LindyinthePark.com

From our friends who brought you LitP-LITE July 4th edition, comes the Thanksgiving DAY (Thursday, November 22, 2007), Lindy in the Park - LITE! Here’s the info:
Enjoy FREE (as always) swing dancing to the tunes of DJ JEFF YIH! Happening at the same time, same place as the regular LitP (11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Golden Gate Park.) But, remember: it’s on THURSDAY, not Sunday!
LitP-Lite on Thanksgiving is a great way to burn off some calories before the big feast! We won’t be having a potluck, just MUSIC AND DANCING! So you can save your appetite for Thanksgiving dinner with family/friends.

Lindy in the Park - LITE means that we use a smaller sound system, and it’s endorsed by, but not run by, the official LitP crew. Also, it’s a holiday, so the teachers get a BREAK, and that means NO SWING LESSON.

For more information and discussion about this special event, please check the SwingTalk forum web site.

And YES, the regular LitP continues each Sunday, even during the holidays, weather permitting, of course.

Don’t forget to set your clocks back one hour if you didn’t before you went to bed last night!

Sunday, October 28, 2007, 4:00-6:00pm

Announcing a 2-hour, all-levels workshop class that will teach you the Shim Sham!

• Learn this universally popular group line dance, originally a tap routine, later adopted by swing dancers in the 1930s, and today, danced by swing dancers around the world!
• Classic jazz steps include the Shim Sham Step, Shim Sham Break, Push Step with Crossover, Tacky Annie, Half-Break, Boogies, and Shorty George!
• Taught by Hep Jen & Ken Watanabe!

WHERE: Same location as Lindy in the Park: south sidewalk of JFK Drive, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco (Yahoo! Map of approximate location)

PREREQUISITES: All levels, no experience necessary, no partner required

COST: $20 per person - Register in person with Jen or Ken, in advance or at the workshop

CONTACTS: Ken: 415-420-3147, ken@lindyinthepark.com; or Jen: hepjen@hepjen.com

Hope to see you at the workshop,
Ken & Jen

Thanks to all, and I mean ALL, who came out to celebrate Lindy in the Park’s 11 Year Anniversary Celebration.

To see the rest of the photos, click on Photos-2007

If there’s enough interest in a large print of the group photo, please let me know using the Contact Page and I’ll see what I can do.

Enjoy!

-Dave

Check out the Fog Files program on KFOG 104.5 FM for a piece about Lindy in the Park and our upcoming 11th Anniversary (on Sunday, August 19), at the following dates and times (the times are approximate, so tune in a few minutes early to be sure to catch the full article):

Tuesday, August 14, 8:50 PM
Wednesday, August 15, 8:40 AM
Thursday, August 16, 2:50 AM
Sunday, August 19, 7:50 PM
Monday, August 20, 5:20 AM

And I hope to see all of you this Sunday (August 19, 2007, 11am-3pm+) for LitP’s special 11th Anniversary Dance & BBQ Potluck!

Ken Watanabe
Lindy in the Park co-founder, organizer, DJ
ken@lindyinthepark.com

SAVE THE DATE: SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2007!
On Sunday, August 19, 2007, come celebrate 11 years of free swing dancing in Golden Gate Park with a special 11th anniversary edition of Lindy in the Park.? To celebrate, we’re having a BBQ potluck and extending the music and dancing hours until at least 3:00pm.? We’ll supply the BBQ’s; you supply some food to BBQ, side dishes, drinks, or utensils to share.? Come out and party, dance, see your friends, reunite with old friends, make new friends, eat some delicious food, and have an all-around great time!

WHO:
We’re trying to notify as many Lindy hoppers as we can (old, new, and everyone in between), so please help spread the word to all your friends.

WHY:
Celebrate 11 great years of Lindy in the Park, the longest-running regular lindy hop dance event in the San Francisco Bay Area. The first Lindy in the Park took place on August 18, 1996 with 13 enthusiastic dancers and a boombox. Over the years, Lindy in the Park has grown to average over a hundred fifty dancers each week and has become a San Francisco swing dancing institution.

