New Year happenings!

What a great night last week with The Heartbeats ... fantastic crowd, dancing and atmosphere. Thanks to everyone who turned up, and hopefully will continue to come in 2012, when some changes are afoot!
Dances will continue on Sundays at The Richmond Club in Hereford. Again we have a mix of record hops and bands (more bands this year - some of our favourites, and some new ones). In addition we are going to be running 4 dances in Leominster on Friday nights, to see how they work out. All these will be band nights and will be at The Royal British Legion Clubhouse, which is 30% bigger than The Richmond Club, with a fantastic dance floor, bar and lots of parking. Hopefully there'll be lots of support and we can fill the place! Details of venues and gigs are on the menu at the top of screen ... and a new, clearer website is on it's way - subject to my computer not breaking down again!!
Have a great new year and I look forward to seeing you in 2012.

Tickets still available for The Heartbeats

There's a good crowd going to this dance on 18 December, but at the moment we do still have tickets left ... though I've sold a lot yesterday and today, and it's just been in the local papers, so no guarantee this will be the case by the weekend! So if you want to guarantee you ticket, ring me on 01432 357859 (Susan) to reserve tickets on the door. My computer access is limited at the minute, so phoning me is better than email. It should be a good night - they're a great band to dance to, or just come and listen and watch the action. Full details of times and venue, etc are in the post immediately below this.

The Heartbeats - Sunday, 18 December

Our next dance is with one of the top UK Rock 'n Roll bands 'The Heartbeats', who hail from Bristol. They're great to dance to and there's always a great atmosphere at their gigs. The music is predominantly 1950s rock 'n roll, and you can hear samples at www.the-hearbeats.co.uk.
As usual, the gig is at The Richmond Club, Hereford (see left column for map/directions), and runs from 7.30-11.00 pm - with the band being on stage around 8.00 pm. Tickets are £8.00 in advance or £10.00 on the door (but check availability before travelling, as numbers are limited). Contact me (Susan) on 01432 357859 or email herefordjive@btinternet.com for tickets or see me at jive classes at Bartestree or Lindy Hop class at Hereford Town Hall, or see Jive teachers at Bishop's Frome, Ludlow or Leominster.
If you fancy dressing up in full 'rock 'n roll' outfits and getting into a real 1950s party mood, that'd be great - but it's not compulsory! If you just want to come and listen to the band, that's also OK. Hope to see you there.

Sunday, 6 November is our next dance

Thanks to everyone who turned up on 9 October to make our dance a night to remember ... lots of positive comments about the new band line-up, so we'll certainly be getting The Jiveoholics back next year.
Our next dance, a 'record hop', will be on Sunday, 6 November at The Richmond Club, Hereford 7.30-11.00, £4.00 on the door ... so come along and enjoy some great music to jive, lindy or balboa to. Let me know any track requests, and I'll see what I can do. It's a lovely relaxed atmosphere and a good place to get to know people.

Still tickets available for Jiveoholics THIS Sunday

If you want to come along to the hottest jive & swing band around, there are still tickets available. Booking in advance is cheaper, at ONLY £6.00 ... what a bargain! But there will be some available on the door at £8.00. We've sold loads, so there will be a good crowd there, and jivers, lindy hoppers and balboa dancers are all well represented in the sales. The band is really great ... see www.jiveoholics.co.uk for sample tunes ... and you can just come and listen/watch if you're not a dancer. Ring me (Susan) on 01432 357859 or email herefordjive@btinternet.com for more details or to reserve tickets on the door.

The Jiveoholics - Sunday, 9 October 2011

Tickets are now on sale for this gig with the popular Monmouth-based 'Jiveoholics'. Back by popular demand after a sell-out gig last year, they bill themselves as Wales' hottest jump-jive and swing band. See www.jiveoholics.co.uk for sample tunes. They have a new lead singer since last year ... but their quality is undiminished! Should be a great party atmosphere, and the band name says it all really ... though there'll be plenty for all styles of swing dancing.

Tickets are just £6.00 in advance or £8.00 on the door, and I'd recommend booking in advance to avoid disappointment. Contact me (Susan) on 01432 357859, email herefordjive@btinternet.com or get tickets at jive classes in Bartestree, Leominster, Bishop's Frome or Ludlow.

