About us
During our initial year, it became very clear how closely intertwined every Swing Dance Club and any re-enactment groups are. We are very grateful for the support and enthusiasm given to us far and wide, as we welcomed Swing dancers and music lovers from London and the surrounding counties. We had some great live Bands which included “The Jive Cats”, “Juke Joint Jump” and “Oceans Seven” and superb guest DJs including Andrew Fletcher, ‘Big Li’l Andy’ Clark, Chris Reynolds ‘Swingshift’, ‘Tiger’ Terry Sharp and Claire ‘Voodoo Doll’ Austin.
As the year progressed, we successfully launched “Vintage Vogue” our retro and vintage fair as a compliment to our Swing Dance Club. These have grown in popularity that we have had to move to a new larger venue (a superb facility in Brentwood, Essex) to accommodate the amount of stallholders wishing to take part, as well as an opportunity for larger numbers of the public to come along.
CC41 Swing has quickly set a tone that has kept others twitching with curiosity, anticipation and excitement and our aim is to continue to provide an escape from the modern world for a few hours at a time and enjoy the music, dancing and social etiquette of a bygone era.
Therefore, if you see yourself as Katherine Hepburn or Errol Flynn, Al Bowley or Vera Lynn, Frankie Manning or the Nicholas Brothers, Charles Eames or Tamara de Lempicka, have a passion for vintage fashion, Lagondas or an Atlantic cruise aboard the Normandie, then we would love to meet you.
There are so many Swing Dance Club's one can go to on any given night, most of which are very similar. We provide something a little different from others, concentrating on the 1930s and 1940s, but with a French twist. We present evenings of pure unadulterated Swing with the best Swing DJs around. Hot sounds and sophisticated rhythms, from the American, British and European continents. After all, the Americans weren't the only one's playing Jazz during that period, even if it was "tanzen verboten" in Nazi Germany. All of this in a dramatic setting, our 'take' on a 'Paris' nightclub from the period. Whether it's before, during or just after WW2 depends on your perception. We'll let you decide!
As always, we realise that newcomers to our social scene are our lifeblood and keeps the activity alive. We welcome both military and civilian re-enactors/living historians, those who like the design and architecture as well as the lifestyle, and of course all of those who are just in it for the music and dancing - If you have not been to one of our dances before, you will find us friendly, receptive and the atmosphere welcoming, but don't take our word for it...
"Last Saturday evening we went to CC41Swings new offering, 'La Vie En Rose', and
I have to admit that Michele and Stephen have come up trumps here. Although this is a work in progress, it is a highly original theme, both dramatic and appealing. 'La Vie En Rose' - The Club is not just another 'record-hop' with someone playing music and charging entrance fee. This is a true attempt to create a real 'night club atmosphere' - back in the day.
From the moment we entered the Boston Room (great for us Londoner's, Brentwood
is only 40 odd mins from the City) we felt ourselves being taken back to Paris, circa 1938, or was it 1947?
Through the faux entrance scenery, parlour palms and lucious fuschia drapes, we were met by two cigarette girls adorned in racy french matching black/fuschia outfits, the sort of thing you might expect in the 'St Germain' district of 1940's Paris. Michele says, "We are trying to give something back to our guests. With so much on offer nearly every weekend up and down the country, just hiring a good DJ or live band isn't enough. With hall hire charges spriralling and bands pricing themselves out of the market, we are thinking value for money".
Another nice touch was the ample sized round tables, covered with fuscia tablecloths,
gently lit by black lanterns, helping to create the ambient setting. I remember thinking on the journey down that evening, were we in for a night of 'accordian music'? Far from it. The music was pure swing, and in all it's guises. Dancers were fed a range of music from the 1930's and 1940's american, British and European continents. "Whether you dance the Balboa, Shag, Savoy or Hollywood style, what we are offering is all relevant and danceable" say's Stephen. "Having a French theme gives at a new twist and a fresh feel. I mean, how many places do you go and they all have bunting and doughnuts"! "People forget that the swing era ran for more than a decade (WW2 last just 5 years) and spread across the the globe, in it's various forms".
Guest DJ for the night was 'Clarke Kent' lookalike lookalike - Andrew Fletcher.
He's up there with the best. If you haven't seen Andrew before, you can catch him at the
'International Club' in London this Saturday. Andrew, and Stephen - who now uses the tag 'Fascinating Rhythm' kept the dancing going nicely. Stephens' style is far more vocal than last season - great to see, many DJ's just seem to play music but say nothing. It's nice to know what or who you are dancing or listening to. One last thing to mention was the reasonably priced drinks and friendly bar staff.
Although Michele and Stephen have yet to announce their next date for La Vie En Rose, I
for one shall be going back (especially as they have a new loyalty card scheme) and I urge
anyone who missed last Saturday to check this out."
Review courtesy of Margaret Abbott, Yahoo Group 'uklindy_swing'
Do visit our website for regular updates on our events and click here to download details of our next Club night for 2008 “La Vie En Rose”. We are sure we will not disappoint by what we have to offer our friends and regular club-goers. CC41Swing is the official and only Essex based club.
For your edification...
You might be interested to note that, there are and have been some wonderful films depicting the 1930s and 1940s at the cinema recently, and others that have been made available as DVDs. Do check these out if you have the opportunity;
- Atonement
- The Edge of Love
- The Good German
- The 39 Steps
- Brief encounter
All of the above just shows how far modern woman has fallen in the glamour stakes, just take Amy Winehouse for instance!
Swingingly Yours
Michele and Stephen Marck