WHEN:
Sunday, August 19, 2007 11:00am-3:00pm+

SCHEDULE:
Music & Dancing: 11:00am-3:00pm+
Free Beginner Swing Dance Lesson with Hep Jen: 12:30pm-1:00pm
BBQ Potluck: 1:00pm-3:00pm+

WHAT TO BRING:
Food for BBQ’ing, side dishes, salads, desserts, drinks, ice chests with ice, plastic utensils, paper napkins, plates, or cups, etc. to share? (BBQ grills and charcoal will be supplied.).

WHERE:
The regular LitP location: The wide sidewalk area of John F. Kennedy Drive between the 8th Ave. and 10th Ave. park entrances, between the de Young Museum and the north entrance to the Music Concourse.? Yahoo map of LitP’s approximate location.

Hope to see you there!
Ken Watanabe
Lindy in the Park co-founder, organizer, DJ
ken@lindyinthepark.com

Just imagine… it’s the Fourth of July… don’t YOU want to be outdoors, dancing to swingin’ tunes, eating apple pie, and basking in the glory of it all? That’s what I thought. So come on out to the usual Lindy in the Park location, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., for a very special Lindy in the Park - LITE.

This event is fully endorsed by, but not put on by, the official Lindy in the Park crew (Ken, Naomi, Dave, and Hep Jen). We volunteered to do this because of the love we have for the regular Lindy in the Park… we got inspired by the determination of the LitP organizers who are there very single Sunday. We want to share that feeling on those spectacular holidays when we’ve got the day off from work and would like nothing better than to be outdoors dancing.

Want to bring food for a pot luck? We’ll have coolers, ice, napkins, plates, utensils… feel free to bring your own food or side dishes to share.

For more information and discussion about this special event, please check out the following posting on the SwingTalk forum web site.

See you all there!
Rachel Donovan & Jeff Yih

What a terrific day to be outside dancing in the park.

I’ve updated the Photos 2007 section with photos from yesterday — Mother’s Day.

Enjoy!

I’ve updated the Photos - 2007 gallery with images from this past Wednesday’s Lindy in the Square event. Enjoy!

“Lindy in the Square” is back! Free swing dancing in Union Square!

As you may already know, Kermit Goodman is again organizing “Lindy in the Square”, a series of free outdoor Lindy Hop swing dance events on the first Wednesday of the month (May through Oct) at Union Square, to expose more swing dancing to the public and help promote the local weekly dances, classes, and instructors. Different venues will take turn hosting the event on each of the different Wednesdays, and “Lindy in the Park” has the privilege to be hosting this year’s first Lindy in the Square on Wednesday, May 2, 2007, 6-8pm (weather permitting).

Lindy in the Square on May 2 will be similar to the regular Lindy in the Park event on Sundays: a free outdoor dance in a public setting with DJ’ed music by me (Ken) and Naomi and a free half-hour beginner swing dance lesson by Hep Jen (no partner or experience necessary). We’ll also perform the “Lindy in the Park” routine (open to anyone who wants to perform), and we may also throw in a Shim Sham, and/or Jitterbug Stroll line dance.

If you’re interested in performing, check out the description of the Lindy in the Park routine, run through the routine when we do it at Lindy in the Park this Sunday (4/29), and just show up at Lindy in the Square this coming Wednesday (5/2).

Afterwards, you may want to continue swing dancing at one of the following regular weekly Wednesday dances:

• “Cat’s Corner” at Savanna Jazz Club, SF, 9:30p-late, www.catscornersf.com
• Le Colonial (w/Tin Cup Serenade), SF, 7-10p, www.lecolonialsf.com
• Top of the Mark (w/Lavay Smith), SF, 7:30-11:30pm, www.topofthemark.com
• “Wednesday Night Hop” at Steppin’ Out, Sunnyvale, 9p-12a, www.SunnyvaleSwing.com

For details, please check out the “Lindy in the Square” website at: www.lindyinthesquare.com or contact Kermit Goodman, Lindy in the Square organizer, at 415-235-9795.

This Wednesday should be a ton of fun! And remember to invite your friends. This is a great opportunity for them to check out the swing dance scene in the San Francisco Bay Area and to understand why you’re so addicted to Lindy.

Hope to see you Wednesday at Union Square (and Sundays in the park)

–Ken Watanabe