Jack 'n' Jill Final: Sweden Balboa Weekend 2008

I have had a great weekend participating in and organizing the Sweden Balboa Weekend 2008. Great classes, great people who came here, fun dancing in the evenings.

I'll post more about the weekend later on but first I want to show you the final in the Jack 'n' Jill balboa competition. Congratulations to Jessica Håll (Stockholm) and Ari Halinen (Finland) who won. Ari also won the SBW Jack & Jill last year.

The very last song was played by the band of the night: The Canal Street Syncopators.



Were you at Sweden Balboa Weekend 2008? What do you think of the weekend? Please comment.

Dance picnic with Lennakatten Aug 31st

Join me on Sunday Aug 31st at the annual dance picnic that Swingkatten organizes. We take the steam train Lennakatten out to the station in Länna and walks to Kopphagens dansbana where the band Canal Street Syncopators will play swing in a 1930's style.

The train leaves the station Uppsala Östra (Bergsbrunnagatan 2) at 11.25. The ride costs 45 kr for for swing dancers and the fee for the dance is 60 kr.

There will be hamburgers, lemonade and cakes for sale.

The video clip above is made by me from fotage from the very first picnic in 2005.

We made an extra ride with Lennakatten this spring, check out this video clip to see more of Kopphagens dansbana.



Will you join us on Sunday? What do you think of my promotion video? Please comment.

Canal Street Syncopators: Rooftop concert

Tonight the band Canal Street Syncopators will play on a rooftop concert at Kulturhuset in Stockholm, that's smack dab in the middle of Stockholm by Sergels torg. Canal Street Syncopators is a great orchestra, you should see them if you have the opportunity .



At 18 there will be a taster lesson in how to dance charleston taught by Fatima Teffahi from the Harlem Hot Shots. The Canal Street Syncopators will play from 19-22 then The Rhythm Sweethearts will dj until midnight. There will be a dance show by the Midnight Rounders (does anyone know anything about that group?). Tickets cost 150 kr.

The photos are taken by me and may not be published elsewhere without my permission. Contact me if you want to license them.

What do you think of the Canal Street Syncopators? Please comment.

Canal Street Syncopators: At the wedding

Last weekend I was the official wedding photographer at the amazing wedding of D&A. Everything was perfect, the weather was sunny and warm and D&A just beamed with love and happiness.

After the dinner the floor was cleared and one of my favorite bands, The Canal Street Syncopators, began to play swing and everybody really swung out.

If you need a good swing band for your wedding, give Canal Street Syncopators a call. If you want me to photograph your wedding, send me an email. I love to photograph weddings. :-)


Congratulations D&A!

What do you think of Canal Street Syncopators? Please comment.

The photos are taken by me and may not be published elsewhere without my permission. Contact me if you want to license them.

Canal Street Syncopators at Grand Swing Party

Tonight there is a Grand Swing Party night at Grand in Uppsala. On stage is the band Canal Street Syncopators which plays great swing music in a 1930's style.

The evening starts at 20 with dj music and the band takes the stage at 21 and plays until 24 when it's time for me to dj a set until 01. Tell me if you'd like to hear some special song and I'll try to include it in the set.

I'll be part of the crew who sets up and tears down the sound equipment. We could always need some help. If you are interested in learning more about sound and light, talk to me and we'll make you an apprentice.

The entrance fee is 80 kr. I hope to see you there!

The photo of Canal Street Syncopators is taken by me at the dance picnic in August. Contact me if you want to licence it.

Will you dance tonight? Have you heard Canal Street Syncopators before? What do you think of them? Tell me.

Kulturnatten in Uppsala/ Cultural night

Tonight it's "Kulturnatten" in Uppsala, which means "The Culture Night". Kulturnatten is a really big cultural event here in Uppsala, I haven't counted but I think there are over 400 different cultural activitives going on during the evening. There are lots and lots of music, dance, art and performances. I think there are like 60000 people out on the streets. Did I say this was big?

