The Time Has Come ...

... in only a few seconds my blog will be on-line. It's only a click away now! 

Woooohoooo! It's been a lot of work but mainly a lot of  fun ;-)!  

I think this is the right moment to say a big thank you to my good friend Jeff who has been supporting me from the other side of the world looking over my articles as four eyes see more than two :-).

Jeff and me at the 'Swing Thing'

The second big thank you goes to my colleague and friend Diego here in Melbourne! He is the one who did the whole set up  and adjusted the blog in any way I wanted plus gave me some training on how to fix things myself and how to do any of this really :-). 

Diego (that's not me next to him!)

This blog is about my time travelling and how I build as much dancing into it as possible. It's a swing dancing story. I'll be telling you about my experience in different places, dancing classes and events. You'll also find out about people I meet and there are little side stories that are somehow linked to dancing. 

All articles I've written so far will appear as posted today. However,  I back dated some of them, so you can see when things took place. 

That's it from me for now. Enjoy ;-)!

Julia

x

Brunswick Interviews

Interview


Georgia
Dancing for/since:   10 years
Teacher for/since:    5 years




A favorite tune Favourite tune?
‘Easy Does It’ – Count Basie
‘Mach The Knife’ – Ella Fitzgerald – live at Juan her Pins

One dancing experience you'll never forget:

Georgia also found it hard to decide on one moment only but came up with a little example after a few minutes of thinking about it:

She will never forget the moment in New York City after a bunch of Canadian and Australian dancers had just been introduced (everyone had come for the “Frankie 100 festival”) … and then the Shim Sham came on and everyone just went for it!

What makes your class a good class to come to?

Interview


Kieran
Dancing for/since:   13 years
Teacher for/since:  11 years




A favorite tune Favourite tune?
Anything by Billie Holiday and Teddy Wilson
One dancing experience you'll never forget:

Kieran was the first one who told me about a sad moment he’ll never forget. One of his friends had passed away and as part of the guard of honour he was dancing to a sad song as the family had asked for that.

But that wasn’t the only moment. There are just so many: “Dancing around the world, dancing in NYC and Harlem!” He said something quite beautiful then: “It’s about the little moments with your partner on the dancefloor. That could be anywhere, even on an empty dance floor… “

What makes your class a good class to come to?
"What makes our class good? I honestly don't know what to say. Perhaps this is one for our students? Georgia usually has a nice head scarf in and my shoes have often been complimented... perhaps that?"

Swing Patrol Classes In Bunswick, Melbourne + A Special Night

Brunswick Classes (Mondays)

The Brunswick classes are really good fun and have been my favourites so far. There is something quite special about them. Brunswick has its own swing dancing community and you can tell how much people enjoy being part of that.

Classes of all levels take place at the ‘Bridie O’Reilly’s Brunswick’ which helps as it's a cool place with a good vibe. We’re talking about a big pub with a separate area that's just perfect for dancing. The right size of dance floor, a DJ desk and a big screen showing pictures of swing dancers in action gives you the feeling that you’re in the right place.
                                                           
The classes themselves are of a high standard. I was impressed by the level 1 class I took the first time I went. I'd actually aimed for a level 2 but was early so joined the level 1 class and I'm glad I did. Kieran and Georgia are just amazing. Not only are they great dancers, but it’s their way of teaching and passing on knowledge about music and the enjoyment of the dance that makes them unique. 

From the very first class it's about the music and rhythm and what you can do with it. This is linked with the basic step and body movement. I took a lot away from those classes and it seemed the perfect level for me even though I've been dancing for almost a year now.

                       

15/06/2015

A Special Night In Brunswick

I’m glad I rushed off from work to make it for that one bus that would take me to Brunswick just in time for the class. If I hadn’t done so, I would've missed out on a very special night in the ‘Bridie O'Reilly's Brunswick’.

 Georgia’s and Kieran’s last time teaching there! I wasn’t only lucky to be part of that, I’m also glad I didn’t miss my last opportunity to interview them for my blog:-)! 

