Lindyfest 2010

Hello Lindy Bombers!

I'm proud to say that the Wichita dance scene was very well represented at Lindyfest 2010 in Houston! A handful of our very own Lindy Bombers made the 10-hr drive to and from the event, including Lance, Dave, Cassandra, Peter, Elaine, Ryan, Adam, Andy, Austin, Ashley, Phil, and myself. Not too shabby! I think I can speak for all of us when I say the weekend was AWESOME! If you've never been to a big event like Lindyfest, allow me to give you an idea of how it goes down:

You arrive in the destination city on Thursday or Friday evening, just in time for a welcome dance. Get checked into your hotel or situated with your hosting local dancers, and try to rest up before an eventful weekend!

For the next 2 or 3 days, you get up at 9:00 or so and attend anywhere from 4 to 8 hours of dance classes, taught by some of the best dancers in the world. There are usually 2 or more "tracks" of classes, depending on your experience and skill level. So, if you're a newer dancer, you can take beginner classes, and if you're more experienced, you might move up to intermediate or advanced.

Every night there's another dance, and each one may include a live band, performances, and dance competitions.

All the while, you have a golden opportunity to dance with OUT OF TOWN dancers! This is the true test of your ability to socially lead/follow on the dance floor. It's also a great way to pick up new moves and techniques.

Anyway, the classes and dances at Lindyfest were A-MAZING! Expect to see some pilfered moves and drills over the next couple of months on Sunday and Monday nights :-)

Just in case you don't know, there are two events coming up right here in Wichita where you can get a taste of what these dance workshops are like:

Swing on This: April 24th, at Old Town Ballroom. Instructors Evan Borst and Oscar Hampton will each be teaching 4 classes Saturday afternoon, and we'll have a dance for everyone in the evening! It's a one-day event, and the cost (including classes and the dance) is just 30$. For details, click here

Sunflower Swing: July 16th-18th, The Wichita Swing Dance Society is turning 10, and we're celebrating in style with a weekend-long conference! We'll have a handful of VERY talented instructors from all over the country, classes to suit any skill level, and swingin' dances all three nights! Cost for the WHOLE WEEKEND is only 40$ for the first 25 registrants (55$ if you're not a WSDS member), and after that the price starts to go up! By the time July rolls around, it'll be 70$ (85$ non-member), so get registered ASAP if you want to come! Learn more here.

I hope to see ALL of you at one or both of these local events, and hopefully at some out of town events also!

-Chelsea