Philly Fish Fry

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING!!! We were so happy to have all of you back in Bodek dancing to the amazing live music from Corner Pocket! We hope you had as much fun as we did :))) see you monthly starting September!

INTRODUCING our intermediate instructor: the ONE AND ONLY Jon Tigert!

Jon Tigert found swing dancing at the tender age of 15 and never looked back. Now, somewhat older than 15, Jon shares his knowledge of the dance all over the United States and the World. You may know him from his roles at events such as Lindy Focus, Lindy Fest, The Canadian Swing Dance Championships, The Chinese Lindy Hop Championships, Herrang Dance Camp, The International Lindy Hop Championships and many more. Known for his concise language, historical knowledge and and infinite supply of dad jokes, Jon's classes are immensely informative and entertaining. Beyond teaching, Jon is often seen behind the microphone as a well known MC and host, behind the computer as a DJ, or behind the drum kit playing and singing with various musical groups, including the Corner Pocket Jazz Band!

Come see Jon perform AND teach this Saturday, 4/9 at 8pm in Houston Hall’s historic Bodek Lounge!

WE ARE BACK!!! Come join us on April 9th with Corner Pocket! A Facebook event with all the details you need will be up shortly and linked in the bio :) stay tuned!

THE DAY IS HERE! Hear Eyal Vilner’s perspective as a world renowned swing musician in our online swing musicality workshop TONIGHT from 8-9pm EDT. Link in our bio (and here: tinyurl.com/phillyfishfryzooms)

DON’T MISS IT! Join Philly Fish Fry and world renowned band leader, composer, and dancer Eyal Vilner in his swing musicality workshop TOMORROW, fri 4/23 from 8-9PM EDT. Find the link in our bio!

IN TWO DAYS - A can't miss event! Come hear from Eyal Vilner this Friday, April 23rd at 8pm ET! He will be discussing swing music from his perspective as a musician. Grab your favorite beverage and click going on our Facebook event (link in bio!) https://fb.me/e/23386dbNn

EYAL VILNER is back with PHILLY FISH FRY! 🎣 Mark your calendars for next Friday - Eyal Vilner will be giving a musicality lesson for swing dancers, drawing from his experience as a renowned band leader, saxophonist, and composer for Eyal Vilner Big Bang, plus his own experience as a dancer! The workshop will include both exploration of concepts and music breaks to practise these concepts to, taken from Eyal’s newest album, “Live from Washington Square Park”. We may even get to hear Eyal play his saxophone live from his living room...

Let us know what YOU want to learn from Eyal Vilner! Go to our Instagram or Facebook stories & fill out our polls - or shoot us a DM!

With all of us waiting anxiously till the day we can safely social dancing again, what better time to improve our jazz listening skills? This is workshop you don’t want to miss.

Join us and in a collaboration event this Thursday (2/18) where we watch and discuss a documentary of jazz performer and entertainer extraordinaire, Nina Simone! Many of us who swing dance know her songs like the back of our hand, but this biopic featuring archival clips and diary entries from Simone herself will take us deeper into her nuanced life as an African American, a mother, and a civil rights activist. We will also be having a friendly discussion about the movie after the showing!

Come meet the person behind the music and find out what the means for us as swing dancers! Link in bio.

Philly Fish Fry updated their website address.

Hi! This is Keri, your Philly Fish Fry treasurer, and it's my turn to share my favorite Fish Fry memory! Honestly, I think it's impossible to choose a single favorite moment, but I'll tell you about this one for now. I think it was February 2019, when we got Eyal Vilner and His Hot 5 to come for the first time all the way from NYC, which was a big deal. Usually we find dancers to teach the lessons, but this time the band actually put on a special lesson called "THE JAM" (that was enabled by really generous donations from some beloved anonymous supporters of our dance scene) that explored how the languages of dance and music intersect and are mutually constituted, especially live. At one point, we got in this giant circle and, one by one, we all had to choose a SINGLE jazz move to dance with. So every person in the lesson brought it, interacting with the two musicians from the band who were also riffing off of us simultaneously -- a dynamic conversation. I remember doing crazy legs hahah, which was kooky but fun! And at the end of the night, we had the most electric encore dance circle :')

Hi! This is Eli, your DJ and instructors coordinator! My favorite Fish Fry memory was almost 2 years ago. On a whim, I came to the January dance and was introduced to the world of Lindy Hop and social dancing. I loved learning to dance. I loved the live music. But what really made the night for me was how kind and welcoming everyone was. I only knew a couple people going into the event. But this group of dancers quickly made me feel like I belonged and I never missed a Fish Fry after that.

Now, whenever I try to get friends into dancing, I bring them here. Fish Fry is such a warm and fun place. I miss this amazing community and can’t wait to see you all again. Stay healthy and safe!

Love,
Eli

As you might expect, Philly Fish Fry is cancelled until guidelines indicate that it is safe to do otherwise. While sad, we (the organisers) thought we'd take this time to share our favorite memories from Fish Frys past; one memory for every month. This month is Yu Wen's turn to share.