It was lovely to see how much their students seem to miss them already. There were a lot of hugs and little chats going on after the lesson but I was still able to get them aside for a quick interview. Please read what they had to say below: 

It was ‘Brunswick Party Monday’ and more and more dancers showed up after the class to get on the dance floor for some social dancing. It got very busy and it was nice to recognise people I met at the festival, in classes or workshops. A lot of teachers were around too, which might have to do with the special occasion.

No doubt about that actually as Kieran and Georgia didn’t get away without a lot of applause, a lovely speech held by one their long time students, some pressies, hugs and of course some leaving dances inside the circle.

The Brunswick performance group 'Jazzabells' were another highlight of the evening and after that dancing till late. What a great night! Thanks lovely Brunswick people :-)!!!

trying not to attract anyones attention having
 this taken.Haha! Didn't work! (background)

Barry

Let me introduce you to Barry, who has become an important part of my life here in Melbourne.
Barry is very sexy looking in his different blue shapes and he makes me smile every time I see him.

My number one bike friend is actually Olga and back home in Brighton, I was thinking of taking her to the other side of the world with me but decided against it as I wasn't sure how easy it'd be to travel around with her. It was the right decision in the end as otherwise I'd never have met Barry!

One evening when I had nothing on ;-) I had a look at Gumtree and there he was. A proper blue GIANT looking for a new owner. I texted the number provided and was told that he was still available. The guy invited me to come and see him before 12pm the next day as I sounded nicer than the other person interested :)!

It was meant to be. Saw him, fell in love and took him home with me (the bike).

Back in Brighton I cycled everywhere in any weather. Living in England made me invest in full rain gear, which turns me into a 99% waterproof cyclist (I’m still thinking about the helmet cover, but they just look so silly)! Rain protection for my shoes are part of my gear though :-)! 

Another 'Maberly' I like. This could be the off road version of Barry :-) ! See more if you like: facebook.com/GuyMaberlyArt

I expected it to be just as easy getting around Melbourne on a bike as it was in Brighton because I was told Melbourne was really good for cycling. Well, I’m not sure if whoever said that has been to England, or even Germany where there’s an actual system for bikes in place and where trucks go on different types of roads. We call them Autobahn or motorway. Here it’s all one!

My first try riding Barry to work was probably one of the scariest things I’ve ever done. I had to cross over three lanes to turn right. The moment I made it the lights turned red. I had to wait on an uphill road and Barry has only got one gear! 

I wasn’t that impressed when this massive truck pulled over behind me waiting for the same lights. I gave everything starting off quickly on that hill and the big truck overtook me while I was turning into the road. I closed my eyes for a second but I think they must have seen me as I’m still alive today!

I think I should add that I was staying out west in a suburb called ‘Sunshine’ at the time. All that’s there are big roads, a lot of cars and trucks as it’s quite industrial. When I visited my friend in St. Kilda I saw heaps of cyclists in fancy outfits following pretty cycling paths all over the place. Therefore my experience might only be what you get in Sunshine.

However, at first I didn’t realise how big Melbourne is with all its suburbs and different areas! It’s not like Brighton where you can just cycle from one end to the other in under an hour. This is a bit like getting around between London and Eastbourne if that makes sense :-).

Also, I still had no idea where I was going and how to get to places. I used my brand new ‘iFriend’ to get me around more cycle friendly areas (that still means big roads with several lanes and cars passing fast and very close to us). It wasn’t that easy though as I had to stop constantly to get the phone out to see where I am.
 
One day I wrote a little bit of a frustrated email to my friend Bryn and told him about my new love Barry but also how disappointed I was that cycling didn’t make things easier in a bit city like this. I usually talk to Bryn if there is anything bike related I’d like to share.

The reason is that I know Bryn likes bikes so much that he designs and sells cycling equipment. I didn’t even think of that when I wrote the email but he must have had the feeling that Barry and I needed some help :-). Get this, he sent a present from the UK all the way here!

Barry and I were very excited when it arrived! It was full of goodies that changed our lives :-)! We received a handle bar bag with room for my ‘iFriend’. I can see the screen through it to follow my route plus I’m able to wear my head phones for the American lady to tell me when to turn. That wasn’t everything though. We also got a really cool gel saddle cover as I’d mentioned the rough saddle too! I didn’t even know those existed!

