In exciting news for the Orange County dance community, Shesha and Nikki Marvin, owners of Atomic Ballroom in Irvine, are opening an additional location in historic downtown Fullerton on August 1st 2018! The venue will be called Atomic Ballroom Fullerton. Previously at that location was Fullerton DanceSport Center. It was also the home of Inspiration Continue Reading…
Marshall Watson’s Swingtronic at Pour Vous is one of my favorite weekly swing dance events. The 1930’s Parisian decor, the great Gypsy-jazz bands, and the amazing dancers are why I love this event. They also have great drinks and crepes! The only problem for me and other dancers I’ve talked to, has been the late Continue Reading…
Are you making any new year’s resolutions this year? Here are my top reasons why learning how to Swing dance should be at the top of your list in 2018. 1. It’s Insanely Fun What is your idea of a fun Friday or Saturday night? I guarantee that once you learn how to Swing dance Continue Reading…
Shag (or “Collegiate Shag”) is a partner dance that is done by a good number of Swing dancers in Los Angeles and Orange County, usually to fast music from the 1920’s or 30’s. A little while ago, I saw a video on Facebook from an Instagram feed called Live.Collegiate.Shag. It was a short clip of Continue Reading…
If you live on the West Side of Los Angeles like me, you’ll know what it’s like to constantly have to drive all the way to Downtown L.A. or Pasadena to go Swing dancing. For some reason, the West Side and beach cities just can’t seem to hold on to Swing venues. The one exception Continue Reading…
Director Susan Glatzer’s Alive and Kicking, a movie featuring many well-known local and national Swing dancers, is getting great reviews among swing dancers and in mainstream media. As of this writing, it has a 98% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes with 187 user ratings. L.A. Times film critic Sheri Linden gives it a positive review, Continue Reading…
Finding authentic clothing from the 1940’s is not easy: it can take a lot of time and the pickin’s can be slim. Plus, clothes that old can be fragile. So, I’ve asked local vintage fashion dress company, Loco Lindo, to talk about the vintage-inspired dresses they design and make for Swing dancers. This is not a paid article – Continue Reading…
On Thursday, December 29th, 2016, the “little big band” Phat Cat Swinger played to a packed dance floor at the Edison in Downtown Los Angeles. It was my first time seeing Phat Cat Swinger, and it was the most crowded I’ve ever seen the Edison on a Thursday night. I admit – I was skeptical Continue Reading…
I still remember dancing at the original Memories in Anaheim, where some of the best dancers in Orange County and all of LA would show up every week! I can’t believe that was over fifteen years ago! Memories is now in charming uptown Whittier and celebrated their crystal anniversary with a Black and White Gala featuring Phat Continue Reading…
Soho Dance LA, the “largest dance studio in West Los Angeles”, has ended its monthly Sunday Swing dance nights. The event’s organizer, David Stockin, canceled all future Swing dance events on Facebook last Monday, July 11th after their last Swing dance event with Barbara Morrison, citing poor attendance. The dance studio featured an immaculate 3000 Continue Reading…
On Thursday, June 30th, 2016, Lindygroove celebrated its 15th anniversary with a huge dance featuring Jonathan Stout & his Campus Five featuring Hilary Alexander plus the Grand Slam Sextet. Lindygroove is the largest weekly Swing dance event in Southern California (and perhaps the entire Western United States), happening every Thursday night at the historic 1926 Masonic Continue Reading…
On Sunday, May 1st, we lost Amy Denissen, a beloved member of the LA/OC Swing dance community. This is the statement her family posted on her Facebook page: This morning, Amy – our beautiful daughter, sister and friend – is at peace with her loved ones in heaven after a six year journey with ovarian cancer. Continue Reading…
Let me tell you a story of something insane that happened. In 2014, I started helping my friend, Fons, promote his monthly outdoor Swing dancing at the Third Street Promenade and Santa Monica Pier. Basically I would create a Facebook event and maybe post some photos. Sometimes we’d have a decent turnout of dancers, but Continue Reading…
Clifton’s Cafeteria is a cafeteria, vintage bar, and kitschy “natural history museum” all rolled into one amazing multi-level building. It’s one of the last remaining vestiges of golden-age Los Angeles charm.
FOR NEW YEAR’S EVE DEC 31, 2016, GO TO THIS PAGE!!! Here’s my annual rundown of the best New Year’s Eve Swing dance events in Los Angeles and Orange County on December 31st, 2015. People started asking me about this in November, so I guess it’s useful! I was kind of bummed to hear that Lindygroove is Continue Reading…
I finally got my hands on the long-awaited album from Dave Stuckey and the Hot House Gang, released on September 1st 2015! It’s called “How’m I Doin’?!” which sounds like something Dave would actually ask in the middle of a packed gig with sincere humility. The answer here is “great!” In case you are not familiar with them, Continue Reading…
Here is a bucket list for LA/OC Swing dancers. No, I haven’t done all of these, but I figure it’s a good list to strive for. How many have you done? Check the boxes and see your percentage below! You can check off a few of these items this weekend at Camp Hollywood! 1. Take Continue Reading…
Swing dancing is a great social activity when you’re single, but it can also be a really fun and classy date idea. Here are my top ten Swing dance date venues in the Los Angeles/Orange County area, starting with my all-time top pick: The Cicada Club! 1. The Cicada Club The Cicada Club is at the Continue Reading…
Unfortunately, Don the Beachcomber has closed as of April 15, 2018, due to high rents. We’ll miss this venue! Original Article Don the Beachcomber is a huge Tiki-themed restaurant and bar in Huntington Beach with three stages. The promoters at B&B’s Musical Thrills want to make this a premiere Swing and Rockabilly dance destination, booking some of the Continue Reading…
I went to a few events recently that made me think about the popularity of Western Swing, and how the dance crowds seem to be getting bigger for bands of this genre compared to previous years. The first band I’m thinking of is Petunia and the Vipers. Although labeling Petunia as purely “Western Swing” would Continue Reading…