July Bands

Tuesday, July 11

The Weather Birds | Swing

Hing Hay Park, 6–9pm

The Weather Birds are a newly formed Swing group excited to make their mark on the music scene. Featuring clarinetist Jesse Colford and guitarist Preston Murphy, the group delivers fresh arrangements of classic songs while introducing you to lesser known gems and original compositions. The group aims to deliver quality music along with a fun, engaging experience.” From Lilli Ann — These musicians really deliver a great evening of Swing music and their singer is sublime!

Swing lesson with Ben White | benwhitedance.com

Ben White has been swing dancing since 2004. He has studied Lindy Hop, Balboa, Tap, and vintage Jazz dance under masters from the original swing era and worked with world class contemporary swing dancers around the world. He has had success both locally and internationally as a competitor and coach placing in contests such as The International Lindy Hop Championships, the National Jitterbug Championships, Camp Jitterbug, and many more. He has also been involved in more than 100 productions as a performer, producer, choreographer, and technician.

Ben is well known for his clear instruction and ability to break down and communicate technique while keeping classes entertaining and engaging. He is the Artistic Director at The Syncopation Foundation, and spends several months each year on international teaching tours across Europe.

Thursday, July 13

Swingin’ in the Rain with Dina Blade | Variety

Freeway Park, 6–9pm
This is a Ball Rouge — wear red!

Dina Blade is a refreshingly natural singer with a great sense of time and swing who specializes in singing American popular songs from the 1930s and '40s, preserving the work of master composers and lyricists from that era. An effervescent performer, she has written and toured several different thematic shows celebrating the Great American songbook.

Dina has released six recordings, including her most recent, Shall We Dance, with songs ranging from the lively to the sultry and romantic. KPLU's "Jazz Northwest‚" DJ Jim Wilke praised her voice as "warm and inviting, fresh and original," and included her recent CD, "My Romance‚" on his "Best of the Northwest" list. dinablade.com

Waltz lesson by Lilli Ann Carey and Claire Carey / danceforjoy.biz
Lilli Ann Carey loves to dance almost anything but focuses her teaching on Waltz, West Coast and East Coast Swing, Zydeco, Polka, Foxtrot, One-Step/Blues, Fusion and a few vintage dance forms. Lilli Ann promotes dance classes, workshops and events through her company, Dance for Joy!, and is committed to developing a creative, connected and playful dance community here in Seattle.

In line with that committment, Lilli Ann also coordinates this highly successful Dancing til Dusk program for Seattle Parks and Recreation.

Claire began learning swing dance at the age of seven in 1998, and began teaching partner dance in 2008. She discovered her passion for West Coast Swing in 2010, where she has achieved multiple first placements, and competed in the All Star division. She has loved teaching Cross Step Waltz, East Coast Swing, West Coast Swing, Blues, Foxtrot, Nightclub Two Step, and other vintage waltz forms in Seattle for Dance For Joy! Claire and her mom, Lilli Ann have taught together both nationally and internationally, and are known for their fun, innovative, and technically-minded teaching. In class, Claire specializes in empowering follows to have strong skills in connection, intuition, and self expression. She also loves teaching private lessons to leads and follows, and helping students find the nuances that make everything click into place!

Tuesday, July 18

July 18 — Bayou Envie | Zydeco

Hing Hay Park, 6–9pm

Y’all wanna dance? Come hang out with Bayou Envie and get a taste of the Cajun and Zydeco goodness! Led by Danny and David Salonen, the brothers from Vashon team up with Mark Myking (accordion), zydeco veteran Kevin Kilmartin (guitar), and funk/jazz maven Tai Taitano (drums) to form a pocket that lives with one foot in the music’s rich history and the other in its captivating and evolving present. Help us bring Cajun and Zydeco to a new generation in the PNW, and remind old-timers why they fell in love in the first place. You can follow Bayou Envie on Facebook.

Zydeco lesson by Sean Donovan | GatorBoyProductions.com and Lilli Ann Carey | danceforjoy.biz

Sean Donovan combines passion for music and dance with his great love of teaching to provide joyful, exciting dance classes for all skill levels. Positive and playful, Sean is a creative and highly effective communicator, with intuitive movement awareness and a focus on the vital power of dance to delight and transform us. A professional instructor and DJ since 1999, Sean teaches partner dance nationally as well as year-round in Seattle, and has been on faculty with Northwest Dance Network, nwdance.net, since 2004. In addition to Swing (his first love) and Zydeco (a profound connection prompting numerous expeditions to Louisiana and Texas), Sean revels in teaching Blues, Waltz, Whiskey River Jitterbug, Country Two-step, Cha Cha Cha and more. A professional DJ as well, Sean produces dances, provides music for special events and can be heard hosting live radio on KBCS 91.3 FM. Contact Sean about private or group lessons.

