Summary of Fall Quarter 1998 SBDC Activities

Weekly SBDC Club Practice Meetings

The SBDC Club Practice Meetings were held on Monday nights in Rob Gym room 2320, from 8:30 pm to 10:30 pm. The average attendance at these meetings ranged from 120 to 350 dancers. Meetings consisted of our Basics I introductory dance program, our Basics II practice and styling program, announcements, of upcoming activities, and demonstrations or exhibitions.
In the Basics I program, introductory lessons were held in East Coast Swing, Lindy Hop, Charleston, The Jitterbug Stroll, The Madison, and other swing variations. Also, there were Ballroom Dance introductory lessons in Cha Cha and Tango. Time was set aside at the weekly meetings to review steps taught in the Saturday Afternoon Dance Workshops

Fall Quarter Halloween Big Band Dance

The Halloween Big Band Dance (Saturday night, October 31st) was a blast! The Jumpin Joz Band with Vicki McClure played all the great swinging and big band numbers that they are known for. The theme for the dance was Halloween, and many of the dancers appeared in Costume.
There were special dance exhibitions that night from Jonathan and Sylvia's "Kats and Jammers" (Lindy Hop and Collegiate Shag), Sarah and Micah (Star Wars Trilogy), and Porfirio and Laeticia (Cha Cha and Tango). The Goleta Valley Community Center was decorated with appropriate Halloween reminders, including the outdoor cemetery, the wall of ghouls, and the ghost room.

The Jumpin' Joz Band with Vicki McClure provided the musical entertainment for the Halloween Big Band Dance.

October Lindy Hop Workshop with Chester Whitmore

Chester Whitmore returned to UCSB to teach the October Lindy Hop Workshop for us, Saturday October 23rd. Chester's classes are always a combination of styling, technique, timing, . . .and lots of practice!! Chester taught a beginning level Lindy Hop class, an intermediate / advanced level Lindy Hop class, and a seminar on music and dance theory.

The SBDC October Dance Workshop featured Chester Whitmore from Los Angeles, assisted by Jann Olsen of Santa Barbara.

November Lindy Hop Workshops with Lennart Westerlund

The SBDC was extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to bring Lennart Westerlund to UCSB to teach Lindy Hop Charleston, and the Big Apple for us! Lennart and partner Asa Palm are from Stockholm, Sweden. Lennart is the leader of the Swedish Performance Group called "The Rhythm Hot Shots", and is the director of the world-famous Herrang, Sweden Lindy Hop Dance Camp. Lennart taught for three nights at UCSB ("The Three Nights of Lennart"), in beginning level, intermediate level, and advanced level Lindy Hop, plus beginning 20's style Charleston and the Big Apple. This was one of the finest special events that the SBDC has produced. Everyone agreed that these were three excellent nights of dancing!

The SBDC November Dance Workshops featured Lennart Westerlund and Asa Palm from Stockholm, Sweden.

Lennart Westerlund, leader of "The Rhythm Hot Shots".

Asa Palm, from Stockholm, Sweden.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dance History Video Night

The SBDC held two dance history video nights during the Fall Quarter. We watched film and video clips of the origins of swing dancing and Lindy Hop, documentaries compiled by National Geographic about the "Jitterbug", dance competition videos, "Groovie Movie", Herrang Dance Camp videos, and much more! We also watched some of the video highlights from the SBDC Fall Quarter Workshops with Chester Whitmore (October) and Lennart Westerlund (November). Dance history video nights will continue in the Winter Quarter.

Swing Dance "Field Trips"

The SBDC Club members took part in the monthly Santa Barbara Elk's Lodge Sunday Afternoon Big Band Dances. These events are open to the public, and are a fund raising event for the Elk's Lodge. The Elk's provided the Big Band ("Kings of Swing"), a large wooden dance floor, and the facilities. The SBDC brought the dancers! These monthly field trips will continue in the Winter Quarter.
SBDC Club members also took part in the local Santa Barbara Swing Dance Scene during Fall Quarter! The most popular dancing spots in town were Wednesday nights at the Yucatan, and the First and Third Friday Night Swing Dances at the Carrillo Recreation Center. You would be sure to find several dozen SBDC members dancing up a storm!

This page was updated by Steve Carlan on 9/6/99.