Thanks so much Bryn :-)! Also my lovely readers, if you should happen to be into cycling and don’t already know what cool accessories are out there, why not look up what great work Bryn has done on that :-).

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=sr_so_1?rh=n%3A318949011%2Ck%3ABTR%2Cp_89%3ABTR&keywords=BTR&ie=UTF8&qid=1433943934

Now my new everyday life with Barry is like this: We cycle pretty much everywhere and I’m as comfortable as being on him as in an arm chair. Even to work. We use trains for further distances but are left with enough cycling opportunities after that. Flemington where I live now surprised us with nice cycling paths that connect different parts around North Melbourne with no highways involved. 
The link to dancing is that we make it to classes this way now, which also means I don’t need to worry as much anymore about missing the last tram :-). The only slight problem is that we can only go where Barry can come inside as I can’t afford a lock at the moment, but we’ll get that sorted soon too :-). 

Travis

One of my ideas was to pick at least one interesting person per festival and find out their story ...

For the Melbourne Swing Festival it was Travis and he’s a really good example :-)). I was very lucky to meet him and need to thank Karryn for that. We had some time to chat during my first door shift and when I mentioned my blog she knew straight away who to recommend.

The next day he was one of the dancers that showed up for a class at the 'Dance Factory' and not only did Karryn point him out, but she also introduced us straight away while I was still finishing the last bit of my sandwich :-).

I could have probably guessed who he was as there was only one guy who carried a big guitar case with him. Travis always takes his guitar. We had a quick chat and I explained what this is all about and he said he was happy to chat later or over the next few days.

While he was in class I had time to come up with some questions for him. All I knew from Karryn was that he was travelling and trying to build in as many festivals as possible. Nice one :)!

However it didn’t work out that I was able to have a proper chat with him that day but we exchanged details and have since been in touch.

After the amazing night at the Forum and half way into the after party I was sitting on a chair watching the dance floor when I saw this couple dancing who looked amazing! Very smooth and elegant. He was wearing a smart suit and she a lovely dress.

After the song he sat down for a bit but jumped up straight away again as the next song was a good one. I could see the smile on his face and the excitement about the song and the need to dance to it...  and then he looked at me! Aaah!

He came over and asked me to dance and of course I was up for that. I had to do this thing when I tell myself to relax and just go with the music and the lead and try not to think about how good they are. That way I'll get a really good dance and hopefully be a nice follower for them too, so they might come back some time and ask me for a second dance :).

At the end of the song I thanked him and he said: "Sorry it didn't work out to chat earlier, shall we sit together tomorrow?" Oh?!?! It was rather dark at the after party and the outfit was much different. Trevis?? ;-)

It was the Monday night in the cosy venue in Brighton (the one here in Melbourne :-)!) when we finally got to talk:

Travis is from Adelaide (I'm not sure about the accent there but I couldn't even tell he was from Australia ;-)). He has been dancing for 4 years and went travelling to Europe for 2 months (July and August 2014).

It was kind of right that he wanted to go to as many festivals as possible. Let's say the right amount without wearing himself out but a good variety of different styles. Of course a few of his stops weren’t for dancing but for a bit of a holiday instead (everyone who has been to a festival will know what that means).

Amsterdam was on the list for a bit of a holiday :-), then Sweden as a big dance destination next. Travis took part in the Herrang Dance Camp, the world’s largest and longest summer-long Vernacular Jazz, Swing Dance festival. A lot of variety was offered here such as Lindy Hop and authentic jazz.

After that, Switzerland was a non dancing destination before he moved on to the South of France to the Mountain Top BluesCamp (MTBC) for one week.

That was followed by one day outdoor dancing in Paris. I picture that as being quite romantic, no idea why ;-).

Iceland was next. The Arctic Lindy Exchange Festival was definitely one of the highlights. Looks great!!

Then Venis, in beautiful Italy which was the right place for a rest before Trevis moved on to Southern Italy for the 'Policoroin swing festival' for one week. This one was not only about dancing, it included sailing and kite surfing as well!

