Blog Archives
Back to Back Swing Weekends – Red, White, & Bal and Bull City Swingout
The next two weekends are packed with great dancing and music and we’re excited to be a part of all of it! On July 6, 2019, find us at the historical Glen Echo Spanish Ballroom for the inaugural Red, White, & Bal, a Balboa Workshop weekend hosted by Capital City Swing. We’ll be performing from 9 p.m. to midnight – for more information, visit the event website.
On July 13, 2019, our hometown of Durham, NC is the backdrop for the Triangle Swing Dance Society’s first full-fledged Lindy Hop workshop weekend, the Bull City Swingout. We’ll be performing at another historic ballroom, the Durham Armory, from 8:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. For more information, visit the BCS website.
Video: “Watch the Birdie” at Hot Rhythm Holiday
Check out this video from Saturday night at Hot Rhythm Holiday, from some brave soul navigating the dance floor during our performance of Watch the Birdie (with an arrangement inspired by Martha Raye’s version from the movie Hellzapoppin’) – enjoy!
Video: Hot Rhythm Holiday 2019 – Balboa and Collegiate Shag Strictly Competitions
It’s always exciting to compete to music provided by a live band and we’re happy to provide the backdrop for these amazing competitors at Hot Rhythm Holiday 2019! Here are the Collegiate Shag Strictly and Balboa Strictly competitions, with the Mint Julep Jazz Band:
DCLX’tra Dance at Glen Echo
We are back at Glen Echo’s Spanish Ballroom on January 26, 2018 for a DCLX’tra swing dance – come swing out with us at this beautiful historic Art Deco ballroom! There will be at beginner Balboa lesson from 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and we play three swinging sets, from 9:00 p.m. to midnight.
Consider this a warm-up for our return to DC in April to perform at DCLX proper!
MJJB Music Featured on isolobalboa.com Video
World-renowned Balboa dancer Olga Marina is launching a new website this month called isolobalboa.com, which will feature more than 100 videos, demos, exercises for both for leaders and followers in the pure Balboa and Bal-Swing dance styles. We’re delighted that Olga featured the Mint Julep Jazz Band’s recording of “You Can’t Live in Harlem” in her promotional video for the website, which showcases her incredible footwork and joyous energy! Follow her Facebook page for more updates on videos and the website.
Live and Local in September
Fresh off Camp Hollywood, we’re ready for a couple of live shows on our home turf! Catch us on these two dates:
UPDATE: SEPTEMBER 12 AND 15 ARE CANCELLED DUE TO HURRICANE FLORENCE, CARY’S PARK AFTER DARK SHOW IS RESCHEDULED FOR OCTOBER 3
From a past performance for TSDS at the Carrboro Century Center, courtesy of Tiffany Brantner.
October 3, 2018 (rescheduled from the cancelled September 12, 2018) at The Town of Cary’s Park After Dark, Cary, NC – our first performance for the Town of Cary, we’ll send out the summer outdoor concert season in style. We’ll be performing a free concert at Cary’s Downtown Park from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., bring a picnic dinner or pick up food from one of the local vendors at the event. For more information about food, parking, and weather updates, visit https://www.townofcary.org/recreation-enjoyment/events/special-events/park-after-dark.
September 15, 2018 at Triangle Swing Dance Society dance, Carrboro, NC – always happy to be playing on for dancers on the best dance floor in the Triangle, at the Carrboro Century Center. Free beginner swing dance lesson at 7:00 p.m., we play from 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. For more information, visit the TSDS website at www.triangleswingdance.org.
Camp Hollywood 2018
West coast friends and beyond, please join us Labor Day weekend 2018 at Camp Hollywood in Los Angeles for our west coast debut! We’ll be performing at the Friday evening dance (August 31) at Camp Hollywood at the LAX Marriott from 9:00 p.m. to midnight and the theme for the night is a tribute to the classic Hollywood film Cabaret, so come in your 1920’s/cabaret/chorus girl/emcee/Bob Fosse finest. Camp Hollywood is one of the largest and longest-running swing dance camps/competition weekends in the United States and it’s an honor for us to be invited to perform! For more information and to register, visit the Camp Hollywood website.
Music U Interview with Keenan McKenzie
The UK-based music and ear-training website Music U interviewed our reed man Keenan McKenzie about his musical origins, his work in the swing dance community, and his new album of original swing music, Forged in Rhythm – check it out and learn a bit more about the man behind the tenor saxophone in the Mint Julep Jazz Band…
Competition Music at Hot Rhythm Holiday
We performed the music for the finals of the Collegiate Shag Strictly and the Balboa Strictly at Hot Rhythm Holiday 2018, check out these amazing dancers and dig those tunes!
Hot Rhythm Holiday 2018 – Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas has an amazing swing dance community and plays host to an entire weekend of Balboa and Collegiate Shag at their annual event Hot Rhythm Holiday – we’re excited to be performing for TWO nights of live music, February 16 and 17, 2018! We’ll be at the main dances each night from 8:15 p.m. to midnight. Be prepared for a bunch of new tunes, maybe some special guests, it’s going to be a swell time. 😉 For more information, visit the HRH website and we’ll see you soon, Austin!
