A day of solo jazz workshops with Ramona Staffeld, parties with live music and DJs, and plenty of fun.
Friday 10 February
Lindy hop classes with Ramona.
Social dancing with live music.
Saturday 11 February
Solo jazz workshops with Ramona.
Party with the Blue Rhythm Band at Harlem.
Sunday 12 February
Party with the Unity Hall Jazz Band.
Amera's Palace, level 1, 314 Marrickville Rd, Marrickville.
7.00-8.00pm Intermediate lindy hop class with Ramona.
8.00-9.00pm Beginner lindy hop class with Ramona.
Redfern Community Centre, 29-53 Hugo St, Redfern.
12.00-4.15pm 3 solo jazz workshops with Ramona.
Ramona teaches all-levels solo jazz workshops which focus on: developing your own personal 'style'; preserving historic moves and choreography; understanding (and enjoying!) music and the concepts of rhythm and timing.
St Luke's Anglican Church Hall, 11 Stanmore Rd, Enmore.
2.00-4.00pm Teachers Workshop with Ramona.
Another of our popular teachers' workshops, where Ramona leads a guided discussion and practical class focusing on teaching lindy hop and solo jazz dance.
Andrew Dickeson's Blue Rhythm Band
Amera's Palace, level 1, 314 Marrickville Rd, Marrickville.
9.00pm Party!
We begin the weeked with a casual dance with serious live music.
In the spirit of late night jazz jams, we'll be inviting guest musicians, vocalists, and performers to play with the band, and we invite you to settle in with a drink, a dance, and good company.
BYO drinks, and dress for comfort.
Andrew Dickeson's Blue Rhythm Band
Ashfield Polish Club, 73-75 Norton St, Ashfield
8.30pm Harlem party with live music.
The big night of the weekend, when we throw off our work hats and jump into our party shoes.
Great live music, performances, entertainment, social dancing.
The Unity Hall Jazz Band's gig in Balmain has been on for 43 years, and dancers adore it. Join us at this stalwart of the Sydney jazz scene for dancing, dinner, drinks, and good company.
Registration for Jazz with Ramona 2017 will open later in 2017.
Ramona is one of the highest profile lindy hoppers and jazz dancers in the world, performing and teaching at all the major international events, including Herräng (Sweden), Lindy Focus (USA), Swing Out New Hampshire (USA), SeaJam (Singapore), Authentic Jazz Weekend (Korea)....
She's placed first in heaps of the biggest dance competitions in the world (ILHC pro-classic 2016, ILHC invitational jack&jill 2016; ILHC pro-classic 2015, ILHC invitational jack&jill 2015, ILHC lindy hop pro classic 2015), she's danced in big name troupes, (Jazz at Six, Silver Shadows), she taught with Frankie Manning, she taps, she solos, she lindy hops, she sings, she slow drags...
...and she likes Sydney because we have good bands and restaurants. She's also one of the friendliest, nicest people in lindy hop, and she just loves social dancing. More than anything. Make sure you ask her to dance.
Music comes first with Swing Dance Sydney events, and we look for bands who think of jazz as dance music. We work closely with band leaders and musicians to produce programs of live music which make for great dancing, and happy musicians.
Andrew Dickeson is our live music manager for the weekend, heading up the Blue Rhythm Band, currently one of Australia's favourite jazz bands. Andrew and his musicians have been working closely with dancers for a year now, figuring out what works for us also makes them happy. They have played music for lindy hop, balboa, and solo jazz contests, they've played for social dances, they've worked with tap dancers in improvised shows, and they've played live music for performances.
What makes them so great for dancing?
Andrew is a jazz history scholar, and he knows what musicians in the swing era did to make such great music. As a drummer, he understands the importance of a good rhythm section, and as a band leader, he knows when to rein in the band, and when to let them fly.
The musicians in this band all really enjoy playing for dancers. We even attract musicians from interstate, who've found like minded people in the lindy hop community. And that is what makes this band so great for dancing: they love the same things we do.
This band has held down the longest running jazz gig in Sydney for 43 years, and they know what they like. They like hot jazz, they liked a rowdy, crowded room, and they like a good time.
Though there's a good dance floor, this is a band's gig, and the music is the thing. This is drinking and talking music. This is shouting and laughing music. This is dancing music. It is hot jazz in the New Orleans revivalist vein. There is a grand piano, a handful of regular musicians, and always a few guests.