Cats' Corner: Season Premiere

Tonight the regular weekly dancing at Cats' Corner starts again. "At last!" I think many people exclaims because the pause over Christmas and New Year is the longest pause during the whole year.

Tonight the swing dj is Simon Ternsjö. I'll be djing next week.

The photo is taken by me and may not be published elsewhere without my permission. Contact me if you want to buy or license it.

What do you think of Cats' Corner? Please comment.

Snowball Dance Camp - Stockholm

Just before New Years Eve I went to dance at the Snowball Dance Camp in Stocholm. The camp is about one week but I was just there for one night, so I had to choose carefully which night to visit.



I choose this night because of the bands that were playing: Jennie Löbel And the Swing Kings and the Gordon Webster sextet. I've danced to Jennie and her band ever since I started dancing. I first saw Gordon Webster this summer at Herräng Dance Camp. I remember him in a 3AM jam in the pub when the set had stopped but the audience kept on clapping, wanting more. Gordon went back to the piano and improvised a song using the clapping audience as a huge rhythm section.

That's why I wanted to see them.



The ballroom was huge and there were people everywhere, in fact I don't think I ever have seen so many swing dancers at one time. I heard somewhere that the ballroom allows for 600-700 people to be there at one time. Lots and lots of people to dance with. It's fun to be part of such a crowd, but it also makes it difficult if you want to find a certain person you want to dance with.

If you follow the Swedish custom to dance two songs with a person you can dance 10 dances in one hour which meant 80 dances through the night if you danced non stop.



If the middle of the night there were a performance by The Harlem Hot Shots. Great stuff as always. I liked their 1920's number best.

The bands traded sets and they played 3 sets each. How about that!

In the end of the night the fatigue and the fact that my shoes are pretty new and not really worn in yet made my dance less good than it normally is (I hope).

Overall, a very nice night. Afterwards, I reflected on how easy it is to take events like this for granted and how much work it must have taken put it together. I know, because I've arranged half a dozen camps myself and more dance nights than I can remember.

If you meet the organizers be sure to thank them.

The next big event will be here in Uppsala in the and of January: The Uppsala Winter Camp. See you there.



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

What do you think of Snowball? Please comment.

Outdoor dancing season is over

The outdoor dancing season is over in Uppsala, on Tuesday we had the last dance by the river with some barbeque. You could notice that the autumn is here because it got dark much earlier.

We always get an audience who look at us dancing when the big boats passes by on the river.

A big thank you goes to the persons who made it happen: Simon, Mirjam, Emil, Lilian and Johan (and possibly others that I forgot, in that case please let me know).

They have made it possible to dance lindy hop and balboa during the summer. I think it's fantastic that right after our weekly dance Cats Corner ended for the spring season, the outdoors dancing started so that we now have social dancing every week all year around.



The outdoor dancing got the attention of the local newspaper and they published a full page interview with Anna. Anna is a enthusiastic dancer who does a lot of work for dance scene in Uppsala. Her efforts really makes a difference. Thank you Anna!



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

What do you think of the outdoor dancing by the river? Please comment.

Outdoors summer dancing in Uppsala

Tuesdays are dancing days in Uppsala during the summer. If you go down to the park by the river, you'll find lindy hoppers and balboa dancers all over the place from 18 o'clock and until we run out of batteries for the boombox or run out of dancers, whichever happens first.

Many people bring food and drinks and have a picnic while they rest for a while. Many other (not yet dancing) people pass by on the walking paths beside and stay for a while and look. This is a perfect opportunity to introduce your friends to the dance.



Nobody has yet fallen into the river by accident but last Tuesday one guy jumped into river all by himself.

The event has expanded to Mondays when tap dancer try their rhythms on the quayside.

The event seems to be getting some attention since earlier this week the local radio station phoned me and wanted to get in contact with some dancers.

There are also other outside dances in Uppsala, if you dance tango, go to Smultron at Svartbäcksgatan on Tuesdays between 19 and 23 and if dance Swedish Bugg, go to the river between Skolgatan and Eddaspången on Thursdays after 18.

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

What do you think of the outside dancing by the river in Uppsala? Have you been there yet? Please comment.

Photography: Vintage fashion and swing dancing

Last Saturday was packed with events, there was weekend dance workshops, Swingkatten had a fika where people in the the organization introduced themselves and presented what they are doing. Swingkatten is doing so many things these days that it's hard to keep track of it all.

