Our fierce Rocktober Competitors!

This year we've got three competitions at Rocktober and there are some big prizes on the line!  Only the fiercest will remain on the big stage to reap the rewards....

Four DJs will compete for the title of GREATEST DJ EVER
Prizes: 1st Place ~ $150 & Headliner DJ gig for CBUS 6 in May 2011 (and more money!)

• Erwin Amurao - Columbus, Ohio  (returning Greatest DJ Ever)
• Brian Tietz - Cleveland, Ohio
• Jöhn Hölmström - Chicagö, Illinöis
• Brooke Groberg - Toronto, Ontario, CANADA  

Competitors for the Any Swing Goes Partner Showcase (choreographed routines)
Prizes (per couple): 1st Place ~ $500 / 2nd Place ~ $200 / 3rd Place ~ $100

• Ellen Huffman & Mark Muthersbaugh - Cleveland
• Travis Hartman & Ali Lodico - Dayton
• Dani Dowler & Brian Teitz - Cleveland
• John Holmstrom & Kathryn King - Chicago
• Elizabeth Thatcher & Chris Schoenfelder - Louisville
• Shannon Varner & Mark Calkins - Columbus
• Jon Tigert & Mandy Spencer - umm... Indiana

**there's room for one more couple!   You can still register!

Rocktober Jack and Jill Contest (dancers enter individually and randomly paired with fellow dancers)
Prizes (per couple): 1st Place ~ $400 / 2nd Place ~ $100 / 3rd Place ~ $50

It's only $15 to enter, so why not?

Let's keep it classy, now!

Go to the ROCKTOBER website!

Our Rocktober Instructors - Jon and Caitlin

Jon Tigert and Caitlin Baird are teaching the Beginner Lindy Hop track at Rocktober.  They are two boisterous, bouncy, joyful people.  They are amazing dancers and lots of fun to be around.  As instructors they have a passion for introducing Lindy Hop to new dancers and will be bringing all that Lindy love to the beginner track at Rocktober 2010, coming up October 15-17 in Columbus, Ohio. 

Caitlin dances at Swing, IN 2010  (Photo credit Travis Hartman)

Here's the lowdown on what you get with the beginner track:

• Three hours and 45 minutes of fun with Jon and Caitlin
• Admission to the Saturday evening dance with a live band
• Free muffins and coffee in the morning before the workshop

You're also getting the chance to dance with really fun, amazing dancers from all over the region!  The beginner track is shorter because we don't want to overwhelm you, but it's definitely enough to get you out on the floor at the Saturday night dance.  And with the awesome location of the Hyatt Regency, if you stick around on Sunday there is plenty to see within walking distance in some of the best parts of Columbus!  

If this is your first time taking a Lindy Hop or swing dance workshop, you should also know:

• You don't need one bit of experience - they'll start you from scratch
• You don't need to bring a partner because you'll rotate every few minutes and meet lots of people
• You don't need special clothes - just be comfortable and wear shoes that don't grip the floor and won't fall off easily.  

(by the way, if you're completely new to swing dancing, you might like to read our FAQ page)

Jon Tigert leads group choreography at Swing, IN 2010 (Photo credit Doug Sutton)

So back to Jon and Caitlin....
They've been winning some competitions lately!

At the 2010 Hawkeye Swing Festival in Iowa City,  in the Any Swing Goes competition, Jon won 1st with his partner Mandy, and Caitlin won 3rd with her partner John Holmstrom (who will be in our Rocktober DJ competition!)



And Jon and Caitlin are also on a team called the Hoosier Hot Shots, and they won 1st place in the TEAM competition at Hawkeye!



Registration prices go up after Thursday, September 23, so better sign up quickly!
The Hyatt Regency Hotel discount will also expire, so book your room!

More about Jon and Caitlin on our website

Got questions? Contact us!

Our busy Rocktober Instructors- Patrick and Natasha!

Patrick Szmidt and Natasha Ouimet are two of our awesome instructors for Rocktober 2010 coming up October 15-17 in Columbus, Ohio!  Have you got your ticket yet?  Early registration is cutting off in a few days, so we wanted to highlight these amazing instructors for you.

It's been a busy summer for Patrick and Natasha.  Though their home base is in Montreal, Canada they've been living like Rockstars all summer, traveling to teach and compete all over the world.   They've really had great success on the international scene this year and we're excited to see what they'll teach us at Rocktober!

• Camp Hollywood - California
• Lindy On The Rocks - Denver, Colorado
• International Lindy Hop Championships - Washington, D.C.
• Boston Tea Party - Massachusetts
• Canadian Swing Championships
• Lindy Hop Workshop for Swing n' Go - Caen, France
• Lindy in the Streets - Tel Aviv, Israel
• Montpellier Swing Jammerz Festival - Montpellier, France

Here are some of their competition results with a few video links: 
(competing together unless otherwise noted)

International Lindy Hop Championships 2010

• 1st place - Team (with Montreal's Swinging Air Force Squad)
• 2nd place - Advanced Jack and Jill Lindy Hop (Natasha with Mike Roberts)
• 3rd place - Showcase 
• 3rd place - Jack and Jill Balboa (Patrick with Nelle Cherry)

Lindy On The Rocks 2010

• 3rd place - Pro Strictly Lindy Hop

Camp Hollywood 2010

• 1st place - Advanced Jack and Jill Lindy Hop (Patrick with Moe Sakan) 
• 2nd place - Showcase 

Canadian Swing Championships 2010

• 2nd place - Canadian Showcase Lindy Hop
• 3rd place - Team Lindy Hop (with Montreal's Swinging Air Force Squad)

Boston Tea Party 2010

• 1st place - Advanced Jack and Jill Lindy Hop
• 2nd place - Open Strictly Balboa
• 4th place - Open Strictly West Coast Swing (Natasha with Max Pitruzzella)

And of course, one of the coolest dance videos we've seen this year, Natasha performed with Max, Annie, and Tommy with the band Caravan Palace in front of thousands of spectators at the Montreal Jazz Festival



Got questions about Rocktober? Contact us!

