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ELLA's 5th Anniversary with Live Music from Club 7

• WHO: ELLA, local swing dance group
  Club 7 Jazz Band, local swing band
• WHAT: 5th Anniversary Dance with Live Swing Music and Dancing
• WHEN: Wednesday, April 9th
  Beginning Dance Lesson 7:00pm
  Blue Skies Big Band 8:00-10:00pm
  
• WHERE: Tango Center 194 W Broadway, Eugene
• COST: $7 or $5 with Student ID
• MORE INFO:
  www.eugenelindy.com
  www.club7jazzband.com

Come celebrate with us. ELLA has been running Wednesday swing dances in Eugene for five years now. Our birthday party is going to be a special dance Wednesday, April 9th with live music from Club 7 Jazz Band, food and drink including birthday cake, a raffle for free private lessons and a one of Club 7's CDs, and dancing, dancing, dancing!

We had Club 7 play at our very first live music event and are happy to invite them back for this celebration. They recently appeared at the Portland Lindy Exchange and know how to keep dancers happy. You can hear sound samples on their website.

Blue Skies Big Band Live Wednesday, November 1st

• WHO: ELLA, local swing dance group
  Blue Skies Big Band, local swing band
• WHAT: Live Swing Music and Dancing
• WHEN: Wednesday, November 1st
  Intermediate Dance Lesson: 7:00pm
  Beginning Dance Lesson 8:00pm
  Blue Skies Big Band 9:00-11:00pm
  
• WHERE: Tango Center 194 W Broadway, Eugene
• COST: $7 or $5 with Student ID
• MORE INFO:
  www.eugenelindy.com
  www.blueskiesbigband

Stereotypically, it’s, “That dance where partners throw each other in the air,” however the experience on the social dance floor is a little more tame, but just as much fun.

Born in the 1930s in the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem, the lindy hop survives today and on Wednesday, November 1st there will be a chance to experience it for yourself when Blue Skies Big Band brings the classic sounds of the swing era to the Tango Center. It will be a night jam-packed with live music and swing dance lessons that’ll let you join in on the fun.

Blue Skies is a 22-piece big band based in Eugene, Oregon. Its mission is to promote the Oregon Air & Space Museum. Under the direction of Camille Noel, this unique ensemble travels the Pacific Northwest, keeping alive the heart and soul of a different time

Blue Skies is being presented by ELLA, a dance group made up of volunteer swing dancers who host weekly lessons and dances on Wednesdays at the Tango Center in downtown Eugene. Come at 8:00pm to catch all the swing dance moves you’ll need to know for a fun-filled night.

For a photo of the band, please visit www.blueskiesbigband. For more information about this event, please contact eugenelindy@gmail.com or log on to www.eugenelindy.com.

ELLA Moves Swing Dancing to the Tango Center

• WHO: ELLA, local swing dance group
• WHAT: Wednesday Night Swing is Now at the Tango Center
• WHEN: Beginning Wednesday, May 17th
  Dance Lesson 8:00pm
  Swing Dancing 9:00-11:00pm
  
• WHERE: Tango Center 194 W Broadway, Eugene
• COST: $4 includes lesson and dance
• MORE INFO: www.eugenelindy.com

ELLA’s Big Kick-Off Dance at the Tango Center is not to be missed! After three years at Studio B, ELLA has decided to move. Beginning Wednesday, May 17th, our Wednesday night swing dances will be held at the Tango Center. Woohoo! If you’ve never been to our dance, haven’t been in a really long time, or if you bring somebody new with you, we’ll let you in for FREE on opening night! Please help us spread the word.

Back in the Swing of Things

• WHO: ELLA, local swing dance group
  Stompy Jones, Nationally touring San Francisco based swing band
  West Coast Rhythm Kings, local swing band
• WHAT: Live Swing Music and Dancing
• WHEN: Friday, December 16, 2005
  Doors Open 7:00pm
  Dance Lesson 7:30pm
  West Coast Rhythm Kings 8:30pm
  Stompy Jones 9:30pm to midnight
• WHERE: WOW Hall, 8th and Lincoln, Eugene
• COST: $8 for students; $10 for general public
• MORE INFO:
  www.eugenelindy.com
  www.stompyjones.com
  www.westcoastrhythmkings.com

Their chaos is controlled. They seek a connection with another person, if only for three minutes. It’s a way to express themselves, cut loose and have fun. They translate the music through their movements. It’s a dance that could have only evolved in America during a time of repression and depression. It was a new form of expression and they called it the lindy hop. It’s where African roots meet European influence. Stereotypically, it’s, “That dance where partners throw each other in the air,” however the experience on the social dance floor is a little more tame, but just as much fun.

