Welcome to Chicago Swing Dance Society!
News and Announcements:
Baby, It's No Longer Cold Outside Dance Featuring Petra's Recession Seven
5-6-2012
It has been a long spring, but I tell you now, there is light at the end of the tunnel. It is (finally) getting warmer out. The sun is setting later, and the trees are in full bloom. The quarter is almost over, and everyone is looking forward to a wonderful summer ahead.
However, before you leave, we want to celebrate another great school year at the University of Chicago by giving you a special treat!
On Saturday, May 26th, from 2-5 PM, the Chicago Swing Dance Society will be holding a FREE swing dance with a LIVE BAND and FREE FOOD!!!!!!
You are probably thinking this sound too good to be true. Yes, it does. But it is not.
Petra's Recession Seven will be playing for us on the Hutchinson Courtyard, and we want you to join us! Petra van Nuis put together some of the Midwest's most experienced jazz musicians during the Great Recession of 2008 to remind people of what brought everyone a little bit of joy during the Great Depression: big band jazz music. They have played together all over the Midwest, and independently they have played with countless accompanists all over the world, dating back to 1958!
The WHERE: Hutchinson Courtyard, which is behind Hutchinson Commons (5706 S University Ave, Chicago, IL, 60637 and Mandel Hall), where the fountain is in the northeast part of the quad.
The square is surrounded by the ivy-covered neo-Gothic style architecture that is archetypal of the University of Chicago. It is a beautiful little spot in the heart of campus.
The WHEN:
Saturday, May 26th, 2012
2-5 PM
We are super excited to host you, and we really hope you can come!
Second Session of Classes and Outdoor Dance with Petra's Recession Seven on May 26
5-6-2012
We have two great things coming up: new classes and an outdoor dance at 2:00 to 5:00 PM Saturday, May 26 featuring Petra's Recession Seven! Check them out!
The dance will be held in the Hutchinson Courtyard! This event will be completely free, and the band is great.
It will also be catered, with plenty of snacks, fruit, vegetables, hot and cold drinks, and even cake and ice cream!
Classes!
We'll be having on Tuesdays, Swing I (8:00 PM) for beginners and Swing II (9:00 PM) for intermediate dancers with Noel Hipona and Rachael Fromkin! If you've taken beginning east coast once already but feel
like a beginner, why not take both classes?
On Wednesdays, We'll have Lindy Hop (8:00 PM) and Tandem (Partner) Charleston (9:00 PM) with Jeff Sterner!
Remember, every instance of our classes is different, so retaking a class if you feel shaky or rusty, or just want to learn material, is a great idea! review is good, learning new things is even better!
Pricing will be the same as last time.
UPDATE ON: First Spring Dance Event and New Classes!
3-29-2012
UPDATE! We now have an intermediate class!
On Friday, April 13, the John Burnett Orchestra is returning to Uchicago!
You should remember John Burnett from the Winter Kickoff dance--everyone had a great time. It worked out so well for everyone involved that he's coming back to play again on April 13th!
We'll have dancing from 9:00 PM to Midnight, and a lesson for beginners from 8:00 to 9:00 taught by Steven Lucy and Hannah Maier. Don't miss out on this one, and invite all your friends!
Tickets will be $10, or $7 with University of Chicago or DePaul ID. There will also be an intermediate lesson taught by Jeff and Liz!
If you haven't invited all your friends yet, do it now!
CLASSES! Starting next Tuesday, we will hold lessons the following lessons:
On Tuesdays we'll be holding Intermediate at 8:00 - 9:00 PM and Beginning 9:00 - 10:00 East Coast Swing taught by Jeff and Liz. Four classes weekly, and they will cost $20 for the whole package or $6 each. With a UChicago ID, it will be $15 total or $4 each.
On Wednesdays, there will be Beginning Lindy Hop--that requires you have some dance experience--at 8:00 - 9:00 PM and Blues Dancing 9:00 - 10:00 taught by Noel Hipona! Prices are the same as above.
Hope to see you all on the dance floor!
Valentines Day Dance, and New Classes Updated!
1-31-12
Valentines Day Dance! (Live band!) UPDATE
Update: I said Saturday, it's actually Friday.
Friday, February 17th, we will be hosting a special Valentine's Day weekend dace, with live music by the Fat Babies!
This should be a really good one, ladies and gentlemen. Bring a sweetheart if you can, and look forward to a great dance.
Ticket prices are $10 without University of Chicago ID, $7 with
The classes for this quarter have been updated! Check it out! We'll have intermediate East Coast Swing and West Coast Swing on Tuesdays with Jeff and Liz, and Blues and Balboa on Wednesdays with Noel! Check out the WEEKLY EVENTS page for more information!