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There are so many things that I love about every Fish Fry: the warm fairy lights, the expansive, hardwood dance floor, the music, the dressing up. But last October's Fish Fry was extra special for me as band manager. I'd managed to hire Eyal Vilner to play that night, one of my favourite band leaders. The night was going well. The music was fantastic and people were excited about Eyal playing.

During one band break, Eyal asked me to dance. Needless to say, I agreed. It was a special moment for many reasons, the aspect of a celebrity crush not being the least of them. But it was more reassuring than anything. In those 3 or so minutes, we were no longer band leader and band manager, working together towards a financially beneficial outcome, but just two people, doing a dance they loved to music they loved.

There are many lessons you could draw from this little story. Maybe something about how swing dance and swing music are related at their core. Ultimately, this is my favourite Philly Fish Fry memory (one of very many) because it reminds me that no matter how far I go down the tiring and difficult path of an event organiser, there is joy and connection and warmth to be found, in the dance and in the music, just around the corner.

Stay safe and stay jazzy,
Yu Wen ✨
Band Manager, Philly Fish Fry

We, the board of Philly Fish Fry, are writing to you today in sadness, anger, and solidarity: Black Lives Matter. Black history, culture, and people have been and continues to be the heart and soul of swing dancing. We want to show our support and love to the Black and Brown communities, as well as to the Asian communities, that have faced discrimination by donating to the Philly Bail Fund (https://www.phillybailfund.org/) and Dumplings Against Hate (https://www.dumplingsagainsthate.com/). It hurts us to see the systemic oppression and injustice against Black Americans happening right now, which follow in a long history of injustice in this country. We stand with you. We encourage other swing organizations and people to speak up as anti-racist advocates and to listen to those who are often silenced and to educate yourself on these issues. We hear you. And we want to amplify your voice. Black Lives Matter, Black Lives Matter, Black Lives Matter.

This week, Jazz Attack will be matching donations towards the National Bail Out and the Philadelphia Community Bail Fund.

Philadelphia Bail Fund The Philadelphia Bail Fund is a community bail fund based in Philadelphia that posts bail for people who are indigent. We work with the community to vigorously advocate for the end to cash bail in Philadelphia and cities around the United States.

Check out this great video featuring The Revisionists and 22 dancers! We hope you are all staying safe during this time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EX6CA8infM8

Bizet Has His Day (inside) - The Revisionists Bizet Has His Day (inside) Musicians and dancers find a way to connect virtually and feel a little less isolated in these times of social distancing. Perform...

Hello Fish Fry fans,

As many of you may have guessed, April Fish Fry has been canceled. We feel that it is the best thing to do given the current situation, and we also must follow Penn's decisions because we use their facilities. We will be back in September and hope to see you all there!

Take this time to do things that you enjoy (we've been doing a lot of baking and knitting at our house). Perhaps learn a solo routine (we're working on the Big Apple). Above all, take the necessary precautions, take care of each other, and stay healthy.

Swingin' out,
Erin

Are you ready for some new music from Chelsea Reed and the Fair Weather Five? Because we sure are!

Alright, two secrets to dish for you:
1. We’re playing a show at Warehouse on Watts on Friday, February 7! There’ll be plenty of room for dancing, and we’ll be playing the newest and freshest of original music and arrangements!

2. We’re recording a NEW ALBUM to be released in Spring 2020!

Ok, that is all, go eat your lunch and cancel all your Feb 7 plans.
Amazing poster cred: LJ Brubaker
Sassy Ass Photo: Colleen Stepanian Photography

Did you know that we have an Instagram? Neither did we until we tried to make one this weekend! Follow us for updates, fun videos and pictures, and a major throwback to 2014 😂
https://www.instagram.com/phillyfishfry/

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HOLY COW! We are so excited for PhilEVITA : Lindy Hop & Solo Jazz Workshops! Having professional dancers like Evita Arce teach in Philly is pretty rare, and this event is exceptionally budget-friendly. Not to mention that Fish Fry's January dance is the same night! Tickets are selling very quickly, so claim yours now!

Eyal Vilner and his HOT 5!

WOW! What an incredible night! Thank you to all who came out and made the dance such a success!

See you on October 19 for another incredible dance with another amazing band 😉

There’s only one place to be on Saturday. Don’t miss out on one of the biggest dances of the year with THE INCREDIBLE Danny Jonokuchi & The Revisionists!!

Tomorrow night we are headlining at the Penn Intercollegiate Lindy Exchange PILE 2019 in West Philly!

It's a wonderful weekend filled with competitions and workshops with our friends Chad Mills, Adrienne Weidert, and Gaby Cook.

As Temple University Jazz graduates its always great to play in Philly!

Presented by West Philly Swingers

📷 : Gulnara Khamatova

This is what it’s all about. The biggest weekend of the year is here.

TONIGHT'S THE NIGHT! Don't miss your chance to register for Philly's biggest Lindy Hop workshop weekend!! We're so excited to swing out ALL DAY this Saturday!

Register Now: https://forms.gle/gNJNNAiJsqtCmZCC7