• Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Shuffle Projects

Swinging Projects for Lindy Hop & Balboa Dancers

  • HOME
  • ABOUT
  • DJ CHRiSBE
    • Song of the Week
  • RESOURCES
  • CONTACT

Leapin' Lindy

The Big Swing Night @ Leapin’ Lindy 12 – From The DJ Perspective

16.02.2012 by Chris

Instead of writing a ‘normal' event review like I did last year (check out The Big Swing Night @ Leapin' Lindy 11), I thought I'm writing about this night from the perspective of the Swing DJ.

The Big Swing Night @ Leapin' Lindy 12 Bern

The Biggest Swing Party in Switzerland

Last weekend (February 8-10, 2012), the popular Lindy Hop weekend Leapin' Lindy 12 was happening in Switzerland's capital Berne. Currently, the Big Swing Night on Saturday is the biggest Swing Dance Party in Switzerland.

Many key points were similar to last year's edition:

  • Location: Kultur-Casino Bern, Great Hall
  • Dancers: 700+
  • Band: Gordon Webster 7 feat. Naomi Uyama
  • DJ: Swing DJ Chrisbe (that's me; for those who read the first time on this blog)

Setup of the night

The event started at 21h with a DJ set. The first band set was scheduled for 22h, but we waited another 15 minutes to have a nicely crowded floor.

After the first band set of one hour, the presentation and social dance shows of the teachers took place. These were followed by a short DJ set and another band set.

During the second band break, my task was to suddenly interrupt the party with a song that was going out of tune (thanks to DJAY) so that the MC Tim Collins could come up with a story to initiate a soul train cake walk.

Some dancers brought a wooden cake into the room, the band was climbing out of that cake and the third band set could start. That's how it looked like:

Cake Walk at The Big Swing Night

If you know Gordon Webster, then you know that the band is always playing longer than they are supposed to.

Don't get me wrong, this is totally awesome, especially when you have such a great band in the city!

Well, the party finished around 4h in the morning instead of 3h and eventually, I have DJ'ed more than three hours that night!

The Responsibility of the DJ

A friend of mine said to me during the evening:

“As a DJ, you must have a lot of responsibilities!”

Yup, that's true.

He told me the story, that he was at a concert just a few days before, and after the last band set, while the audience was still applauding and asking for an encore, the DJ started a song. The audience was so upset, that they were booing the DJ.

The DJ didn't take care of the band, because the applause is the reward for any performing artist!

But he didn't also take care of the audience, because they didn't get a chance to ask for one or two more songs from the band.

As a DJ, there are some important points to think about:

  • Create an atmosphere that suits to the live band and that helps them: they don't want to perform in front of a bored audience
  • Choose songs which are in contrast to the band sets: different tempos, styles etc.
  • Do not play the same titles as the band. There are always exceptions, though, e.g. when you choose a total different version.
  • Give enough space to the band, that means don't start the DJ set too early, while the audience is still applauding. Wait for a sign of the band that they are really finished, or when the light technician is changing the spot to the DJ booth.

Another Tip: Bring Your Own Cables

A short rehearsal for the teacher shows was scheduled before the dance night, but it didn't happen. So the organizers and I didn't know what music the teachers will need for their shows. Either if I will have it on my laptop or if they will bring memory sticks, iPods etc.

So I decided to plug the cables I brought with me into the mixer and prepare the sound settings: one for my laptop and two for iPods. That was a good choice, then I needed all of them and it was very easy and comfortable to switch between devices during the show.

I Had A Great Night

It was a big pleasure to me to be once again the DJ at The Big Swing Night and also an honor beside such a wonderful and energetic band like Gordon Webster's, which is in my eyes – and I repeat myself – the best live band for swing dancers you can have!

Thank you!


[catalyst_hook_box name=”signup_sotw”]

Filed Under: Event Tagged With: Bern, Event review, Gordon Webster, Leapin' Lindy, Swing DJ'ing, Swing Party

The Big Swing Night @ Leapin’ Lindy ’11 Bern – What a great Night!

17.02.2011 by Chris

Epic Dance Night

The Big Swing Night @ Leapin' Lindy '11 - photo by Stefan DeuberI can't write about the entire Leapin' Lindy weekend because I only attended worked at the party on Saturday night. And this night was epic!

I'm still delighted by the atmosphere and the energy in the beautiful ballroom of the Kultur-Casino in the middle of the city of Bern.

The hosts of the evening were Eva and Nadja. They did a great job, brought in a lot of fun into their speeches and made the crowd ready for the band!

The Importance of Great (Live) Music

Gordon Webster 7 - photo by Stefan DeuberThanks to its courage of the organising team to book Gordon Webster 7, we had one of the best contemporary swing bands in town and every minute was worth it! The band pushed the dancers and the dancers pushed the band – just the way it should be. Naomi Uyama, who was also in the teacher line-up, sang with the band and she was wonderful as well.