However, the main event was the swing dance later on that evening. On stage we had Hasse Ling and His Syncopators of Swing. They are a great small band that knows what the dancers want. They've played at several of our dances.



In the first band break there was a vintage fashion show with clothes from a shop called Dreamers Vintage in Uppsala. The shoes were from Jigwalk. Marielle Hjalmarsson was the fabulous and charming MC of the event.

I was asked to photograph the fashion show and also to take some portraits afterwards. In order to to able to take the photos I want and to get the quality of the photos as good as I want them to be, I invested in a new flash accessory. Hopefully you will see the difference. I'm still on the mission to become a world class photographer.

You can see a large collection of vintage fashion photos from the night here. Note the arrow below on that page which takes you to more photos with swing dancing as well as the performances that took place in the second band break.

The performers were first a group of tap dancers from Swingkatten, then came Emelie and Rebecka Decavita from the show group MessAround and last but not least The Midnight Rounders, a show dance group from Stockholm (first picture).



As if photographing and doing light design for the fashion show wasn't enough, I also djed the late night shift. It went pretty well and it was fun to see a jam circle erupt. Benny Goodman did it again.

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 swing dance at Grand? Please comment.

Cats Corner at Grand tonight

The venue for our weekly dance night Cats Corner has changed for the rest of the season due to unforseen problems. Tonight and next week we will be at Grand. What a super location. Tonight's dj is Trina Dobbs.

As usual: 20-23. 20 kr. Lots of fun!

The photo is taken by me and may not be published elsewhere without my permission. Contact me if you want to buy or license it.

What do you think of Cats Corner this season? Please comment.

Sweden Balboa Weekend: Photos

Sweden Balboa Weekend was an exhausting experience. There was a lot of work behind the scenes to pull it off. All people in the organizing commitee did great work and we hope that al paricipants enjoyed the weekend.

I just took photos during the dance nights, during the day I concentrated on the classes.







What do you think of Sweden Balboa Weekend 2008? Please comment.

The education of organizers

Tuesday night I dj:ed at the weekly dance event Cats Corner that has continued at GH nation this semester. The djing went well I think (please tell me what you thought of it).

A new place always means that things work a little bit different, it also means that things doesn't work in different ways. We've had some technical challenges but I think we have solved them now. This is where experience comes in handy: You know that something almost certainly will happen, but hopefully you have solved the problem before and it can easily be taken care of.

I've been involved in arranging events ever since Swingkatten, our dance organisation, started seven years ago. I'm one of the go-to guys when it comes to technical issues.

I've started to write "brain dumps" so that more people get to know how to do technical stuff. My main goal in Swingkatten in the coming year will be to educate people on technical issues.

I think it's important to have a large group of people that are available to arrange events. It's dangerous to rely on only a few people. What if someone disappears from the scene for one reason or another? You also avoid people getting burned out from doing too much work.



Everybody has their favorite way of doing things. In Swingkatten we've had the principle: "If you make things happen, you get to do it the way you like it".

Obviously, everyone can't completly agree about how things are done. That brings us to the other side of the principle: "If you like things done your way, you got to make things happen". Get involved! More people means more variety.

Over the the last couple of years I've implemented the plan that Swingkatten should have technical equipment to be able to independently arrange events. We have almost reached that goal and that feels great. Only a few things are lacking.

So now the challenge is to make use of all this equipment. The next step is to educate people. Setting up equipment is not that hard that it may seem. We need to set up some form of apprentice program. Have you done anything like that? I'd like to hear how you did it.

The photos in this post are taken by me at an impromtu jam session at Cats Corner. The photos may not be published elsewhere without my permission. Contact me if you want to buy or license them.

Would you like to be an apprentice? Please comment.

Outdoor summer dancing: season finale

Tonight is the last time for the summer that there is dancing by the river a.k.a Lindy At the Quayside. The season ends with a BBQ, bring something to eat and dance a lot.

According to the organizers the party won't stop until they run out of battery for the boombox, there are people left, people have to work next day or the snow start falling, whatever happens first.



Speaking of the organizers, what a great bunch of people that has made it possible to dance lindy hop and balboa by the river all summer. Thank you, Lars-Åke, Susanne, Emil, Joakim, Tobbe and Rebecca.



