The USDA Presents: First Friday Swing Dances

These dances will be held the first Friday of every month from 9pm until Midnight

at the SLCRS building: 870 E, 7145 S. (Click on map for driving directions)

A free introductory swing dance lesson will preceed each dance at 8:00.

The cost for these dances is $10 per person or $15 per couple.

Our goal with these dances is to continue the high energy and fun atmosphere we have at the exchange throughout the year. We also hope this venue will help to grow the swing scene in Salt Lake and encourage everyone to be the best dancers they can be. We plan on accomplishing these goals by providing the very best Swing Dance Experience possible.

This includes:

- Live local music at each dance

- A large, attractive venue with a beautiful wood floor and ample parking

- Top notch instruction for newcomers before each dance

- Monthly contests with prizes

- Support of the community through hosting of special events, performances, etc.

We hope you find this new venue as fun and exciting as we do, and we're looking forward to seeing you all out on the dance floor!

- Bug & Tommy

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Details for Upcoming Months:

(check back to this post to get the most up-to-date information)

June 2nd 2006

Music: Battle of the DJ's

For our inagural dance, we'll be hosting a true battle of the DJs. The battle is open to anyone who wants to enter. The USDA will donate 25 dollars to the pot for every DJ that enters the contest, with a maximum of eight entries (so sign up early if you want a slot). Each DJ will have an allocated amount of time to spin their best tunes and impress the crowd. The audience will vote at the end of the night and the winner will receive the pot. The winning DJ could end up with 200 dollars!! Email info@swingutah.com to enter or for contest rules.

We'll also be featuring a monthly Amature Lindy Jack and Jill Contest. Ron, Bug and Tommy and two other yet-to-be-named dancers will be the judges for this contest where anything goes. The winners get free tickets to the following month's dance. A prize worth 20 dollars!

visit www.swingutah.com for more info!

My team might be ready by then... if so.... watch out yo!!!

No no no... silly Roach.. a Dance Team

Boogaloo:

No no no... silly Roach.. a Dance Team

dood, that'd be awesome.

Fighting traffic from Provo to SLC on a Friday night is never fun. As often as not, I've found it a painful experience and prefer not to drive much of anywhere on a Friday night.

The skillet and the MAC pull smaller crowds than the BYU dance. I've only been to a UofU dance over Christmas break, but the impression I've gotten is that I can reliably get good well attended energetic dances in Provo.

Getting used to the scene here in Austin has been interesting. Tuesday night post lesson, open floor practice sessions (kind of a dance) get some of the people willing to pay $10 for a group lesson and some of the die hards. In some ways dancing in a large hall makes the Tuesday night dance feel smaller than it is. Thursday nights are rocking with over a hundred people at the Austin Swing Syndicate dance, though half of them are dancing East Coast because that's what they teach beginners.

Last night was the monthly ASSyndicate dance at a studio. Since I was finished with a different activity I showed up late to find less than twenty people who began leaving slowly after my arrival (due to the time, not my presence). It was a good opportunity to meet a couple of people, but not an event I would be excited to pay money for when it is so poorly attended. I bring this up because it was an example of insufficient advertisement and a weak dance discouraging me from taking time to go to one of these in the future. Imagine my reluctance if the dance was an hour away instead of twenty minutes.

It also points out the fact that people frequently have other plans on Friday nights. I got done with mine before 10, but I needed a shower before I went dancing.

Special one time events can be hit and miss. If only a few people show up, you can kill future dances. You need to earn people's trust that they will get to dance with several people and have a good time. Earning that back after a flop takes even more work.

Those are some of the reasons I've considered for missing a dance.

. . . or was that a rhetorical question?

SpecialK:

Special one time events can be hit and miss. If only a few people show up, you can kill future dances. You need to earn people's trust that they will get to dance with several people and have a good time. Earning that back after a flop takes even more work.

Right on! you're totally right. And that's why we're glad it was an awesome dance and everyone had a great time.

Can't wait for July! Tad's band is playing (the band that played on the Sat night of the exchange) and we'll have another J&J and other chances to win prizes from the mystery bin!

Yeah... that's always the problem with college students.. money, and yes you guys are spoiled in Provo

can volunteers can get a break on the cost? maybe if people can get a ride up and then work for an hour at the dance it will be more affordable.

I definitely agree that people can fall into the trap of "it's not cheap/free, why go" mentality. However I also think that for a venue to be successful they have to obey the laws of economics. All things being equal, if I can get an equivalent dance experience going to one venue in my own town for $3 when the option is spending an hour driving each way and paying triple the price, the decision is a no-brainer. Why would someone pay more for the same thing? The trick is to make what is more expensive worth it. Now I personally thought the dance friday was certainly worth the drive and my seven dollars. The venue was good (albeit very hot), a lot of dancers were there that I usually don't get to dance with every week, and the floor was great. I also think that the live bands will be a big enough draw that the added price (in comparison to other events) will be justified.

