….you know the rest….They’re back for what promises to be another night of hot gypsy jazz. Don’t miss these guys. We got a lot of positive feedback on them after their BSC debut in March. And as an added bonus, these guys had a smiles on their faces throughout the night. Clearly they love playing for dancers, and we love them. What’s not to love about a Django Reinhardt tribute band? Check them out here: http://www.myspace.com/sintirhythm. Before you see them in person!

Lesson: 8pm-9pm (included with admission)
Dancing: 9pm to 12pm
Admission: $15 (general), $13 (students and seniors with valid ID)

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Tuesday Night - Practice Session Opening Night!

julie — Wed, 19 May 2010 06:59:59 +0000

With a new space, this means…new rent! Which we need to pay! So we’ll be starting a Tuesday night lesson followed by a practice session! We haven’t agreed on a new name for Tuesday night, but when we do, we’ll let you know. If you have suggestions, send them our way!!!

For our first Tuesday night, Shawn Hershey and Amanda Gruhl from It’s All Swing will be taking a page from the book of Tango, and leading a guided practice session - a practica - from 7:30 to 8:30PM. This week and next we’ll be offering the lesson for introductory price of $3 a week (WHAT A BARGAIN!) and you can drop in for the offering this week or next week. Shawn and Amanda will make sure they work one on one with everyone who attends. Most if not all of the advanced dancers and instructors have improved their own dancing by taking private lessons and working one on one with more experienced dancers. Think of a guided practice as a cheap short private lesson; an opportunity to work on whatever you want with Shawn and Amanda.

There’s no need to bring a partner but it might be useful to drag someone along so you can be guaranteed someone to work with. Or ask your friends and make sure they’ll be there too!!!

We’ll follow the lesson up with a practice session from 8:30 to 11pm. DJ’s to be announced!

Lesson: 7:30pm-8:30pm
Dancing: 8:30-11pm
Admission: $3 practica/lesson, $3 practice session

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Grand Opening at the Crosby Whistle Stop with the Jailhouse 5 +2!

julie — Sat, 15 May 2010 06:59:29 +0000

What we’ve all been waiting for is finally here at last! And we’ll be having the Jailhouse Five plus two next Friday for our Grand Opening!!!!

After a nearly year long process, we’ve come to the end, (or is it the beginning?) of our journey. A journey which began when we started looking at every church, VFW, Italian working man’s club in the Cambridge-Somerville area. After looking at musty basements, ginormous gymnasiums, tiny parqueted floors, we finally found our home last summer, the Crosby Whistle Stop. We quickly came to an agreement with the landlord and a move-in date of September 1st that he told us was, “easily do-able.” Well, much to the chagrin of our landlord, there was a new sprinkler system and bunch of other rules and regulations he had to adhere to in order to get the building up-to-code so that we could inhabit it. It took up until February to pass through all the electrical, plumbing, and building inspections. And then, just as we were acquiring the chairs and tables through our “Chair-ity Drive”, we thought we were a few short days away from opening, and then like Lucy taunting Charlie Brown, the ball was yanked away yet again, this time by the Boston zoning board known as Inspectional Services. They denied our zoning request to become a dance studio/hall.

All of this lead us on our current trajectory which we’ve outlined extensively in recent weeks on our website and via many email communiques. But we’re happy to say that we’ve finally done it!

We’re opening the Crosby Whistle Stop in a grand fashion next Friday, May 14th!

It has been a long journey, so please plan to come celebrate with us and check out the new digs! We will also have a band that night, the Jailhouse Five Plus Two! The name, The Jailhouse Five Plus Two is inspired by the lawless participants in the prohibition era when Dixieland was adopted as the popular music of the time, “The Roaring Twenties.” Bootlegging, speakeasies, bath tub gin, gangs and lawless activity was the way of life in major U.S. cities. TJFPT tries to capture the freedom exuded by the musical genre and provide a connection to a past era of our society. Happy, fast, boisterous, free, and improvisational are all descriptors of the music. A new band, a new venue, a new beginning!

We couldn’t have done this alone. We’re here because of the many people that have continued to come to our dance on a regular basis, have opened your wallets, have given your time…..we have made it because you helped us get here!

Our new Address is: 24 Roland St, Charlestown, MA. We will be a 4 minute walk from the Sullivan T-Stop, and there is FREE parking right in front of our building!

Please note that because this is a special event, we will not be accepting passes or have an active guest list.

Lesson: 8pm-9pm (included with admission)
Dancing: 9pm to 12pm
Admission: $17 (general), $15 (students and seniors with valid ID)

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Sneak Preview - Crosby Whistle Stop

julie — Fri, 14 May 2010 06:59:43 +0000

If you have ever volunteered, taught, DJ’d, donated to our organization, or been a former board memeber we’re opening our doors early for you to come and see our new space! We will have pizza and ice cream! Yeah! And if you donated through our “Char-ity” drive, come and sign your chair!

If you wanted to donate and didn’t get a chance, there’s still time if you would like to through Paypal by clicking the button below.

For directions to our new space see the “Directions” Tab.

Cost: Free

Hours: 7pm to 9pm

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

How Much Does the Dance Cost? How much is the lesson?

julie — Tue, 11 May 2010 00:41:09 +0000

Our Friday night dance includes a lesson in the price of admission from 8 to 9pm. Prices are as follows:

- On DJ nights, our dance is $10 for General Admission.

- On Band nights, our dance is $17 to $20 for General Admission.

- We have a mix of 50/50 band and DJ nights.

- We offer a discount to students and seniors with a valid ID.

Chicken Fried Swing

julie — Sat, 08 May 2010 06:59:18 +0000

Boston Swing Central is happy to present guest DJ Gina Helfrich tonight for a heapin’ helpin’ of Southern Fried Swing. We’re happy to report that Gina has finally made her long-anticipated return to life in Boston. Originally from Texas, Gina spent the last six years getting a graduate degree in Lindy Hop and Philosophy (or was it Philosophy of Lindy Hop?) in Atlanta.

Before that she was a hardcore member of the Boston Lindy scene and first learned to swing out at Boston College. While in Atlanta, she became a superstar lindy hop addict running dances, teaching all over the place (including Swing Out New Hampshire), and of course, djing. This is her BSC debut, so let’s come on out and welcome her back, officially!

Lesson: 8pm-9pm (included with admission)

Dancing: 9pm to 12pm

Admission: $10 (general), $8 (students and seniors with valid ID)

Extreme Dancesport

288 Norfolk Street, # 3 (upstairs)

Cambridge, MA 02139

ee cummings tribute

julie — Sat, 01 May 2010 06:59:52 +0000

it’s spring, and if a look should april me, i swear by all flowers that we are going to usher it in with a boston swing central tribute to ee cummings our favorite 20th century cambridge poet who refused to use the shift-key on his typewriter. you might not know this but cummings used blues structures as inspiration for some of his poems. he ridiculed cambridge ladies, thanked god for most this amazing day, and sung the tribunal of a pretty how town…for a moment, be a two little who with two little arms learn from one bird how to swing rather than watching dancing with the stars…and dance upon dead minds as dj retromike provides the soundtrack to your infinite illimitable day become night this beautiful way.

Not sure where to PARK? Try the Whole Foods overflow parking lot, that it is a block or two down from Whole Foods on Prospect and Bishop Allen. You can park there for free after 6:00pm…Extreme is a couple of blocks up Prospect (North). Please note that this is NOT the lot in front of the store. And now that it’s getting warmer, it’s a quick walk!!!

Lesson: 8pm-9pm (included with admission)

Dancing: 9pm to 12pm

Admission: $10 (general), $8 (students and seniors with valid ID)

Extreme Dancesport

288 Norfolk Street, # 3 (upstairs)

Cambridge, MA 02139

Abby Cohen

julie — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 01:48:59 +0000

Abby first started swing dancing back when that infamous Gap ad aired in the late 90’s, but only learned Lindy Hop in 2007. Since then she has never looked back and is now trying to learn the whole spectrum of swing dance (particularly lots of vernacular jazz.) But give her a nice clean swing-out and she’s happy as can be. Abby grew up listening to big band jazz and has been playing jazz trombone since she was 10 years old. Nowadays you can find her occasionally sitting in with some of the area’s big bands such as the Compaq Big Band, Tom Nutile Big Band, and the Beantown Swing Orchestra. But even on a gig, Abby’s still got her dancing shoes on.

Spring Fling

julie — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 06:59:57 +0000

Continuing our non-committal tenure with venues, we’ll be in the medium studio space at Springstep this Friday. So while we’ll be moving, we won’t be going very far. And watch out for our space update coming later this week for news on our venue. We can’t wait for you to meet her. She’s a real catch and something to settle down with!