Above is some pictures from this season. The photos are taken by me and may not be published elsewhere without my permission. Contact me if you want to buy or license them.

What do you think of this season of dancing by the river? Please comment.

Planning for winter in the middle of the summer

The best of the summer is still to come here in Sweden (e.g. the Herräng dance camp starts next week) but the summer solstice was last week and the planning for winter activitives has already begun.

Above you see a photo of Lovisa Gustafsson who is Swingkatten's "General" when it comes to planning the Uppsala Winter Camp in the beginning of February next year. She is on top of all things. If you want to be part of the organizing committee, talk to her. Yes, it is some work but you'll meet active and very interresting people. The information on the website will soon be updated for next years' dance camp.

The photo is taken last week at "Lindy at the quayside". There is dancing at the quayside tonight as well.

Will you go to Herräng Dance Camp? Have you been to Uppsala Winter Camp? 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.

Dancing at the quayside in Uppsala

For the last three years (maybe longer) we've had as a tradition to dance outside along the quayside in the harbour of Uppsala in the summer. We got the idea from "Lindy in the Park" in San Francisco and have called it "Lindy at the Quayside" (in swedish: bryggdans). Now with the pretty strong balboa scene here in Uppsala, maybe we should just call it "Dancing at the Quayside".

The concept is simple: somebody brings a boom blaster and some swing music. Everybody else comes there and dance and hangs out with their friends. You can bring some picnic if you like. Clean simple fun. And you may also get applauses from people passing by (Yeah, we are that good ;-)). The edge is quite close but to this date nobody has fallen into the water.



Previous years this event has taken place at weekends, but now there seems to be a new informal group that will arrange this on Tuesdays between 18-21. Yay for more people doing stuff. You're great!

What do you think of Lindy at the Quayside? Do you do a similar thing? 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.

Dance picnic at Kopphagens dansbana tomorrow

Tomorrow, Saturday, there is a dance picnic at Kopphagens dansbana. Our swing dance society Swingkatten joins the celebration of the steam train organisation Lennakatten, which celebrates its 40th anniversary.

Take the steam train from the station Uppsala Östra at 11:20. The dance starts at 12:30 and I will be djing until 16:00. The ride and the dance is free. You are very welcome to dress up in 1920-1940s style clothing.

You can buy pie, cakes and soft drinks there. You can also bring your own picnic basket. The dj enjoys all kinds of tasty food if you decide to bring him some ;-).



Swingkatten's show group MessAround will perform at some point. If you miss them then you can catch them again at night back in Uppsala when MessAround perform at Filurarverkstan at 18:15 (Skolgatan 7).

The weather forecast says: Sun, warmth and everything nice. Come and join us for a dance picnic tomorrow.

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

Have you been at a dance picnic at Kopphagens dansbana before? Tell me.

Swing dj Hans Moberg at Cats Corner

This week Cats Corner has once again a swing dj from Stockholm, tonight it is Hans Moberg. I have never heard him so I'm curious what kind of swing songs he will dj.

Below I've added some swing dance photos from last week when Patrik Öhrström dj:ed.







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

Do you visit Cats Corner? Is there anything you think could make the event even better? Tell me.

Hasse Ling and His Syncopators of Swing at Grand: Photos

The band Hasse Ling and His Syncopators of Swing played last Saturday at Grand when Swingkatten arranged a night of swing dancing.

Hasse Ling has been playing for dancers a long time in the Stockholm area. The band is solid and really knows what dancers like. You know you'll have a good dancing night when they are playing.



After hearing them so many times I really should know the names of the band members, but I don't. I'm sorry. Please let me know and I'll add their names ASAP.



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



Were you at the swing dance at Grand? What do you think of Hasse Ling and His Syncopators of Swing? Tell me.

First time swing djs at Cats Corner

Tonight it's dancing at Cats Corner with some first time djs: Susanne and Mats. Here are some photos from last week when Trina Dobbs and Jonas Pettersson dj:ed.


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

Are you a regular a Cats Corner? What do you like about it? Haven't you been there? Why not? Tell me.

Palladium at Grand: Concert photos

Last Saturday, the big band Palladium played at Grand Swing Night in Uppsala at a dance arranged by Swingkatten. The band plays swing but is also very influenced by jump blues.