It's the same reason I go to workshops and exchanges; though they are expensive, they provide me the opportunity to dance with people I don't get to dance with, to learn more about something I love, to travel and see new places... in short- they give me experiences that I cannot get here in my own little local venue. If the situation were that I went to an exchange and had the exact same experiences and didn't recieve any unusual benefit I would almost certainly never go to an exchange again. It's just simple economics.

Elleigh:

I just want to say that I had such an AMAZING time on Friday!!! Thanks to Tommy and Bug for throwing such a fun dance. Also, Thanks to everyone who came out and played with us! I can't wait until next month!!

I also want to thank everyone who voted for me. BIG HUGS AND KISSES TO ALL OF YOU AND TO ALL OF THE OTHER DJ'S!!!! Much love to you all!

Oh, and also thanks for the good times in the jack and jill contest. [Emoticon not found] I still can't believe I won that too!!!! :hyper: I felt like a princess. A very lucky princess!!!

Thanks again everyone! I love you!

Michelle is a

Was it exceptionally hot? I didn't notice, but maybe it was cuz of my smoothie [Emoticon not found]

Ugh, I can't believe I forgot to mention the coolest part of the dance -- the cool bug stamps! [Emoticon not found] [Emoticon not found] [Emoticon not found]

YAY for money going towards ULX07!! Btw, extra money made at USDA lessons also goes towards ULX07!

It was hot, but I always get really gross and sweaty, so I didn't think it was too hot.

Bug:

(And that way we could get cool bug stamps on our hands!!! [Emoticon not found] )

For the record, I think stamps on my hand have got to be one of the most annoying things about dances. Just my opinion.

I'm not a fan of the super hygenic 3 day wrist straps at exchanges though.

SpecialK:

I'm not a fan of the super hygenic 3 day wrist straps at exchanges though.

yeah, i agree. stamps and wrist bands suck. but we have to keep track nof everyone. also, that's why the bug stamps are at least cool.... even though stamps in general suck

wrist bands don't bug me as long as they're not the kind that have the gouging snap. i'd rather have a wrist band any day than a stamp.

SpecialK:

it washes off

Ah, for you it washes off... therein lies the difference between us.

hello all i just got the contract back from tad so we're all set. remember, this month's dance will be July 7th and will feature Tad Calcara and his New Deal Orchestra (same one that we had the sat night at the exchage)

Also, we will be pleased to enjoy performances from all those who are competing in camp hollywood! this gives everyone a chance to practice their perforance skilz and for the rest of utah to ralley behind their peeps!

Tommy and I might not be performing due to recent hand problems i've been having, but we expect to see awesome performances from Shane and Julie's team as well as (I'm assuming) shane and julie themselves. Also, someone told me ron and giney would be performing!!!! is this true?

Also, don't forget about the am j&J!!! judges will be the same as last time: shane, julie, bug, tommy, and ron.

can't wait to see everyone out on the floor. see our website for more information or directions.

~bug

Provo?? Challenge?? yeah right!!

SpecialK:

New Deal rocked ULX.

Word word and word.

Thomas, Zach, Holly, April, me getting ready to head to SLC.

We (minus Thomas) are going to try to see Dee Daniels at the SLC Jazz Fest before the FFV [Emoticon not found] [Emoticon not found]

So how big was it? About how many people? And will it happen again in the Fall?

Tommy:

We'll see what we can do about the fan, since this band is HOT!

For all those who haven't had a chance to make it out to the FFD, this is the time to do it! The Red Rock Hot Club is probably THE best jazz band in the area (IMHO). They're super excited to play for this event, and we're excited to have them.

You can listen to samples of their music at www.redrockhotclub.com

and their bass player is the best i've ever seen!

it's gonna be fun

So Tommy, how can we help promote the event in Utah County?

seattle.... buuuut, not too many utah people are going to the exchange, so everyone who will still be in the state go!

Hmm... Provo's representation doesn't look to hot due the lack of ads/promo at swing club.

The group I had going from provo is looking slimmer than I hoped. [Emoticon not found] ::pout::

::phew:: I feel better. Only a couple few provolones are in Seattle, so I wasn't worried bout that [Emoticon not found] But now I know April, April's sister, an ol skool couple and probably j-shizz will be coming from Utah County. [Emoticon not found] [Emoticon not found] Oh and me too.

Oh and if you didn't know it, Red Rock Hot Club is playing tonight and rock it out w/ swingin' gypsy jazz -- made famous and perfected by Django Reinhardt. You want music overflowing with energy and killer diller rhythms, come tonight.