Our first AGM will be held at 8.30pm on Wednesday the 20th of June at the Centre at St Paul’s. All members are encouraged to attend. Nominations for next year’s committee are now called. For more details about the AGM, please see the Constitution. (Updated – Typo in the original post. The AGM is actually to be held on the 20th — sorry for the confusion).

The annual Summer in the City entertainment programme again includes some gigs that look good for swing dancing on Jesus Green. The first is the Savoy Jazz Band on Sunday the 3rd of June, from 3-5pm. Bring a picnic and get ready to swing out on the grass!

Join us next Sunday for the first of what we hope will be many tea dances, with live music provided by our very own Colin Hazel, social dancing and more cakes than you can possibly scoff. 4pm – 7pm, Sunday May 20th at the Centre at St Paul’s, corner of Hills Rd and St Paul’s Road, Cambridge. Members £5, Non-Members £6.

On Saturday the 17th of March, there will be a very special dance marathon in Cambridge. 8 hours of non-stop swing dancing, all in the aid of the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. Come along, or if you can’t be there, sponsor a Lindy Hopper! Donating online is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor the event. The Cystic Fibrosis Trust will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you. At present there is no cure for cystic fibrosis, but the fautly gene has been identified and doctors and scientists are working to find ways of repairing or replacing it. One of the main objectives of the CF Trust is to fund this work.

Update on 18 March: The Lindy Hopathon raised over £3,600 for the CF Trust! Congratulations to all involved, particularly to organiser & CLH Committee member Ros Evans. Don’t forget to collect your sponsorship money as quickly as possible — you can either send it to the CF Trust yourself, or give it to Ros.

On Saturday the 10th of March, from 8pm: a gig that promises to be an outstanding combination of live jazz. Kicking off with Torben Rees’ renowned Jazz Trio followed by Selwyn Jazz, this will be a great chance to lounge and chat or get up and dance to some lively big band swing. We recommend getting in early and reserving tickets by emailing leader@selwynjazz.com. Tickets will also be available for £3 on the door, if not sold out. Download the poster.

Back by popular demand, the fabulous Colin Hazel Quartet featuring Cambridge’s finest jazz vocalist Torbin Rees, live and swingin’ for your dancing pleasure. Everyone is welcome, and there will be a small door charge. The live music starts at 9pm on Wednesday January 31st, at the Centre at St Paul’s, Hills Road, Cambridge. Join us there for our usual Intermediate class at 7pm and Beginners class at 8pm prior to the party.

The Cambridge Lindy Hoppers Performance Troupe will appear in Elemental, this year’s production from the CUCDW at the ADC Theatre from January 23-26. If you would like to come and support the troupe and see a very broad range of offerings from some of Cambridge’s best dancers, you can now book tickets by phoning ADC on 01223 300 085 or visiting the ADC Website. Berry’s Blues / Bottoms Up, by Cambridge Lindy Hoppers invites the audience to trace the roots of the Lindy Hop, the foundation for a swing dance craze that swept the world during the 1930s and 1940s. African polyrhythms and jazz syncopations flow like water from the ground, upwards and into the heart, while the dancer strives for connection with the earth. Beginning with the coolness and gentleness of Berry’s Blues and busting out with the hot licks of Bottoms Up (both by Jacquet) we combine our own steps with riffs on The Big Apple (1941: Keep Punchin’) and The California Routine (1942: Hellzapoppin’) to create an impression of the continuing rhizomatic spread of African-American vernacular dance traditions today.

Get your dance shoes, put on your kilt, and hang onto your haggis because this is going to be one party that gets your sporran swinging. Featuring live jazz music from Colin Hazel, Torben Rees and special guests, we’ll be celebrating the national day of Scotland while doing our best Groundskeeper Willie impersonations all night. The fun starts at 9pm, Wednesday the 29th of November at the Centre at St Paul’s, Hills Road, Cambridge. Update: we will be collecting a suggested donation for the band tonight of £2 for members, and £3 for non members. Please bring a few extra coins to help us pay these fine lads!

Selwyn Jazz have sent notice that they are playing from 8pm – 9.30pm tonight at the Selwyn Diamond. Formed in 1993, the band has 17 full time members and a wide variety of charts, including the traditional big band classics from jazz heroes like Count Basie and several vocal numbers such as “Reet Petite” and “Fever”. The diamond is the building with thin, tall windows on the opposite side of Grange Road to Selwyn College. The entrance is fairly obvious and is on the right of building as you look at it from Grange Road. Map.

Calling all Lindy Hoppers! The Jive Aces will be playing live at the BBC Children in Need event at the Imperial War Museum Duxford on Friday November the 17th. Free tickets are available to the first 750 people who call the Ticket Hotline on 08703 33 45 85. Tickets are limited to six per application and will be given out on a first-come first-served basis. Calls are charged at the national rate.

The special theme is Halloween, so come dressed as your favourite ghoul, or if you don’t happen to have a spare bed sheet lying around (or a George Bush outfit) just wear some orange and black. There will be all kinds of tricks and treats organised for the evening, as well as fantastic music until late, and the best thing is that the committee has decided to make it absolutely FREE for anyone taking at least one class on Wednesday night. If you are not doing a class on the night, the door price will be £2 for members and £5 for non-members. The party starts at 9pm on Wednesday November the 1st, and is upstairs at the Centre at St Paul’s, Hills Rd, Cambridge, CB2 1JP.

At the completion of our first block of classes and the commencement of our new Intermediate Class, we are going to celebrate! On November 1st from 9pm we’ll be having our first official Cambridge Lindy Hoppers Party! This will be a big night with lots of surprises, and an opportunity for all you Beginners to lose your Lindy Hop virginity safely, and in public. Seriously though, don’t miss this one — put it in your diary now! More info soon.