It’s been a very successful summer with Dancing in the Street. I’d like to give a huge shout out to The Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Assn. (DVBIA) for taking a chance on us dancer types and having a little faith in Jungle Swing’s ability to put on quality events on Granville Street this summer. I’d also like to thank a whole list of people for making the Jungle Swing portion of Dancing in the Street a huge success. In no particular order, thank you to:

Dave Henderson Sound for an amazing job with all the sound requirements for the entire Dancing in the Street programme.
UBC Swing Kids for being wonderful Swing Ambassadors during the Jungle Swing portion of Dancing in the Street.
The City of Vancouver for the Rediscover Granville initiative which precipitated the entire event.
Stephen and Jenifer Dancey for being such amazing co-conspirators in this Dancing in the Street thing.
Andrew Miller from Dance Sport BC and Ray Pelland from BC Swing Dance Club for taking a risk and joining the fray.
My family for their support and enthusiasm with the project.
Barbara Fairbrother from the DVBIA for being the ringleader of the project.

To all these people, a huge thank you. I’m looking forward to the possibility of next summers’ Dancing in the Street and working with another great group of people.

The Fall Season of Stomp it Off!

Stomp it Off! is back as of Saturday, 11 September for the fall season. There has been a lot of anticipation about starting back up this fall. I know dancers are looking forward to regular Saturday nights again and we will be able to welcome a lot of new people due to the great success of Dancing in the Street. Stomp it Off! will be back again in its regular home at the Grandview Legion Auditorium, 2205 Commercial Drive. Times have not changed and are as follows:

Doors – 7:30pm
Drop-in Lesson – 8:00pm to 9:00pm
Dance – 9:00pm to 1:00am

All of us here at Jungle Swing are looking forward to reopening the weekend after Labour Day and we know you are as well. To stay up to date, there is some important news for the coming fall programme and all you need to do is read on for the low down.

Stomp it Off! Price Adjustment

This fall Jungle Swing is implementing a price adjustment to cover increases in operational costs. These adjustments have been done under consultation and with the continued health of Stomp it Off! in mind. Primary among these price adjustments is the cost of admission. For those who have taken a peak at the SiO! page on this website, the changes will be old news. Here is the new breakdown of cover charge:

D.J. Night – Members $10.00, non-members $13.00
Band Night – Members $18.00, non-members $21.00

The savings for being a Jungle Swing Member is now $3.00 across the board and you will still be receiving the benefits of Membership with discounts at UBC Swing Kids events along with other Swing Dance related functions during the year. At the moment, the $20.00 cost of Membership remains the same. Price adjustments to Memberships will be coming in January of 2011.

There will also be price adjustments to refreshments and souvenir items at Stomp it Off! dances.

Upcoming Band Nights

We are working hard at Jungle Swing to bring you quality live music experiences for your dancing enjoyment. At the moment effort is going into getting a band ready for Rhythm City’s Mess Around over the September 18th weekend. Stay tuned for more info on that! Later updates will also include a list of bands for the remainder of the season and into 2011.

Thank you for all your support in the past and all of us here at Jungle Swing look forward to seeing you at Stomp it Off! this autumn and well into the future!

Cheers,
Darren

Start Time – 1pm
End Time – 4pm
Location – 700 Block of Granville Street between Georgia and Robson
Entertainment – The Company B Jazz Band with DJ Larry on the band breaks

As we’re coming to the end of the line for Dancing in the Street this summer, there are many people to thank for making this event a success. Right off the top is Barbara Fairbrother from the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Assn. (DVBIA). Without her being the great organizer that she is, Dancing in the Street would have happened. Next is the City of Vancouver for coming up with theRediscover Granville initiative. The leap of faith from the City has helped to change the idea that this is “No-Fun-couver”.

It has been an absolute pleasure to work with Stephen and Jennifer Dancey of SalsaVancouver.net as well as Ray Pelland and Jason Brown of BCSingDance.org and of course Andrew and the fine folks from DanceSportBC.com. If it weren’t for all these great organizers, Dancing in the Street would be seriously lacking.

Finally, a huge shout out to Dave Henderson Sound, the UBC Swing Kids, our instructors Eric and Edina Shaw of Rhythm City Productions, The Company B Jazz Band, Vincent Wong, and my family for all your help, expertise, ideas, tweaks, concerns and feedback. Without all of you, the Jungle Swing portion of Dancing in the Street would not have come off so professional. Thank you all.

That said, we’ll see everyone on August 22nd for Dancing in the Street featuring The Company B Jazz Band… weather permitting of course.

Cheers,
Darren

Update!

We’re on for the day! The barometer is moving towards sunshine and the clouds are merely looking ominous. Come out to Granville Street and dance!

The thing that really made me happy was how many new people we had for the drop-in lesson, even with the weather the way it was. While it had stopped raining downtown by the time we started at 1pm, other areas were still seeing rain and it took a lot of guts for people to decide to come out and take a chance on dancing outdoors. Of course, with the street being a bit damp, it turned out that the surface was much better to dance on, given that we could slide a little and do some spins on a slick ‘dance floor’. It might be an idea to talk to the fire department and see if they can hose down the street for us on the 22nd… or not.

