swing dancing – and so she thinks

Siren: Blitz Party

admin — Sun, 24 Aug 2014 18:08:39 +0000

V signs and Victory rolls, pride and passion, blackout blinds and banter, and a right good knees up. Whether it’s historically accurate or not, we associate the Blitz as a time of camaraderie and good times, when everyone lived for the now, and had a good time doing so.
The brilliant Bourne & Hollingsworth are running another of their immersive Blitz Parties on September 13th, this time over at the Village Underground in Shoreditch. Sandbags, Union Jack flags, dashing men in uniform, red lipped girls, swing dancing and bunker bars, these guys go all out to transport you back to another world.
And the cost of this time travelling experience – only £25. Bargain.

Wyndstock – The Country House Party

admin — Mon, 20 May 2013 20:00:05 +0000

I love festivals. The feeling of freedom, exploration, an opportunity to revel in the luxury of being oneself, as well discover and diversify what excites you. I also love picnics, country houses, gin & tonics, and twilight magic.

Until recently (I.e April when I received a press release alerting me to the change in affairs) I was under the impression that never shall the two meet, and I was destined to either spend my summer dreaming of sophistication, or revelling in it. Hello Wyndstock, please enter and shatter my preconceptions.

Despite the fact that Wyndstock is billed as an anti festival (in fact its organisers (founders of B&H Group, The Last Tuesday Society and The Blitz Party, amongst others) vehemently detest the f word and all its grubby associations – big queues, corporate sponsors, vile toilets) there seems to be a lot in common, hence my pre midsummer night excitement. Wyndstock has none of these – but it does embrace the freedom and spontaneity that people have come to expect of festivals, and themselves at the events.

Taking place in a glorious country house in Suffolk, the event is one of delight and class. Music to be reached by guided paths into the woods, literature readings popping up all around, a game or two of croquet, gin and picnics. None of this queuing for semi cooked burgers and warm beer, as all meals are provided, and by all accounts are meals, not substandard snacks that fill a hole and line a stomach.

With swing dancing, fireworks, games, astronomy, literature, music, crafts and tours, as well as the all important music. Get your tickets here.

Plus, I have always thought I could look rather fetching in a little cocktail dress and some wellies.

Meet The Scene of Swing

admin — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 20:31:12 +0000

Saturday, 23rd February 2013

It’s fair to say that swing has swung in London, and tonight’s Meet the Scene ball is the perfect introduction, reintroduction, or reminder, as to why swing dancing is such hot stuff at the moment. In the unique and impressive Art Deco Bloomsbury Ballroom, dancers old and new gathered to meet their fellow dancers and put their lessons into practice. Soundtracked by music from The London Gay Big Band, a full 18 piece jazz band, the five hundred strong crowd jittered and jumped through the numerous types of dancing that make up swing, including six beat, eight beat, lindy hop, swing, Charleston, and jive.
One of the most compelling things about these nights is the way that, oozing glamour and sophistication, dapper gentlemen and dolled up ladies get together to dance care free. It’s very easy to forget when repeating basic steps in a sweaty school hall that dancing is a fun, exciting, passionate and social form of entertainment and expression. All twenty four of Swing Patrol’s classes at different venues across London were represented tonight, and the showcased dancing testament to what determination and a sense of sound can achieve.

But, as amazing as the dancing looks, it is difficult to be a spectator for long, as the infectious tapping rhythms get into the toes, compelling movement and twitching whether you believe yourself to be a dancer or not. And it was when the crowd got moving, the drink flowing, and the inhibitions loosened that things really started to swing, right round until that 3am close. Authentic and unpretentious, swing dancing is all about a feeling, and the revelry that tonight induced was warming and welcoming. As scenes go, the swing dancing one seems to be one to stay.