This Friday, we’ll be celebrating spring and all that it brings with our own Tim Lewandowski and guest D Joe Perrone. Luckily, Joe’s already done his spring cleaning and found his CD decks. And Tim, well, thankfully he has a computer. No time for cleaning with the school year wrapping up. It promises to be a fun night! Hope to see you there!

Boston Swing Central at Springstep

98 George P Hassett Drive

Medford, MA 02155-3202

Lesson: 8pm-9pm (included with admission)

Dancing: 9pm to 12pm

Admission: $10 (general), $8 (students and seniors with valid ID)

Gordon Webster with Brianna Thomas at Springstep!

julie — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 06:59:01 +0000

PLEASE NOTE WE WILL BE AT SPRINGSTEP IN MEDFORD THIS FRIDAY!!!!

We are very excited to welcome back Gordon Webster! His busy schedule has kept him traveling througout the US and Europe, but this April he’s been able to squeeze us in. He is bringing his Quintet with him this time featuring singer Brianna Thomas! Last couple of times Gordon has been to Boston he has been unable to bring Brianna, but this time, he is finally able to bring her with and we’re looking forward to having her rock the house again! Her soulful voice is not something to miss, and she is quickly becoming a star in her own right.

If you have never heard Gordon - don’t miss your chance. This is one of the premiere swing bands in the country and he always draws a big crowd. AND because it’s Gordon, and we just can’t get enough, we’ll be running a late to 12:30 AM. So, come one, come all, let’s get dressed up really nice and bring our A-game to Springstep for a house rockin’ good time.

Please note that we will not have an active guest list tonight, or be able to accept passes or discounts as this is a special event.

Boston Swing Central at Springstep

98 George P Hassett Drive

Medford, MA 02155-3202

Lesson 8-9pm / Dancing 9pm-12:30 AM (LATE!)

$17 / $15 for students (with valid ID) and seniors

Sweet and Low Down

julie — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 06:59:15 +0000

This past month we were happy to have Senti Rhythm as a new band at Boston Swing Central, and now, in April we are adding the Sweet & Low Down to our growing list of new bands. You might remember them from last year’s late night dance at BIX. The Sweet & Low Down are a side project of Miss Tess, which features Miss Tess and co-vocalist Rachel Price. You can check out some of their music here: http://www.myspace.com/thesweetandlowdownmusic. Now that they’ve moved to Brooklyn, it’s even more of a treat when we can get them in Boston. We are really excited to have them and hope you’ll come on out and see why.

PLEASE NOTE WE WILL BE AT SPRINGSTEP IN MEDFORD TONIGHT!

Boston Swing Central at Springstep
98 George P Hassett Drive
Medford, MA 02155-3202

julie — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 06:59:53 +0000

*PLEASE NOTE WE ARE AT SPRINGSTEP IN MEDFORD TONIGHT!* ADDRESS BELOW.

Sweet Molasses Blues invades Boston Swing Central…they’ll be supplying the teachers, the DJs and many of the dancers. Come and check out all of the fantastic out-of-town dancers who will be gracing us with their presence, and get your winter groove on. If you don’t have any experience or clue as to what blues dancing is, this is the place to start! And tonight we will be running LATE! LATE! LATE! until 4 AM. So that’s 8 hours of dancing for the bargain price of $17!!!

The line up for the night includes asome amazing DJs including Mike Marcotte (DC), Steven “Dr. Feelgood” Watkins (San Francisco), Devona Cartier, Gui Cavakcanti, Julie Brown, and BSC’s own Tim Lewandowski!

And we’re very excited to have our introductory blues lesson with Tina Davis & Don West of Dallas Texas! So come and try it out and see what all this “groove on” stuff is that people are talking about…

There will be a teacher’s performance and a blues performance in the early half of the evening.

Space is limited so be sure to get there early to reserve your spot on the dance floor!

Due to the volume of guests we will be having tonight, we will not be able to accept discounts or passes. We will not have an active guest list.

Lesson (included in price of admission) 8pm-9pm

Dancing 9PM-4AM
$17 / $15 for students (with valid ID) and seniors

**SPECIAL LOCATION TONIGHT ONLY**

Springstep

98 George P. Hassett Drive

Medford, MA

Fats Waller

julie — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 06:59:35 +0000

Fats Waller was a larger than life character. Definitely the “Snoop Dogg” of his time…and we just love playing his music at our dance. So tonight we’ll pay tribute to him once again as our artist of the week.

Lesson (included in price of admission) 8pm-9pm

Dancing 9pm-12am

$10 / $8 for students (with valid ID) and seniors

Extreme Dancesport

288 Norfolk Street, # 3 (upstairs)

Cambridge, MA 02139

I

julie — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 06:59:10 +0000

A Valentine’s Day Extravaganza. For those of you who missed this dance last year, this is one dance you don’t want to miss. We have custom Swing Valentines and Cupids to deliver them to your friends, that secret crush, your favorite DJs, they don’t mind. Just fill out one of the Valentines we’ll give you upon your entrance and put it in a mailbox and Cupid will do the rest. Tonight we also welcome back J-Street featuring Josh Fialkoff from NYC (also know as the piano player in the Fried Bananas).

Please note, tonight is a special event and we will not be accepting passes or have a guest list.

Shawn Hershey and Amanda Gruhl from It’s All Swing will be teaching our lesson.

Lesson (included in price of admission) 8pm-9pm

Dancing 9pm-12am
$17 / $13 for students (with valid ID) and seniors

Extreme Dancesport

288 Norfolk Street, # 3 (upstairs)

Cambridge, MA 02139

New Orleans…Where It All Began

julie — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 06:59:55 +0000

We are very excited to welcome, for the first time, Daryl Begin from Providence as our guest DJ, he picked the theme for tonight’s musical party…where he plans to take us back to old New Orleans and the birthplace of jazz, the red-light district known as Storyville, Basin St where it all began…think Louis Armstrong, Buddy Bolden and Jelly Roll Morton.

Lesson (included in price of admission) 8-9pm

Dancing 9pm-12am
$10 / $8 for students (with valid ID) and seniors

Extreme Dancesport

288 Norfolk Street, # 3 (upstairs)

Cambridge, MA 02139

Djangology

julie — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 06:59:18 +0000

Django Reinhardt would’ve been 100 years old this past Saturday, Jan 23rd, 2010. So this Friday we celebrate his centennial by featuring him as our artist of the week. Django Reinhardt singularly pioneered the genre of Gypsy Jazz. His phenomenal guitar work is world reknowned and the music of his Quintette du Hot Club de France is guaranteed to inspire you to dance. This is hot jazz at it’s finest! We also welcome back one of our favorite guest DJs, Isaac Marx who will be spinning for you.

Lesson (included in price of admission) 8-9pm

Dancing 9pm-12am
$10 / $8 for students (with valid ID) and seniors

Extreme Dancesport

288 Norfolk Street, # 3 (upstairs)

Cambridge, MA 02139

Miss Tess and the Bon Ton Parade

julie — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 06:59:06 +0000

We are happy to welcome back Miss Tess and the Bon Ton Parade. Some of you might have seen her last June, and we’re excited to have her back! She’ll soon be moving to Brooklyn very soon, and it’s a real challenge to get on her packed calendar. The Bon Parade is her backing band, which promises to keep things lively and swinging with their reimagined 21st century Golden-age jazz. You will leave with a smile on your face. And if you feel so inclined, dress in your best quirky-retro-modern-vintage-wear to blend in with the band.

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm

Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:00am

General Admission: $15

Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $12

Fletcher Henderson Experience

julie — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 06:59:23 +0000

Our DJs dig through their collections to pay tribute to Fletcher Henderson. Many of you might not know who Fletcher Henderson was, but his 1925 band gave Louis Armstong a job when he relocated to New York. The band also featured Coleman Hawkins. Henderson went on to arrange for Benny Goodman and is an essential artist in Swing History.

Lesson (included in price of admission) 8-9pm

Dancing 9pm-12am
$10 / $8 for students (with valid ID) and seniors

Extreme Dancesport

288 Norfolk Street, # 3 (upstairs)

Cambridge, MA 02139

Wicked New Year!

julie — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 06:59:46 +0000

Let’s celebrate the end of the decade, the beginning of the New Year and all that jazz! 2010 is here and we’re not quite ready to move into our new space (yet)…a couple more weeks. Hang in there - we’re just as anxious as you! The floor is finished and it is magical. The bathrooms are tiled, but they still need to finish a few details. Anyhow, we will be back at Extreme Dancesport to kick off the year with some awesome swing music. Come celebrate with us and stay tuned for more details on our space.

