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Hop to the Beat Year End Message

  Uptown Swing Dance Beantown Camp
Beantown Camp Beantown Camp
Beantown Camp Skye & Naomi Workshops 2012
Beantown Camp Uptown Swing Dance
Beantown Camp Uptown Swing Dance
Beantown Camp Skye & Naomi Workshops 2012
 

Hard to believe another year is drawing to a close. Time really does fly. We did have some really outstanding moments this year and also some really rough ones.

Losing my Mom this August was especially difficult coming only 15 months after my Dad, although it was a blessing as she had Alzheimer’s. Losing parents is truly life changing. Dealing with so much over the last couple of years has brought me and all my brothers and sisters closer together, something that is wonderful. I am sure my parents would be proud of us. I am also very grateful to everyone who reached out to me during this difficult time. It touched me deeply and helped me to deal with my sadness.

These days we still have the families of Newtown, CT very much on our minds. My brother and his family live in that town. Thankfully his 3 young children go to a school on the opposite end from Sandy Hook, although their school did go into lockdown that awful day. We visited Newtown on the way to my sister’s house on Christmas and the whole town is currently one big memorial to the victims. There is an unbelievable amount of stuffed animals, ornaments, flowers, banners, messages and other objects from all over the country. It is all so incredibly sad. Christmas was noticeably subdued this year and my brother told us about what it has been like and what’s been going on in Newtown. My brother-in-law told us about his friends who were among the first responders. We’ve been thinking about the numerous families directly effected by this tragedy and can’t imagine how they’ve been managing through the holidays.

Year-end is a time of reflection as we are reminded of the ups and downs of the past year. It is also a time of renewal and we look to 2013 with great optimism and thanks for the many wonderful positives. Dance is something that has brought so much to our lives (including each other), and one of our greatest hopes is that we can pass it forward. It moves our bodies, frees our minds and brings joy to our souls.

We want to send out a big thank you to all of the students who joined us in class this year from those who came to their very first classes to those who have been with us for a very long time. Classes are still the heart and soul of what we do. We love teaching and if we can be a little part of someone’s journey, it means the world to us.

Uptown Swing moved to a new venue this year. We enjoyed our time at Brookline Tai Chi and weren’t looking to move, but sometimes these situations we are thrown into turn out for the best. We are loving our new beautiful venue at KI. We’re still getting used to how large it is and hope to meet the challenge of filling it each month! So far it has been awesome and we’re looking forward to some wonderful nights in the new year.

People often ask why we do Beantown Camp each year as it can be quite an endeavor! We do have our moments of questioning our sanity, although it is our week actually at camp that renews our energy and our spirit. This year’s camp was just incredible from start to finish. It was a week full of smiles, passion, friendship, and pure joy! As we are currently in the midst of lots of planning, we’re already excited for what’s coming together for 2013!

As we close out 2012, we want to thank all of the wonderful people we have met and the friends we have made from near and far who have enriched our lives. We wish you all a very happy new year!

Happy dancing,
Aurelie & Tony

Holiday Gifts of Dance

What’s better than a gift of dance this holiday season! Here’s what you will find in the Hop to the Beat Shop:

  • Ryan Francois and Jenny Thomas DVDsRyan and Jenny’s series of teaching DVDs. Ryan and Jenny are two of the best Lindy Hop teachers and performers in the world. These DVDs are jam packed with information with very clear presentation and tons of demonstration.
  • Beantown Camp 2012 DVDsBeantown Camp DVDs, including the 3 DVD set for 2012 covering class recaps, competitions, evening and class performances and Beantown Bounce (the awesome show)!
  • Beantown Camp and Hop to the Beat T-Shirts.
  • Gift Certificates which are customized to any amount.

Purchase at the Hop to the Beat shop.

Beantown Camp 2013

Beantown Camp

For those who want to start thinking about NEXT summer, the dates for Beantown are set from June 27-July 4. There will be similar registration options as in the past. Believe it or not, plans are already in the works. This will be our 17th year! Think about doing the full week to get the whole experience as each day brings something special! Details will not be available for awhile, but we do guarantee it will be a spectacular opportunity for a very fun and inspiring week.

