Milwaukee

First Friday Dances – Andy Stefancin

/ Cassidy Kuchenbecker / 3 Comments

October brings cooler weather, crisp leaves, and the return of the First Friday swing dances. Held at the Elk’s Lodge in Waukesha each month from October to May, this is Wisconsin’s largest dedicated-swing dance event. It was previously hosted by Maureen of the Jumpin’ Jive Club for nearly 20 years. Revived after the pandemic shutdown, this dance has a new home and a new organizer – Andy Stefancin of Andy’s Events, LLC.

As a teenager in the 1970s, Andy fell in love with dancing after being a “practice partner” for his older sister. He went to his first “First Friday Swing Dance” in 2000 and became a regular attendee in 2007. He is a familiar face around the Milwaukee dance scene. 

The First Friday Dance shuttered along with all other dancing during the 2020 pandemic lockdown. After a couple of years of hesitancy, all of us dancers were feeling the itch to get back on the dance floor. It was time to rebuild. Andy knew the scene and the city. He had the connections and the dance experience. Could he manage a dance event of this caliber?

First Friday was revived in January of 2023. Andy recounts that attendance was upwards of 200 and the traditional lesson before the dance resembled a cat rodeo. The rotation was a disaster. Maureen had done it for so long, she made it look easy. After a very steep learning curve, Andy and his partner adapted quickly and now teaching the lesson is the highlight of the evening.

Teaching a crowd of people with varying dance experience is challenging. It takes planning and a lot of preparation. Andy says, “Every dancer is always learning. There is always a new move, or a new twist on a move.

“One thing I especially enjoy is getting people out to dance.” To that end, Andy also puts out a weekly email. It lists multiple dance opportunities in the greater Milwaukee area and goes out to scores of people. To receive the emails, send him a message at: standy2026@gmail.com and use the subject: Weekly Dance Email

Andy believes it is important that dancers are exposed to a range of danceable music. His First Friday band line-ups reflect a variety of blues, swing, rockabilly and rock n’ roll. Included in the 2025/2026 season are regional bands such as The Jimmys and Swing Nouveau as well as homegrown favorites like The Hungry Williams and bluesman Big Al Dorn. The season opens October 3rd with The Incorruptibles.The charge for a terrific evening of entertainment is $20 (cash only).

Location: Elk’s Lodge #400 – 2301 Springdale Road, Waukesha

Time: First Friday of the month, 7:30 to 8:00 basic swing dance lesson – no partner needed. Band plays from 8:00-11:00.Find Andy on Facebook at the page Andy’s Events Swing Dancing, by email at standy2026@gmail, and at dancing events all over.

Traditional Tuesday Dance – Black History Month!

/ Cassidy Kuchenbecker / Leave a comment

The hot jazz we love and the swing dance to which we groove were created and enriched by Black Americans. The weekly Traditional Tuesday night swing dances (with live bands!) is adding to the typical routine in February to pay homage to the Black artists and dancers that have forever changed the world.

Each Tuesday night at Falcon Bowl we will be teaching the swing line Dance “Shim Sham” from 7:30 to 8:00 (basic swing lesson at 7:00) and we will have a 2-hour Shim Sham lesson on Sunday February 23 from 7:00 to 9:00 PM. All free! Lessons by music/dance educator Meaghan Heinrich. Video below is Meaghan demonstrating the entire routine, along with us dancing the Shim Sham on a recent Tuesday night.

The DJ breaks feature a different pairing of early Black musicians who have inspired each other. The pairings and sets are being crafted by band leader John Mroz (Troubadours of Rhythm).

Week 1: The band break musician pair was King Oliver and Louis Armstrong. Based in New Orleans, Oliver shaped the landscape of early jazz. His move to Chicago in 1918 marked a turning point and in 1922 he summoned his protege – Louis Armstrong – to join his Creole Jazz Orchestra. Armstrong flourished and this duo ignited a musical revolution. Listen to the bands Creole Jazz Orchestra, Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five, and Louis Armstrong and His Hot Seven.

