Yale Swing & Blues Latest News: February 24, 2010

The Good Parts Version:

1. Haiti Benefit Dance with FREE Admission for YS&B this Fri, 26 Feb

2. Practicum this Sunday, 28 Feb; Int. Blues CANCELLED this week only
3. Next Monthly Dance on Fri, 26 Mar; Lesson Series will run Thu & Sat in April
4. Lost & Found: Turquoise fleece jacket?

Dear Dancers,

Sometimes it's a challenge to remain enthusiastic after a climactic and fabulous dance weekend, but let me assure you, I'm up to the challenge. A few exciting offerings include:

1. Haiti Benefit Dance with FREE Admission for YS&B this Fri, 26 Feb

This just in: the Bob Lamothe Blues Band will be playing swing & blues tunes for the upcoming Friday Night Caribbean Party at GPSCY this weekend (that's 204 York St., New Haven). As the name suggests, that's going down this Friday, February 26, starting at 8:30 PM with those swingin', bluesin' and entirely crowd-pleasin' sounds. In between sets and after 10:30 PM, they'll have a DJ playing an impressive variety of island-based dance music: konpa, merengue, salsa, reggae, bachata, calypso and soka. Wow!

The good news is it's absolutely FREE if you say at the door that you're with Yale Swing & Blues! Of course, we encourage you to be good citizens and make donations for earthquake relief in Haiti. The bad news is this isn't an all-ages venue — you have to be 21 to get in. But if you're 21 or over, by all means, attend!

2. Practicum this Sunday, 28 Feb; Int. Blues CANCELLED this week only

Once again our infamous Weekly Practicum is BACK! this Sunday 8-11 PM in the Enormous Room of Yale's Afro-American Cultural Center, 211 Park St. Where else can you dance, hang out and watch us dance, listen to music, ask questions or get feedback from experienced dancers on specific aspects of your dancing in a relaxed & intimate setting, all for FREE!? Such a deal!

The only sad part is that the Intermediate Blues class which would normally take place starting at 5:30 PM this Sunday will be CANCELLED — but just this week. Class will resume as usual next week, and the Beginning Blues class will be held as usual.

3. Next Monthly Dance on Fri, 26 Mar; Lesson Series will run Thu & Sat in April

Save the date, folks! The next Monthly Dance will be coming up on Friday, March 26, in the Christ Church Undercroft (84 Broadway, New Haven), and we want to see all your smiling faces and happy feet there, so make sure you don't pick that evening for spring cleaning or any such non-dancing activities.

Moreover, our fantastic lesson series will be back in April, and while we're not yet sure of all the particulars, we do know that we plan to hold the classes on Thursdays and Sundays of that month. So make sure you keep those blocked out on the calendar.

4. Lost & Found: Turquoise fleece jacket?

One last thing which I feel compelled to mention, though it is not strictly YS&B business: Someone left a turquoise jacket over at my place from one of the January AFTER PARTIES. I was secretly hoping the guilty party would come back to this past weekend's AFTER PARTY to pick it up, but alas, no such thing occurred. So, if you're feeling C-C-C-COOOOOLLLD-D-D-D because you left your favorite fleece at my place, please email me sometime soon! If it goes unclaimed by mid-March I'm probably going to hand it off to Goodwill, hopefully to be used profitably by someone who is undoubtedly colder than you are if you've survived this long.

And I thiiiiink that's it, so I'll hit the "Send" button on this puppy and send the electrons speeding to YOUR MAILBOX. Please share and enjoy this weekly update and I shall inevitably

See you on the floor!