TOKYO SWING DANCE SOCIETY

19:00-20:20 PM on August 3rd

Tokyo hosts many jazz festivals and outdoor jazz events from summer to autumn. On the evening of Saturday, August 3rd, there will be a street jazz live event called JAZZ & BEER near Shinobazu Pond in Ueno, featuring several bands that we Lindy Hoppers might enjoy dancing to. How about going out to dance together? This event is free of charge!

It looks like a temporary bar will be set up near the special band stage, but you don’t have to order from there if you prefer not to. Japan is currently experiencing a boom in craft beer production, so beer lovers might be in luck.

Two swing bands will be performing on this day.

The first band, starting at 7:00 PM, is called MASH String Orchestra. They will be playing Manouche Swing, featuring a fiddler, so we can expect some fast-paced tunes. In the photos, they appear as a four-piece band.

Another musician is Ryu Muraki, who will perform at 7:40 PM. Since it is not specified as a band, he might be doing a solo performance on either clarinet or tenor saxophone. He usually leads his own swing jazz band in performances. If it’s a solo performance this time, it might be a bit challenging to dance outdoors to that.

The location will be on this street, outlined in red. For more details, Google Maps should be helpful.

Several Lindy Hoppers plan to be near the venue at 7 PM. This time, we won’t have a specific rendezvous plan, but if you’d like, why not come and join us for some dancing? It should be more fun that way.

Here is the official website for the event, though it is only in Japanese.

パーティーデビュー8月コース with KEIKO

リンディホップ・スウィングダンス・ペアダンス
初心者パーティーデビュークラス

KEIKO 経歴

福島県出身。幼少からジャズダンスを始め、JDA（日本ジャズダンス芸術協会）コンクールに3年連続で入賞。コンテンポラリー、ミュージカルなどの創作出演などを経験。2021年にスウィングジャズにのせてペアで踊るリンディホップに出会う。東京スウィングダンスソサエティの上級クラスに在籍、現才能を認められてTSDSのインストラクターのインターンとして活躍中。ペアダンスの新鮮な体験をダンス未経験の人にお伝えすべく、日々研鑽＆奮闘中！

コース内容

ペアダンスの初心者を対象とした、ひと月（４回）を１単位とするコースのリンディホップクラスです。１回のクラスは1時間半（90分）。コースの目標は、『パーティーで初対面の人と踊れるようになる』ことで、そのために必要となるステップ、ペアのコネクション、リードとフォローなどの大切な基礎をしっかり勉強します。 ダンスが未経験でも、お一人の参加でも、どうぞご安心ください。大歓迎です。

日程

第１回目　8/3 土曜日 14:30-16:00
第2回目　8/10 土曜日 14:30-16:00
第3回目　8/17 土曜日 14:30-16:00
（8/24 お休みです）
第4回目　8/31土曜日 14:30-16:00

開場はいずれも14:15 です。

料金

8月コース（計４回）で8,000円です。基本的にコース単位での受講になりますが、やむを得ない事情で途中参加を希望される場合は、ご相談ください。お支払いは、当日、現金かPayPayでの一括払いです。

会場

スタジオネコラ
東京都文京区白山 2-14-14 　一階
（日本で唯一のリンディホップ専用のダンススタジオです。敷地内にLuup のポートがありますので、例えば最寄駅からLuupに乗りますと、スタジオが「駅前になる」便利さです。

申込方法

このメールアドレスに、お名前、人数、コース名をお書きのうえお送りください。24時間以内にお返事をさせていただきます。

その他

シューズはスニーカーをおすすめします。新たに購入する前に、まずは現在お持ちのものをお試しください。普段、ウォーキングに使用されているもので十分で、上履きでなくて構いません。どのようなスニーカーが踊りやすいかは、クラスの中で順次お伝え致します。ハンドタオルと着替えがあればより快適かもしれません。
TSDSの通常のクラスは英語と日本語のどちらかか両方が使用されますが、このコースでは「日本語」です（笑！）。なお参加者の国籍は問いません。
このレッスン（コース）の主催者はKEIKOです。
KEIKO インスタグラム

At TSDS, we offer a variety of merchandise, all of which are uniquely Japanese and of high quality. Towards the end of the page, we also feature items that we provide for free to visitors of TSDS. We plan to add more photos later.

