LaBLove (January 12, 2008)
Overview | Schedule | Venues | Registration | History of LABHistory of LAB
LAB (Lindy And Blues) is an all-volunteer organization that puts on dance events in Philadelphia. Our namesake and weekly dance, Philly LAB, began on Tuesday, January 16th, 2007, and has been steadily growing in attendance and greatness ever since.
Founding LABtechs Jesse Young, Carsie Blanton, Cheryl Caraan, and Jon Darvill began brainstorming in fall of 2006, cooking up the crazy idea to start a new dance venue in Philly fueled by their mutual love for super-connected, super-musical Lindy Hop and blues. Within weeks of it's inception, LAB had gathered an enthusiastic pack of dancers and dancers-to-be, as well as a new LABtech, Stuart Collins.
The techs met weekly over cheap chinese food to dream up and execute ever-more fantastic ideas. Some of our favorites have been: Tuesday night teachers from all over the country (including Mihai Banelescu from San Francisco, and Byron Stuart from Seattle); Tuesday night DJs and bands including nationally touring artist Amos Lee; Tuesday night demos by local troupes and travelling dancers (The Liberty Belles, Lucky Skillen from NYC); our series classes and Sunday workshops; August 2007's "Belles and Balls Ball", a same-sex couples competition; and 'Philly Blues Connection', a July, 2007 workshop weekend featuring nationally known teachers Andrew Sutton, Brenda Collins-Krstanovich, Laura Glaess and others.
Besides the events, we LABtechs are especially proud of the classes we teach, into which we throw a lot of thought and a lot of heart, the great music we play (thanks to our fantastic house DJ, Greg Avakian), the enthusiasm and dedication of our students, and the friendly, fun quality of our dances.