Of course, we’re all looking forward to the August 22nd Finale for Jungle Swing’s portion of Dancing in the Street. We’ll be setting up a stage and having the Company B Jazz Band performing live for much of the event. The band breaks will be handled by DJ Larry, the UBC Swing Kids will be out in force again and our sound guru Dave Henderson will be working his magic to make sure that we are heard all down the length of the block. As usual, the fun will get going at 1pm on the 700 block of Granville Street between Georgia and Robson. Our 30 minute lesson will break the ice and will be followed up by the amazing sound of The Company B Jazz Band. Finally, at 4pm we’ll be turning things over to the West Coast Swing crowd for their 2 hour run.

Thanks to everyone who has supported the event thus far. All of us involved in the organizing look forward to seeing you out again on August 22nd, 1pm on the 700 Block of Granville Street for Jungle Swing’s final Dancing in the Street!

Cheers,
Darren

Update:

I’ve had all sorts of inquiries about dance lessons. If you’re looking to learn to swing dance, you’ll want to learn from the best. Contact the great people over at Rhythm City Productions for class times and information.

To recap, here’s the schedule for August 8th:
1pm to 1:30pm – Drop-in Swing Dance Lesson
1:30pm to 4pm – Dancing with Jungle Swing
4pm to 7pm – West Coast Swing Dancing

Update!

The weather office has changed its stance. We’re looking at sun tomorrow! Come out and dance downtown at the second Jungle Swing Dancing in the Street. As always. ou can get your information here, on our facebook page and on Twitter.

Finally, make sure you keep August 22nd wide open for Jungle Swing’s final Dancing in the Street event. We’ve got The Company B Jazz Band making so much great music, you’ll be inspired to dance. Funny how that works. Once again, Dave Henderson will be the sound guru and DJ Larry will be filling in on the band breaks.

That’s all for now. As things come up, we’ll keep you posted.

Jungle Swing, in cooperation with The Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association, Vancouver Salsa, presents Dancing in the Street, a series of Sunday afternoon dances on the 700 Block of Granville Street between Georgia and Robson. These dances are a part of the Rediscover Granville initiative by the City of Vancouver designed to encourage the arts and entertainment for all in the downtown core.

The start date for this great dance series is July 18th with the kickoff hosted by Jungle Swing. The event will get under way with a quick 30 minute drop-in beginner lesson at 1pm. After the lesson, it’s dancing until 4pm in the open air and summer sun with the best swing DJ’s Vancouver has to offer. Whether you’re a dancer, want to learn, or just like watching and listening to great music, this is an event you won’t want to miss.

Dancing in the Street will be running all summer long and Jungle Swing will contribute three Sundays to the series. Our first is July 18th to be followed with August 8th and August 22nd. The fun starts with a beginner drop-in lesson at 1pm each day and finishes up at 4pm. Jungle Swing will showcase local dance instructors and DJ’s as well as live music from the Vancouver jazz band Company B on August 22nd.

Mark the dates! July 18th, August 8th and August 22nd from 1pm to 4pm each day. Experience Swing Dancing outdoors by Dancing in the Street!

We would also like to thank all those who are contributing in such a meaningful way to make this amazing event happen. First off, Dave Henderson of Dave Henderson Sound is our noise amplification guru. If you need sound, Dave is your man. You can contact him at 778-881-6465 for all your sound needs.

Next, The Company B Jazz Band will be playing, nay, swinging, live on August 22nd for the finale of the Jungle Swing portion of Dancing in the Street! This amazing band plays their hearts out every time they perform for Jungle Swing. They are regulars at the Vancouver International Jazz Festival, have been featured on CBC, and are local musicians to boot! Come and check them out.

The Jungle Swing Team.

While Stomp it Off! will be taking it’s now annual summer hiatus, that doesn’t mean there won’t be any dancing in Vancouver this summer. Showboat is on, the UBC Swing Kids are working hard and Jungle Swing is working on an outdoor event that will be great fun for all those who can attend. There won’t be a dull moment with Vancouver Swing Dancing this summer.

Stay tuned for more information.

Cheers,
Darren

It will be great to see you all again this Saturday. The Dj’s are ready to go and our drop-in lesson will be on, as usual, at 8pm. Bring a friend and spend the night dancing. You’ll be glad you did.

In other news, Jungle Swing is working towards a Sunday afternoon outdoor dance during the summer. I can’t give you any details at the moment, but expect an announcement very soon. We may be lying low with Stomp it Off! for the summer months, but we’re keen to move the party outside while the weather is nice. Stay tuned!

That’s it for now. See you all Saturday at Stomp it Off!

Cheers,
Darren

Speaking of the summer break, I’ve had a number of you ask how much longer we’re running. As mentioned this Saturday will help determine how far into June we’ll go. So really, it’s up to you. You come out, we’ll stay open.

As usual, our drop-in lesson starts at 8pm and the dance begins at 9pm. The cover charge is $10.00 which includes your drop-in. We’re located at 2205 Commercial Drive in the Grandview Legion Auditorium on the corner of Commercial and 6th.

See you on Saturday!
Darren

See you this Saturday at Stomp it Off!

Cheers,
Darren

All of us at Jungle Swing wish you a great weekend and look forward to seeing you out dancing on June 5th!

Cheers,
Darren and the J.S. Team.