4 Sept - Jive Taster Lesson & Dance

Our next dance evening will include a Jive Taster Lesson with Matt & Sarah from Coolmoves Dance. If you've thought about doing jive, but not been sure it's for you, this is the perfect opportunity to give it a go. You can come to the lesson from 7.15-8.00 pm and then stay on for the dance and try out your moves and be inspired by watching the more experienced dancers. Don't worry if you've no partner, there'll be plenty of people to dance with. There'll be information about classes around Herefordshire/South Shropshire and elsewhere available, and a few teachers around, so you can meet and chat to them and see whether it's something you fancy pursuing.

Our regular 'record hop' dance will start at 8.00 pm and run until 11.00 pm, with a wide range of classic and modern tunes as usual. If you're an experienced jiver, just come along to the dance if you want, or join in the lesson to help the novices.

The whole evening is just £4.00 on the door and you can come for just part of it or all of it. It promises to be a lot of fun, and hopefully our usual friendly atmosphere will encourage lots of people to come and give it a try.

A couple of inspirational video clips for you ...

The first is of Ginger Rogers (who I'm embarrassed to say I thought was long dead) dancing the salsa (I know, this is a jive site, but it's still dancing!). She's 92 year's old and is dancing with her 29 year old great grandson. The first few minutes are just a warm-up, so persevere and watch the whole thing. I'll be happy just to be able to walk if I get to 92, never mind what she's doing!


The 2nd is a clip of a group of London jivers who are trying to get to do something at the Olympics next year. See http://www.planetjive.freeuk.com/news9.html for a jiving video!

Sunday, 7 August - next dance night

Unlike many local clubs, we are putting on a dance in August. So if you fancy a dance, come along on Sunday, 7 August between 7.30-11.00 pm and dance to best tunes around. It's a record hop night with a great mix of tunes, hopefully with something to suit all styles of swing/jive dancing. Come along and have a great time!

Still tickets left for 'The Sultanas' on 17 July

We do still have tickets available, as lots of our regulars seem to be on holiday (how dare they!). We've still got a good crowd coming, but we do have availability for anyone wanting to come along. See my previous post for full details of the band and evening. We're looking forward to another great dance night!

The Sultana Brothers - Sunday, 17 July

Our next dance will be with fantastic local band 'The Sultana Brothers' on 17 July. They'll be fresh from their supporting gig with Shaking Stevens at the Ludlow festival the week before, and have a big local following. The band play great dance music inspired by r&b, swing, blues, rock 'n roll, boogie woogie and have a wide repertoire. For us, they will be playing sets specifically for jive & swing dancing and jive, lindy, shag and balboa dancers should be well catered for! (Other dancers or those wishing to just listen to the band are welcome). See samples of their music at http://www.myspace.com/thesultanabrothers, but note that these cover the breadth of their music and not all are suitable for dancing ... our gig will be tailored to our needs.
The evening runs 7.30-11.00 pm, with the band onstage around 8.00 pm. Tickets cost £6.00 in advance and £8.00 on the door, and advance booking is recommended as the band do have a big local following. Check availability before travelling if you've no ticket, as capacity is limited. As usual, the dance is at the Richmond Club (see left column for details) and you can book through Susan on 01432 357859, email herefordjive@btinternet.com or get tickets from jive classes at Bartestree, Leominster or Bishop's Frome. As usual, inexperienced or rusty dancers or those without partners need not worry, as we're a friendly lot and you won't be left out.

Sunday, 19 June is our next dance

Our May dance was a great success, with lots of people enjoying a great music selection, and lots of different dance styles were on display. Come along on 19th June and enjoy another great 'record hop' night. Don't worry if you're on your own or out of practice, it's a great place to have fun.

Sunday, 15 May is our next dance night

It'd be great to see you for our next dance night on Sunday. This is a 'record hop' with great tunes from 7.30-11.00 pm for just £4.00 per person ... what a bargain! I (Susan) will be doing the music this time, following good feedback from the small stints I did on a couple of previous nights ... so give me feedback and tell me what you want and I'll try and provide. Hope to see you there!

Still tickets available for tomorrow's dance

... so come along to what should be a great night of music and dance. Non-dancers are welcome to just come and listen to the band. If you ring me (01432 357859) and reserve a ticket in advance, it's just £8.00 ... so long as you do turn up! It'll be £10 for unreserved entrance. There's plenty of people bought tickets so it should be a good atmosphere, but there is room for more... so hope to see you there!

