The Cambridge Lindyhopathon is a sponsored charity dance relay that will take place in February and hopefully raise lots of money. The story so far… early last year Ros Evans decided to raise some money for favorite charity, The Cystic Fibrosis Trust. As well as being incredibly fun, it was a massive success, and she ended up raising over GBP 4,000. So, Ros decided it would be a good idea to do it all again — this time for 12 hours instead of 8. To get involved, keep an eye on her blog, or listen up for announcements at class:
http://www.lindyhopathon.blogspot.com/
It’s Workshop time again! The Cambridge Lindy Hoppers present a day of workshops, dancing, dancing, cake and dancing. Workshops in three levels and 6 themes to choose from, followed by a social dance with live band and an after-hours blues party! See the Workshop page for more info.
We hope you have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We will be back in January with The Speakeasy commencing on January 7th, and Wednesday night classes at the Centre at St Paul’s from January 9th. For more details, see the Classes page.
Join us tonight at The Speakeasy for our annual Christmas theme party. Wear something Christmassy, or just bring something green or red! You’ll be treated to the sounds of a four piece live band, lead by the one and only Colin Hazel. We might even have a few snacks!!
The Cambridge Lindy Exchange is now only a week away. The schedule is being fine-tuned, and final arrangements are being put in place for what will surely be a wonderful weekend. We now have 80 people registered for the entire weekend. The good news? It’s still not too late to register. Also, tickets for the Saturday night with Torben Rees and his sextet and the Tea Dance with the Colin Hazel trio will be available on the door! The bad news? We may not be able to sell door tickets for the Friday evening welcome dance, because we are already very near the venue capacity. So the only way to be sure to get in to everything is to register now — but do it quickly because we may even sell out completely this week! If you’ve already booked, please send your payment now. Register here.
Believe it or not (we certainly can’t) it’s a year this month since we first offered CLH Memberships!! That means everyone’s memberships are due! Your membership fees go towards covering vital running costs for the society, including:
- Insurance
- Equipment such as head mics and audio systems
- Advance costs for workshops or social events (e.g. The Speakeasy and CLX)
- Member discounts
- Promotion, and other sundry items
The committee has decided to give everyone until the end of the month to renew, but please help us out by picking up your brand new membership card at class in the next couple of weeks. Full Year Membership: £9 students/concession, £12 workers.
It’s now less than a month until the first ever Cambridge Lindy Exchange! In case you don’t know, this is a whole weekend of events scheduled in Cambridge, with a focus on social dancing. We have lots of people coming to enjoy CLX from London and also from other parts of the country including Oxford, Leeds, Reading, Swansea and Cornwall! Would you believe we also have some fantastic dancers coming from as far away as Scotland, Sweden, Switzerland, France and the USA? So why haven’t you registered yet?! 
Seriously though, this is going to be the biggest Lindy Hop event for the year in Cambridge, and you really must not miss it. You can register for CLX right up until the event, but if you plan to attend the formal dinner at Newnham College, we need to have your registration (and
preferably your payment) by Friday the 5th of October at the very latest. Also with all of these guests coming from outside Cambridge, we are going to need lots of hosts, so please let us know if you are willing to put up a friendly Lindy Hopper when you register.
Colin Hazel is joined by special guest Dave the drummer from the Funky Butt Swing and Dance Ensemble this Sunday at the Cambridge Lindy Hopper’s Tea Dance, Wesley House, Jesus Lane. Tickets are £5 at the door (£4 for members) and dancers and non-dancers alike are welcome. It’s also not too late to join us for the lindy hop Workshop at the same venue from 11am Sunday. If you haven’t booked, we suggest arriving a few minutes early so that we can process your registration. The Tea Dance goes from 4pm - 7pm, and entry includes tea and cakes!
We’re excited to announce the Opening Night of our new weekly jazz club for swing dancers, The Speakeasy on Monday August the 27th at The Man On The Moon. You’ll be transported to the rich atmosphere of a 1930s Speakeasy, complete with a beautiful dance floor. Enjoy the swingin’ sounds of local jazz talents Colin Hazel, Torben Rees, and special guests, and you can even learn how to trip the light fantastic yourself with a fun absolute beginner’s swing dance class at 7.30pm. Band starts at 8.30pm. Door charge: £4 Members, £5 Non-members. See you all there! More details on the Speakeasy page.
We’re happy to announce that Registrations are now open for CLX! Registration is only £28 (£25 for CLH Members) and includes entry to the Friday Welcome Night, the CLX Dance on Saturday night, the Saturday After Party, and the Sunday Tea Dance. You can also book in for hosting, and the formal dinner at Newnham College on Saturday evening when you register. Our numbers are limited by the size of some venues, so please don’t hesitate: Book Now! (link updated)
Prepare to have your view of Lindy Hop expanded by helping you to find real connection between you and your partner on the social dance floor. We’ll focus on developing your techniques of balance and moving from your centre: the key to proper technique and good styling. Along the way you will learn new jazz and partner steps and syncopations to add to your musicality and expand your Lindy vocabulary! For more details and registration, see the Workshop page.
Please circle this date in your diary now. Our last Tea Dance was a huge success, so we’ve decided to make a day of it and have some workshop classes, and expand the band somewhat! Don’t worry, there will still be all kinds of sticky cakes to consume as well!