SWING THE MILL
FESTIVAL 2022
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We are looking forward to 4 days and three nights with a total of 30 hours of bands and DJ at its best. Dance and party in the enchanting Ilm Valley in Thuringia in the 400 sqm dance tent on good wooden floor. You can relax by the Ilm and get great food from the region and bread from the farm's own stone oven.
Bring your own tent and pitch it on the spacious meadows next to the fairground or the Ilm meadows. There is also room for vehicles and campers (no own power supply). Another overnight option is the dormitory in the old barn.
Separately bookable and payable on site is the freshly prepared vegetarian menu with breakfast, soup and dinner. Coffee and drinks are always available.
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SWINGTIME CORPORATION
The SwingTime Corporation inevitably gets dancers swinging. Four professional musicians from the "Musikalische Komödie Leipzig" and the Leipzig jazz scene live their passion for the music of the swing era off stage. Gladly on the dance floor themselves, they know what moves Lindy Hopper, Balboatics and Co. - a dance band that plays for its audience!
THE CARELESS CATS
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Website: Careless Cats
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The Careless Cats is formed by musicians of different backgrounds, sharing the desire for hot New Orleans rooted Jazz music and its improvisational power. Nina Thaler’s stirring voice carries you right into the heart of the music of the 1920’s and 1930’s by composers like Clarence Williams, Georgia White, Jelly Roll Morton and W.C. Handy. Dancers as well as jazz-listeners love the Cats for their choices of songs and arrangements. Whether its a warm blues or an exciting uptempo number, if you listen to the cats’ joyful performance you won’t be able to stop your tapping feet.
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THE TOOLBOX ORCHESTRA
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Website: Toolbox Orchestra
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The Toolbox Orchestra is an exotic one-in-a-million-band, even for their notorious adopted home town Berlin: They are an all-female band and originally started out on instruments straight from the workshop like singing saw and washtub bass. Completed by banjo, guitar, trumpet and clarinet they weave an earthy and unique sound very close to the roots of the music they chose as their playground: the music of the 20’s and early 30’s.
They are not only playing, they are happening. And they did so in concert with international Jazz star-singer Meschiya Lake, on various Swing Dance Festivals in Germany and beyond and at the Berlin Short film festival Interfilm 2020.
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THE JUNGLE JAZZ BAND
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Website: Jungle Jazz Band
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The Jungle Jazz Band is a traditional jazz band formed by young international musicians based in Berlin. They all share the same passion for the oldest jazz in the world, born in New Orleans in the early XX century. The Jungle have already gained recognition within the European swing dance community and are known for offering some of the best hot jazz in the scene. They often collaborate with well-known musicians from New Orleans such as Meschiya Lake, Russell Welch, or Joseph Faison and have assembled the finest musicians to turn the heat up even higher. The band resurrects the original rough and powerful sound of early jazz where music was meant to be hot, entertaining and danceable. Inspired by the greatest composers such as Jelly Roll Morton, King Oliver, Louis Armstrong’s hot five, Sidney Bechet, the band delivers fresh interpretations and thrilling arrangements, exciting all kinds of audiences from dancers, jazz connoisseurs to party crowds.
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HISTORICAL SWING DANCE ORCHESTRA
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Website: Historical Swing Dance Orchestra
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The Historical Swing Dance Orchestra is still one of the absolute newcomers in the field of danceable swing music, but it already presents an extremely varied selection of the most beautiful recordings from the entire swing era. What is unique here is that the repertoire is composed directly from the outstanding recordings of the good old shellac records and brings these titles back to life in their originality. Whether smaller ensembles like those of John Kirby or Fats Waller or large orchestras like those of Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw or Duke Ellington - we have dozens of styles in our program. The entire repertoire is explicitly focused on swing dancing throughout and promises incomparable variety and the best atmosphere.
PICI OLDTIME JAZZ QUARTETT
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Four musician from the nearby Jena are playing oldtime jazz from their hearts. Named after a small wine bar in Jena, where they first came together for an evening gig, they have expanded their locations and play frequently in different areas in Thuringia.
Miss Viper Lil and Enric Duch
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Wild nights, vivid dances and rhythms that really move you – that’s the magical world of Miss Viper Lil. Whether behind the turntables, at the controls or right on the dancefloor, her very own mixture of Jazz, Blues, R&B, Soul and Funk won’t keep you still. Miss Viper Lil has been part of the German and Austrian swing dance scene for more than 10 years, playing at international dance events and Berlin clubs like Crack Bellmer, Rotbart, Villa Neukölln andFreudenzimmer.
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Enric is kown in Berlin and in Germany for excellent DJ ses for Balboa, Blues and other kind of Swing music. He is reading the crowd on the dancefloor and alsways has the next tune fitting to the atmosphere.
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We have both of them as DJs at our festival, which means they will also play back to back which works as inspirational motor between them. So be prepared to dance until the early morning!
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DJniel
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DJ niel a.k.a. Daniel Schäfers has his roots in the Cologne swing scene and with his performances at the "Herräng Dance Camp" in Sweden or at the "Leapin' Lindy" in Switzerland, he has a firm place in the international swing scene.
But many will already know him from numerous swing events all over Germany.
His catchy Balbos sets are characterized by stylistic diversity. It ranges from New Orleans Jazz to "Gypsy Swing" to Bebop and will groove you through the night again this time.
FESTIVAL PLANER
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BY CAR TO
99510 Mattstedt, Unterdorf 115,
GERMANY
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By train, you reach the station Apolda. From there you can take a local bus, but only on weekdays. Alternatively, you can go for a taxi or as some fellow dancers in the facebook group to pick you up. Reserve the taxi at least one day in advance. Cost ca. 15,00 € Taxi Tel.:
The closest airport is Leipzig/Halle LEJ, 70 km away.
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OUR VENUE
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PARTIES​
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We are looking forward to dancing with you up to 10 hours in two parties each day, with live music and fine DJs in the large dance tent.
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Code of conduct​
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We have a code of conduct and ask you to read an follow it.
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Catering
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Your culinary well-being will be well taken care of. The vegetarian full board, which can be booked here and is to be paid on site, can be found under MENU. Drinks will also be offered on site. Please note that there are no cooking facilities, grocery stores or dishwashing facilities on site. Electricity is also not available on the campgrounds.
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ACCOMODATION​
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It is sufficient space to settle to down for the night with a tent or a camper on the lawn. As an option, it is possible to book a mattress in a dormitory, where a sleeping bag is necessary.
The hotel Weimarer Berg is 3km away and offers enough well-kept rooms, although not so romantic. https://www.hotelweimarerberg.com/
The guesthouse in Zottelstedt „Zum alten Kuhstall“ offers 5 rooms for up to 3 persons. It is a short walking distance from 400 to 900m to the venues away. ~50€/room Tel.: 0173 9892896, www.kuhstall-zottelstedt.de
Directly in Mattstedt there the guesthouse „zum Mälzhaus“ offers 6 rooms, but might be hard to reach. ~50€/double room Tel.: 0151 504 327 72, www.pension-am-maelzhaus.de
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VOLUNTEERING
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We need a few hands and help to run the event and would be happy if you decide to volunteer and be part of a successful festival.We need helpers on Thursday morning to set up the technical equipment, lights, chairs, etc., as well as daily for 3 hours cleaning and clean-up helpers.
 So if you want to join the party at a reduced price, you can sign up as a helper (also for several jobs).
 Of course, these positions are limited and only for adults. There are helper schedules, which show times and activities and will be published one week before the event.
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