A Swingin’ Happy Holidays
Posted By: Shani Brown | General | Dec 22, 2011
Season's Greetings from Atomic Ballroom
Seasons Greetings from the Atomic Family!
Merry Yule!  Happy Hanukkah!  Feliz Navidad!  And a very Merry Christmas!
The Winter Holidays are upon us – the Solstice has come and gone, Hanukkah began this evening and Christmas is just a few days away. Â We at the Atomic Family hope you and yours are having a wonderfully retro holiday. Â There are 3 more chances to ‘swing into the holiday’ while you give back to your community at one of our Toy Drive & Dancing. Â Plus, we’ve got great last minute gift ideas for the dancer on your gift list.
Need a Last Minute Gift  - Give the Gift of Dance
Is your loved one looking for a physical challenge for the new year?  Want to surprise your sweetie with private lessons?  Do you know an avid dancer looking to branch out into other dances?  Well we have the best holiday specials for you!  And if you still can’t decide on a specific gift, there’s always a gift card.  Check out the full list of Gift Certificates.
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Stay Young and Happy, Go Dancing!
Posted By: Shani Brown | Dance Fitness and Health | Dec 13, 2011
Wisdom from the Masters for health and happiness
As 2011 comes to a close, Father Time marches on, winter is depressingly cold and you grow another year older. Â But don’t fret, because dancing is keeping you young and happy!
I began my life as a swing dancer during adolescence – at that time, health and graceful aging were the least of my concerns in my choice of hobby.  Thankfully, I was introduced to an unlikely group of friends who would initiate me in the ways of longevity, relationships and lifelong happiness that comes from dancing on a regular basis.  I am referring, of course, to the group of  ’Old Timers’ who met at Bobby McGee’s in Brea on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of each month or at The LA Swing Club in Long Beach on the 1st and 3rd Sunday for social swing dancing and balboa.  For 50 to 75 years, southern Californian swing dancers kept their community and dances alive.  And they kept themselves alive by dancing!
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Happy Thanksgiving from the Atomic Family!
Posted By: Shani Brown | General | Nov 23, 2011
Best wishes for a Happy and Healthy Thanksgiving 2011!
As we all gear up for long drives to family dinners, food comas, football games and Black Friday Shopping, we at Atomic Ballroom want to show our thanks for a wonderful year of dancing!  I, personally, am thankful for such a wonderful community of dancers, DJs and musicians who diligently venture out of their homes, week after week, to gather together and dance.  Our combined passions keep us happy and healthy.  Thank you for the dances and the memories!
I am also very thankful to Shesha and Nikki Marvin, owners of Atomic Ballroom, for fostering a strong Orange County swing dance community by bringing their personal passions and sense of family to their business. Â Between teaching, performing, weekly dances, workshops, special events and a killer community fundraiser, these two give it their all the whole year round. Â We are all thankful for their hard work…so what are they thankful for this Thanksgiving?
“We are thankful this season that we get to share our love of dancing with so many people. Â It feels great to know that we are changing lives for the better by fostering a community of positive people. Â Dancing keeps us healthy, inspired, and happy.” – Shesha & Nikki Marvin, owners of Atomic Ballroom.
Thank you Marvin’s and all the Atomic Family for giving us a home to learn and dance with friends!
Prepare for Thanksgiving dinner…
Do you want a surefire way to make room for and earn every calorie you plan to consume at Thanksgiving dinner?  What better way to keep in shape for the holidays than to hit the dance floor.  This Wednesday have some fun, de-stress before the drive, get energized for super shopping and join us at Atomic Ballroom for some Pre-Thanksgiving social dancing!!!
Come to Atomic Ballroom Placentia on Wednesday night where Strutters’ Ball is holding a Pre-Thanksgiving Swing Dance with live music by Jonathan Stout and his Rhythm Busters!!! Â Don’t miss the Hot Jazz sounds of this new 11-piece band!! Â Come dance or just enjoy the live music.
If you’re in the mood for a little Latin flavor on Wednesday night, head to Salsa Atomica for some Merengue, Bachata, Salsa and Cumbia!
I hope to see you all there and have a happy and healthy this Thanksgiving weekend!!
Cancer Dance-A-Thon Raises over $120K for City of Hope!!!!
Posted By: Shani Brown | General | Nov 14, 2011Read More . . .
Thank you to all of the participants and donors for raising nearly $125,000 for cancer research and treatment by the City of Hope Hospital. We had such fun with everyone at the 24Hr Fitness Ultra Sport in Irvine – we even made the local news!!  Find out what went on this year, who raised the most money and more about next years event as we shoot towards Raising $1 Million for the City of Hope over the past 7 years!!!
Unique & Rare Vintage Swing Dance Clips
Posted By: Shani Brown | Swing Dancing | Oct 19, 2011
Cast of College Swing (1938)
Discover something new.  Fall in love with something once forgotten.  And get inspired by some of these rare vintage swing and lindy hop clips.
Hellzapoppin’.  Groovie Movie.  After Seben.  Keep Punching. Buck Privates.  Maharaja Soundie.  All the Cats Join In.  Don’t Knock the Rock.  These are just a few of the most well known vintage swing and lindy hop clips.  There are a number of famous dance clips which we all love and regularly draw from for inspiration in our dancing and performances.  But every once in a while, it’s nice to unearth a new gem or dust the cobwebs off of a forgotten vintage dance scene from an obscure movie to discover new dancers, new moves and new styling choices.  Thankfully, there are individuals out in the world mining through film vaults to preserve and share these fractured and precious pieces of our history.  An amazing dancer/teacher/writer from Washington DC, Bobby White, recently discovered some VERY rare stock footage of swing dancers from the 1940s which sent a number of dancers into a frenzy.  The mystery of who is dancing in the clip continues, but the extended shots show moves that were known of but never before seen executed by dancers in their prime.  In light of this discovery we at Atomic Ballroom want to celebrate the unique, rare, lesser known, and forgotten swing dance clips of yesteryear!
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Teacher Feature: Q&A with Mikey Pedroza
Posted By: Shani Brown | Teacher Feature | Oct 11, 2011
Mikey Pedroza
The Teacher Feature is an ongoing series of interviews with the wonderful instructors from our Atomic Ballroom Family.  In addition to celebrating our instructors and their many achievements, we would like you all to learn more about them as people – why they dance and what makes them ‘tick’.  Today we are highlighting Lindy Hop and Classical Jazz Dancer, Teacher and Performer – Mikey Pedroza.
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