#01 TSDS fabric badge

In 2023, TSDS celebrated its 25th anniversary. To commemorate this milestone, we have designed a fabric patch (badge) adorned with the TSDS logo. It measures 80mm (8.0cm) in diameter and adds a touch of sophistication when affixed to sweaters, jackets, bags, and more. 3,500 yen each.  Pictures.

#02 TSDS T-Shirts: Frankie Manning’s Millennium Birthday Bash, Tokyo 2000

In 2000, TSDS hosted Frankie Manning’s official 86th Birthday Bash in Tokyo. These T-shirts were made for that occasion and are now considered vintage items. The front displays the event logo, while the back features an ukiyo-e style illustration of Mt. Fuji and the sun, with the kanji for “Tokyo” as the backdrop. Frankie is depicted executing an Air Step with a partner.

Although these products are new, they were produced over 20 years ago, so it’s advisable to minimize actual use and washing to preserve them. Even with hand washing, the print on the back may undergo oxidative changes due to aging.

Would you consider owning it as a collector’s item? We have remaining stock in Japanese sizes L and 2L, roughly equivalent to US sizes M and L. Each shirt is priced at 5,000 yen.

#03 TSDS poster: Frankie Manning’s Millennium Birthday Bash, Tokyo 2000

This is an official poster produced at Frankie Manning’s Millennium Birthday Bash in Tokyo in 2000, similar to #02 T-Shirts. It measures 280mm x 590mm and showcases an excellent artwork created by a top designer. Unlike the T-Shirts, it is made of paper, so the print surface remains unchanged from the original. It is in very good condition and is priced at 2,500 yen per piece.

#04 TSDS post card: Frankie Manning Frankie Manning In Japan 1998

The photograph of Frankie Manning used on this postcard was taken when TSDS invited him to Tokyo in 1998 to organize Japan’s first Lindy Hop workshop and event. At the time, Frankie was 83 years old. He had a radiant complexion and exuded dignity and vitality, embodying a remarkable gentleman at that age. 200 yen each.

#05 TSDS button badge: Frankie Manning In Japan 1998

Also using the same photograph as #04 postcard, this is a button badge. It measures 55mm (5.5cm) in diameter. 500 yen each.

#06 TSDS tenugui (High-quality Japanese traditional hand-towel)

There are several designs available. 2,000 yen each.

#06 Jazz tenugi (High-quality Japanese traditional hand-towel)

A Japanese hand towel featuring motifs of Jazz legends, created by a prestigious towel manufacturer in Tokyo. While it functions as a hand towel, it’s also ideal as a tapestry or tablecloth to jazz up a room with a Japanese touch. Limited quantity remaining. Price: 4,000 yen per piece.

#50 TSDS flyer (free)

#51 TSDS coaster (free)

#52 TSDS stickers (free)

There are several designs available.

Hirofumi Asaba’s Quartet will be performing at Cotton Club Tokyo in Marunouchi on July 11th. This venue is Tokyo’s premier jazz club, where only top jazz musicians from Japan and around the world perform. Guitarist and band leader Hirofumi Asaba and the other members have frequently appeared at the swing dance event Necola Premium Hop held at TSDS’s Studio Necola, receiving high praise from swing dancers worldwide. Unlike Studio Necola, Cotton Club Tokyo does not have a dance floor, but it offers world-class sound systems, luxurious interiors, club lighting, meals, drinks, and first-class hospitality. It promises to be a night where you can enjoy their super swingin’ jazz quartet. Located in the heart of Tokyo, Marunouchi, come and enjoy authentic jazz by Japan’s treasures.

The Ikebukuro Jazz Festival will take place on May 18th and 19th. Over 200 jazz bands will perform around the Global Ring Theatre near the west and south exits of Ikebukuro station.

The following information is based on TSDS’s independent analysis derived from our past experiences, with the goal of determining whether lindyhoppers can enjoy dancing at this event.

This event is free to enjoy, and no advance booking is required. The venue consists of nine areas, labeled 1-A, 1-B, 2, through 8, all of which are outdoor or rooftop decks of department stores.