Get your Greggi G Tickets before they sell out!

Tickets are selling well and it should be another great night. Numbers are limited, and I'd hate to turn anyone away, so book upfront tel 01432 357859 or email herefordjive@btinternet.com. Otherwise check availability before you travel. Full details in post below!

Rock 'n Roll night with 'Greggi G' - 10 April

Tickets for our 10 April dance night with 'live band' 'Greggi G & His Crazy Gang' are now on sale by telephoning 01432 357859 or emailing herefordjive@btinternet.com. They are also available at jive classes in Bartestree, Luston and Bishop's Frome. Tickets are priced at £8.00 in advance or £10 on door (if we have any left!). Pre-booking is recommended as our dances are tending to pretty much sell-out.

Greggi G & His Crazy Gang are longstanding players on the rock 'n roll circuit and play great 1950s/60s jump jive, boogie and rock 'n roll - all great to dance to - so if you're into the rock 'n roll type music, this is definitely a night for you. See and (and other links from there) for a flavour of their stuff.

The night will be a great excuse to get the rock 'n roll outfits out if you want ... but not compulsory. Dancers of any style are welcome or you can just come and listen to the band.

13 March - our next dance night

Don't forget our next 'Record Hop' dance night on Sunday, 13 March from 7.30-11.00 pm at the Richmond Club as usual (see left hand column for directions). With all the best records to dance to ... it's always a good night out, and at only £4.00 on the door it's great value too. Meet and dance with lots of new people, and try out your dance moves. Look forward to seeing you there.

What another great night ...

Thanks to 'Steady Edd & The Boogie Men' and the great crowd who turned out last Sunday to make it such a fantastic evening. A packed, sell-out evening with some great dancing and a lovely friendly atmosphere. Here's to the next one in March!

Only a few tickets left for Steady Edd on 13 Feb

If you intend to come to our dance with Steady Edd & The Boogiemen this Sunday, then give me a ring on 01432 357859 or email herefordjive@btinternet.com to book, as we have very few left. I can save them on the door, so long as you DEFINITELY intend to come, and bearing in mind that lots of people turned up on the door last time, I'd hate you to travel and be turned away. Cost £6 in advance or £8 on the door (if any left). It looks like being another great evening of dancing!

13 February - 'Steady Edd & The Boogie Men'

Tickets are selling fast for our next dance night with popular local band 'Steady Edd & The Boogie Men' - back by popular demand after their packed dance last summer (see pictures). A great evening of jive, boogie woogie and rock 'n roll is guaranteed to get you dancing. The evening runs 7.30-11.00 pm with the band onstage at 8.00 pm. Capacity is limited, so it would be best to get tickets in advance or at the least check availability before you travel to avoid being turned away. Tickets are just £6 in advance and £8 on the door from Susan on 01432 357859 or email herefordjive@btinternet.com. Tickets can also be obtained at jive classes in Bartestree (Hereford), Luston (nr Leominster) and Bishop's Frome. See pictures and listen to tracks at the band's website: http://steadyedd.co.uk/Music.html

16 January - first dance of 2011

Come along to our first 'record hop' of the new year on Sunday, 16 January from 7.30-11.00 pm. As usual it will be at the Richmond Club, Hereford (see details to the left), and it will cost £4.00 on the door. As our resident DJ has decided not to continue in the new year, we will be experimenting with different ways of providing the music, and will welcome feedback from attendees of how successful this is. The intention is to play a good mix of jive, swing, rock 'n roll and more modern tracks to satisfy a broad range of tastes and jive/swing dance styles. We'll never please everyone all the time, but hopefully most people most of the time ... and will work towards this - so please tell us what you want hear, and be patient as we move to a new way of doing things. The Club has a great dance floor and we get a good crowd coming along, so hopefully the dances will continue to go from strength to strength.

On 13 February, we have our first 'live band night' of the year, with 'Steady Edd & The Boogie Men' back by popular demand. He sold out last year, so get your tickets up front at £6.00 in advance or (if there's any left) £8.00 on the door. Tickets available w/c 10 January from Susan tel. 01432 357859, email herefordjive@btinternet.com.