When I asked him to tell me about a special moment he gave me the this wonderful answer:

"I had many special moments on my travels. Impromtu jams in Folkus Hut at Herrang comes to mind, yet the antics that ensued durring the never ending 'Hey Jude' kareoke at the Beatle Mania party was unexpectingly fun and humorous.

Every day I met wonderful people in and out of dance festivals and they helped create many special moments. Many of these moments were unexpected and that is part of the adventure that makes travelling incredible. 

Photo from the a'capella

One such example is at 'Policoro in Swing', following the evenings events I was just getting ready to sleep when I heard the intriguing rhythms from the sounds of people stomping their feet and clapping. I decided to investigate and found the band and friends singing a'cappela in harmony. I was asked to pick a song and joined them singing songs in both English and Italian until we settled on the beach to watch the magnificent sun rise."

Wow! What a magic moment! Travis has been playing guitar "for a long time" he told me with a smile. 

Rome was the last stop without an actual dancing festival but that didn’t mean no dancing. He was picked up from the bus depot and taken straight for a dance :-).

What a great trip with endless stories to be told I’m sure. I think Trevis should probably write a book ... or a blog ;-)! 

It was great meeting and dancing with you Travis :-)! It definitely gave me some ideas for my time back in Europe and who knows, we might meet on the dance floor again …

… oh and if we do, I want to hear you play your guitar 
too :-)! 

Julia

Melbourne Swing Festival - Day 3 and 4 (Sunday and Monday)

A big thank you to my friend to Fudz Qazi who let me use his amazing photographs of the event. 

SUNDAY

I have no idea how I made it out of bed on Sunday morning to be back in Richmond for my next door shift but I did somehow.

My shift mate Josh and me didn't only share our love for swing dancing but also the fact that both of us had enjoyed the after party very much. We took turns watching the work shops but also took it in turns to have little rests on the sofas :-).

My plan was to stay out somehow and go to the Sunday evening event 'Hepsters Hideout' at the Ormond Hall straight from my shift but as I was struggling to keep my eyes open towards the end of the day and all was wishing for was a bed and some sleep.

My wish must have been heard as all of a sudden one of Josh's friends showed up and offered him and my a ride to her house near the event. That meant just to get into a car and out, a trip under one hour without changing transports: AMAZING! I couldn't have been more grateful at that moment.

As well as that ride, we could take showers at the house and have naps in the guest rooms. After that we went for a nice meal before dancing :-)!!

When we were arriving at the venue I felt 80% awake for a bit and had some good dances in casual clothing. That didn't last too long and I just went home when that feeling had dropped back to around 40%!

MONDAY

I had the best sleep ever on Monday morning, took it easy in the day and made my way to the very last event for the weekend. Back to where I'd started! The 'Bake and Shake!' night took place in Brighton ;-). I didn't have to travel for 25 hours this time, it only took 1,5 hours to get there.


What a perfect last night. A lot of people had shown up early around 4.00pm to just socialise. 

There were board games and cards available, some home baked snacks and music in the background. It was 80s and 90s from what I remember and I didn't realise until I was asked to dance that you could dance lindy hop to all of the songs :-). The band 'The Furbelows' came on a bit later.

I had lovely chats and some nice dances with people I'd met over the last days. Everyone was relaxed, in a good mood and a bit sleepy. There was dinner provided and free tea and coffee. Again I noticed that this festival was not only about dancing, it was about socialising and having the chance to get to know the others. I really liked that.

The biggest moment of the night was the big thank you speech from Claudia Funder. There was a lot of applause, nice words for everyone but also the appeal for feedback to make the next festival even better.

The moment she said said that I was actually wondering how this could still be improved. The entire weekend was so well organised and thought through, down to the little details but I guess that's that type of attitude it needs to create something like that.

Kerryn got a lot of appreciation in front of everyone. Well deserved. From the chats we had and the time we spent during door shifts, I was already impressed by her as a person and her organisation skills.

Last but not least all volunteers were called to the dance floor for the volunteer dance, so I found myself dancing amongst all the other helpers.

What a great adventure to be part of the Melbourne Swing Festival 2015 the way I experienced it. It was my first big festival and I loved every minute of it. I'm glad I volunteered. A lot to be learnt that way, I met great people and got to hear some of their stories too.

