Swing dance your way to a Vintage Christmas

SWING dance classes are set to launch in Frome this month, with a special showcase at The Frome Independent.

Dancer and teacher, Tamsin Marshall, plans to transform the pop-up Village Green with swing dance performances at 11.30pm  and 1.30pm. Visitors can expect nostalgic music, costume and performances, set against the backdrop of a festive Frome Flea market.

Tamsin’s Swing Dance beginners’s workshop is set to take place on Saturday 25th November, and since advertising its launch, she has been inundated with interested Frome residents who are keen to try out this playful, spontaneous style of dance.

Tamsin fell in love with swing dance in 2010 and has spent the past three years training and performing swing dance; which incorporates lindy hop, charleston,  and other jazz routines.  She has performed at events such as Bristol Jazz Festival and has been part of solo Jazz groups such as with The Mess Arounds and The Bristolettes. She is currently practising with Bristol-based Jazz Hands.

Since moving to Frome earlier this year, Tamsin has been keen to share her passion with fellow residents, and so decided to launch a beginners’ workshop to gauge interest – and with almost 350 locals expressing interest in attending, it quickly became clear that Frome is ready to try out some swing.

Tamsin was thrilled to have such an overwhelming response to her first event.

She said, “It has been a great boost to realise that many Frome folk are as excited about this dance as I am.  I’m really looking forward to seeing many happy swing dancing faces, because one thing is for sure, swing dancing will make you smile.“

The Christmas showcase at The Frome Independent will welcome dancers from Bristol, Bath and Frome to perform on the Village Green. There will be a vintage jazz soundtrack and some pretty lively dancing to watch and follow. For those taking part in the workshop on 25th November, it’s a great opportunity to join in and see the dances in action.

The Frome Independent’s December market is the final instalment of 2017. To celebrate, the Frome Flea will be transformed into a Vintage Winter wonderland, with 1930s and 40s costumes, old-fashioned games, Christmas trees and, of course, some swing dancing.

The Frome Independent will be teaming up with Fair Frome, who will again be raising money for Frome’s Big Christmas Get Together, so visitors should look out for some jazz-era charity collectors as they make their way around the market.

The Frome Independent’s December market takes place on Sunday 3rd December from 10am until 3pm. Tamsin Marshall’s dance group Swing Time Frome can be found on the Village Green, outside Frome Library, at 11.30am and 1.30pm on market day.

The swing dance beginners’ workshop on Saturday 25th November is now sold out, but there is another planned for January 2018. For more information search Swing Time Frome on Facebook, or email swingtimefrome@gmail.com.