The Vertical Rhythm Club will be celebrating the swing era in a fabulous night in the Hennessy Spiegeltent in the Secret Garden on Thursday 18th September as part of the Dublin Fringe Festival 6th - 21st September 2008.

Spiegel time, and the rhythm is easy. The floor is jumping and the glamour is high. Your daddy's rich, and your mamma's good looking. So come little baby, come on by.

Loose yourself in the decadent romance of the swing era. Allow the infectious energy and oscillating rhythms of live band “The Hi Tones” to touch your soul. Show off your exuberant dance steps. Marvel at the Vaudeville-style cabaret, evoking hot Harlem nights. Swing out to infectious big band jazz  with DJs Jess-a-Belle and The Divine Miss P.

Will you be retro, ravishing or refined? Pick a vintage decade and dress to impress. Remember, it don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing!

With visuals from vintage "soundies" and moves, it's a wonderful celebration of the jazz age not to be missed!

Hep Cats, Jitterbuggers and Jive Bunnies will party like it’s 1939 at a Killer Diller evening of music, dance, glamour and mischief.

Spiegeltents (with intimate booths, ornate bar, bevelled mirror columns and glorious Art Nouveau chandeliers) are travelling dance halls, bars and entertainment salons. Since Marlene Dietrich sang ‘Falling In love Again’ on its stage in the 1930’s, the tent’s magic has captivated many. The perfect venue to celebrate the Swing Era.

Check out this great montage on You Tube by Paul Bushe showing the fun we had at last year's festival...... or look at our gallery for inspiration.

To Book - tickets are on sale from Thursday 14th August from the Festival Box Office.  You can book in person at Filmbase, Curved St, Temple Bar or at the Hatch St. Entrance to the The Iveagh Gardens. Alternatively, book on line via www.fringefest.com or phone 1850 374643.

Location - The Hennessy Spiegeltent in the Secret Garden is located in the Iveagh Gardens, off Harcourt Street, Dublin

What the papers say...

Daily Mail, February 2007 - "one of the most fun nights out I've had in ages....SwingTime, which encapsulates those 1930's and 1940's days of decadence, is making a comeback, and with it the velvet tones and glamour of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Ella Fitzgerald. After years of formulaic and tacky night clubbing, there's really no better way to party...... Swing dancing is a dance of craziness and beauty.....After the class finished and the club started, the real fun began. The bar transformed into something resembling the Savoy Ballroom circa 1947, as the young, gorgeous and glamorous, clad in vintage gear, flooded the dancefloor.....It's easy to see the appeal of Swing dancing - the physical energy, the old world glamour and the heady romance of the dancefloor!"

The Sunday Independent, March 2007 – “girls dressed up like glamorous pre-war pin-ups .. men looked fabulous in sharp suits and spats….This is so hot…watching a tall, sexy man jitterbug across the dance floor, spinning his flexible partner with abandon. Outside on the cobblestones we danced our own version of swing … it’s about being able to just let yourself go.”

Babel, September 2006 – “There are so many types of jazz, but this is the kind that will definitely have your ass on the dance floor…..the closest thing I’ve ever seen to a jazz moshpit.”

Cork Evening Echo, July 2006 – “an interesting concept [that] goes a long way.”

The Independent, October 2005 – “the bar takes on the atmosphere of the ballrooms of America in the 1950’s…..it’s addictive …..the happy dancers take to the floor to swing the night away.”

Liberty, Christmas 2005 – “folk down here are havin’ a ball, that off-beat jazz can keep the feet movin all night. All you gotta do is make is up as you go along and have a good time doing it.”

What to wear?

You don't have to dress up - but you know that you want to! Looking for ideas on how to perfect Swing Era style........?

Think of the films Bugsy Malone, Cabaret, The Sting, Chicago, think 1920's flapper girls, think Speakeasies, think gangsters and molls, think show-girls, think 1930's Hollywood glamour, think burlesque, think peep show, thing 1940's land girls, think World War Two soldiers/sailors/airmen. Or into the 1950's - think Grease, think Rock n Roll, think Happy Days. Or just look on Google Images for ideas.

Shops to facilitate your search are Harlequins (near Grogans), Jenny Vander, Wild Child (now in Temple Bar), Retro in Market Arcade and A Star Is Born on Clarendon Row, only open on Saturdays, down an alley near Market Bar. And, yes, some of this season's fashion is inspired by the 1940's, so maybe good old Penneys can deliver.....!