All Charlotte-area events are listed here; they are run by other local parties. If an event is missing, please contact me. -Swwwingmaster Kirk Eisenbeis

Wherever you go to dance, support the event: buy drinks or water and tip the venue staff.  If you don’t, the venue will dry up. Consider it part of the cost of admission.

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Charlotte Metro Event Calendar
In gray are weekend-long, nearby, out-of-town events.*
2nd Monday  (monthly)	Bill Hanna’s Vintage Dance Band (& beginner lesson)   see dates below
Every Tuesday	Lesson series & dance at Crews Road Rec Center  details: LovinLindy.com
Every Thursday	Lesson series & dance at Ed's Tavern   details soon: GottaswingCharlotte.com
Some Fridays  (monthly)	Jumpin' Java! beginner lesson & dance at Caribou   see dates below
3rd Saturday  (monthly)	Swingin' Saturday beginner lesson & band dance   usually 3rd Saturday, see dates below
2010
Sat, Jul 17	Swingin' Saturday lesson & band dance at Chantilly Hall  - GottaswingCharlotte.com
Fri, Jul 23	Jumpin' Java lesson & dance at Caribou  - LovinLindy.com
Sat, Jul 30	Odd Night Out (5th Saturday) band dance  - LovinLindy.com
Jul 30-31	West Coast Swing weekend lessons & dances  - Swing Hustle Charlotte
Sat, Jul 31	California Mixer Dance Party "...is a fabulous dance fusion party bringing dancers from all of Charlotte dance groups together at one time -- we'll be playing all kinds of great music - from west coast swing, lindy hop and hustle to ballroom (foxtrot, waltz, tango), latin (salsa, cha cha, samba, merengue and rumba) and Argentine tango. We'll also add CW two-step and shag."  - The point is to get dancers from various Charlotte scenes to have a ball dancing together.  - Also, the swing/blues dancers will use this as a going away party for Kirk & Tracy, who are moving to Raleigh in September.  - 8:00-9:00 ($5) Argentine Tango and West Coast Swing "Swango" fusion class (this sounds interesting)  - 9:00-11:30 ($10)  - Location: Metropolitan Ballroom Charlotte NC (corner Providence & Sharon Amity)  - Some more details are on Facebook  - It's also So You Think You Can Dance's National Dance Day
Mon, Aug 9	Bill Hanna’s Vintage Dance Band (& lesson) at Grand Central Events  - more details on page 2
Aug 13-15	Southern Belle follower's workshops, Atlanta GA  - southernbelleswing.com
Sat, Aug 21	Swingin' Saturday lesson & band dance at Chantilly Hall  - GottaswingCharlotte.com
Fri, Aug 27	Jumpin' Java lesson & dance at Caribou  - LovinLindy.com
Sep 9-12	Dirt Cheap Blues Exchange, Virginia Beach VA  - dirtcheapblues.com
Sep 10-12	HAWT Lindy workshop, Raleigh NC  - Details on Facebook
Mon, Sep 13	Bill Hanna’s Vintage Dance Band (& lesson) at Grand Central Events  - more details on page 2
Sat, Sep 18	Swingin' Saturday lesson & band dance at Chantilly Hall  - GottaswingCharlotte.com
Fri, Sep 24	Jumpin' Java lesson & dance at Caribou  - LovinLindy.com
Sep 24-26	X - Piedmont's anniversary workshop, Greensboro NC  - piedmontswingdance.org
Oct 22-24	Cool Cat Corner workshop in Charlotte  - GottaswingCharlotte.com
Sat, Oct 29	Odd Night Out (5th Saturday) band dance  - LovinLindy.com
Nov 4-7	EBC Balboa workshop, Raleigh NC  - ibalboa.com
These two websites are good resources to find national Lindy Hop & Blues dance events:  swingoutoftown.com   lindyexchange.com

* A word about traveling
If you don't travel or dance Lindy Hop already, I can't recommend highly enough that you try a beginner's Lindy workshop weekend.

Lindy Hop, the grandfather of swing dances and an American original, has a challenging learning curve but is fantastically rewarding. Traveling for a weekend of immersion is a TON of fun and the best way to learn and practice Lindy Hop (or other dances like Balboa and Blues). We're fortunate to be in a region that has several distinct but not-too-distant scenes, most of which host at least one weekend event every year. Finally, know that it is very common for the hosting dance community to house the visitors: If you're willing to sleep on an air mattress, you shouldn't need to get a hotel at most of these events.

A weekend event is categorized as a Workshop Weekend or a Lindy Exchange: Workshop Weekends typically include 6-8 hours of instruction over Saturday & Sunday afternoons, plus dances on Friday, Saturday & Sunday nights. A Lindy Exchange has no workshops and is one dance venue after another. Going into my first exchange, I thought dancing that much would get old, but exchanges attract fabulous dancers, a variety of music styles and it is always a blast.

There's a good chance that someone from Charlotte is going to most events here. Email the swwwingmaster if you're unfamiliar with local Lindyhoppers and looking for travel companions.