First international Swing Festival to be held in Cape Town in March!

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Cape Town is to host Mother City Hop 2016 , Cape Town’s first international Swing Festival, from 19 – 21 March. The Festival will bring hundreds of hoppers to Cape Town, for instruction, live music, and parties.

Performances and workshops will be held at Jan van Riebeek High School on Kloof Street, 6 Spin Street, YoungBlood Africa on Bree Street, and at the Cape Town Union Congregational Church Hall. Nathan Daniel appears to be a major organizer of the Festival.

Swing was played in Sophiatown in Johannesburg in the ‘Forties, coming to an end in 1955 when the suburb was destroyed by the then government.

Local and international guests attending the Festival are invited to dance the Swing, not only in dance halls, but in the vineyards and on the beach! Different packages are available to assist in crowdfunding the Festival, from a Party Pass of R560, to an All Star Pass of R4600, offering a Full Pass, tour package, and a T-shirt. Different package options are available in-between these price extremes. Workshops are offered for various Lindy Hop classes, depending on one’s level of expertise. Ticket sales run via Quicket.

International Lindy Hop teachers attending the Swing Festivals and offering classes are Peter Strom from the USA; Naomi Uyama from the USA; Remy Kouakou, Thomas Blacharz from France; and Eglé Nemickalté from Lithuania. Legends of Swing, 96-year old Norma Miller, and 83-year old Chazz Young, will attend the Festival. The teaser for the 2011 London Swing Festival is a fun introduction to what one might expect locally.

Last night I attended a Swing party at the Blah Blah Bar, where we were given a short dance introduction in a far too cramped room, with music by Swanky Doodles, sounding far too much like jazz and too little like the recorded Swing they played during the lesson. One is able to take dancing lessons the weekend before the Festival, to get up to speed before the Swing Festival, at R150 for one day, or R250 for two days.