Highlights from the COHJS September 2010 Newsletter

Byron Does Louis for COHJS!

ARMSTRONG TRIBUTE set for September 26 at Makoy Center

Once again your COHJS is pleased to present master trumpeter Byron Stripling, this time in a special tribute to Louis Armstrong, the legendary musician who transformed early American music and inspired the many other musicians of his time to participate in the formative beginnings and subsequent development of our country's original and unique musical artform, JAZZ.

Byron, an acknowledged authority on Louis, will give us one of his inimitable talks during intermission about the great influence Armstrong had on the music and musicians of his time, upon Byron himself in his formative years, and ultimately the future of jazz, based on his inpired presentation during Columbus Jazz Orchestra's Armstrong "Hot Five" and "Hot Seven" concerts last spring.  Some of our members and readers were present at the Lincoln THeatre, or have since seen it rebroadcast over WOSU-TV, but we thought it was so well done that we've asked Byron to elaborate on it in a reprise edition tailored especially for us in his own intimate, easy-going style.

This band of top-drawer musicians will join Byron in presenting the music typical of the New Orleans jazz scene:

Jim Masters- Trombone
Hal Melia - reeds
Sid Townsend - bass
Jon Eschelman - piano
Bob Breithaupt - drums

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 26
2:00PM - 5:00PM
Makoy Center, 5462 Center Street, Hilliard, Ohio
COHJS Members $15, Non-Members $20, Dance Club Members $10
CASH BAR and FOOD AVAILABLE

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EARLYJAS 2010 Fall Jazz Festival in Strongsville, Ohio! 
September 24 and 25, 2010
Featuring an all-star lineup of FIVE great jazz bands:

Yerba Buena Stompers
Climax Jazz Band
Buffalo Ridge Jazz Band
Dave Greer's Classic Jazz Stompers
Chefs of Dixieland

More info on the festival's website
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Upcoming concerts from the Central Ohio Hot Jazz Society:

September 26 - Byron Stripling's Louis Armstrong Tribute
October 17 - The COAST TO COAST JAZZ BAND
November 14 - FALL HARVEST OF BANDS with Dave Greer's Classic Jazz Stompers, Ray Heitger's Cakewalkin' Jass Band, and Columbus' own North Side Jazz Band
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COHJS is on Facebook!  

Find us at www.facebook.com/cohjs
Invite your friends to concerts, share your jazz photos with us, and stay up to date on the latest hot jazz happenings! 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The complete newsletter can be read here:   www.cohjs.org/nlemlsept10.htm

Early registration cutoff for Rocktober 2010 is THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 23

We don't mean to shout, but ROCKTOBER EARLY REGISTRATION CLOSES ON THURSDAY!!!  That's September 23rd.  In 2 days!  It's Kevin, Jo, Patrick, Natasha, Jon, and Caitlin.  It's workshops.  It's dancing.  It's gonna ROCK. 

But first...

Announcing the DJs for the Friday night DJ BATTLE OF THE CENTURY (what will we call it next year?)

Erwin Amurao - Columbus, Ohio  (returning Greatest DJ Ever)
Brian Tietz - Cleveland, Ohio
Jöhn Hölmström - Chicagö, Illinöis
Brooke Groberg - Toronto, Ontario, CANADA 

Winner gets shock, awe, 150 bucks and a headlining gig at CBUS 6 in 2011.  Wicked. 

First Early Registration AND Hotel Discount Reservation Cutoff is Thursday, September 23

Register now for the low low price of $80 for the Intermediate/Advanced tracks or $40 for the beginner track.  After Thursday, these prices go up by $10, so tell all your friends!  Don't delay!  

Why would you have early registration cut off on a THURSDAY, you might ask?   That's because the lovely Hyatt Regency Columbus is only guaranteeing our block of rooms until THURSDAY, so we put everything together so you don't have to remember anything but SEPTEMBER 23, which is also THURSDAY.

Two important things about the hotel:

1. It's pimped out.  Just read what the Hyatt's over-eager copywriter has to say about their Standard Double/Double rooms: "City or campus views welcome you to a spacious 338-sq.-ft. room featuring elegant interiors including two double Grand Beds offering ultra-plush pillows, the softest sheeting, and thick down blankets, all piled atop irresistible pillow-top mattresses. Deluxe amenities include spacious bath with exclusive bath amenities, generous work area with wireless Internet access and easy video checkout."   (They also have a pool, people.  If you're going to be a Rockstar, surely you'll need a pool.)
2. IT'S GUARANTEED TO SELL OUT, so book now, think later!  They have a rather generous cancellation policy.  "Cancel by 3PM 24 hours prior to arrival to avoid 1 night room and tax penalty." 

It's only 26 days to go before Rocktober 2010 is upon us!   October 15-17 in Columbus, Ohio.  Pack your best leather pants!  (though you may be more comfortable in a more humane cotton blend)

Sincerely,
SwingColumbus

got questions?  CONTACT US

Favorite Pics from Rocktober 2009

It was so fun taking pictures at Rocktober 2009.  I smiled so hard my cheeks hurt.  We have tons of pictures of people in deep thought, people laughing at Kevin and Jo being ridiculous, and people just hanging out and goofing off.

Here's just a few of my favorites:

(okay so to be honest I was just trying to get a bunch of photos in a smaller format and this was faster than editing them!)

The complete album is here: http://picasaweb.google.com/swingcolumbus/Rocktober09#