Lesson (included in price of admission) 8-9pm

Dancing 9pm-12am
$10 / $8 for students (with valid ID) and seniors

Extreme Dancesport

288 Norfolk Street, # 3 (upstairs)

Cambridge, MA 02139

Happy New Year - We’re Closed

julie — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 06:59:17 +0000

We’re closed for New Years, but we’ll be back in full force in 2010!

Merry Christmas - We’re Closed

julie — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 06:59:39 +0000

All I want for Christmas is a new home for the BSC….You can fit that on your sleigh, right Santa? I’ll know it’s you if you leave your cane there. P.S., if that really can’t fit, I might settle for a Wii.

DJ Night

julie — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 06:59:12 +0000

Tonight we’ll have a DJ Party with Jason Provost and other DJs (TBA). Jason and others will be pulling out all the stops to get you in the holiday mood and send you off into the New Year with our final dance of the year. Beat the holiday bulge and get your dancing feet movin’! And keep your fingers crossed for a new year in a new space!

Lesson (included in price of admission) 8-9pm

Dancing 9pm-12am
$10 / $8 for students (with valid ID) and seniors

Extreme Dancesport

288 Norfolk Street, # 3 (upstairs)

Cambridge, MA 02139

Holiday Party with Shawn Hershey Quartet

julie — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 06:59:15 +0000

Happy Holidays! Tonight at BOSTON SWING CENTRAL we are featuring the Shawn Hershey Quartet, a combo Shawn has put together to play for us on several occasions (including last years’ holiday party which ended up getting snowed out). We’re hoping for better weather this year. And of course, we’re hoping everyone will show up for this special event as we say goodbye to 2009 and share good holiday cheer together.

Not sure where to PARK? Try the Whole Foods parking lot, which is located on Prospect and Bishop Allen. You can park there for free after 6:00pm…Extreme is a couple of blocks up Prospect (North).

Lesson (included in price of admission) 8-9pm

Dancing 9pm-12am
$15 / $13 for students (with valid ID) and seniors

Extreme Dancesport

288 Norfolk Street, # 3 (upstairs)

Cambridge, MA 02139

December 4th - Closed

julie — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 06:59:00 +0000

Closed due to construction.

Closed for Thanksgiving Holiday

julie — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 06:59:25 +0000

We’re closed. Enjoy the Turkey!

Back Bay Rhythm Makers

julie — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 06:59:08 +0000

The Back Bay Rhythm makers return to Boston Swing Central to tear it up with their smaller combo (you might recognize them as members of White Heat Swing Orchestra). This smaller, more nimble, group has played for us many times. And we love them! Fueled by the high energy clarinet of leader Craig Ball, these cats know how to bring it. Be prepared to cut loose!

This also kicks off a big swing dancing weekend where we welcome some of our favorite teachers Skye Humphries and Naomi Uyama, and we’re hoping that they get a chance to stop by. See hoptothebeat.com for more details.

Boston Swing Central at Extreme Dancesport

288 Norfolk Street, 3rd floor

Cambridge, MA 02139

Lesson (included in the price of Admission): 8PM-9PM

Dancing: 9PM-12 Midnight

Admission: $13 General, $10 Students and Seniors (with Valid ID)

You Are What You Eat

julie — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 06:59:09 +0000

Hey good lookin’, what ya got cookin’? Yes, it’s that time of year, when thoughts of turkey appear in our heads. We’ve challenged our DJs to come up with their best swing songs about food. Yes, there are many swings about food, like “Hey Sweet Potato” by Fats Waller (with a name like Fats, you gotta expect that he’d sing the praises of food, or at least use at as an analogy for a his sweet heart). We’ll try not to overdo the theme tonight….there’s nothing worse then a slightly burned dance. And it might make you more hungry than wanting to swing, but we’ll season the evenings proceedings by peppering the mix with some songs about food. Okay, enough with the food references, we’ll save the rest for Friday night.

Boston Swing Central at Extreme Dancesport

288 Norfolk Street, 3rd floor

Cambridge, MA 02139

Lesson (included in the price of Admission): 8PM-9PM

Dancing: 9PM-12 Midnight

Admission: $10 General, $8 Students and Seniors (with Valid ID)

Benny Goodman Tribute

julie — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 06:59:08 +0000

Tonight we’ll pay homage to the King of Swing, Benny Goodman. Before rising to Royalty starting his own band, Goodman played the clarinet with other Jazz legends like Red Nichols and Glenn Miller in the 1920s and early 1930s. In the mid-1930s, Goodman’s big band swing sound ignited the swing scene with the foot stompin’ rhythms of the “King Porter Stomp”. Dancers loved it then, and they love it now. There’s nothing like those big brass trumpets to get you hoppin’ and jumpin’. Not only was Goodman at the forefront of Jazz, but he was also forging the way for societal changes, leading one of the first racially-integrated bands during an era of segregation in the 1930’s. Jazz was a music that brought many different people together, just as we hope it will bring all of you together tonight! So come on out and swing to the King of Swing!

Boston Swing Central at Extreme Dancesport

288 Norfolk Street, 3rd floor

Cambridge, MA 02139

Lesson (included in the price of Admission): 8PM-9PM

Dancing: 9PM-12 Midnight

Admission: $10 General Admission, $8 Students and Seniors (With Valid ID)

Calling all Zombies 2

julie — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 06:59:15 +0000

Calling All Zombies! Rise up! It’s time heed the bell toll for another ghastly and ghoulish Halloween party at Boston Swing Central. So rise from your crypt and pay tribute to the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson and dance to the creepy sounds of the Fried Bananas. The lesson will feature Michael Jackson’s Thriller line dance as taught by the undead duo, Jason Provost and Diana Byrne. The lesson begins promptly at 8pm - 9pm and then performed later on in the evening. So, start studying YouTube now… Don’t miss this party as it will be one of the best of the Fall!

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:00am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $12

Boston Swing Central
at Extreme Dancesport
288 Norfolk St # 3 (Upstairs)
Cambridge, MA 02139

Kickin’ it Old Skool

julie — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 06:59:28 +0000

Last week, we went back to the 90s for Neo Swing, this week, Boston Swing Central will go way back, back to the days of Fats Waller, Bunk & Lu, and Cab Calloway. So we won’t be kickin’ it old school with Young MC, Tupac or Flavor Flav, we’ll be kickin’ it really Old School…30s and 40s style. In recent weeks, you might have noticed our distinctive shift this direction, and we hope to continue to mine our mp3 collections to bring you the best music we can find to keep your imaginations stimulated and your feet moving…this week we also welcome guest DJ Isaac Marx back.

And as always, we’ll have our beginning lesson at 8pm before social dancing. So come on out and dance with us!

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm

Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:00am
General Admission: $10
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $8

Boston Swing Central
at Extreme Dancesport
288 Norfolk St # 3 (Upstairs)
Cambridge, MA 02139

Neo Swing

julie — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 06:59:39 +0000

The Gap commercial inspired a millions to try swing dancing. But where did they all go? We think they are now at home watching Dancing with the Stars and playing Rock Band. That’s okay because we still love swing dancing! This week, we’ll board our time machine and tell Mr Peabody to set it go back 10 years to when the dance floors were crowded and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Indigo Swing and Royal Crown Revue ruled the dance floor, yes, it’s our 2nd Neo Swing night. The last one was such a blast, so come and join us!

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:00am
General Admission: $10
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $8

Boston Swing Central
at Extreme Dancesport
288 Norfolk St # 3 (Upstairs)
Cambridge, MA 02139

College Night - $5 Admission

julie — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 06:59:17 +0000

We’re rolling prices back to when we were in college, and as a way of saying thanks to the many college students who come to our dances on a regular basis. Tonight, admission will be only $5 for those with a college ID who sport any of their school colors (it doesn’t have to be a jersey, a scarf or bandana is fine).

