Orlando's Saturday night swing dance!

The next Orlando Swing Dance is Saturday, March 13, from 8pm to midnight at the Whirl & Twirl. Don’t miss DJ Josh as he spins your favorite tunes guaranteed to keep the dance floor hopp’in all night!

There will be a free beginner swing dance lesson from 8pm to 9pm that will take you from the very basic and then teach you 3 or 4 moves you can enjoy practicing right away at the dance that follows from 9pm to Midnight.

Drinks and snacks are available for a $1.00 donation and this is a non-smoking, all ages welcome event, all for only $7!

Next Live Band…

We are excited to welcome back local Jazz great, Bill Allred on Saturday March 27th 2010!

As many of you will remember, Bill played for us in January with Washington Swing Musician Solomon Douglas, and now he’s back with his Quartet!

Now in its 20th year of existence, Bill Allred’s Quartet was born in Orlando, Florida, in 1990 as a group of ex-Rosie O’Grady and Disney musicians when the staff musician roles in both places began to erode. They started essentially as a “kicks” band, collecting and playing the arrangements of Matty Matlock and Billy Maxted. After performing at a few jazz festivals, they realized that there was a real market for their “little big band” type of sound. That was more than 19 years and 13 recordings ago.

You will be sure to hear music from such greats as Jelly Roll Morton to Count Basie and all the stops in between, sure to thrill both swing dancers and music lovers alike!

There will be a free beginner swing dance lesson from 8pm to 9pm that will take you from the very basic and then teach you 3 or 4 moves you can enjoy practicing right away at the dance that follows from 9pm to Midnight.

Drinks and snacks are available for a $1.00 donation and this is a non-smoking, all ages welcome event, all for only $12.00

On behalf of Orlando Swing Dance, I would like to extend my sincere apologies to everyone for the last minute cancelation of the dance Saturday night. This happened do to the venue being double booked, and we did not discover this until we arrived for set up at 7:30pm and hence why no warning went out to you about this change.  In the over 8 years of our swing dance being at this venue, this is the first and only time this has happened, and we have no reason to expect that it will ever happen again.

To those of you who arrive only to be told the dance was canceled, remember that you can use the free passes I was handing out to any of our future DJ night dances, or for $7 off a band night dance.  Be sure to use your pass and give us a chance to show you what a great time you will have at the Orlando Swing Dance!

Thank you again for your understanding!

- Maria McKee

The next Orlando Swing Dance is this Saturday night from 8pm to 9pm at the Whirl & Twirl. Don’t miss DJ Josh as he spins your favorite tunes guaranteed to keep the dance floor hopp’in all night!

Josh and Jess will be teaching a free beginner swing dance lesson from 8pm to 9pm that will take you from the very basic and then teach you 3 or 4 moves you can enjoy practicing right away at the dance that follows from 9pm to Midnight.

Drinks and snacks are available for a $donation and this is a non-smoking, all ages welcome event, all for only $7!

Next Live Band…

We are excited to welcome back local Jazz great, Bill Allred on Saturday March 27th 2010!

As many of you will remember, Bill played for us in January with Washington Swing Musician Solomon Douglas, and now he’s back with his Quartet!

Now in its 20th year of existence, Bill Allred’s Quartet was born in Orlando, Florida, in 1990 as a group of ex-Rosie O’Grady and Disney musicians when the staff musician roles in both places began to erode. They started essentially as a “kicks” band, collecting and playing the arrangements of Matty Matlock and Billy Maxted. After performing at a few jazz festivals, they realized that there was a real market for their “little big band” type of sound. That was more than 19 years and 13 recordings ago.

You will be sure to hear music from such greats as Jelly Roll Morton to Count Basie and all the stops in between, sure to thrill both swing dancers and music lovers alike!

Thank you to everyone who came out for the Valentines Day!  Great live music by Nicole Sasser and high energy on the packed dance floor!

Be sure to check out your picture on the photos page!

Saturday February 13th is the annual Valentines Dance with a live band this year, the Nicole Sasser Quartet!  Nicole is known for her big band and jazz style and is loved throughout Orlando for keeping the dance floor full of great energy!

What’s more romantic then taking your special someone out dancing on Valentine Weekend?  Or better yet, come out and meet that special dancer! No partner needed as it is a very social dance floor with tons of friendly dancers!

Saturday, February 13th, 2010
Free Beginner Swing Dance Lesson: 8pm-9pm
Swing Dance: 9pm to 12am
Admission: $12
All ages welcome, non-smoking venue

The next swing dance is Saturday, January 23rd with guest DJ Rob Shrewsbury who will keep the dance floor hopp’in! Guest teaching are long time Orlando Instructors, Rob & Dawn Shrewsbury of Flyin Footwork Productions! Be sure to come out and take advantage of their renown teaching style!

Saturday February 13th is the annual Valentines Dance with a live band this year, the Nicole Sasser Quartet!  Nicole is known for her big band and jazz style and is loved throughout Orlando for keeping the dance floor full of great energy!

What’s more romantic then taking your special someone out dancing on Valentine Weekend?  Or better yet, come out and meet that special dancer! No partner needed as it is a very social dance floor with tons of friendly dancers!

Saturday, February 13th, 2010
Beginner Swing Dance Lesson: 8pm-9pm
Swing Dance: 9pm to 12am
Admission: $12
All ages welcome, non-smoking venue

Thanks to everyone who came out and enjoyed the live band on Saturday night. Solomon Douglas did a great job as always and the dance floor was full of energy!  The photos from the night are posted on the photos page!

Don’t forget, the next dance is on Saturday, January 23rd. Then coming up, Saturday February 13th is the annual Valentines Dance with a live band this year! Plan now to come out with that special someone and enjoy a full night of dancing, fun, and of course love songs aplenty! Be sure to check back for more details!!!

Orlando Swing Dance is excited to welcome the Solomon Douglas Quartet to Orlando on Saturday, January 9th for a very special live performance!

Solomon comes to us all the way from Washington State!  He is known worldwide for his passion and style when it comes to big band and swing music. His influences as a pianist include Erroll Garner, Oscar Peterson, Gene Harris, Count Basie, and Thelonious Monk, just to name a few!

Be sure to set aside the night for a great evening of music and dance!  Don’t miss this limited opportunity to dance to one of the best known swing dance artists in the country!  Admission only $12 including the lesson, bring your friends!

Click here for more info.

The photos from Saturday night’s Christmas Dance are ready to view on the photos page. Thanks to everyone who came out and celebrated with us!

Remember there is no 4th Saturday dance in December, so we will see you back on January 9th for the Solomon Douglas Band’s Live Preformance! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from all of us at Orlando Swing Dance!

Coming up Saturday December 12th! The annual Christmas Swing Dance! We’ll be celebrating the season with a special night of holiday swing music mixed in with all your regular favorites. The venue will be decked out, so dress in your danceable Christmas best and come out for one of the best dances of the year! This special event is only $7 per person, all ages welcome!

Mark your calendars! Orlando Swing Dance is excited to welcome Solomon Douglas to Orlando on Saturday, January 9th for a very special live performance!

Solomon comes to us all the way from Washington State!  He is known worldwide for his passion and style when it comes to big band and swing music. His influences as a pianist include Erroll Garner, Oscar Peterson, Gene Harris, Count Basie, and Thelonious Monk, just to name a few!

Be sure to set aside the night for a great evening of music and dance!  See you on the floor!