Sweet, Sweet Swing is back on Sunday October 11 and we couldn’t be more excited!

First up, at the last moment we have secured our old venue of The Republic Bar and Café (in the upstairs room), although we would like to thank Kelvin and Robbie for the generous offer of their venue, The New Norfolk Distillery, at 60 Humphrey Road, New Norfolk when we were trying to find somewhere to dance (if you haven’t been there yet, you should definitely check it out!).

The time will be from 4:00-6:00pm (NEW TIME), and as usual we will be convening for dinner afterwards downstairs.

And just like SSS of old, there will be no restrictions on partner dancing – dance with whoever agrees to dance with you.

Needless to say, we’re very much looking forward to it!

Check out the Facebook event here – https://www.facebook.com/events/2828048027413998/

Cost – $10
No food or alcohol upstairs (COVID restrictions)
Support the venue by purchasing drinks downstairs, and stay for dinner afterwards!

If you’d like to stay for dinner with us, let us know via the Facebook event and we’ll organise a table.

As life continues to return to some form of normal, we’re also changing our Wednesday class format in October – TasSwing will be returning to TWO classes of partner dancing, AND we will also be returning to regular swapping of partners for those of you that are comfortable to do so.  At this stage we are not resuming the Hobart Hoppers class, although we will be looking to do that in November, should October go well.

So on Wednesday nights you can expect the following:

6:30-7:30pm – Beginner Swingers (suitable for brand-new, or existing dancers)
7:30-8:30pm – Building Blocks (suitable for more experienced dancers)

Furthermore, as mentioned above, we will be returning to normal partner rotations in class for those that are comfortable doing so.  If you would rather dance the class with just one partner, that will be totally fine.

Partner dancing in the Wednesday classes is going to start again on September 2! We’re going to keep the solo class going as well at 6:30pm, and have partner dancing at 7:45pm.

Remember though, we still have a limit of 30 students per class, so if you’re planning on coming, please let us know by email, or by commenting on Facebook!

So, here’s how it will work:

1) We WON’T be swapping partners like normal.
2) If you come with a partner on the night, you CAN dance with that person only.
3) If you don’t come with a partner on the night, we’ll do our best to partner you up with someone for the entire class.
4) If numbers are uneven, we will establish small bubbles amongst willing participants in which limited partner swapping can take place.

Return to Swing Classes!

The good news is that TasSwing is planning on resuming face-to-face swing classes at the Polish Hall on Wednesday, August 5!

Given the current situation in Victoria, we felt as though it was prudent to adopt a more patient approach to re-opening, especially considering the active, indoor nature of dancing. Note, that we will be keeping an eye on the situation and should COVID-19 cases in Tasmania spike again, we will re-evaluate at that time.

At this stage, classes will have a different look to them! For the month of August we will be pursuing solo classes ONLY. If things continue to go well, we will gradually reintroduce partner dancing. We are planning on running two solo classes – an “all levels” class at 6:30pm, and then a solo routine class from 7:45pm (for example, looking at dances like the Dean Collins Shim Sham, the Tranky Doo, etc.).

However, we will need a minimum of ten students in each class to go ahead.

Other rules that we will have in place:

1) If you are sick – STAY AT HOME!
2) Entry will be via the Kitchen door – and all students will be required to wash their hands on entry. We will also have hand sanitiser present in class. Exit will be via the front or side doors.
3) Cashless payments are preferred, but we will still be accepting cash.
4) Class numbers will be capped at 30 – you can pre-book and pre-pay to reserve a spot, but otherwise it will be first come, first served!
5) Please maintain social distancing.
6) Masks are not mandatory, in line with Tasmanian Government policies, but please do wear one if you are concerned.
7) Get in, get out! If you have finished your class, then please exit as quickly as possible.

Are you missing face to face swing classes?  Well, while we aren’t resuming all classes just yet (we’ll keep you posted), Barry’s Tuesday classes are getting started on June 9!  However, there are a few ground rules to be aware of…

Pat Murnane Hall in Lenah Valley.

7:30 Balboa

8:30 Blues

Both classes cater for all levels.

Because of Covid 19 restrictions:

1. There is a limit to how many people can be accommodated in the hall. This means that if you are interested in coming let Barry know (Barry@tasswing.com.au) to check that there is space available in the class.
2. In the classes there will be no rotation of partners.

One thing that will be changing in 2020 is our pricing (sorry) – unfortunately it’s one of those things that has to evolve, but we have tried to keep it to a minimum.  It has also been several years since the last price increase, so hopefully you’ll understand.

So new prices for 2020 will be:

$15 per class (the third class in a night is still free though).
$12 per class for students or concession card holders (the third class in a night is free).
$120 for an 11 class pass (unchanged, and now exceptional value!)

We’re trying something new on Wednesday nights.  On the first Wednesday of every month we’re going to change the 8:30pm Hobart Hoppers class into a guided practica social dance.  ALL WELCOME!  The cost is $5, or if you’ve already done the previous two classes you get in for free.  Plus we’ll have teachers on hand who are there to answer any questions you may have about your dancing!

Some come along and get some tips on how to improve, and have some great dances at the same time!

All levels of dancers are welcome!

Did you know that when you take a TasSwing lesson for the very first time we’ll give you a free pass for your second class when you sign up to the newsletter?  You can sign up in class, and then enjoy a second swing lesson on us!

Need some swing tunes to practice to? Then why not try out our Spotify Playlist?

Earlier this year three of our fabulous dancers, Michael, Ariadna an Liv led the iCharleston Hobart project and produced a fantastic video. We thought we should link it here so you can see it whenever you want!

VIDEO CREDITS
Recorded and edited by:
Toño Gomez

Song: “L.O.V.E.” by Nat King Cole
Performed by: “Les Coqs Incroyables”
Randal Muir (accordion and vocals), Dean Stevenson (double bass and lead vocals), Ralph Forehead (guitar and vocals)

Choreographed by: Olivia Bowman, Ariadna Martinez, Michael Laczko

Dancers: Olivia Bowman, Ariadna Martinez, Michael Laczko, Ted Ross, Tim Grimsey, Julie Janssens, Mana Inoue, Anica Boulanger-Mashberg, Phillippa Bricher, Jen Makin, Julie McInnes, Bridget Jenkins, Annie Squires, Jo-Anne Piggott-Broadby, Paul Broadby, Shan Deng, Elysia Chase, Helen McCausland, Geoff Parkinson, Shelley Norton, Christine Toyama

Teams:
*LindyMob* – Ted Ross, Elysia Chase, Alison Rose, Julianne O’Reilly-Wapstra, Dave Connell

*Moonlight Aviators* – Bibiana Devlin, Veronicka Devlin, Amanda Devlin, Kate Grieve, Bryce Lockhart-Gillett, Graeme Quinn