And for the rest of us who either graduated a while ago or didn’t graduate, it will be a mere $8 if you wear your school college. If you didn’t go to college, use your favorite sports team, or pretend you went to Harvard, we don’t care, we’re just hoping a lot of folks come out, dance and have a lot of fun…

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:00am
General Admission: $8 with school gear, $10 regular
Students: $5 with school gear, $8 regular

Boston Swing Central
at Extreme Dancesport
288 Norfolk St # 3 (Upstairs)
Cambridge, MA 02139

Stompin’ at the Savoy

julie — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 06:59:24 +0000

This week the BSC steps back in time, to the 1930s and the Savoy Ballroom. Dress-vintage…our DJs will bring their best Savoy Ballroom-inspired music to keep your feet jumpin’ to the Lindy Hop. This was THE era. Known as the “Home of the “Happy Feet”. The Savoy Ballroom was the epicenter for swing dancing. It’s where Frankie Manning got started and where he later joined the amazing performance troupe, Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers. It was also famous for a supreme battle of the bands facing off Bennie Goodman, Count Basie and Chick Webb. And the general concesus was that Chick Webb’s band won handily. We’ll try our best to recreate that feeling.

Kellian and Brian will be teaching our lesson this evening.

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8-9pm

Dancing: 9pm-12am

General Admission: $10, Students and Seniors (with valid ID): $8

Boston Swing Central at Extreme Dancesport

288 Norfolk Street

Cambridge, MA 02139

General Admission: $10/ Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $8

Beantown Swing - T-Step Workshop Weekend at Springstep

julie — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 06:59:48 +0000

This Friday, Boston Swing Central will be kicking off the T-Step Workshop weekend featuring Steven Mitchell & Virginie Jensen. We’ll be welcoming the Beantown Swing Orchestra back to the BSC…they haven’t played for us since this past spring when they brought guest star Erin McKeown. And for those of you that were there that night, you know what a treat you’re in for! If you like big band swing, this is your band! They have it all - from the big brass trumpets to the swing song of the saxophone. What’s not to love?Their band leader, Frank Hsieh has really got a good feel for the material dancers rave about!

There are also bound to be many dancers from out of town for the weekend workshop, which means more great dancers to dance with. So come on out for a great night!

NOTE THE LOCATION CHANGE: WE WILL BE AT SPRINGSTEP FOR TONIGHT’S DANCE! ADDRESS BELOW!

Boston Swing Central at Springstep

98 George P Hassett Dr

Medford, MA 02155-3202

www.springstep.org

Lesson: 8-9pm (included in price of admission)

Dancing: 9-12am

General Admission: $17, Students and Seniors (with valid ID): $15

About T Step:

We are so happy to support the upcoming T-Step Workshop weekend featuring Steven Mitchell & Virginie Jensen. These two teachers are amongst the best in the world, and have not been to Boston in many many years! Come out and show them what the Boston scene is all about! They’re fantastic and really inspirational and when they teach at camps like Swing Out New Hampshire, the classes are packed.

Fortunately for us, Albert Law, the coordinator for the T-Step event, has been to enough of these packed classes and has decided to limit the class sizes for a more intimate learning experience. He’s also tracked the classes and his strict placement of everyone should guarantee a great learning experience for all. Steven and Virginie are great at all levels, their beginner classes work heavily on the stuff that we all need, from the beginner to the intermediate. Steven has many pearls of wisdom and insight into the dance that he shares with you. His exercises can be non-intuitive at first, but after you reflect back upon them some time later, you’ll come to new realizations. And this is what our scene really needs. We need gurus such as Steven & Virginie to come in and shake up the status quo.

So come and join us the weekend of September 25 - 27th for a workshop weekend like no other. Sign-ups are still available! Check it out on their website at http://www.tstep.org/!

Beantown Swing - T-Step Workshop Weekend!

julie — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 06:59:45 +0000

This Friday, Boston Swing Central will be kicking off the T-Step Workshop weekend featuring Steven Mitchell & Virginie Jensn. We’ll be welcoming the Beantown Swing Orchestra back to the BSC…they haven’t played for us since this past spring when they brought guest star Erin McKeown. And for those of you that were there that night, you know what a treat you’re in for. If you like big band swing, this is your band! They have it all - from the big brass trumpets to the tootin’ tubas. What’s not to love? Their band leader, Frank Hsieh has really got a good feel for the material dancers rave about!

There are also bound to be many dancers from out of town for the weekend workshop, which means more great dancers to dance with. So come on out for a great night!

Boston Swing Central at Springstep

98 George P Hassett Dr
Medford, MA 02155-3202

www.springstep.org

Lesson: 8-9PM (included in price of admission)

Dancing: 9PM-12AM

About T Step:

We are so happy to support the upcoming T-Step Workshop weekend featuring Steven Mitchell & Virginie Jensen. These two teachers are amonst the best in the world, and have not been to Boston in many many years! Come out and show them what the Boston scene is al about! They’re fantastic and really inspirational and when they teach at camps like Swing Out New Hampshire, the classes are packed.

So come and join us the weekend of September 25 - 27th for a workshop weekend like no other. Sign-ups are still available! Check it out on their website at http://www.tstep.org/!

A Tribute to Swing Royalty

julie — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 06:59:44 +0000

We’re rolling out the red carpet at Boston Swing Central because tonight as our DJs will be saluting the royalty of swing music! This includes the various Kings and Queens soul, jazz, swing, and R&B. And let’s not forget the Count, the Duke and many others who comprise the very elite and noble in the swing world. Leave your white gloves and red cape behind to come and hob nob amongst the best the swing world has to offer. You don’t need to dress like royalty to feel like royalty from your ears to your feet…moving to the the hoppin’ heralds of America’s musical Kings and Queens.

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:00am
General Admission: $10
Students and Seniors (with valid ID): $8

Boston Swing Central @ Extreme Dancesport

288 Norfolk Street

Cambridge, MA 02139

(617) 492-2122

CANCELED: Outdoor Summer Dance - Copley Square

julie — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 06:59:32 +0000

We regret to inform you that due to the Jimmy Fund’s occupation of Copley Square the Copley Square Dance has been canceled for today.

We’re very sorry for the late notice, but when we went to set-up before 2 PM today, we found that the Jimmy Fund had taken over the Copley Square area. The City of Boston who issued our permit several months ago, unfortunately did not alert us of the change. While we did try, we couldn’t get into where we would normally set-up by Trinity Church…and they had set-up a big white tent there. Sorry for any inconvenience, but of course, we had no idea! At least we sacrificed our dancing today for a good cause! More dancing outside next summer, and inside dancing this Friday at the BSC!

Back to School Swing

julie — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 06:59:10 +0000

Fall is in the air and Boston is buzzing with all of the students new and old coming back to the city. To welcome them back, we’ll be spinning some Back to School tunes with our house DJ, Jason Provost and special guest DJ Joe Perrone.

We’ll challenge them to evoke the good times of back to school….hugging your parents goodbye at the station wagon, the crush you had on Sally who sat in the front of your history class, walking the campus on a beautiful fall day, jumping and singing with the music at a Friday night party (before you could swing dance). So put down those pencils and come sharpen your dance skills. The BSC will be alive with the energy the new school year brings, playing some of your favorite tunes to get you swingin’ back in time.

We also have some exciting news on the horizon about our new venue. We plan to announce our new space in two weeks at our dance. So if you want to be among the first to hear the exciting news, be sure to be there on Friday nights!

Brian and Kellian will be teaching our lesson this evening. More fun than any gym teacher!

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm - 9:00pm

Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:00am

General Admission: $10

Students and Seniors (with valid ID): $8

Boston Swing Central @ Extreme DanceSport

288 Norfolk Street

Cambridge, MA 02139

(617) 492-2122

Closed for Labor Day

julie — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 19:59:07 +0000

We’re closed for labor day, but will be back September 11th!

Gordon Webster Trio

julie — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 06:59:31 +0000

Once again, BOSTON SWING CENTRAL is proud to welcome back Gordon Webster, this time he plays as a trio. Which will give him a chance to really stretch out his chops and play some soulful piano and some groovy stuff….so this will be quite different than when he is with his full quartet. Gordon’s sincerity, his honesty to the music really shines through in whatever form he takes, so we’re really lucky and excited to have him back. He’s truely a dynamic artist, whether he’s challenging himself by playing with the Cangelosi Cards, or with his own quartet, or with his expanded quintet. We’re lucky he lives close by and really loves visiting Boston, and he’s inventive enough as to keep us guessing as to what he’s bringing. He just got back from some time in Europe and this Fall he’ll head out to the West Coast, so the World is definitely becoming enlightened to the talent that lies within, so let’s enjoy him while we can!

This wildly popular group draws a big crowd, so come early to guarantee your spot on the floor!

Lesson 8-9pm

Dancing 9:pm-12 midnight
Admission: $15 / $12 for students (with valid ID) and seniors

A Tribute to the Dog Days of Summer

julie — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 06:59:56 +0000

The dog days of summer are here at last. If we knew starting back up our dance would bring on the heat, we’d have done it a lot sooner. We’re happy to inform you that Boston Swing Central is continuing our dance at our new temporary venue in Inman Square, Extreme Dancesport. It is our intention that we’ll be here only a month or two while we work on the details of a more permanent venue. But to keep us running in the interim, we need you all to show up and dance! We had a great turn out last week and we hope you’ll keep coming out for more!

