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Balboa workshop with Jo & Mel (London Balboa Collective) - Bobby McGee's Special

Balboa workshop with Jo & Mel (London Balboa Collective) - Bobby McGee's Special

Event Information

Cambridge Swing Dance

Cambridge Swing Dance

@cambridge-swing-dance Cambridge

Join us for a Bobby McGee’s-themed Sunday in Cambridge! Jo & Mel are coming up from London to teach a 2-hour Balboa workshop (intermediate/advanced) followed by Sunday Stomp, our monthly fast-music social with music from the Andi Bowie 4tet and DJ Mel!

Schedule

  • – Balboa Inspirations: Learn shapes and movement from Balboa legends
  • – Partnership Dynamics: Explore the fundamentals and secrets for better partner connection
  • – Sunday Stomp (with Andi Bowie Quartet & DJ Mel)
View full schedule

Venues

Newnham Scout and Guide Centre
Newnham Scout and Guide Centre, Chedworth St, Cambridge CB3 9JF, UK
The Old Spring
1 Ferry Path, Cambridge CB4 1HB, UK

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Description

Bobby McGee’s Sunday in Cambridge

Jo & Mel are coming up from London for a Balboa workshop aimed at intermediate/advanced dancers, drawing inspiration from the original dancers and footage filmed at Bobby McGee's. You should be fluent in the basic shapes of Balboa and Bal-Swing and comfortable social dancing at a range of tempos. Afterwards, join us at Sunday Stomp, our monthly fast-music social with live music from the Andi Bowie Quartet, followed by a Bobby McGee's-inspired DJ set from Mel.

What was Bobby McGee’s? Bobby McGee’s was a family restaurant chain in Southern California, and from 1979 it hosted Sunday afternoon dances started by original jitterbug Hal Takier and his wife Marge. These afternoons brought the original SoCal swing and Balboa dancers of the 1930s and 40s back together on the dance floor. From the mid-90s onwards, a whole new generation of young dancers, including Nick Williams, Jeremy Otth, Mikey Pedroza and many others, came to Bobby McGee’s to dance with and learn directly from the old-timers. The dances ended suddenly in 2009 when the restaurants closed, but the footage filmed there is still one of the richest sources of inspiration for Balboa dancers today.

Read Bobby White’s tribute “For Hal” on Swungover for more info: https://swungover.wordpress.com/2012/01/14/for-hal/

Programme

Newnham Scout and Guide Centre

  • 10:00-11:00 - Balboa Inspirations: Learn shapes and movement from Balboa legends
  • 11:15-12:15 - Partnership Dynamics: Explore the fundamentals and secrets for better partner connection

The Old Spring

  • 14:00-18:00 - Sunday Stomp with live music by the Andi Bowie Quartet & DJ Mel + DJ Tambaleo

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Access to Dance: An Access to Dance coupon code is available, giving a £10 discount for those who would otherwise be unable to afford to attend. Use the ACCESS2BAL code at the checkout.

Cancellation Policy: No cancellations or refunds unless we find replacement on the waiting list. You may resell your ticket yourself, please let us know who the buyer is.