Check out last year’s info to get an idea what it’s all about.

Beantown Camp 2012 Thanks

It doesn’t seem like three weeks have passed since Beantown Camp ended. Maybe that’s because we are still wrapping things up, collecting photos and working on the camp DVD. Leading up to camp, we had a feeling that it was going to be a good week. How could it not with the incredible line-up of instructors and bands?

Once again, we just have to say that Beantown exceeded expectations. It was just an incredibly wonderful week full of smiles, fun and joy! We want to thank each and every one of our Beantown staff and campers. So much positive energy. As we are back in our regular classes, it is very rewarding hearing from our own first-time students mentioning how much they loved the classes, all the nice people they met and the fun time they had. Good to hear after subjecting them to our saying over and over again to go to camp!Smile

Here are just a few highlights to mention:

Beantown Bounce Finale

Another amazing Beantown Bounce showcasing the incredible talent of Beantown instructors. Thanks to Michael Jagger and Evita Arce for producing, Peter Strom for choreographing the finale, all the performers and the entire crew for providing such an inspiring and entertaining show.

Soul Party

Peter’s late night Soul Party, always a camp highlight, where everyone kind of just lets loose and has a super fun night.

Eric's Hip Hop Routine Class Performance

The end-of-camp track performances, always a great way to wrap up a week of excellent classes! We moved into Rose this year which really added the perfect atmosphere for cheering on each group. My own personal highlight, being in Eric Fenn’s Hip Hop routine and loving every minute of it. (Plus thanks to all my practice buddies!)

Saturday Night Jam to Campus Five

Night after night of phenomenal music from our three awesome bands, Gordon Webster, Campus Five and Glenn Crytzer, as well as Michael Gamble and his crew of DJs.

BBQ Sparklers

The most fun BBQ night ever on the 4th of July, one of our all time highlights. Something about the end of camp, the sparklers (thank you Cynthia!) and watching the fireworks across the water made it a really special night.

Frankie Foundation Ambassadors

Our wonderful Frankie Foundation Ambassadors, Merika, Josh and Lehua. They were each a joy to have at camp all week and we are thankful that we were able to provide this opportunity for them.

In addition to our teen ambassadors, we may have had our largest group of teens ever and it was such a great time watching all of them having so much fun. If this is the future of Lindy Hop, we are in good shape!

Beantown Camp Swimming

The excellent weather we had, perfect for the beach, and it seems that many campers took advantage of that this year.

Norma Miller

Having Norma Miller with us all week to share her life, remind us of where it all started and for being so much fun to talk with.

As always, one of the most special features of Beantown, connecting with old friends, new friends and just enjoying being together!

Yes, there were more, and the list could go on and on! The whole week was kind of one huge highlight!Cool

So many people to thank for the incredible week of camp. We would like to send some special shout outs to our wonderful crew who help us to check-in all campers, run the café, the shop, the water crew, drivers, videographers, photographers and help with so many other tasks including Joel Domoe for once again doing an awesome job running the competitions and Edgar Herwick for adding his emcee talents to the proceedings this year. Thanks to Dave Lasagna for bringing extra smiles to our faces and providing his own special touch to our days. We also want to send a huge thank you to the most wonderful staff at Endicott College. We know how lucky we are to have Patrick watching over everything and going out of his way to be sure everyone has the best time possible. Plus the amazing dining staff who make the effort to provide us with a big variety of healthy, decadent and delicious meals. Everything has just gotten better since we moved to this wonderful campus eight years ago and we feel it adds so much to what makes Beantown such a unique and special experience each year.

Beantown Campers, you are the best! Thanks to all who traveled far and near. We appreciate your support and we appreciate you!  We wish you all many happy times ahead and hope to see you back in 2013!

Happy dancing,
Aurelie & Tony

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