This Friday we will challenge our DJs to keep things fun and cool in the hot summer night, spinning tunes to celebrate summer or chill you with a tease of cooler weather just around the corner. We will also issue a challenge to the many air conditioners in the windows of Extreme Dancesport to keep it the temperatures down. So come and dance into the summer night with us..

Boston Swing Central
at Extreme Dancesport
288 Norfolk St # 3
Cambridge, MA 02139

Lesson: 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:00am
General Admission: $10
Students and Seniors (with valid ID): $8

Summer Outdoor Dance Series Continues at Piers Park!

julie — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 06:59:36 +0000

Boston Swing Central ready to be back at Piers Park! It’s been such a strange summer with all the rain and unseasonably chilly temperatures, but we’re still glad it’s summer. In July, we had a wonderful day in Copley Square and we’re hoping that our return to Piers Park in East Boston is just as lovely. So keep your fingers crossed for a warm, dry day with gentle breezes. Piers Park Swing is Sunday, August 16th.

On September 13th, we’ll be back in Copley to wrap our outdoor dance series.

Details

Address: Piers Park, 95 Marginal St, East Boston, MA 02128

Lesson: 2pm - 3pm

Dancing: 3pm-5pm

Cost: FREE!!!

Here’s a link to the park for further info. Check out that view!

http://www.bostonharborwalk.com/placestogo/location.php?nid=4&sid=24

We’re back Starting August 14th!

julie — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 06:59:30 +0000

Hopefully you’re enjoying all of the outdoor dances that Boston Swing Central has been presenting, we’re getting closer to finding our new venue, but for now, we will be at Extreme Dancesport in Inman Square, Cambridge. This is an urban loft space dance studio, not far from our previous locations in Central Square, just a few blocks walk up, Prospect St. Extreme Dancesport is located at 288 Norfolk St, 3rd Floor Cambridge. And there’s AIR CONDITIONING!

We are excited to start our dance up again for you and we hope you’ll turn up. Tonight will feature the fine music of our house DJ Jay Provost with special guest DJs Ogden Sawyer and “Blues Brian” Mullin

Boston Swing Central
at Extreme Dancesport
288 Norfolk St # 3
Cambridge, MA 02139

Lesson: 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm - 12:00am
General Admission: $10
Students and Seniors: $8

Swingin’ on the Charles

julie — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 06:59:22 +0000

Boston Swing Central is very excited to tell you that this year, we’ve been asked to host Swingin’ on the Charles. Swingin’ on the Charles has been an annual tradition and is one of the highlights of the Summer season. This dance is outside underneath the twilight sky along the Charles River on the docks of the Community Boathouse on August 1st. If it rains (and lord knows this is a possibilty), we’ll move it inside the Boathouse. Previous years we’ve been lucky with the weather and we’ve always had a large crowd of both experienced and new dancers.

The dance features one of Kellian & Brian teaching our beginners dance lesson which gets started at 7:30pm. The dance starts early at 8:30pm and ends at 11:00pm. We will be featuring some of Boston’s best swing DJs. We hope you mark this on your calendar, as this is definitely not the weekend to go to the Cape or up to Maine…

Please note: All proceeds from this dance go to benefit the Community Boating’s Junior Program which allows children to sail for $1. More info: http://www.community-boating.org/acc_geninfo.php

Parking: Parking is available at Mass Eye & Ear for $5 (validated voucher by CBI). In the past some folks have been frustrated to realize they need to bring the voucher into CBI and have it validated, please don’t forget it, or you’ll have to make a trek back to your car. More info describing those restrictions: http://www.community-boating.org/benefits.php

Community Boathouse
Storrow Drive
near Charles MGH T-Stop
Lesson 7:30pm - 8:30pm
Dance 8:00pm - 11:00pm
General Admisson: $10
Students and Seniors: $8

BSC Incorporation and New Venue Fund Raiser!

julie — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 06:59:08 +0000

If you missed us this last couple Fridays, well, we missed you too. But as promised, we’ll be back soon! And to help speed our return, we are doing this dance as a special event fund raiser to get some much needed cash for our incorporation, which requires us to carry some insurance and kickin’ new venue we’re moving to in late August/early September (which we hope to tell you about soon!).

We will be dancing tonight at the awesome facilities at Springstep in Medford. And to give you your bang for your buck, we’ll be running late until 2 AM. And we’ve also convinced The Cangelosi Cards to come up from New York to make it extra special. This band is amazing, they will delight you with their unique mix of Hot Club Jazz, Gypsy swing, and Blues. Most people leave their shows swinging on a cloud with the bouncing chugga-chugga rhythms and the haunting trill of Tamar Korn’s mellifluous voice reverberating in their heads.

As this is a special event to raise money for the BSC, we will not have an active door list, accept passes, or discount cards on this night. We will also have a limited number of volunteer spots, and will not be able to offer reduced admission to angels. However, if you would like to angel for us anyway, please email Khrysti Smyth. We’ll also be holding a silent auction to raise some additional funds!

We hope with how hard we have worked to give back to the dance community, as many of you as possible will come out on this special night. We need you if we are going to continue to bring great dances to the Boston Community. So grab a friend…or two…or three… and we’ll see you on the dance floor!

Lesson: 8-9pm

Dancing: 9pm-2am

Price: $20 General Admission, $15 Students and Seniors (with valid ID)

Address:

Springstep
98 George P. Hassett Drive
Medford, MA 02155

www.springstep.org

Copley Square FREE Outdoor Dance

julie — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 06:59:54 +0000

Boston Swing Central is really excited that Summer has finally arrived! (well sort of, you wouldn’t know it by the chilly temps and rain we’ve had lately, but technically it’s summer). And with our fingers crossed for a warm and dry day, we are letting you know about Copley Square Swing on Sunday July 12th.

This is a free dance, it’s open to the public and we’ll be teaching a lesson for those that are interested from 1pm - 2pm…and of course there will be open dancing throughout the afternoon.

In August, we’ll be back at Piers Park in East Boston one more time, hopefully this time it won’t be so windy!

Below is a complete calendar of the remaining BSC Summer Outdoor Dancing events:

July 12th Copley Square 1pm - 4:00pm FREE

Saturday August 1st - Swingin’ on the Charles at Community Boathouse 7:30pm - 11pm. Admission $10/$8 students and seniors

Aug 16th Piers Park, East Boston 2pm - 5pm FREE
Sept 13th Copley Square 1pm - 4:00pm FREE

Closed

julie — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 06:59:07 +0000

We will be closed July 10th.

No Dance - July 4th Weekend

julie — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 06:29:20 +0000

We’ll be closed this Friday for the July 4th weekend. Enjoy the fireworks!

Julie Irish (Secretary)

julie — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 02:54:09 +0000

Julie has been dancing most of her life (including many years of folk dancing), but started dancing Lindy Hop in 2008 as her New Year’s resolution. If only all of her resolutions were so successful! Once she got started, there was no turning back. She is an active member of the Boston Lindy Hop scene, loves to attend events around the US, and teaching and DJing locally. When she’s not at the dance floor or at work, she volunteers giving architecture tours. Ask her about quoining sometime if you want to get her excited. Her forte is managing projects day and night…for the BSC this focus has recently been getting our new venue ready to call home…and what patience she must have for that project! (coming any day now!) When that that’s over she can go back to marketing fun. If you’ve bought your BSC water bottle, bought a chair, are on our mailing list you’re more likely to get a dance (she knows who you are).

Email her at julie.irish@bostonswingcentral.org

Boston Swing Central Goes to Beantown!

julie — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 06:59:02 +0000

We’ll be co-hosting the Saturday night dance at Beantown Camp tonight! Come check us out for a rockin’ good time with The Boilermaker Jazz Band!!!! Need a ride? Check the forum for friends that are going too!