Week 2: Fletcher Henderson was paired with Duke Ellington – both influential band leaders, composers, and arrangers. Henderson was a pioneer of big band jazz and paved the way for many other band leaders, such as Ellington. In turn, Ellington became a leading figure in the Harlem Renaissance, blending blues, ragtime, and swing into a uniquely Black American sound. Henderson and Ellington both played in New York City and would be inspired by each other’s work. The great depression was hard on Henderson and he began composing for Benny Goodman. Henderson essentially created the structure for the sound of the swing big band era.

Week 3: Black women were highlighted by DJ and music educator Meaghan Heinrich during this week’s band break. Black women have deeply shaped swing jazz and swing dancing, often with the their contributions overlooked or under-appreciated due to the double hit of both misogyny and racism. Big Maybelle, Big Mama Thornton, Julia Lee, Ella Fitzgerald, Etta James, Mildred Bailey, and Norma Miller are a few of the Black women we honored this week through the music we played and the Lindy Hop we danced.

Traditional Tuesday Swing Dance Returns!

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After a summer hiatus, the weekly “Traditional Tuesday” swing dance returns to Falcon Bowl on September 3, 2024. Every Tuesday is the free 7:00 to 7:50 basic dance lesson followed by free bands and swing DJs playing from 8:00 to 10:00 (sometimes 10:30).

The band lineup has expanded with Sweet Sheiks, 3rd Ward Jazz Band, John Carr Band, and others joining the familiar Tuesday bands of Extra Crispy Brass Band, Old Sam and the Tear Drops, and Sliphorn Jazz Band.

The dance lessons will be primarily the basic style of swing that is danced ubiquitously around Milwaukee – East Coast Swing (“6-Count Lindy Hop”) with certain dates dedicated to Blues, Balboa, and other such styles when various dance groups are preparing for their weekend workshops or special dances. The lessons are crafted to produce dancers with strong fundamentals and an appreciation of the local and greater swing/blues dance community.

How can you get involved?

This weekly event is a unique partnership between the musicians and the dancers with the shared vision of vastly expanding the Milwaukee audience that listens to – and dances to – music from this era. Being hosted at Falcon Bowl gives this partnership a boost. The venue is a wonderful and sizable dance hall surrounded by thousands of diverse citizens within a couple minutes of walk. Falcon Bowl is also the current home of Cream City Swing, the dance organization that hosts the Monday night Lindy Hop dance lessons – the only only place in Milwaukee to follow a leveling-up style of swing lessons that builds each week to produce dancers of advanced skill.

As a dancer or musician, this should excite you!

If you are interested in getting involved as a musician, dance teacher, host, DJ, promoter, or with some other skill or effort, email us at MilwaukeeStomp@gmail.com. Tell us what you have to share (time, energy, skills, resources) and to what extent you can share them with the community and we will gladly accept your offer. No effort is too small to be appreciated.

Cameron Webb Band to Play ‘Blues Winter’ December 21 Social

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Cameron Webb is one of the nations up-and-coming vocalist/bandleaders. His soulful voice and high energy performances has transfixed audiences all over the country. He can be heard weekly serving up Blues and Jazz at Chicago’s hippest speakeasy the Roar, on the Magnificent Mile, and a multitude of other local venues. Bring your jigging shoes for this sensational night of jump blues music including classics from Elmore James, Louis Jordan, Junior Parker, Joe Turner and many more!

Cameron Webb

Cameron and his band will be playing at Puddler’s Hall on December 21, 2022 as part of the Blues Winter series of blues/jump blues lesson and socials. The entire wood floor event room is used for dance space as dozens of swing and blues dancers converge for this special 4-event series. Now is the perfect time to learn to dance blues.

  • Lesson from 7 to 8 PM
  • Music from 8 to 10:30 PM
  • Cover
    • $12 cover for band night
    • $7 cover for DJ night

Go to Blues Winter for more information.

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