One highlight was for sure the very last song, she sang a slow number only accompanied on piano by Gordon. The band was supposed to play three sets of 30 minutes but they were at least 45 minutes each.

I was DJ'ing when the band not was playing so I can't tell you how good the DJ music was, you have to ask somebody else :-). A local teacher and good friend of mine was asking me, if it was difficult to DJ beside such a great band. Indeed, this is a very good question but honestly, I never was thinking about that. Like always at such events I try to feel the crowd and build my DJ set on the go. And of course, I tried not to play the same tunes than the band.

There was one moment, during the last song by Naomi and Gordon I was mentioning before, when I asked myself what song shall I play NOW. I decided to play a complete different song and I guess it worked out.

It's Show Time

Of course, there was a teacher showcase. And the audience loved it. Watch the following videos:

Show 1: Michael, Christina, Alex & Rania (Greece)

Show 2: Skye & Frida (USA, Sweden)

Show 3: David & Åsa (Sweden)

Show 4: Peter & Naomi (USA)

Show 5: Kevin & Jo (USA)

Bottom Line

That was one of the best Swing dance nights in Switzerland I've ever been to! Period.

Filed Under: Event Tagged With: DJ Chrisbe, Event review, Gordon Webster, Leapin' Lindy

DJ Chrisbe @ Leapin’ Lindy Bern (CH) 12.2.2011

11.02.2011 by Chris

The Big Swing Night

This is one of the biggest events in Switzerland and I am really proud to be part of it! Come out and dance your shoes off!

Leapin' Lindy Bern 2011

Live Music with Gordon Webster 7 feat. Naomi Uyama

Date/Time

Saturday, February 12, 2011, starts at 20 h

Location

Kultur Casino Bern – Grosser Saal, Herrengasse 25, 3011 Bern

Schedule

19.30 Door opening
20.00 – 21.30 Lindy Hop taster class
21.30 Swing Party starts with DJ Chrisbe
22.00 1st Set – Gordon Webster 7 feat. Naomi Uyama
23.00 Shows
23.30 – 00.30 2nd Set – Gordon Webster 7 feat. Naomi Uyama
00.30 – 03.00 Swing Party with DJ Chrisbe

Description (by leapinlindy.ch)

“One of the fantastic innovations at Leapin’ Lindy 2011 is the location of the Saturday night party. It will, for the first time, take place in the Kultur Casino Bern. The glamorous atmosphere of this historical building and the golden ballroom provide the perfect setting for an exhilarating party. While you float over the marble floors, we will take you on a journey through space and time.

Imagine you are in the golden 20ies on board of a luxury cruise ship which is on its way from Dover, England, to New York City. The atmosphere on board is very relaxed as it is the last night on this ship before mooring in New York. For the last time, the captain invites his guests to the great ball, for the last time the jazz band will swing, and for the last time you prepare for an unforgettable night.

The theme of the night is GREEN like the hope for all the new things that will await you at the end of the journey. You take something classy in green from your suitcase and join the crowd. In the ballroom, the couples move over the floor like green waves while in the lounge people refresh themselves with a gin or in an English manner with a cup of tea and biscuits. Breathe the air of adventure and let yourself be taken away, even if only for one night. We wish you a wonderful journey !

Once again the Swing Night shows its colours! We will cruise through the night in green and the party guests are thus asked to spice up their outfit with something green.”

If you enjoyed this post please click LIKE below
– or share or retweet this post. Thank you!

Filed Under: Event Tagged With: DJ Chrisbe, Gordon Webster, Leapin' Lindy, Live Music, Swing Party

Primary Sidebar

Welcome, I'm Christian Bossert. Since 1999, I‘ve been passionate about Swing dances as well as their culture and history. I‘m a Swing dance instructor and international Swing DJ Chrisbe, based in Zurich Switzerland. Read More…

Recent Posts

  • Alphabetical Jazz Steps – Edition 3 (2017) with Chester Whitmore
  • Marcia & Chris unterrichten bei Dance2bee in CH-Muhen, 10.-13.07.2017
  • WhatStep – Your Dance Move Assistant App: The Story
  • Februar-Aktion: 15% auf iTunes Geschenkkarten
  • Marcia & Chris are teaching Balboa in D-Dortmund, 27.-29.11.2015

Most Popular Posts

  • 33 Tips & Actions How To Become A Better Swing Dancer
  • Swing Summer in Europe: Studio Hop Summer Camp in Eauze France
  • Competing at ABW and ESDC
  • Dance Teaching Idea: Ask & Tell
  • A Day At The Balboa Experiment
  • Frankie Manning: Never Stop Swinging (Documentary)
  • 14 Tips To Become A (Better) Swing DJ

Copyright © 2023 · Lifestyle Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in