Check in: 8:45 PM

End Time: Very Late

Callahan Center, Endicott College

376 Hale Street

Beverley, MA 01915

Summer Swing

james — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 06:59:51 +0000

It’s been a wet week and half, and with the wet weather, we’re a little sad to tell you that this is our final week at St. Mary’s Church. So come on out and dance one last time at this great little venue. This week we have Retro Mike and Jay Provost spinning and hopefully summoning some Summer Sun…

We are taking a couple of weeks off from our regular Friday night dance in July to do some special Summer dances (again assuming it gets here) and to look for a new venue. So even though we won’t be at St. Mary’s, don’t forget we’ll still be out there bringing you some great dances over the next couple weeks! Including these you’ll want to put on your calendar:
- Co-hosting the Beantown Saturday night dance with the Boilermakers this Saturday, June 27th at Endicott College
- Our first Copley dance on Sunday July 12th (the June date was rained out)
- A special one off Dance on Friday, July 17th (details and location TBD)
- The Boathouse dance on Saturday, August 1st

So watch your inbox, check out or website, or follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more information, we have some exciting things coming!

Your friends at Boston Swing Central.

Swingology

julie — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 06:59:16 +0000

It’s the 4th Friday of the month and you know what that means… BOSTON SWING CENTRAL is hosting Swingology! Swingology is where we feature some of Boston’s finest DJs spinning their best for you. There are so many talented and knowledgeable swing DJs in this town. It’s fun to shake things up and see what’s out there. Our theme nights force them to rethink their oeuvre, but on Swingology, we let them spin what they want! It’s as simple as 5, 6, 7 and 8!

And don’t forget tomorrow, June 27th, Boston Swing Central goes to Beantown, where we’ll be hosting the Boilermakers from Pittsburgh. This will surely be a great night of dancing as well, as the Boilermakers don’t make it up this way too often, you don’t want to miss them! BSC will also be running the late night party and djing between the Boilermakers sets…so come up to Endicott College if you haven’t already signed up for Beantown and see what all the hub bub is about!

Kellian & Brian are our teachers for the evening. Always guaranteed to put a smile on your face…

Lesson 8-9pm / Dancing 9pm-1am
$10 / $8 for students (with valid ID) and seniors

julie — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 02:31:44 +0000

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Miss Tess and the Bon Ton Parade

julie — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 06:59:18 +0000

Continuing our relentless schedule of bands and new bands to Boston Swing Central, we are happy to welcome Miss Tess and the Bon Ton Parade. Some of you might have seen her at the Boston Independence Exchange as one half of the duo, the Sweet and Low Down. The Bon Parade is her backing band, which promises to keep things lively and swinging with their reimagined 21st century Golden-age jazz. You will leave with a smile on your face. And if you feel so inclined, dress in your best quirky-retro-modern-vintage-wear to blend in with the band.

Todd Schmenk and Beth Donahue from Zazu Swing in Providence are our guest teachers. Come learn how to dance really smoothly from this talented twosome.

Lesson 8-9pm / Dancing 9pm-12am
$13 / $10 for students (with valid ID) and seniors
Boston Swing Central
St Mary’s Orthodox Church
8 Inman St, Central Square, Cambridge, MA

Boston Swing Central Summer Outdoor Dance Series

james — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 06:59:14 +0000

June 14th dance CANCELED due to rain.

Boston Swing Central is really excited that Summer has finally arrived! (well sort of, you wouldn’t know it by the chilly temps we’ve had lately, but technically it’s still Spring until June 21st). And to usher in the warmer weather and the sunny skies, we will start with Copley Square Swing on Sunday June 14th. This is a free dance, it’s open to the public and we’ll be teaching a lesson for those that are interested from 1pm - 2pm…and of course there will be open dancing throughout the afternoon.

Later on this summer we’ll be back at Piers Park in East Boston one more time, hopefully this time it won’t be so windy!

Copley Square 1pm - 4:00pm FREE

The Blue Vipers of Brooklyn (Special Event)

julie — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 06:59:09 +0000

Ladies and Gentlemen, fresh off their gig at Frankie 95 in NYC, the Blue Vipers of Brooklyn play their Boston Swing Central debut. They’ve been tearing up New York with their unique brand of hot jazz which features some virtuosic washboard playing and their ready to tear up Boston. You may need to bring a towel and an extra shirt…because it’s going to be an evening on the up tempo side of things. So for those of you who crave speed…this might be your night. The rest of us will wait for their singer to croon a blue moon betwixt all the crazy jitterbuggin’ numbers…

Kellian and Brian will be teaching a fun-filled version of our weekly lesson. Come dance like a chicken with them…

Lesson 8-9pm / Dancing 9pm-12am
$15 / $13 for students (with valid ID) and seniors
Boston Swing Central
St Mary’s Orthodox Church
8 Inman St, Central Square, Cambridge, MA

J Street Band

julie — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 06:59:52 +0000

BOSTON SWING CENTRAL is happy to have the return of J Street, a fantastic band from Albany headed by piano player and smokey-voiced singer Josh Fialkoff, whom we all know and love from the Fried Bananas! We hear that Shawn Hershey may join them on trumpet for a bit, as well. Expect a lively jazz sound with a bluesy grooviness inspired by the likes of Ray Charles, Bill Withers, and Lou Rawls.

Shawn and Amanda will be teaching our weekly lesson with BSC. Check out what they have for you this week!

Lesson 8-9pm / Dancing 9pm-12am
$13 / $10 for students (with valid ID) and seniors
Boston Swing Central
St Mary’s Orthodox Church
8 Inman St, Central Square, Cambridge, MA

Rusty Scott Trio

julie — Sat, 30 May 2009 06:59:25 +0000

BOSTON SWING CENTRAL is proud to introduce the Rusty Scott Trio. It’s been a while since we’ve had some new bands at Boston Swing Central, but we’ve finally found a few and we’ll be kicking off this little run of new bands (see June’s schedule for more BSC debuts) with the Rusty Scott Trio. Rusty Scott is a pianist who has been a fixture on the Boston jazz scene for some time. He plays a groovy soulful jazz style in the vein of Gordon Webster. We’re hoping he catches fire like Gordon has and we’ll have a new star on the Boston swing circuit.

Lesson 8-9pm / Dancing 9pm-12am
$13 / $10 for students (with valid ID) and seniors
Boston Swing Central
St Mary’s Orthodox Church
8 Inman St, Central Square, Cambridge, MA

Springology

julie — Sat, 23 May 2009 06:59:02 +0000

Springology! Spring has finally sprung! And boy are we happy! We’re so happy to have some great DJs in store for you, our own Tim Lewandowski and Jason Provost are joined by guest, Joe Perrone. And as you can tell from the temporary renaming of this night, we’ve decided to start anew with a fresh outlook on our Swingology night…

Yes, you might not have thought about it but the secret of Swingology is diversity. There are a great many DJs in Boston and no two of them are the same and that’s a great thing (think of them like snowflakes), that means exposure to all different interpretations of what swings and represents the wide spectrum of tastes in our community. And I guess that about says it all. Can we appreciate the diversity within our community and different approaches to DJing? Does that mean Swingology is avant garde and experimental? Heck no. It just means that we’re trying to allow the many different voices in a community a forum with which to share their, ahem, spin on what swings.

Lesson 8:00-9:00pm / Dancing 9:00pm-12am
$10 / $8 for students (with valid ID) and seniors

Boston Swing Central

St. Mary’s Orthodox Church

8 Inman Street, Central Square, Cambridge

What’s Buzzin’ Cousin?

julie — Sat, 16 May 2009 06:59:28 +0000

Don’t forget! We’ll be returning to St Mary’s Orthodox church starting today — right around the corner at 8 Inman St (click to view a map).

What’s Buzzin’ Cousin? A veritable catchphrase in swingology from the hepest of hepcats, Cab Calloway. He coined the phrases that are now common place and with his Bugs Bunny grin lit up the screen in the Blues Brothers with his classic Minnie the Moocher…Cab is a true icon in American culture. Tonight, Boston Swing Central is buzzin with his songs and his crazy hep to the jive vibe. Cmon out and get in the groove tonight!

Lesson 8-9pm / Dancing 9pm-12 midnight
$10 / $8 for students (with valid ID) and seniors
Boston Swing Central
St Mary’s Orthodox Church
8 Inman St, Central Square, Cambridge, MA

Boston Swing Central and BIX @ Piers Park in East Boston!

julie — Mon, 11 May 2009 01:00:31 +0000

The view from the park is spectacular, it’s one of the best views of downtown Boston and overlooks the Harbor. We’re very excited to be throwing a dance here for the first time, so come on out, it’s FREE to the public! DJs Retro Mike and Downtown Julie Brown will be spinning some of their finest feel good Springtime music, keep your fingers crossed for good weather (the forecast shows that it’s going to partly cloudy with intermittent sun and about 64, so let’s hope that it doesn’t rain). In any event bring a light jacket, it’s by the water, so it can get a little chilly and breezy…Details below

Details

Address: Piers Park, 95 Marginal St, East Boston, MA 02128

Date: Sunday May 10th, 2009

Time: 2pm - 5pm

Cost: FREE!!!