It was a very good night and I had fun dancing both lindy and balboa. A few couples also danced foxtrot. Folks, remember that foxtrot can be a good dance to do if a really fast song comes along and you don't want to lindy hop to it but you don't know balboa. Foxtrot is also great for slow songs.



When I took a small break to cool down I photographed the band and the dancers (surprise! not.). I know people see me photograph a lot and wonder where the pictures all end up. Well, some of them make it to this blog and some of them I send directly to the people in them. If you think you might have been in front of my camera lens, send me an email and ask me. I'm still looking for a good way to share more photos.

I'm also selling and licencing my photographs, I might have the picture for you in my archive.

If you like my style you can hire me for a photo shoot. Although I mostly show jazz concert pictures here, I photograph all kinds of things, but I prefer to photograph people.



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

Were you at Grand Swing Night with Palladium? What did you think of the band? Tell me.

Henrik Eriksson is djing swing at Cats Corner tonight

Just a reminder: Cats Corner has been taking a break for two weeks but now it's back again. Join us tonight for a great night of dancing.

I will be djing great songs for you. I've found some great new stuff that i'm eager to play.

There is also a taster class in Balboa at 19 by Jennie Norrman & Jonas Pettersson.

Come dancing tonight! Or as Louis Jordan put it:

"Hey everybody. Let's have some fun! You only live once and when you're dead you're done. So, let the good times roll!"

The photo is taken by me and may not be published elsewhere without my permission. Contact me if you want to license it.

Will you be there tonight? Do you it's strange to talk about yourself in third person? Tell me.

Uppsala Winter Camp 2008: Thursday night

Last week I was busy doing all sorts of things in connection with The Winter Camp here in Uppsala which is a pretty large dance camp.



It started on Thursday night and I and Olle prepared the big hall at Drabanten. Acoustically, the room is very challenging but I belive we did the best we could and it sounded quite good. We also played around with our (*cough* I mean Swingkatten's) new light equipment. I can't tell you enough how good it is to have easy access to equipment, it makes it so much easier to put on good looking events. Good lighting really helps to get a nice atmosphere.




Laura Keat taught a fun 1920's solo charleston routine in the beginning of the night set to the song Stockholm Stomp from the album "My Favorite Band" by Mora's Modern Rhythmists and then Emelie, Jonas and David dj:ed after that. There was a good amount of people there, especially considering that most people had to work the next day.

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

Were you at the Thursday night dance at Uppsala Winter Camp? What did you think of the evening? Tell me.

Cats Corner - Season premiere

Our weekly dance in Uppsala, Cats Corner, starts the spring season tonight. The club is located at Uplands nation. The dance is between 20 and 23 and costs 20 kr.

We will start of softly with a joint venture between me and Jonas Pettersson choosing the music for your dancing and listening pleasure.

I've found lots of great swing music during Christmas and will present a small portion of it tonight.

Welcome!

The photo is taken by me and may not be published elsewhere without my permission. Contact me if you want to license it.

Do you have any ideas what we could do to make Cats Corner even better and extra special this season? Tell me.

Benny Goodman theme at Cats Corner

Tonight first time swing dj Per Wirback will make his debut at Cats Corner. His set will have a Benny Goodman theme. Also this night, you will hear swing dj David Kågedal.

Before the dance, there will be a taster lesson in lindy hop at 19, so if you'd like to try, get down there. The whole night costs 20 kr. How about that! The dance starts at 20 and ends 23.

The dance is run on voluntary basis, where small groups takes care of one or two evenings each semester. Every group could use additional persons, so if you'd like to be part of making Uppsala a really swingin town, talk with an organizer (or by all means, send me a mail and I'll forward it) and join us. Of course, you can band together with some friends and form a new group.



I think it's fantastic to be able to have a weekly dance. Had you asked me two years ago, I would have said that it was just a dream. But thanks to many peoples efforts a weekly dance night is now a reality.

One thing that is great about the group system is that the night can be a much or little work as you make it. If you only have a dj that's ok, but you can also have theme nights like tonight. Last time Johan organized a Jack'n'Jill-competition and there have been balboa themes and beginner nights. It's all up to what you like to do.

The photo is taken by me and may not be published elsewhere without my permission. Contact me if you want to license it.

Do you have ideas about what could be done at Cats Corner? Tell me.