Fridays - Swing Review/Practice Parties - No. Haven CT

Hi Hep Cats & Kittens-

I wanted to fill you in on the Friday Night Swing Review and Practice Parties! at NEAT (New England Actors Theater), 28 Washington Ave, North Haven. Let me start off by saying it was AWESOME!

First, the drive was not obnoxiously long. The practice starts at 8:30 pm, so highway traffic is usually quite a bit lighter at that time. It took me about 30-40 minutes from Manchester. Not too shabby. It was right off I-91.

I met up with Maggie (aka Peas), a good friend from back in my APO days, and her friend Luigi. We had plans to go see a U2 Cover band play at Toad's later on so we weren't going to stick around the whole night. I was hoping that I might be able to get a break on the admission but no dice. My friend Joanna A. was at the door (she co-teaches with the lovely Noelle in New Haven on Wednesday nights). She said it was a flat $10 bucks no matter what.

Well, I definately got my money's worth. It was like getting a private lesson for $10! There were so many advanced dancers and teachers that it was easy to pair up for just one on one or small group instruction. I got four different "teachers" and learned a little bit of the swivel (finally!!) and some of the nuances of the sugar push/compression moves. You get to determine what you want to work on. Every level of beginner and intermediate dancer was there.

Every "teacher" was relaxed, super friendly and very patient. They would repeat the moves over and over. They took the time to break things down and explain it. If one teacher didn't know something, they pulled another one over who did know. If you want to dance with any of the people who "wow" everyone at Vinnie's but are too shy/intimidated to ask them to dance, this is your chance! And not only that, they share their secrets, too.

In all, there was maybe 30-40 people who showed up. The room was kind of small, but since it's a pretty intimate and relaxed practice session, that didn't bother me too much. They have a nice bathroom. I definately think they need to air condition that room better. It got really hot, really fast. But that is pretty typical of most swing dance events. This is definately a techwick event.

So, on a scale of 1 to 10, I would have to give this a 9.0. It was definately a good time and well worth the gas and price of admission. You will definately see me there again.

Here is more info:

8:30 - 10:00 PM - experienced dancers from the local community will be available to answer questions, offer suggestions and dance with beginners!

10:00 - 11:30 PM - use what you've learned, dancing to DJ swing tunes!

The classes are September 16, 30, Oct 7, 21, Nov 4, 18.

You can find more info at http://ctswing.org