Cha Cha with the Gator Boy
Fridays, Mar.22 | CrashDancer Cha Cha Cha Workshops
Progressive Cha Cha Cha Dance Workshops with the Gator Boy on CrashDance Fridays at the NVC Hall (1212 S King St), 6:30-8pm with practica and variety dance 8-9pm, all for just $10 (cash only please). Complimentary food, bring your own water/beverage. All are welcome, no partner necessary. Description: One of the Gator Boy’s favorites both to dance and teach, the Cha Cha Cha is hot, fun and delightfully satisfying in a movement and musicality sort of way. We’ll revel in righteous Latin, Soul, and R&B rhythms, starting with the fundamentals and working our way up to snappy moves and partner connection, inventive footwork and solo shines.

March 23 | Ragin' Cajun Party
Ragin' Cajun Party at Waters Winery (3861 1st Ave S, Seattle, in SoDo area), 6-9pm, $40/person. Music with Swamp Soul and food by Where ya at Matt's! RSVP yvonne@waterswinery.com.

March 24 | French Fest
Seattle's French Fest: A Celebration of French-Speaking Cultures, 11am-6pm at the Seattle Center, with a performance by Filé Gumbo.

March 30-31 | Fall in Love with WCS
Fall in love with West Coast Swing (and introduce it to your dance family) with Wren Newman & Scot McKay at Leif Erikson Hall (2245 NW 57th St, Seattle), $140. NOTE: The weekend is near capacity, we just need a few more leads to register! Take your West Coast Swing relationship to another level with workshops geared toward social dancers and inspired by the “5 Stages of a Relationship.” This weekend intensive aims to help move you and your WCS beyond friendship – and into full blown love. Together, we’ll explore in depth what makes WCS so alluring: the playfulness, styling, musicality, and deep communication with your partner. And what’s more, you’ll learn to integrate with – and flow between – WCS and dances you may already know well (Cha Cha Cha, Night Club 2-step, East Coast Swing, Country Two-step, and Blues), transforming WCS from a dance you use on occasion to one that moves into your everyday repertoire, at the ready whenever the music calls.Brought to you by Northwest Dance Network, the weekend includes a dance with Brian Lee & the Orbiters, warmups each morning with Sean "Gator Boy" Donovan, and much, much more. Find full details and registration here.

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Saturday, April 13 | Early Life Speech & Language Beer Festival
Beer Fest, brats, and boogie benefitting Early Life Speech & Language with lots of tasty craft beer, silent auctions, copious door prizes, and music with DJ Gator Boy at Seattle Scottish Rite Masonic Center (1207 N 152nd St), 12-5pm. Get your tix and see the list of breweries and more information here.

3rd Friday Dance
Fri, Apr.19 | Gator Boy's Juke Joint
Gator Boy's Juke Joint (every 3rd Friday!) at the Eagles Mother Aerie (8201 Lake City Way NE), 8-11pm, $10. 3rd Friday dances continue with blues, swing, zydeco, Cajun, Country, waltz, cha cha cha and more with your host, the Gator Boy, spinning tunes from far and wide to pleasure your dancing. Yeah, you right! Full bar, great dance floor, everyone welcome! All ages 'til 10pm. Like our Gator Boy Productions page on FB and get all the latest news, dance and music videos, and other cool content.

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Swingin' hot jazz
Tue & Wed, May.7-8 | The Hot Sardines
Dimitiriou's Jazz Alley (2033 6th Avenue), 7:30pm, $36.50. Doors 6pm. The Hot Sardines are fueled by the belief that classic jazz feeds the heart and soul, and they're on a mission to make old sounds new again and prove that joyful music can bring people together in a disconnected world. In the last two years, the Hot Sardines have been featured at the Newport Jazz Festival and the Montreal Jazz Festival, have sold out NYC venues from Joe’s Pub to Bowery Ballroom and more than 150 tour dates from Chicago to London, and have released two albums on Universal Music Classics to critical raves and a No. 1 slot on the iTunes Jazz chart in the U.S. and internationally. In the talented hands of the New York-based ensemble, music first made famous decades ago comes alive through their brassy horn arrangements, rollicking piano melodies, and vocals from a chanteuse who transports listeners to a different era with the mere lilt of her voice. Combining both covers and originals, they effortlessly channel New York speakeasies, Parisian cabarets and New Orleans jazz halls. Find more info/get tix here, and make your reservations today!

3rd Friday Dance
Fri, May.17 | Gator Boy's Juke Joint
Gator Boy's Juke Joint (every 3rd Friday!) at the Eagles Mother Aerie (8201 Lake City Way NE), 8-11pm, $10. 3rd Friday dances continue with blues, swing, zydeco, Cajun, Country, waltz, cha cha cha and more with your host, the Gator Boy, spinning tunes from far and wide to pleasure your dancing. Yeah, you right! Full bar, great dance floor, everyone welcome! All ages 'til 10pm. Like our Gator Boy Productions page on FB and get all the latest news, dance and music videos, and other cool content.

Fri, May.25 | Swamp Soul
Swamp Soul 8-8:45pm at the Northwest Folklife Festival, Seattle Center, Fisher Pavilion.

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Sat, Jun.8 | Swamp Soul
Swamp Soul 7:30-9:30pm, Third Place Commons dance, Lake Forest Park Town Center, (17171 Bothell Way NE).

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Sun, Jul.14 | Swamp Soul
Swamp Soul 2-5pm, Fairhaven Village Green (1207 10th St, Bellingham, WA 98225).

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Sat, Sep.8 | Swamp Soul
Swamp Soul 7-8:45pm, CrossRoads Bellevue (15600 NE 8th St, Bellevue, WA 98008).