On top of that I earned a free social pass to all the amazing venues! Being a traveller at the moment, I would have not been able to afford that!

Thanks Melbourne Swing Patrol!! What an amazing event :-)!!

Melbourne Swing Festival - Day 2 (Saturday)

A big thank you to my friend to Fudz Qazi who let me use his amazing photographs of the event. 

Saturday was my first work shop door shift. I got up early to make sure I'd find my way to Richmond. I was scheduled for the all day door shift at the "Dance Factory". How exciting.

I was even early and happy to see Kerryn again who was on the same shift. She filled me in with what I had to do. That was mainly asking the dancers for their passes, get them to write themselves name tags, pointing out studio 8 or the nearest bathrooms. I also met my other shift mate Megan, who was lovely and even showed me some dancing moves at a quiet moment when everyone was busy in the classes.

There was also Moriah, who was doing a great job as the teacher's aide responsible for their lunches. She even managed to organise a requested coconut water within a few minutes although she had no idea where to get it from when I passed the message onto her. At that point I didn't even know what a coconut water was.

The first class to look after was the 'super mega plus' class for the best dancers around. I recognised some of the Swing Patrol Teachers and some "Echoes" too. I didn't realise at first that we could go and watch the workshops! That was so cool! Once everyone was in the studio, Megan and me took turns sneaking in, watching from the chair Moriah had organised for us.

I got to see quite a few interesting classes that way over the weekend. I really enjoyed Remy and Ramona's classes. They had such a good message in all levels and got people excited. In one of the advanced classes Remy was told to write a book :-).

The day at the door passed quickly and it was time to get ready for the big night! - "Putting on the Ritz", location: Forum Theatre. I'm quoting the program here:

"Presented in conjunction with Melbourne International Jazz Festival. This will be the premier event of the Melbourne Swing Festival and a highlight of the swing year. Not to be missed!"

I'm so glad I didn't! The Forum is beautiful and a really big venue. I was blown away when I walked in! That was by far the most impressive venue I've seen or done some dancing at. There was a beginners class held when I entered and that was by far the biggest class I'd ever seen. A microphone was needed.

I knew there would be the moment for my favourite dress to come out of my backpack :-)! Everyone looked beautiful again and there was an interesting mix of dancers and jazz lovers. The reason why this big venue could be filled was the international Jazz Festival taking place at the same time. Having quite a few people there to 'only' watch and listen seemed to make every dancer a little part of a performance.

A bit later on I got to see my personal highlight of the night: the teacher performance! 

Just for fun and to show my friends what Lindy Hop is all about, I've often looked up competitions and really good dancers on YouTube quite a lot. Great to look at! I've also seen impressive dancers in jam circles at events but what I got to see here was just amazing!

The international teachers on the dance floor where performing to the band. Just great! Smooth, fast, fun moves. I was lucky and was sitting on the dance floor only an arm's length away. That made it very special. I love seeing performances live and in front of my eyes. It gives me a very special feeling. 

The performance was really impressive but what made it so great might also have been due to the fact that I had watched some of the workshops and what had been taught there and now seeing the artists in action made it even clearer to my why they had been hired for the Melbourne Swing Festival!

That was the night when I decided not to worry about the trams and just to go for it. I even treated myself to a little glass of wine and never looked at the time again :-)!

By the end of the night I was in the best mood, had made some friends and was offered a lift to the after party. My first after party ever!

I felt slightly tired by the time we entered the upstairs are at the 'Forever Dance' in Richmond. There had been a lot of dancing at The Forum. However, soon I'd find out that there was just about anything available that would get a tired dancer back on their feet. Food, snacks, sweets, cups of tea and so on.

It was just great. All the energy came back and I felt like I could dance forever ;-). The venue was quite big and had a really chilled atmosphere. A blues room on one side and a bigger room with the band playing on the other side.

I recognised Georgia from the classes in Brunswick. I knew it was her band 'the Sentimental Gentlemen and Georgia' playing that night and had been looking forward to that. Beautiful! I can only recommend going to see them if you get the chance.

I found it quite impressive how many people where out and dancing way after midnight. There were more people around than back home at our bigger events. Wow! This is Melbourne for me again :-)! I heard that some dancers prefer the after parties and won't even go to the main event. I can see why but I would't have missed out on The Forum!

