Who We Are
Mark Carpenter (SF Bay) (he/they)
Mark has been social dancing since 2005, getting his start in the quickly-evolving lindy and blues scenes in California. He has thrown many events, and dj’d many (many) more.
Emory Roehrkasse (Denver) (she/they)
Emory swung out for the first time in 2012 in Houston, TX and fell madly in love with partner dance. Since then, they’ve worked in almost every role a dance weekend needs to thrive all over the US in many (many) styles.
Our Values
Celebration — We are here, ultimately, to celebrate each other and sink into a world of our making full of warmth and joy. Together we are grounded, and we are home. This is a house party, this is your house party.
More inclusive — but still intimate. With a pay-what-you-can price tag, open registration, and our exchange-style structure, we hope this event can be more inclusive than your typical dance weekend. There is plenty more work that needs to be done to make an event like this truly inclusive.
Simple — run by seasoned organizers: Mark Carpenter & Emory Roehrkasse, with support from friends and volunteers. Events don't have to be hectic things with dozens of moving parts. Let's get a drink and just dance. We’ll put our time/energy/money only into the things that matter.
Safe(r) — sexism including sexual harassment, racism, homophobia, transphobia, ageism, or any form of disrespectful dehumanizing behaviors will simply not be tolerated and will likely be grounds for expulsion.
Doing good — Hopefully our event itself does good for you and yours. In addition, we donate ⅓ of the money we make to a local organization actively improving our world.
The Music
One of the most important aspects of this event is the music curation. We have honed on a very specific vibe that should feel very nostalgic for anyone dancing lindy and blues in the early 2000’s.
Music will range from "mostly lindy" to "mostly blues", with excellent DJs from across the North America taking care of us each night.
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80% of the music at the event will be “jazz” or “jazz related”. Primarily (groovy) swing, NOLA jazz, jazzy blues, and torch songs.
The other ish 20% will be jazz-inspired things like soul, gospel, vintage R&B, funk, boogie woogie, and the like. Nothing approaching EDM or “alt blues”. While “trip hop” and “electro swing” may be jazz inspired genres, those will be not be played either.
Lindy / Swing
The swing will be on the groovy and slow side. There'll be a good split between slow (< 120bpm) and medium-tempo (120-150bpm), with some faster ones thrown in at the DJ's discretion.
Blues
Delta-/Chicago-/Piedmont-/Rock- Blues all have their place, but we'll focus exclusively on the jazzier side of the genre and open it to include NOLA Jazz and Torch Songs. This probably means no electric guitar or harmonica. Probably. There'll be a nice mix of slow (< 80bmp) and mid-tempo (80-120) songs, with some faster ones thrown in at the DJ's discretion.
Now, for those of you who like to geek out over terms, this is how we’re using them:
Groovy Swing
(Generally) post-WWII era [...] characterized by [...] syncopations and significant tempo and rhythm changes within a single song.
NOLA Jazz
Characterized by a single-time backbeats, polyphonic melodies, and use of horns or stringed instruments.
Jazzy Blues
Blues songs arranged in a jazzy style.
Torch Song
Ballads played and/or sung with blues styling, often about unrequited love.
Code of Conduct
By entering our space we expect everyone to agree to …
Be excellent to each other
We’re here for a good time, including with newer folks or folks you don’t know yet. Make a new friend while you’re here.
Read and sign the liability waiver
Sexism, including sexual harassment, racism, homophobia, transphobia, ageism, or any form of disrespectful, dehumanizing behavior, will simply not be tolerated and will likely be grounds for expulsion.
If you see something, say something. If you experience/witness harassment or harm, let Mark or Emory know asap.
Consent matters - we love an enthusiastic yes and respect a no just as much.
A dance is not an advance - see if it’s romance off the floor. If you’re here with a sweetie, keep it PG-13.
Dance safely. Dip mindfully. If you throw air, know what you’re doing and check your surroundings. If you bump someone, see if they’re okay. Floorcraft wins.
Do not wear strong fragrances, and check your clothes for pet dander and other allergens. Shower before the dance and use deodorant. Hygiene matters.
Please do not bring nuts (ground or tree) to the venue.
If you’re not feeling well, stay home. We’ll gladly transfer your pass to a friend or to next year.
No weapons (conceal carry included), smoking, or vaping within 30 feet of the venue.
If you choose to drink or consume cannabis, please do so responsibly.
If you take your own photos, please do so facing away from the dance floor. No livestreaming. Ask for consent before posting people other than yourself online. Professional photographers will take photos throughout the event for future promotional purposes. If you wish not to be photographed, let us know via email within a week post-event, and we’ll delete any photos that feature you.
If you bring children, ensure they’re supervised by a parent or guardian at all times.
COVID-19 Policy
If you feel sick, stay home
We encourage people to be up-to-date on their vaccinations, test before arriving, and wear a mask if you’d like.
There will be no testing at the door
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We made this policy due to the high cost of supplying tests to everyone for three nights, and the endemic nature of COVID-19.
Specific resources used to make this decision: Dorry's Thoughts on Dance and the Pandemic (FB Group), local COVID-19 cases and death statistics (SF.GOV), the microCOVID Project, attending and witnessing the policies and impact of other events, and various personal and public discussions.