Here’s a link to the park for further info. Check out that view!

http://www.bostonharborwalk.com/placestogo/location.php?nid=4&sid=24

George Gee and the Jump Jive and Wailers/Boston Independence Exchange

julie — Sat, 09 May 2009 06:59:24 +0000

We at Boston Swing Central are extremely excited for the Boston Independence Exchange (BIX). And we’re even more ecstatic that we get to host George Gee and the Jump Jive and Wailers! The last time we can remember George Gee playing with his fantastic big band for Frankie Manning’s 87th birthday. Well, it’s been too long. George Gee brings one of the premier big bands in the country to Boston. This is also the first night of BIX and for those of you who have not experienced an Exchange…these are some of the most fun events in swing dancing. A whole weekend dedicated to dancing where Boston hosts out-of-town dancers, who to come and mix, mingle and energize our scene.

This is also our last night at the YMCA, so if you’re thinking you’ll miss that Homecoming dance vibe, please come on out and soak it up.

Lessons 8:00-9:00pm / Dancing 9:00pm-12am
$15 / $12 for students (with valid ID) and seniors
Boston Swing Central at YMCA
820 Massachusetts Ave, Central Square, Cambridge, MA

Frankie’s Favorites

julie — Sat, 02 May 2009 06:59:13 +0000

We are very sad to have lost our friend Frankie Manning, the world’s leading ambassador of Lindy Hop, this week. But we’re sure that he’d want us to all keep swinging. In his honor, we will be doing a special Shim Sham led by Tony and Aurelie during our dance this Friday. We hope that you can all come out and join us and celebrate Frankie Manning’s life with us.

Our DJs, Ogden Sawyer, Phil Shapiro and James McClurkin will spin some of Frankie’s Favorites. Expect to hear some of his favorite music, which includes tracks by Fletcher Henderson, Count Basie, Jimmie Lunceford, George Gee and many more! We had originiallly scheduled our Frankie’s Favorites night for May 22nd, which was the weekend of his 95th birthday celebration.

Tony and Aurelie Tye will teach our beginning lesson.

Dan Pederson and Nina Current will teach their final installment of the intermediate lesson pilot program. See our website for more details.

Lessons 8-9pm / Dancing 9pm-12 midnight
$10 / $8 for students and seniors (with valid ID)
Boston Swing Central at the YMCA
820 Massachusetts Avenue, Central Square, Cambridge, MA

Swing & Soul

julie — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 06:59:58 +0000

Boston Swing Central is excited for a night of house rockin’ Soul! We’ve invited Soul DJ extraordinaire, Mark Francis, who DJs Lost & Found on WMBR, MIT’s college radio station, as well as many soul nights at various nightclubs around the Boston area. So for those of you who like to groove while you move, this is going to be your night!

Special Note: BSC is going green for Earth Day again this week. Bring your own or buy a brand new BSC Water Bottle! If you forget, dig deep for those quarters! Cups will be available for $.50 a piece. Cup proceeds and $1 from each water bottle sale will go to the Green Streets Initiative.

Lesson 8-9pm / Dancing 9pm-12 midnight
$10 / $8 for students (with valid ID) and seniors
Boston Swing Central at YMCA
820 Massachusetts Avenue, Central Square, Cambridge, MA

Swing Legacy

julie — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 06:59:13 +0000

Once again, BOSTON SWING CENTRAL is happy to welcome back, The Swing Legacy! This six-piece little big band has been a fixture of the Boston swing scene since 1991, playing with the polish and powerful beat of the great big bands from the swing era. Their repertoire concentrates on classic big band swing music including many Duke Ellington and Count Basie numbers ideal for Lindy Hopping. Their exciting original arrangements produce a room-filling sound that will keep you on your feet all night long!

Lesson 8-9pm / Dancing 9pm-12 midnight
$13 / $10 for students (with valid ID) and seniors
Boston Swing Central at the YMCA
820 Massachusetts Avenue, Central Square, Cambridge, MA

Take Me Out to the Ballgame- Our Tribute to Baseball

julie — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 06:59:57 +0000

One of the ways we know it’s really finally Springtime in New England is the opening day at Fenway! The Red Sox kicked off their season this past Monday. And because we at Boston Swing Central consist of more than a few baseball fans, we’re bringing you our tribute to baseball tonight. Songs about Joltin’ Joe Dimaggio and the Say Hey Kid, Willie Mays will assuredly be played tonight! So come out swingin’ in your favorite team’s gear (and leave your bat at home).

Shawn Hershey and Nicole Zuckerman of It’s All Swing are our teachers for the evening!

Lesson 8:00-9:00pm / Dancing 9:00pm-12:00am
$10 / $8 for students (with valid ID) and seniors

Boston Swing Central at the YMCA
820 Massachusetts Avenue, Central Square, Cambridge, MA

Special Note! Dan Pederson and Nina Current will teach our intermediate lesson starting this week!

Back Bay Rhythm Makers help us celebrate First Anniversary of Boston Swing Central

julie — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 06:59:58 +0000

We at Boston Swing Central are happy to celebrate our first Anniversary with you. The year has gone by so fast and we couldn’t have done it without you! It’s been such a great experience and I think we’ve had some very memorable nights of dancing! From Calling All Zombies to the I >heart< Swing! We’ve just had a blast. And it all began just a year ago. Anyhow we’re kicking off our 2nd year with the glorious Back Bay Rhythm Makers, who definitely tear it up old school, just the way we like it! Let’s dress up for this party!

So tell all your friends and come early, as we’re expecting a very fun filled and packed evening.

Lesson 8:00-9:00pm / Dancing 9:00pm-12:00am
$15 / $12 for students (with valid ID) and seniors
Boston Swing Central at YMCA
820 Mass Ave, Central Square, Cambridge, MA

Swingology

julie — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 06:59:06 +0000

It’s time for the fair winds of March to bid us adieu. We will end the month with another Swingology, our most eclectic night of music! It’s a concept we have developed to explore the question, “What swings?”, a topic of considerable debate among DJs.

Depending on who’s spinning, you may get a blend of classic swing (Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong) with favorite soul artists (Betty LaVette, Stevie Wonder), or maybe the best of Neo-swing (Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Lavay Smith) and great swing-era divas (Ruth Brown, Peggy Lee). There’s sure to be some fantastic jump blues and hot jazz in the mix too! The idea of Swingology is to explore some of these boundaries while keeping the mix strongly rooted in familiar artists and songs we love to hear. You can expect a night full of good, solid, swing dance music from every corner of the kingdom of Swing and one thing’s for sure, the music will be like the weather in New England: if you don’t like it, just wait 5 minutes and it will change.

Kellian Adams and Brian Pletcher are our teachers for the evening!

Lesson 8-9pm / Dancing 9pm-12 midnight
$10 / $8 for students (with valid ID) and seniors
Boston Swing Central at the YMCA
820 Massachusetts Avenue, Central Square, Cambridge, MA

Shawn Hershey Quartet

julie — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 06:59:00 +0000

Tonight at BOSTON SWING CENTRAL we will feature the Shawn Hershey Quartet, a small combo Shawn Hershy of the Fried Bananas has put together to play for us. After a similar group of his played a delightful, spirited set at the Union Square Farmer’s Market this summer, we asked Shawn to recreate the vibe for us. We then had Shawn play a short set with this combo in January. Tonight, he’s back for a full night of jazz that is guaranteed to keep you dancing!

Lesson 8:00-9pm / Dancing 9pm-12 midnight
$13 / $10 for students (with valid ID) and seniors
Boston Swing Central at the YMCA

820 Massachusetts Avenue, Central Square, Cambridge, MA

Rocco & the Stompers, Beantown Swing Orchestra - Vintage Dress-up

james — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 06:59:54 +0000

Don’t forget! We’ll be at our temporary venue - right around the corner at The YMCA (click to view a map).

BOSTON SWING CENTRAL is really excited to have Rocco and the Stompers, along with their parental unit, the Beantown Swing Orchestra, play for us tonight. So, essentially we have a little big band and a big band. And as an extra special treat, nationally renowned singer/ songwriter Erin McKeown will join the Beantown Swing Orchestra on vocals. You won’t want to miss this! This is going to sell out, so get there early!

