Psychologist Cliff Arnall has calculated that Monday 18 January – known as ‘Blue Monday’ – will be the most depressed day of 2010. His formula uses six factors to calculate the day of the year on which people are most likely to be depressed: the weather conditions, debt level, the time since Christmas, the time since failing to keep our resolutions, low motivation levels and the pressure to take action.
It may be mid-January, the credit card bills may be hitting the doormat, the days may be are shorter, and maybe you’ve broken all your New Year’s resolutions. But this week Swing Patrol is opening FIVE (yes count them) classes to help you alleviate the gloom. That’s right, check out the class timetable and get yourself down to a swing class this week! And chin up chicken…only 6 more days until the Aerials workshop
So it’s Stokey tonight! Yes, another free lesson and random night of dancing at Jan’s. A great way to start off a weekend of dancing.
Social dancing is always an adventure. So when we stumbled accross this hillarious tip on the internet we thought we’d share it with you, just to help you understand the more subtle points of dance floor ettiquette…in the dark ages
I love swing camps! Interesting people from a plethora of countries come together to celebrate the dance and music we love so much. Life long friendships are made, lasting memories and ..a lot of inspiring dancing. These type of events are such a highlight of your dancing calendar so have a good read of the web site and my advice is to throw yourself in.
Do the learning off these world class teachers, cheer on the competitors in the competition…or even consider competing, and enjoy a lot of dancing with so many new people from all parts of the world. Hosting is part of the magic…you put a foreigner on a couch and then you stay with them when you visit their city!
Registrations now open so lock in your spot! Four nights of dancing, two days of workshops, late night parties and even a tour of London with Scottie and the team. The Bloomsbury Ballroom in the heart of London will play host to the wonderful weekend. This is a stunning ballroom!
We recommend you don’t delay as we have registrations already from dancers in Australia, Germany, Ireland, Russia and the USA.
If were at the recent Swing Pit then chances are you have heard a few tracks from this great compilation. We stumbled across it on Spotify. While not strictly Swing it’s got some amazing tracks on it, although as you probably guessed, they’re mostly a bit rude. Our favourites include Big Long Slidin’ Thing by Dinah Washington (it’s about a trombone…honest) and Walking Blues by Fluffy Hunter. A lot of rhythm, a bit of blues and just a dash (well, maybe a bit more) of sex. Enjoy!
Listen on Spotify
SO, we stumbled accross this great article in the Times online today about the new uptake in dance in Great Britain. Well worth a read, a particluar highlight is the comparison of Swing Dancing to a roast dinner (!)
What do Sunday roasts and Swing dance have in common?
The dance revival: one nation under a groove Young and old, male and female, accomplished and appalling, the British are putting on their dancing shoes again
We may be only 12 days into a new year but one prediction seems safe to make: 2010 is limbering up to be the Year of the Legwarmer. Five million Britons of every age and class, and both genders, are now shimmying, shaking and strutting their stuff every week at dance classes in gyms, salsa nights in church halls and other styles in other venues. Even dances popular with the wartime generation are enjoying a resurgence among London’s young dance set, with regular swing and lindy hop nights in clubs across the capital. “What worked in the past still works well now,” says Benoit Viellefon, a 36-year-old musician who attracts more than 250 dapper vintage enthusiasts to his midweek Swing Mon Amour nights at the fashionable pub-cum-club Paradise By Way Of Kensal Green, in West London. “It’s like cooking. A Sunday roast still works, just like swing music still works.” Read more…
When Frankie Manning talked about his aerials his eyes would light up with delight. A wonderful part of swing dancing and this is your time to fly. Give it a go… Peta and Scott have both taught aerials extensively and it guarantees to be a fabulous and challenging workshop.
Click here to find out more about this workshop and to register!
With so many things out East and the fact that our West London classes wound up straight after our “routine” period we want to ensure you start 2010 on a confident footing. This is an intermediate workshop and a great way to start the year. This workshop is targeted at all new intermediate dancers who were doing intermediate classes in 2009. All welcome!
Click here to find out more about this workshop and to book your place.
We were super excited when the well known Swing band the Jive Aces invited Scott and Tanya to work with them on their upcoming music video. Filming started at 8.00am so it was absolutely freezing but a super experience and the crew from the Jive Aces were absolutely brilliant. It was filmed onto of a roof 50 meters from St. Pauls, in a cool London alley way and on the Millennium bridge. Check out the photos on our Flickr page. Stay tuned for a link to the video when it’s done.
With our first Dance in a Day workshop coming up this weekend we thought you might like some inspiration! SO here is THE clip of clips, a must see for all aspiring Lindy Hoppers – an excerpt from “Hellzapoppin” (1941) featuring the great Frankie Manning (he’s the guy in the Mechanic’s Dungarees btw.)
We can’t promise that you’ll be this good after a day with us, but hey, enjoy it anyway!
Isabelle & Girish announced their engagement at our venue on Old Street this week. It was a really special moment and took all of us by surprise and an appropriate amount of hugging and partying was then underway with Girish & Isabelle leading a special wedding dance ( to the Chapel of Love) and then a Shim sham.
Isabelle was at our very first class EVER in London and they met at Swing Patrol classes and soon became integral members of this special dance community. We are absolutely thrilled for our “award winning actress” and “talented TV reporter” and wish you both every success.
We all left Monday night on a high and buzzed about this special news. What a great way to start 2010!
If were at the recent 