Lilli Ann Carey loves to dance almost anything but focuses her teaching on Waltz, West Coast and East Coast Swing, Zydeco, Polka, Foxtrot, One-Step/Blues, Fusion and a few vintage dance forms. Lilli Ann promotes dance classes, workshops and events through her company, Dance for Joy!, and is committed to developing a creative, connected and playful dance community here in Seattle.

Both Lilli Ann and Sean coordinate this highly successful Dancing til Dusk program for Seattle Parks and Recreation.

Thursday, July 20

Birch Periera and the Gin Joints | Americana Rock ’n’ Roll Revival

Freeway Park, 6–9pm

Borne of a profound love for the early years of swing, Americana, and rock ’n’ roll, Birch Pereira & the Gin Joints transport you to the rollicking good times of speakeasies, honky-tonks, and roadhouses. The band, with upright bassist and exceptional vocalist Birch Pereira at its center, features skilled and versatile musicians who share the love of – and put a super fresh and highly danceable spin on — the American song traditions. theginjointsband.com

Beginning East Coast Swing dance lesson by Rebecca Lucero | CenturyBallroom.com
Rebecca Lucero has always believed that the best way to communicate and connect with each other is through movement, and she has been doing so herself since she was seven. Starting with ballet and jazz, she moved quickly through all genres of solo/partner dance available to her, such as West African, Tap, Hip-Hop, Flamenco, and Argentine Tango. However, since she learned of Lindy Hop in early high school, never has her dedication to this freeing, expressive, ecstatically joyful dance wavered. Accolades include; first place awards at the Ultimate Lindy Hop Showdown with her hometown crew, Groove Juice Special; teaching with some of the best Lindy Hoppers in the country through Savoy Swing Club and HepCat Productions; and performing at the prestigious Benaroya Hall with the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra.

Becca hopes her love affair with Lindy Hop lasts a lifetime, and she will continue to share that love with new and seasoned dancers until her knees give out! www.beccalucero.com

Tuesday, July 25

Ranger and the “Re-Arrangers” | Django Reinhart Swing

Hing Hay Park, 6–9pm

Seattle Gypsy Jazz band Ranger and the "Re-Arrangers" evoke the spirit of a Paris café and the raucous energy of a Gypsy campsite with their unique twist on gypsy jazz. "At the heart of their sound is Ranger Sciacca's sweet violin playin, his sense of melody and daring improvisations" (World Rhythm Webzine). The band's repertoire includes swing standards, traditional Gypsy melodies, the music of Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli, and Ranger's unique originals. Ranger and his father Michael formed Ranger and the "Re-Arrangers" in 2006, after returning from the Django Reinhardt festival in Samois, France. In the years since, the band has released 4 CDs and played over 100 shows a year, including summer concerts, festivals, swing dances, art openings, and weddings. www.rangerswings.com

Swing lesson with Mark and Katie Kihara. Mark has been teaching, performing, and promoting African-American jazz dances since the late 1990s. His primary focus is lindy hop, the original swing dance. Katie Kihara has been dancing, teaching, competing, and performing lindy hop since 2007. As an instructor, she prides herself on partnership skills that empower both roles to dance their best. Katie is also a longtime member of Sister Kate Dance Company, Seattle’s longest running all-female chorus troupe. Together they offer ongoing classes and events through their company, Swing It Seattle. Learn more about their programming at SwingSeattle.com

Thursday, July 27

Joel Astley & Friends | Blues

Freeway Park, 6–9pm

Since forming his first band in 2014, Joel Astley has performed all around The Pacific Northwest. and has been recognized by the Washington Blues Society with honors including Best Blues Harmonica (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021), Best Male Vocalist (2019, 2021), Best Songwriter (2020, 2021), He earned his reputation as a Frontman and bandleader while performing with Northwest bands including Tacoma-based T-town Aces and Seattle-based High Note Group. facebook.com/joelastleymusic/

Beginning Blues lesson with John Lozano / www.fluidandformless.com
If John can learn to dance, then so can you! John began dancing around Detroit in 1997 while still in high school. He started with little skill and was regularly told “you're not actually leading me to do anything!” Luckily his love for music, interest in meeting people, and desire to figure things out drove him to keep with it. He began with East Coast Swing and Lindy Hop, and dabbled in other dances before finding Blues. He now enters his 20th year of teaching dance. He has taught throughout the U.S. and Canada, and as far away as England, Holland and Argentina. You can find him every Tuesday at Seattle's only weekly Blues dance at the Greenwood Alibi Room.