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The Arizona Lindy Hop Society is dedicated
to preserving vintage vernacular Jazz and Blues dance and music within
the Arizona community through social dance and education in order to
bring joy into people's lives.
Founded
in 1996, the AZ Lindy Hop Society promotes jazz dance and music through
live concerts, workshops, classes, and exchanges. We also have an
education outreach program that teaches dance in the public school
system. Contact: Steve
Conrad steveconrad@cox.net
About the
founder/instructor:
Steve Conrad started swing dancing in 1995 and had his
first lindy hop lesson with Frankie Manning in 1996 at Swing Camp
Catalina. He was hooked and soon became a founder of the AZ Lindy Hop
Society that same year. He has been teaching/performing Lindy hop and
East Coast Swing for over 13 years. He has taught on six Lindy Cruises,
at the Desert Dance camp in Las Vegas and Laughlin, Carnage Mellon
University in Pittsburgh, PA, at Lindy Groove in Pasadena, and
throughout Europe. He worked with the Mercury hip hop squad, the Phoenix
Suns dancers, and the Arizona Sidewinders, teaching or performing at
half time. He also performed with the Judds for the Millennium New Years
Eve reunion and taught Ashley Judd aerials. Steve has taught more than
20,000 people how to swing dance through workshops, school districts,
classes at Borders Books, and over 13 years of lindy hop classes in
Arizona. He founded the Phoenix Lindy Exchange in 2001 and he was
also the promoter/DJ/instructor for the Bash on Ash for 5
years. Steve runs the swing nights at FatCat Ballroom on Tuesdays,
Paragon Dance Center on Thursdays, and at the Wrigley Mansion on
Thursdays and some Fridays during the summer. Currently he is
teaching dance in schools and is working with non-profit organizations
to help bring social dance into the school system of AZ. He is also
working with the Lodestar Day Resource Center and Pierre DuLane (Mad Hot
Ballroom) to help develop and pilot dance program to rehabilitate
homeless people in Maricopa County. www.LodestarDRC.org
As Producer:
In the past 13 years Steve has produced over 150 concerts including Big
Bad Voodoo Daddy, The Jive Aces with Keely Smith and Toni Prima, Sam
Butera, Royal Crown Revue, the Count Basie Tribute at the Biltmore
Resort, Indigo Swing, The Juke Joint All-Stars, Margo Reed, Barbara
Morrison, Johnny Boyd, Steve Lucky and the Rhumba Bums, Lavay Smith and
her Red Hot Skillet Lickers, and more. For 12 years he has presented the
"Arizona Swing Jam" with Frankie Manning.
On the Radio:
Steve has been an on-air jazz host on KJZZ 91.5 FM (NPR and Jazz) for
over 7 years where he and Blaise Lantana created and hosted "In the
Groove", a two hour program dedicated to great swing music. He had
his own show from 11pm-1am weekdays and reported Arizona news on
weekends.
As DJ:
Steve has DJ'd all over the world including six Lindy Cruises to Mexico
and the Carribean; Lindy Groove in Pasadena; Swing 46 in New York;
Apollo Jazz Cafe in Montpellier, France; The Hep Cat Club in Dublin,
Ireland; Lindy and Party Weekend in Phoenix, the Phoenix Lindy Exchange;
Lindy on the Rocks in Denver, CO; Minneapolis, MN; Herrang Dance Camp in
Sweden; and much more. He has his own DJ business and loves to travel
and share music.
Outside of dance:
Getting his first degree in Pre-Veterinary medicine from Northern
Arizona University, Steve then worked as a veterinary technician for
over five years before changing his mind. He soon went into acting (a
natural transition) and was in commercials (Colt 45, Kit Kat, Ping) and
a few films (Robin Cook's Terminal - 1995, No One Would Tell with Fred
Savage and Candace Cameron - 1996). He had a short stint in stand-up
comedy (very short) and then found dance. On a teaching and dancing tour
of Europe in 2000 he realized one of his other passions: the study of
religion. He returned and enrolled at Arizona State University,
receiving a Bachelors of Arts in Religious Studies in two years. He went
into the Master's program with the goal of become a university professor
but instead decided to start a family, having two boys, who have become
the center of his life.
Steve has spent much of his life supporting non-profit organizations
through fundraising efforts and organizing events for the Arthritis
Foundation, KJZZ 91.5, MDA, and many more. In 2005, he went to work as
Director of Development for the New Foundation, a treatment center for
abused and drug addicted teens. He developed a signature gala event, the
Arizona Celebrity Dance Challenge, a live local version of Dancing with
the Stars, that featured local celebrities in a dance competition.
Currently he is Director of Development for the Lodestar Day Resource
Center, a non-profit based in Phoenix that empowers homeless people to
lift themselves out of homelessness and gives them the tools to stay off
the streets. He is working hard to help END HOMELESSNESS.
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AZ Lindy Hop Society Dances:
TUESDAYS:
Fatcat Ballroom - Phoenix
3131 E. Thunderbird Rd., Phoenix, AZ
7:30 pm: Swing Dance Lesson with Steve
8:30pm - 11:00 pm: Dance to DJ or live band
$7 includes dance lesson and dance.
ALL AGES
THURSDAYS:
Paragon Dance Center
931 E Elliot Rd., Tempe, AZ 85284
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm: Swing Dance lesson
8:00 pm - 10:30 pm: DJ or Live Band
$7. ALL AGES WELCOME
For a more visit the Calendar
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