Born in the 1930s in the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem, the lindy hop survives today and on Friday, December 16th there will be a chance to experience it for yourself when Stompy Jones and the West Coast Rhythm Kings bring jumpin’ energy to Eugene’s own WOW Hall. It will be a night jam-packed with world-renowned musicians, swing dance performances and a swing dance lesson that lets you join in the fun. Clear your calendars because you won’t want to be left out of the action when local dance group, ELLA, partners with the West Coast Rhythm Kings to present Stompy Jones.

Stompy Jones, formerly known as Swing Session, comes to Eugene from San Francisco. They are a high-energy band known as much for their lively spirit and style as their hot jump blues and swing music. No matter the location or occasion, this sextet keeps the crowd dancing to the beat of their infectious rhythms and smooth melodies. They tour nationally and have 3 previously released albums.

The West Coast Rhythm Kings are a local staple, playing and tap dancing their way into the hearts of Oregonians with a diverse mix of musical styles. This dynamic band consists of 7 talented individuals who deliver an impressive performance to eager crowds.

Stompy Jones and The West Coast Rhythm Kings are being presented by ELLA, a dance group made up of volunteer swing dancers who host weekly lessons and dances on Wednesdays at Studio B in downtown Eugene. Come at 7:30pm to catch all the swing dance moves you’ll need to know for a fun-filled night.

For photos of Stompy Jones please visit: www.stompyjones.com/photos.html
For photos of dancers from past ELLA events please email eugenelindy@gmail.com.

ELLA Introduces Swing’n Snowcone Saturdays

• WHO: ELLA, local swing dance group & Gerrit Cooper & the Swing tones
• WHAT:Live Swing Music and Dancing
• WHEN: Saturday, March 5th; Dance Lesson 7:30 pm; Music and Dancing 8:30 pm to midnight
• WHERE: Studio B, 8th and Charnelton, Eugene
• COST: $7 for live events; $5 for DJed events

Studio B will be swinging to the sounds of Gerrit Cooper and the Swing Tones on Saturday, March 5th, when local dance group ELLA introduces their new monthly dance event - Swing’n Snowcone Saturdays.

A regular musician for the Traditional Jazz Society, Gerrit Cooper leads the Swing Tones with not just one, but five instruments to keep the dancers on their toes. Back from a recent appearance at the Sisters Jazz Festival, Club 7 offers a fresh take on Dixieland swing and jazz standards. Led by clarinetist Michael Almich, the band dazzles audiences with their talented soloists and overall fiery style.

Gerrit Cooper and the Swing Tones is presented by ELLA, a dance group made up of volunteer swing dancers who host monthly dances with live bands, as well as weekly lessons and dances on Wednesdays at Studio B in downtown Eugene. Before the music starts, ELLA instructors will teach a beginning swing lesson at 7:30 pm.

For more information about this event, please contact Katrina Woods McGee at (541) 484-0827 or log on to www.eugenelindy.com.

ELLA Presents Swing Band Club 7 for an Evening of Swing Music, Dancing

• WHO: ELLA, local swing dance group & Club 7, dixieland and swing band
• WHAT:Live Swing Music and Dancing
• WHEN: Saturday, October 16; Dance Lesson 8 pm; Music and Dancing 9 pm to midnight
• WHERE: Cozmic Pizza, 8th and Charnelton, Eugene
• COST: $3 for students; $5 for general public

Downtown hot spot Cozmic Pizza will be jumping to the sounds of dixieland and swing on Saturday, October 16, when local dance group ELLA teams up with swing band Club 7 for a high energy night of dancing and music.

Back from a recent appearance at the Sisters Jazz Festival, Club 7 offers a fresh take on Dixieland swing and jazz standards. Led by clarinetist Michael Almich, the band dazzles audiences with their talented soloists and overall fiery style.

Club 7 is being presented by ELLA, a dance group made up of volunteer swing dancers who host monthly dances with live bands, as well as weekly lessons and dances on Wednesdays at Studio B in downtown Eugene. Before the music starts, ELLA instructors will teach a beginning swing lesson at 8 pm.

For more information about this event, please contact Katrina Woods McGee at (541) 484-0827 or log on to www.eugenelindy.com.

Read the article on the Daily Emerald website.

Swing dance group to host dance Saturday

Community dance group Eugene Lindy Learning Activists will host a one-year anniversary dance Saturday night. Known on campus as U-Lindy, the group will be giving lessons on lindy hop, East Coast swing, Charleston and balboa.

"Our goal is to hold dances in the community so people can go dance every week," sociology graduate student and ELLA member Brandon Olszewski said.

The dance will be held at Studio B, located at 189 W. 8th Ave., with a lesson at 8 p.m. and open dancing from 9 p.m.-midnight. Music will be provided by Club 7 and disc jockey Kevin Schaper. The cost is $5 for students and $7 for the general public.

The eight-member group also holds weekly lessons for $4 at 8 p.m. on Wednesdays at Studio B and sporadically hosts public "lindy bomb" dances to promote events.

"It’s where basically you go set up a boombox somewhere and dance," Olszewski said.

More information available at www.eugenelindy.com.

— Jennifer Sudick