Winter Kickoff Dance Friday Jan. 6
1-3-2012
We will be hosting this year's first dance with a live big band, the John Burnett Orchestra! We will be in the Ida Noyes Cloister Club, with a lesson from 8:00 PM - 9:00 PM for beginners and then dancing from 9:00 to Midnight. Check out the Facebook event page
Hope to see everybody there!
Also we have a new Facebook page up, where you can keep track of us more easily: http://www.facebook.com/groups/ucswing/
Wednesday night classes and Halloween Java Jive!
10-16-11
Our Wednesday night classes begin this Wednesday, Oct. 19! Sara Cherney and Bob Bednarz are going to teach Lindy Hop at 8-9pm and Blues 9-10pm. These two are some of the best instructors in Chicago, so be sure to check it out!
The Halloween Java Jive will be Friday, October 28. There WILL be a costume contest, candy, and, as always, excellent music.
New classes just started, more coming!
10-7-11
We're glad to be up and running for another year of swing! Despite some scheduling hiccups, we're now running on all cylinders.
Beginning East Coast Swing and Beginning West Coast Swing are Tuesday night, 8:00 - 9:00 PM and 9:00 to 10:00 PM respectively! They started this week, but if you missed the first lesson, don't worry, you can still join in!
We WILL be starting two wednesday night classes this coming week, one being Lindy Hop. Stay tuned; we'll know by tomorrow WHO is teaching and WHAT the second class will be!
Ida's House next weekend!
5-7-11
We're excited for Ida's House next weekend!
1.) Registration for Ida's House is closing Wednesday May 11th -- get yourself registered before it's too late to get in on the deal.
2.) Take a look at the Ida's House t-shirts. Your full weekend pass includes all four events plus this t-shirt. Oh the snazziness.
3.) For the masquerade ball on Saturday, we will have 60 fabric masks (silver ones and gold ones) on sale for $2 at the door, first come first serve. Can't have anybody know who you are!
Spring Classes
4-5-11
Classes are posted. This quarter we will have a single class session of six classes. The first class is free! We're not completely sure about our room reservations, though, so look carefully for the times and places of the classes.
Ida's House of Lindy and Blues 2011
4-4-11
We've scheduled Ida's House of Lindy and Blues dance weekend for May 14 and 15 this year, including a masquerade ball! You can buy a weekend pass up until three days before the event.
Winter Classes Session II
2-11-11
We've finally figured out the class schedule for the second class session, which starts next week. Hope to see you there!
SNOW DAY!
2-1-11
Because of the impending blizzard, we have decided to reschedule this week's classes (today's and tomorrow's) to the corresponding time/place next week.
Winter Beginning Swing
1-10-11
Yes! Joe Herbert will teach Beginning Swing on Tuesdays at 9pm.
Winter Classes
1-4-11
Our class schedule is up! We have 4-week sessions of Balboa (Annie Warnick and Molly Stoltz), Continuing Lindy Hop (Jeff Sterner and Elizabeth Tuazon), and Beginning Lindy Hop (Jeff Sterner and Elizabeth Tuazon). If we can find a teacher, we may also offer Beginning Swing.
Winter Java Jives
12-2-10
We've received our preliminary room reservations for Winter Quarter. Many of our Java Jives will be in the Ida Noyes Library, as indicated on the calendar. (Sorry if the calendar is displaying oddly. The Java Jives will be on Fridays as usual.) We will update the calendar as rooms open up for the remaining Java Jives.
Halloween Java Jive
10-24-10
This year, our annual Halloween Java Jive will be Friday, October 29th. The Solomon Douglas Swingtet will be playing live from 9pm to midnight in the Third Floor Theatre of Ida Noyes. The cost is $5 with any student ID or $10 for non-students. The event will include a beginning swing lesson from 8 to 9, and a costume contest with cash prize.
See the Halloween Java Jive Facebook event.
Fall Classes
9-27-10
Welcome back to school! This fall we are offering one five-week class session. There are four levels available. See the Weekly Events page for the class schedule. If you're a beginner, also check out the free beginner's lesson at Java Jive.
Thursday Java Jive Now on Friday
9-18-10
This week's Java Jive has been rescheduled for Friday, September 24, instead of the previous day. It will be in the Library of Ida Noyes.
Summer Java Jive
Thanks everyone for coming to Java Jive this year and supporting CSDS events. We hope you will return in the fall, when school starts again. Please stay tuned for summer Java Jive announcements through the listhost.
In the mean time, summer Java Jive is happening! The dates are 8/6, 8/13, 8/20, 8/27, 9/3, 9/10, 9/17 and 9/24 (not 9/23). As usual, beginner's lesson from 8-9pm. Dancing with live DJ 9pm-12. See you there!
Special Event: Ida's House of
Lindy and Blues
See our photos page for videos of the contest finals.
Other Information:
For more events, see our calendar page.
Sign up for our email list to keep up to date on class announcements and CSDS events.
Check out this article about CSDS in the University of Chicago Magazine.
