Hello Swing Fam,
Coming at you this Sunday with a bag full of goodies – but first, I want to say HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY (#Givetogain and #balancethescales)!
Today I’m especially holding close to my heart and mind all my sisters and mothers/mother figures, those watching over me in heaven, those who walk softly beside me every day in different ways to support me and each other, to my sisters from work and play, and to those who I don’t see or speak to often but admire and am inspired by from afar. To all women who’ve strapped in for some tough rides in their lifetime and still manage to lift others up around them, we are certainly interesting humans, us women! Whoever our maker was (my own belief is God) certainly put a lot of thought into adding extra special coping tools to our kit to enable us to carry and achieve so much.
Today is our day to celebrate all that is us, so embrace it, give yourselves and those sisters around you a big ole hug! 💃🕺
In today’s newsletter (no April Fools here… yet!):
MARCH & APRIL MADNESS – Get Your Dancing Shoes Ready!
- Friday 13th – It’s a lucky day – I’ll tell you why!
- Sunday 15th – It’s a fun day – I’ll tell you why!
- Saturday 21st – It’s a festival day – I’ll tell you why!
- Saturday 28th – It’s Swing On In heading to Brunswick Heads – I’ll tell you why!
- Monday 30th March – It’s going to be a tough but positive outcome day – I’ll tell you why!
- Wed 1 April – It’s not an April Fools joke, but new classes & changes coming at you for a little while – I’ll tell you why!
- 9/10/11 April – The Sydney Swing Katz Workshop Weekend & Social – They are revved up – I’ll tell you why!
Plus…
- A couple of festivals & events coming up – dates for your diary!
- Why learn the Big Apple? (Spoiler: It’s going to be choreographed chaos!)
- Some top Movie Dance Sequences
Lifekit short podcast (20 mins) – Why “should we hang out” won’t make you real friends, but coming to swing dancing will!
Friday 13th – Lucky BBLX Launch! Some say Friday the 13th is unlucky, but not in our swing world! This Friday 13th March (5am AEST) marks my little sister Elisha’s heavenly birthday—and last year, I chose this day to launch the Byron Bay Lindy Exchange Early Bird Ticket Drop with her in my heart for good luck… and it worked! So we’re doing it again.
Early Bird Tickets for the full weekend pass drop at 5am AEST! Our 2nd annual Byron Bay Lindy Exchange is a bespoke, all-inclusive swing dance dream, limited spots, sold out last year, so don’t sleep on it (or you’ll miss the boat… nautical pun intended ).
Includes: 4 social dances, 3 live band nights, 4 themed parties, daytime adventures (beach welcome picnic, guided lighthouse walk, deck social swing, yoga session), dance workshop, and a VIP entry memento. This year’s theme? NAUTICAL….your full BBLX community experience is only $195pp.
Mark your calendars, set that alarm, and grab ’em here: https://www.byronbaylindyexchange.com.au
Sunday 15th March – The BLITZ Party is Back! Time to dust off your victory rolls, The BLITZ Party hits Mo’s Desert Clubhouse from 2pm–6pm! It’s going to be a hootenanny of an afternoon. What will you be wearing when the sirens go off? Best Dressed Competition, Betty Bomber Cocktails on sale, air-conditioned venue, Swing A Billy Ray on the decks, and our fabulous entertainment: the Pacific Belles doing their Andrews Sisters Tribute Show. If you haven’t seen these ladies, you’re in for a real treat!
We kept prices low at $25pp as a thank-you (not to make money, just cover costs, with any leftover going to Beauties Feeling Fabulous Inc). No dancing required so share with your non-swing mates! Tickets still available: https://events.humanitix.com/the-blitz-party-is-back-keep-calm-and-dance-on
Saturday 21st March – Rockabilly & Retro Twilight Vibes! Swing A Billy Ray and The Lindy Charm School (that’s us!) are heading to the Rockabilly & Retro Twilight Event at Ipswich Showgrounds.
📅 Saturday 21 March 2026 ⏰ 4:00pm – 8:00pm
Step back in time: Glam up with The Lindy Charm School Pop-Up Salon (vintage hair & makeup + clothing sale), browse the racks, soak up the atmosphere, and groove to DJ Swing A Billy Ray spinning tunes all twilight long. Support local and get your “do” done!
More event info: https://ipswichshow.com.au/buy-spectator/rockabilly-retro
Saturday 28th March – Brunswick Heads Street Party Swing! Calling all swing dancers! Join us for this FREEcommunity Street Party in Brunswick Heads. Perfect chance to promote Swing On In and Lindy Hop in general. We’ll be social dancing, running a taster class, and maybe even Shim Sham + Mama Stew if the numbers are right.