We’re also going to do a Shim Sham for Frankie’s 95th Birthday Party! “A What Wham?” you ask? “And who’s this Frankie guy?” Well, Frankie Manning is one of few surviving Lindy Hoppers from the Savoy Ballroom days in the 1930s, (and also one of our guiding lights!) and he turns 95 this May. And he’s having a gigantic birthday celebration in New York. And for his birthday, dance scenes from all around the world are performing the Shim Sham (Frankie’s favorite line dance) for him which will be edited into a video. So Boston represent! We are also encouraging everyone to dress vintage on this night!!

We’ll have a basic swing lesson from 8-8:30pm and a lesson on the Shim Sham from 8:30 -9:15pm, both taught by Tony and Aurelie Tye of Hop to the Beat dance studio!

Lesson 8-9pm / Dancing 9pm to 12 midnight
$15 / $12 for students (with valid ID) and seniors
Boston Swing Central at YMCA
820 Massachusetts Avenue, Central Square, Cambridge, MA

Gordon Webster Quintet with Brianna Thomas

julie — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 06:59:35 +0000

Don’t forget! We’ll be at our temporary venue — right around the corner at The YMCA (click to view a map)..

Once again, BOSTON SWING CENTRAL is proud to welcome back Gordon Webster and his full quartet, including his super talented vocalist Brianna Thomas. But since Gordon is making his second appearance at BSC this year, we asked him to change it up and throw us one of his curveballs…and this time he also brings Jesse Selengut, on trumpet and additional vocals. Jesse might be familiar to you if were at the packed Brookline Tai Chi show last Fall. Anyhow, Jesse brings an added dimension to the Quartet and makes them now a Quintet! Brianna, Jesse, Gordon, they are going to ROCK THE HOUSE! This band creates an electric vibe like how we imagine it was back in the day, when people were packed into the Plug Nickel, the audience sitting on the edge of their seats with excitement.

This wildly popular group draws a big crowd, so come early to guarantee your spot on the floor! If we’re at capacity when you arrive, check back in 30 minutes and we’ll likely be able to let more people in. There are a lot of great bars, clubs, and a fantastic coffee shop right around the corner to keep you entertained in the meantime!

Ogden & Nicole of It’s All Swing Dance Studios will be teaching the lesson tonight. If you haven’t seen them dance, you’re in for a treat! Ogden is known around these parts as “The Velvet Slinky”. The cat is smooth. And Nicole has been consistently winning every swing dance competition she seems to enter. So we’re very excited to present them in all their dancing glory.

Lesson 8-9pm / Dancing 9pm-12 midnight

$15 / $12 for students (with valid ID) and seniors
Boston Swing Central at the YMCA
820 Massachusetts Avenue, Central Square, Cambridge, MA

Red Hot and Blues Night

james — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 06:59:16 +0000

To warm you up in the dead of winter and to kick off the Sweet Molasses Blues workshop weekend, we’ve brought back our Red Hot and Blues night! A hit from this past summer, we’ll feature red hot jazz early in the evening, kickin’ it old school before turning ever more bluesy as the night goes on. We have some special guest DJs from out-of-town who are visiting for the workshops to lend their energy to our scene! So come on out and see what this talk about blues is all about.

Plus, Shawn and Amanda of It’s All Swing will be teaching the lesson tonight!

Lesson 8-9pm / Dancing 9pm-1am
$10 / $8 for students (with valid ID) and seniors

Swingology

james — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 06:59:43 +0000

Boston Swing Central is back with another night of Swingology, where our DJs experiment and explore all sorts of different things that swing… So come on out and enjoy a variety of your favorite swing songs mixed with some new ones that you might not have considered to be swing. This is where our DJs get to have a little fun and be creative, so we know you will too!

Kellian Adams & Brian Pletcher will be teaching the lesson tonight.

Lesson 8-9pm / Dancing 9pm-12am
$10 / $8 for students (with valid ID) and seniors

Where can I learn more?

julie — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 01:18:40 +0000

In addition to local studios such as It’s All Swing and Hop to the Beat, there are many dance camps (that’s right, this one time, at dance camp….) and workshops available. There are listings for them on various websites including ours and in the forum as well as places like www.lindyexchange.com. Going to a camp or a workshop is a fun and intensified way to learn a lot of material in a very concentrated amount of time.

What is an Exchange?

julie — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 01:18:15 +0000

An Exchange is a dance weekend, that gives the host city a chance to show off as many of their best venues, bands, dj’s, and fun parts of what there is to do. The host city opens it’s doors for the Exchange weekend and invites dancers to come visit. Normally the visiting dancers are housed with other local dancers, so you have a friendly face to welcome you & ease your stay.

Where can I learn?

julie — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 01:16:28 +0000

Besides the free lessons before most (if not all) of the local dances. There are three main studios which teach Lindy Hop in the Boston area. They are: www.ItsAllSwing.com (Watertown on Wednesdays), www.fiveguysnamedmike.com (Cambridge, Mondays), www.hoptothebeat.com (Newton, Sundays), www.dancewithliz.com (Somerville on Thurs). We highly recommend you take some of these classes in order to learn more beyond East Coast swing. There are also numerous workshops, dance camps and competition weekends to attend where classes are offered.

Where can I dance?

Monday - Monday Night Practice in Harvard Square. See www.fiveguysnamedmike.com

Wed - MIT Lindy Society. See www.mit.edu/swing

Friday - Boston Swing Central and www.swingcityboston.com

Saturday - A wide spectrum of monthly dances

Watertown - www.bostonswingdance.com

Uptown Swing - www.hoptothebeat.com

Blues Cafe - www.dancewithliz.com

See www.havetodance.com for a complete and up-to-date calendar of all activities.

Boston Swing Central

Tuesday Swing Lesson and Practice @ The Whistle Stop

Swingin’ on the Charles SPECIAL SATURDAY OUTDOOR DANCE

A Song is Born

Copley Square - Free Outdoor Dance

Toni Lynn Washington Band

Raise the Roof for Gospel Swing

NEW Beginning and Intermediate Lesson Series - Starts Tuesday, July 6th!

All-American Swing

Tuesday Night Practica and Practice Session

It’s Only a Paper Moon

Beginning Lindy Hop - Week 4 and Practice Session

The Chicks Will Have Their Say, and the Guys Will Have to Pay

Beginning Lindy Hop - Week 3 and Practice Session

Shawn Hershey Quartet & Special Bring a Friend Promotion

Beginning Lindy Hop Series - Week 2 and Practice Session

Sweet and Low Down

Tuesday Night Practice and Beginning Lindy Hop Series

Piers Park - Boston Swing Central and BIX

BIX - The Fried Bananas AND The Rusty Scott Trio!

Sinti Rhythm - Django Reinhardt Tribute Band

Tuesday Night - Practice Session Opening Night!

Grand Opening at the Crosby Whistle Stop with the Jailhouse 5 +2!

Sneak Preview - Crosby Whistle Stop

How Much Does the Dance Cost? How much is the lesson?

Chicken Fried Swing

ee cummings tribute

Abby Cohen

Spring Fling

Gordon Webster with Brianna Thomas at Springstep!

Sweet and Low Down

Happy 2nd Birthday BSC with Swing Legacy

Dancin’ with Joe

Rusty Scott Trio

Monet Tribute

Sinti Rhythm Debuts at the BSC!

Sweet Molasses Blues - Event Weekend at Springstep!

Fats Waller

I

New Orleans…Where It All Began

Djangology

Miss Tess and the Bon Ton Parade

Fletcher Henderson Experience

Wicked New Year!

Happy New Year - We’re Closed

Merry Christmas - We’re Closed

DJ Night

Holiday Party with Shawn Hershey Quartet

December 4th - Closed

Closed for Thanksgiving Holiday

Back Bay Rhythm Makers

You Are What You Eat

Benny Goodman Tribute

Calling all Zombies 2

Kickin’ it Old Skool

Neo Swing

College Night - $5 Admission

Stompin’ at the Savoy

Beantown Swing - T-Step Workshop Weekend at Springstep

Beantown Swing - T-Step Workshop Weekend!

A Tribute to Swing Royalty

CANCELED: Outdoor Summer Dance - Copley Square

Back to School Swing

Closed for Labor Day

Gordon Webster Trio

A Tribute to the Dog Days of Summer

Summer Outdoor Dance Series Continues at Piers Park!

We’re back Starting August 14th!

Swingin’ on the Charles

BSC Incorporation and New Venue Fund Raiser!

Copley Square FREE Outdoor Dance

Closed

No Dance - July 4th Weekend

Julie Irish (Secretary)

Boston Swing Central Goes to Beantown!

Summer Swing

Swingology

Twitter Updates

Miss Tess and the Bon Ton Parade

Boston Swing Central Summer Outdoor Dance Series