March 2021

Thank you to everyone who planned and ran and taught and participated in Rhythm Weekends!  We had students from Canada, Oregon, and California along with teachers from Chicago, New York City, and Australia.

In March, we are starting up in-person classes.  Both Wednesday night classes are cumulative, each class building on the one previous.  Our Friday night classes are one-off classes, and you can attend one of them or all of them.  $12.50 per class or buy an unlimited pass for the month for $60!

For the first time in a LONG time, the Junior Jitterbugs are meeting in person to dance together on Friday March 26.  All classes will be held at FOE Eagles #38 at 24th and Douglas and all kids need to pre-register.

We have strict COVID procedures in place and we are asking all participants to sign a waiver and pre-register for all classes.  Sorry, no drop in students will be accepted.

If you danced with us regularly before COVID, don’t be surprised if you get a call from one of our teachers.  We are taking the temperature of our swing community as we prepare to re-open.

Jitterbugs During COVID-19

September marks the last month we will hold classes online via Zoom!   Check them out here or on our Facebook Events page.  And they are still free!

We are hosting a Cowtown Jamborama Roundup during September on social media — the last 17 years in photos, videos, and comments.  Connected with this is our “Jamborama 2020: The One That Didn’t Happen” t-shirt sale.  Get one now because they are pre-order only!

We are thrilled to announce that we will start weekly classes in person in October.  We will have numerous safety measures in place, and no one will be allowed to drop in for class:  everyone must register ahead of time.  More information will come soon, and you can follow our calendar to see when classes are added.

If you’d like a beginning swing dance lesson refresher, go to our Facebook page for a recorded free lesson. And look for all of our posted One O’Clock Jump lessons from May and June to learn some new solo dance moves.

Unfortunately, we won’t be dancing together at Jitterbugs Night Out (JNO) on Friday nights yet.  Those crowds are too big!  We will still offer our online Friday night meetup “Jitterbugs’ Night In” at 8:00 on Facebook Live.

Do you know of any kids in grades 5-9? Sign them up for Junior Jitterbugs, a monthly online swing dance workshop. In September, we ask each Junior to bring an adult with them to class.

Nancy Novotny, Interim Executive Director

 

Social Distancing

Dear Jitterbugs, 

We have been following the Coronavirus pandemic very closely. Safety and health are of utmost importance to all of us. Unfortunately the time has come for a difficult but necessary step as we implement social distancing measures to slow the spread of the virus. Tomorrow, Friday, March 13, 2020, we will close Jitterbugs’ Night Out and remain closed throughout the month of March. 

At this moment, I do not know if Jitterbugs’ Night Out will be closed beyond March, or what we will do regarding our Monday and Wednesday night classes. It depends on many factors that we will be looking at over the next few days and weeks.

I have no doubt that this is upsetting, but I just can’t stand the idea of Omaha Jitterbugs being complicit in enabling the virus to spread amongst a community of people I love, admire and respect.  I have made this decision alongside our board of directors, other community leaders and health experts. 

This decision and these steps will be hard on all of us, and will have a detrimental effect on Omaha Jitterbugs bottom-line. I’m asking you, our jitterbug community, to continue supporting Omaha Jitterbugs during this time, even though we aren’t getting together for our Friday events, so that we can continue to pay the bills and come out swinging at the other end of this whole episode. Please consider a donation of $5, $10, $20, or $50 to help us through this tough time. 

Sincerely, 

Billy Sobczyk

Executive Director

Omaha Jitterbugs

jitterbugs.org

402-208-3006

Omaha Jitterbugs