It's impossible to see everything you would like to see, so you have to scan the program and decide what you really want to do. See the whole program for Kulturnatten.

Visit Swingkatten at Forumtorget

I will be an busy organiser tonight for Swingkatten's, our swing dance society's, activities. We have a lot to offer if you take a trip down to Forumtorget: Two livebands: Sweet Emma & The Mood Swingers 18-19 and Palladium between 20-22. There will be dance performances at 20.00 and 21.00. Come visit us!
Read more about the program in Swedish at Swingkatten.

Jazz at Kulturnatten

Here is also some other jazz tips for Kulturnatten:

• 16.00-17.30 Lars Erstrand Four, Svava
• 18.00 Author Samuel Charters talks about jazz in New Orleans after hurricane Katrina.
• 18.00-19.30 Peter Lind and the Cabaret Band, Svava
• 19, 20, 21 Swing club, french style (Django?) jazz, Grand Hotell Hörnan
• 20.30–21.00 Canal Street Syncopators, Atrium Konferens & Bankett
• 20.30–21.00 Jazz standards with Sara Djärv and Anders Bromander, Domkyrkocentrum
• 21.00 -22.00 New Orleans jazz with Crescent City Four, Missionskyrkan
• 22.00 Jump dealers, Uplands nation
• 22.00 Sextett 60, Dance at the library, Stadsbiblioteket
• 22.00–22.30 Dixielandjazz, Fyris Jazz Band, Atrium Konferens & Bankett
• 22.30-23.30 Linné Swings in spring, Uppsala University Jazz Orchestra, Musicum
• 23.30–24.00 Radio Uppland Big Band, Atrium Konferens & Bankett

This is just a taste of the jazz part of the evening. Enjoy the evening!

What are your plans for Kulturnatten? What events is not to be missed? Tell me.

Canal Street Syncopators at Kopphagens dansbana: Photos

Last Sunday swing dancers and jazz lovers took the steam train Lennakatten out to Länna outside Uppsala for a dance picnic. We had a wonderful weather, probably the last varm sunny day of summer.

This was the third year in a row we did dance picnic and every year the orchestra Canal Street Syncopators have played their music for us. It was great to hear that they picked up the song Cavernism, I danced with one of my favorite followers to that song.



Before the band played we had taster lessons in partner charleston and solo charleston. I was the sound technician of the day so I set up the sound system and mixed the band. After the band ended I stayed behind the sound table and dj:ed a couple of hours.



The photos are taken by me and may not be published elsewhere without my permission. Contact me if you want to license them.

Where you at the dance picnic at Kopphagens dansbana? What did you think of the day? Tell me.

Dance picnic with Lennakatten

On Sunday the 26th, there will be a dance picnic in Länna outside Uppsala organized by the dance organisation Swingkatten. For the third year in a row we will take the steam train, Lennakatten, to Länna and the outside dancing place known as "Kopphagens dansbana".

There will be taster lessons in lindy hop and charleston and live music will be played by the orchestra Canal Street Syncopators. After the band have finished I will dj a set with great swing music.

The theme of the picnic is the 1920s-1930s, so if you got any clothing that resembles that era, please wear it, othervise, wear your sunday best clothes.

Read more about the dance picnic at Swingkattens website.

"[A] picnic can be defined simply as a pleasure excursion at which a meal is eaten outdoors, ideally taking place in a beautiful landscape. [Wikipedia]"

Are you planning to join the dance picnic? Do you want me to play a certain song? Tell me.

Canal Street Syncopators cd: No strings

Swing disc jockey David Kågedal dj:ed last night at Dekadans. He is also a member of a jazz orchestra in Uppsala: Canal Street Syncopators. Canal Street Syncopators has just released a cd called No strings.

David played some tunes from the album and they sounded good. I liked the song "Ráda Zpívám Hot" sung by Liv Stenström.

The photo was taken by me and may not be used elsewhere without my permisson.

Do you have this cd? What do you think of it? Tell me.