Time slot: Saturday 28th, 12:40–13:30pm – Main Stage. Full details: https://streetsalivebrunswickheads.com.au/
More deets coming soon – would love to see you all there kicking up your heels! (Note to self: Print more postcards… stat!)
Monday 30th March – Ray’s Surgery Update (Chin Up, Swing On!)
Ray has surgery – he’s having his prostate cancer “whipped out” ASAP. We’ve been on a rollercoaster since Christmas, but now we have a solid action plan, a great surgeon (with robotic arms – how futuristic is that?!), and a really good prognosis.
Chin up, humour cranked to max – we’re so lucky to have this incredible swing family. As soon as we asked for help covering classes/door/etc. while he’s out (up to 6 weeks), hands shot up! Here’s the fun, exciting roster of guest teachers stepping in and stepping up – you’ll get some fresh moves, novelty classes, and variety. Ray will be “zooming in” to keep an eye on things (he swears he’s installing cameras… I wouldn’t put it past him!). See the full calendar/roster for details. Come to some or all it’s going to be a positive swing-forward time! We are calling our Roster Team: RAYS RECOVERY RHYTHM SQUAD
Wed 1 April – New April Class Rosters Kick Off! No fooling around, this is the real deal!
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Gold Coast Class Roster for April starts:
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Mullum Class Roster for April starts:
9/10/11 April – Sydney Swing Katz Workshop Weekend & Social
You’re getting 6 of the best… and no, this isn’t the old school detention kind (HA HA, tongue in cheek for the baby boomers in the list!).
It’s 6 of the best Sydney Swing Katz dancers/performers and international champs in Lindy Hop, Boogie Woogie, and Rock N Roll. Trophies galore, but they’re humble, hardworking, passionate, dedicated, cheeky-humoured, and fun to learn from. They live, dance, and play hard – shoutout to their fierce-but-teddy-bear leader Justin!
Do yourself a favour: Grab one workshop or the full weekend (discounts for pairs). We rarely get them up this way – they’re jet-setting worldwide! All info & tickets: https://events.humanitix.com/sydney-swing-katz-full-weekend-pass-4-workshops-and-includes-sat-night-social (Individual tickets also on Humanitix.)
A Couple More Festivals & Events – Diary Dates!
- 14-17 May – Blues on Broadbeach: https://bluesonbroadbeach.com (Swing A Billy Ray waxing lyrical in support of The Teskey Brothers + Kitty, Daisy & Lewis!)
- 22-24 May – Brisbane Swing Thing: https://brisbaneswing.wordpress.com
- 3-7 June – Cooly Rocks On: https://www.coolyrockson.com/moonlight-swing-dance/ Our FIRST international swing band—Sam Ghezzi and His Dreammakers! They are HOT!
Why Learn the Big Apple?
We’re calling everyone coming to the Moonlight Swing Dance at Cooly Rocks On to learn it so we can join the Big Apple Flashmob – it’s going to be crazy, fun, chaotic, and amazing! We’ll sprinkle it into classes through April/May and weekends leading up. Get amongst it!
Learning links: https://youtu.be/g0Gu0QBQoMo?si=_OgGUO0Qmcke5lRB AND/OR
https://youtu.be/C444gS8IcIk?si=7BIFNF7-HJvuneUp
Some Top Movie Dance Sequences (because swing on screen never gets old!)
Starting with a classic: Bounce me brother with a solid four – Buck Privates (1941) featuring the Andrews Sisters, Dean Collins, and Jewel McGowan: https://youtu.be/rNGVK8gG0DQ?si=Ga9-wVQLxjHlZMhr
Day at the Races: – https://youtu.be/egopcBsOPIU?si=cu2VF6utxztLfu70
Hellzapoppin: https://youtu.be/dSAOV6XEjXA?si=IU1bSH_nMzPEw1zi
Something short & sweet
Lifekit Podcast Pick (20 mins) Why “should we hang out” won’t make you real friends… but coming to swing dancing will! https://open.spotify.com/episode/25rZQtLUJrSL16AlXGa38j?si=Jvu8ZwRCQa6rvY5SBA1hKw
Whew….that’s a lot of swing-tastic action! Catch you on the flip side, friends. Keep dancing, keep hugging those sisters, and keep those calendars marked.
Chrissy & Ray & The Swing On In Crew xx