After a nice mix of dancing in front of the band and chilling at the side of the dance floor I was lucky enough to get a ride back to my place and my head hit the pillow around 4am.

Keds

Here’s some nice little info I picked up during one of my chats on the door shift at the Melbourne Swing Festival.

I always wondered why most people in classes and swing events wear the exact same trendy looking shoes (in different colours, but still). 

I noticed it first back in England together with a friend who knew those type of shoes were called ‘Keds’ but neither of us had the answer as to how come so many people wore them. 

                        

However, after thinking about it I came up with my own answer that this type of shoe must be super comfy and also have the perfect sole for dancing.

Then at some point I saw a girl put on some duct tape on the soles of her shoes and she explained to me that it made them more slippery for the dance floor. What a cool idea! 

From that moment on I wondered whether that was a secret thing all dancers do behind closed doors as I never saw anybody doing it so openly in front of me again.

The real story was revealed to me by my lovely shift mate who I randomly share my thoughts with. It is indeed a trend …

Keds shoes are part of the Converse family and it might be the case they sponsored the Swing Patrol London. A new special collection will be released soon providing funky models with crazy patterns (can’t wait). 

Also, dancers do indeed tape their shoes. I was told about one dancer that is very specific with the type of tape she uses for the perfect feeling on the dance floor. She always gets it from a little convenience store near her place and wouldn’t use any other.

While watching one of the workshops at the festival I focused on people’s feet a lot (you’re not supposed to normally) and I noticed a tiny little bit of tape sticking out from under a KED. Aha!! Cool on the outside but perfection underneath J! I have to say, I really want some now too!

Melbourne Swing Festival - Day 1 (Friday)

05/06/2015

A big thank you to my friend to Fudz Qazi who let me use his amazing photographs of the event.

My first ever volunteer shift was on Friday evening at the door for the festival's first social dancing, which was happening at the Ormond Hall, 557 St Kilda Road. How exciting!!

I'd gone for a slightly later shift (8:45pm) as I didn't see a problem to get to the venue in time after my working day in Sunshine finishes at 5pm.

Ha!! Not in big Melbourne! I left work with a little delay, missed a train, therefore missed the connection bus from Footscray to my new place in Flemington and had to learn that the 6pm bus was the last one of the day for the direct connection! My best friend the PTV app guided me to a bus stop a couple of streets up from which the delayed bus was taking over half an hour to get to a tram stop near my place. 

When I finally made it to that stop I could see the tram from the back heading away from me as fast as it possibly could! The next one was 20 minutes later. By the time I rushed through my front door it had taken me almost 2.5 hours to get back and the relaxing shower I’d planned turned into a VERY quick one as I only had 15 minutes to get ready to run out again for the next tram. A trip to St Kilda Road from mine is just over an hour.

My shift started at 8:45pm and I came through the door at 8:43pm, hungry as a horse as there was no way I’d had time to fit in food. I'd put my new skirt on and was wearing my nice blue jumper, the only one that’s not a hoody. I walked up to the reception and had a lovely welcome. Everyone was quite relaxed and I was told my shift wouldn't start at 9pm and I should chill out :-)!

I hid my blue rain coat as well as I could in my bag and sneaked through the big doors to the dance floor. Wow! Beautiful people everywhere! Amazing dresses, smart suits and shoes, braces and hats everywhere. In that moment I just wanted another jumper or my nicest dress so I could blend in. Instead I was just telling myself it wasn't that bad and nobody would notice, or even care.

Later I found out what had happened. I'm normally good at not reading things properly and I did it again. There was a dress code on the invite: 'Whatever makes you ridiculously good-looking'. Yes! Everyone passed! Very impressive :-)!

After 15 minutes watching ridiculously good-looking people dance to beautiful music, I made my way back to the door feeling rather shy. Again I got a warm welcome and swapped seats with somebody who must have been in the previous shift.

I was filled in quickly by lovely Karryn who had everything under control. The main task was to find people on the list, tick them off and hand over their pass. 

