New Year Swing 'n' Blues! 30th Dec 2011 - 2nd Jan 2011
We have a lovely weekend of lindyhop and blues for you, in one of the UK's friendliest dance cities. Come and enjoy a relaxed weekend with friends old and new, all at a super-value own-brand bargain-basement price! Have a look at the programme below.
Why not come back and join us in the Spring for the Bristol Swing Festival April 2012? full details tba soon...
UPDATE: Thursday evening is pay on the door - all other events are now completely sold out
Thursday 29th Dec
Arriving early? Join us for Bristol's weekly swing dance night.
Ain't Misbehavin' @ The Southbank Club (10 mins walk from harbourside)
7.30pm-12am (not included in weekend) £4/£3.
Fri 30th Dec
The weekend doesn't really start until this evening, but if you're a real keen bean n here already then we'll have some suggestions for...
Playing tourist which will almost certainly include some lindy/blues bombing - update: we'll meet for lunch/drinks at 1.30pm at the Harbourside Bar, and then depending on the weather we may head outside for some lindybombing.
Bad Penny Blues @board the John Sebastian Lightship (at the harbourside)
8pm-1am Just what it says on the tin...
New Year's Eve
Lunchtime Dance Workshops @ The Island (5 mins walk from Harbourside)
11am-3pm 4 hours of workshops, including some Lindy & some Blues. Update: This will be followed by a screening of Danae Mikelli's short film about the development of the Lindyhop scene in Bristol.
Forum: developing a dance scene @ Drawbridge Pub (Harbourside area, next to the Hippodrome)
3.45-4.45pm We will have a discussion forum for those who are already involved in running dance events/classes and anyone thinking about doing this. Numbers will be limited so there'll be a signup sheet for this.
New Year's Eve Dance @ Southbank Club (10 mins walk from harbourside)
9 til late: performances, live music, DJs, etc...
Last year you said that you'd prefer a separate dedicated area for dancers - that's called customer feedback. We listened - that's called customer-focused.
So, this year... not only have we learnt some jolly handy jargon, but also and more importantly we have our own dedicated dance area in the larger upstairs bar, and full access to all the merriment and entertainments downstairs.
Sun 1st Jan
Ok, it's the day after NYE, we promise to be gentle with you today...
Lunchtime Dance Workshops @ The Island (5 mins walk from Harbourside)
1-3pm 2 hours of workshops, including some Lindy & some Blues.
Afternoon picnic @ The Island (5 mins walk from Harbourside)
Around 3pm. Free food, 'nuff said.
Tea dance @ The Island (5 mins walk from Harbourside)
4-9pm Easy, groovy swing moving into blues as the light recedes and the magic lanterns light up...
(optional) Join us for a bite and a drink to say bye bye @ No.51 Stokes Croft (10 mins walk from the Island)
9.30pm We'll have exclusive use of the upstairs restaurant and can have our own music. They serve cheap good quality pizzas including wheat- & dairy-free options. Food/drink not included in the weekend price.
Mon 2nd Jan
Still with us? Good :-) so come along to The Old Duke, the spiritual home of jazz in Bristol. What it lacks in space, it makes up for in pedigree, history, authenticity, ambience and smashing local ale.
Afternoon Dance @ The Old Duke (5 mins walk from Harbourside)
DJ from 3-6pm, we're hopeful for a live band before that, if not the DJs will start a little earlier.
26/10/11 - Now open for booking!
**The event is now completely sold out**
This is the dance bargain of the year, even if we do say so ourselves...
Social pass: 4 dances and a picnic - only £39!
Full pass: social stuff plus 6 hours of classes - only £50!
That's less than £2 a class. Gee baby, ain't we good to you ;-)
It's a relaxed social weekend, with an atmosphere more like an exchange than a dance camp, so we're not going to be strict on balance of leads/follows as we would be for a camp, so classes may not be perfectly balanced. We will still use a waiting list if we have to, as we don't want the dances to be imbalanced at a level that's frustrating.
Some hosting will be available, prioritised for people from abroad and for those who book early. No guarantees but we usually manage to host everyone who books our events 6-8 weeks in advance, and sometimes even those who book late.
Tickets for single events may be available nearer the time if there are any spaces left, but only weekend passes (social pass or full pass) available until mid-late November.
For more details or to reserve a place:
bookings@swingdancebristol.com
07960 364 624
Teachers
David Zilkha (Blues Revolution & Swing Dance Bristol)
Duncan & Louise (Mad About Swing, Plymouth)
Ben Birns (Zoot Swing, Edinburgh)
Velody (Velody, Manchester)
Orange Jane (London)
Accommodation
All events are within 10 minutes walk of the harbourside, so we'd suggest looking for accommodation within easy reach of there.
here are several hostels:
http://www.yha.org.uk/find-accommodation/south-west-england/hostels/Bristol/index.aspx
http://www.rocknbowlmotel.com/
http://www.fullmoonbristol.co.uk/
http://www.bristolbackpackers.co.uk/
We've had some particularly good reports back from people who've stayed at the YHA in the past.
You'll easily find hotels on a search, but for starters some of the central ones are:
Ibis
Marriott
Novotel
City Inn
Ramada
Mercure
Premier (right by coach station - they have a sign advertising low rate deals at the moment)
Probably worth checking for those and others via one of the sites such as LateRooms.com as you may find a better deal.
Hosting
We’ll host as many as we can on a first-come first-served basis – so the earlier you book the better! We aim to let everyone know about their hosts/guests as early as possible so there will be time for you to make other arrangements if we can’t find a host.
Info for guests:
- You may have your own bedroom with four poster bed and en suite marble bathroom, or you may have a space on the floor in a shared room and need to bring a mat and sleeping bag.
- Your host is not expected to pay for your food, so please expect to buy food or contribute to groceries. The same applies to transport.
- All hosting accommodation is non-smoking (unless your host tells you otherwise).
- It’s a good idea to contact your host, informing them of your travel plans and enquiring about any bedding or towels you need to bring.
- It’s not required but a small gift for your host is always appreciated
Info for hosts:
- If you have a spare bedroom that’s great, otherwise floor space is fine and guests can bring mats and sleeping bags. Guests are usually very grateful for your hospitality and not too concerned about space or luxurious facilities.
- You’re not expected to pay for/provide all your guests’ food.
- You’re not responsible for transporting your guests around (although you can) – just let them know transport options if you’re going at different times.
- It’s a good idea to contact your guests to find out their travel plans and to inform them of any bedding or towels they need to bring.