Generally, most band performances last for 30 minutes, scheduled in easily understandable time slots such as 13:30-14:00 or 16:00-16:30. However, there are some exceptions, like 18:45-19:30 or 15:40-16:10. While it’s advisable to read the Japanese schedule provided by the organizers for precise information, it can be overwhelming due to its extensive nature. The English schedule provided here by TSDS simplifies this aspect slightly while prioritizing readability. Overall, you should be able to obtain compass-like information on where to go during these time slots.

The organizers of this event are the Toshima Ward in Tokyo, along with various shops and public facilities around Ikebukuro station. TSDS is not affiliated with the organizers. Amateur and semi-professional jazz bands will perform there. Especially at Venue 1-A, 1-B and 3, approximately 40 big bands will gather over the two days. The jazz genres vary, including Swing jazz, Blues, Latin, Fusion, Soul, Funk, R&B, Gospel, J-Pops and Contemporary jazz. As Lindy Hoppers, we are coming here to dance, so we need to find bands that are likely to play Swing, Blues and R&B among the many. Since the organizer’s website is all in Japanese, we base our search on that and list only the those jazz bands here in English.

Most of the bands performing from Venue 4 to 8 are jazz combos. While there may be bands playing swing among them, there are simply too many bands to discern accurately. Therefore, they have been omitted in the TSDS version of the schedule below.

This event will start in the late morning and continue until night. Furthermore, the venue is spacious, and a large number of spectators gather. Therefore, where the dancers meet becomes important. We plan to post information about rendezvous on the discussion section of the next Facebook Event. However, even then, whether we can actually rendezvous in a crowded venue might require some luck.

Finally, this post will be updated regularly, so we strongly recommend refreshing it periodically.

• Event website of the organizer in Japanese
• Google My(TSDS) Maps
• Organizer’s map in Japanese
• Band Schedule in Japanese from the organizer 
• Band Schedule in English TSDS will try to come dancing
• Rendezvous with TSDS: Facebook events May-18 and May-19
• Weather Forecast

I’ve just returned from Ikebukuro after wrapping up the first day of the event. Since it’s held simultaneously across eight venues, it’s impossible to check out all the bands even if I wanted to. Venues 1-A, 1-B, and 3 usually feature good bands and have excellent sound systems, so they’re recommended for swing dancing. Venue 2, on the other hand, offers a different music genre from swing. Venues 4 to 8 often host smaller bands, and their outdoor performances may not be as strong, so it might be okay to skip them.

The first three venues primarily showcase big bands, and many of these bands consist of members in their 30s who have experience with university big bands. As a general trend, amateur bands from this generation tend to lean towards playing modern jazz, funk, or anime songs, which often results in a weaker clean four-beat rhythm that swing dancers desire, making it difficult to dance. On the other hand, bands with members around their 50s, who are more familiar with swing jazz, tend to offer more danceable performances. Of course, there are exceptions.

Let me introduce the bands from the first day that I had the chance to dance to:
Venue#1-A, 12:30- Minato Jazz Club
Venue#1-A, 16:30- Pinot Gris
Venue#1-A, 17:30- Pepoyo Band

I won’t be able to attend the second day tomorrow, but as I mentioned earlier, focusing on Venues 1 and 3 should provide enough enjoyment for dancing. Please note that I’ve revised the band schedule for the second day in the TSDS version, so please reload to check the latest version. Additionally, there’s dancing space available everywhere. This aspect was more convenient than the Shinjuku Jazz Festival.

That’s all for now.
Hiro

Luup, a bike-sharing service, is now available at Studio Necola. There are two types, an electric-assisted bike and an electric scooter. You should download the app onto your smartphone, create an account, and use it to borrow or return.

水色の電動アシスト自転車や電動キックボードをシェアできる Luup の駐機場（ポート）が、Studio Necola にできました。これで最寄駅のポートからNecolaまで来るのにとても便利になりました。どうぞご利用ください。Luup の App をダウンロードして登録すれば利用できます。とても安価です。

Thank you so much for joining 11 dance workshops and and three dances.  It was so fun.  Hope they will come back to Tokyo again!

Full video HERE