So from one minute to the other, I was kind of representing the Swing Patrol Melbourne in my blue jumper, welcoming all dancers that had travelled far or not so far to be part of the Melbourne Swing Festival. Ooooh!

It was kind of funny that I had no idea if it was somebody from interstate or a regular dancer as they were all new faces to me. I was introduced to some people and also had the chance again to practice understanding how Australians spell using vowels (in their names) :-). I can proudly say that I do get better at this. Having suburbs spelt over the phone at work has been a good exercise. 

When it got a bit quieter I had a portion of the best chips I'd ever tasted and nice chats with my shift mates. I even had to be reminded of the end of my shift. 

I'd learnt my lesson from Thursday: Never ‘don't care’ when last trams run if you live in a big city and walking is not an option! This time I checked and as I had to catch two trams to make it back I had about 30 minutes left for some dancing. 

I had lovely dances with some really good leads and could have had more but left on time to make it home independently this time. 

What a great night! The only thing I really can't stand is having to leave a party early if I don't feel like it. In this case it was especially true as I'd found out about an after party happening. 

When I was sitting in the tram, I decided to make sure that it’d be different next time and usually things fall into place after such a decision has been made :).

Melbourne Swing Festival ... From A Volunteer's Point Of View

04/06/2015

A big thank you to my friend to Fudz Qazi who let me use his amazing photographs of the event. 

Opening Night

"Welcome to the Melbourne Swing Festival 2015!

Queen's Birthday long weekend, Friday June 5th – Monday June 8th 2015.

It's time again for those 4 days and nights of sheer joy and dancing bliss to take over Melbourne! We'll swing the inner city with sizzling music, white-hot dancing, and killer workshops. And the Melbourne International Jazz Festival will be jamming right along with us."

Swing Patrol Melbourne… and I was there :)!

Actually I was already there on Thursday night, when I accidentally had a great start to the festival.

I happened to have had a bad day at work, everything seemed to go wrong. I also felt a bit down in general and was not in the mood for anything really.

For a change I was home early (after only one hour commuting), when sitting in my room, not very impressed with my own company, I suddenly remembered that I'd been in that sort of mood before back home in England. I also remembered that one of my best dancing friends had the answer: "Go dancing!"

With a smile I recalled how I felt when I'd followed that advice... So I jumped into the shower and in some sort of dancing outfit, dragged myself out in the cold to find my way to Fitzroy for some social dancing. Even when I'd missed the tram waiting on the wrong side of the road (!) and therefore had to wait for 20 more minutes in the freezing cold, I would not give up and after an hour and a bit I entered the St Brigid's Parish Hall.

Wow! Not the usual social dancing! 

A band was playing and it turned out to be the warm up party for the festival. As I had no idea I didn't bring enough cash to cover the 15 dollars entrance fee. I kind of explained and the lovely lady at the door decided I'd got there quite late and made it half price for me, which was pretty much exactly what I had in my purse. That moment changed my day for the better and with my first step on the dance floor I left the beginning of it behind me.

After my first dance I got to chat to a guy I'd met in a class and quickly checked what time the trams were running until. I so didn't feel like going home at all and loved it when he said they were running till between midnight and 1am on a Thursday, which shouldn't be a problem at all as the dancing was going to finish at 11pm.

Well, after a great night and even a really cool performance from the 'Echoes Of Harlem' (I finally saw them in action, which I was very excited about after joining their workshop the other week), I stepped out of the door looking up on my phone when the next tram was going. It was 10 to 12am at this point, so not even midnight. My phone brought me back to reality telling me that the next tram was running at 5:59am!!

Aaaaaaah! Back home in Brighton I've done that loads of times. A good night out and I don't care. Somehow I'd get back. Even walking is always an option. However, this little girl in a big city realised in that moment: no way to do that in big Melbourne! 

Not long after that ‘enlightenment’ I saw one of the 'Echoes' coming out of the Hall. He was the last one with some friends and there was no other way than quickly forget about feeling hesitant and just do it … I needed to walk up to them to see where they were going in their car.

Why didn't it surprise me that they were super nice and helpful and wouldn't let me call my emergency friend for help but made a detour and dropped me back safely. What a good start to the long dancing weekend to come :)!