Mojo Swing
Tropical Fest!
Gran Canaria, Spain
2 – 5 November, 2023
Four days of the best swing music under the tropical sun of Gran Canaria 🏝
If you like small, eminently social events, where the important thing is fun and enjoyment, then you have found what you were looking for. Some call it a festival. Others call it exchange. We call it a gathering of friends 👯
This is what we offer
A little piece of summer in the middle of winter
25 degrees, paradisiacal sunsets, mojito by the pool... what more can you ask for?
Three amazing parties with live music
You will dance non-stop to the sound of the best live music. You will end up exhausted, but happy. Promise.
A weekend to enjoy
You'll have time to take a dip in the beach, gorge on potatoes with mojo and extol friendship with Canarian honey rum.
Take a look at our event from last year
This year, we will have the presence of…
The Hop Sh Bam Connection
This quintet specializes in playing swing music from the period between the 1920s and 1950s. Their biggest inspiration comes from the repertoire of the marvelous ballrooms of the 1930s, such as the Savoy Ballroom in New York. Hop-Sh-Bam plays tunes that would make lindy hop dancers go crazy. They perform beautiful standards from the swing era, as well as some tunes from the exciting big band period and even some tunes from the New Orleans repertoire that are more Charleston-inspired. As the bandleader, Marie-Anne is a swing dancer herself and knows how to put together an inspiring and diverse setlist. She adapts to what's happening on the dance floor, making it an excellent band with a big focus on the pure art of swing music. It's nice to listen to and even better to dance to. So move and groove! 👯
Hop-Sh-Bam will bring us tunes that will make us go crazy. They will perform the most beautiful standards from the swing era, as well as some tunes from the exciting big band period and the New Orleans school. The bandleader, Marie-Anne, is a swing dancer and knows how to prepare an inspiring and varied repertoire. And one of the best things about this band is that it always adapts to what's happening on the dance floor. Get ready to give it your all with the Hop-Sh-Bam! 👯
Irene Bataller and Carlos Cayuela
Irene and Carlos (TWENTYZZ) are a peculiar couple who use absurd comedy as an inspiration for dance and as a way of life. "We are professional idiots who dedicate our lives to dance," they say. They met while working together as teachers and discovered that they were united by dance and sensitivity to comedy. They enjoy the dance floor and the stage together and solo.
Irene has been dancing for as long as she can remember. Dancing accompanied her in an amateur way until 2015 when she decided to give it all up and dedicate her life solely to dancing. She specializes in Charleston 20s, Fast Lindy Hop, and Boogie Woogie, without forgetting dances like Tap Dance and Solo Jazz. She is a lover of performance, the stage, comedy, fast rhythms in Big Band swing music, and the energy on the dance floor when dancers go into a trance. For her "dancing is celebrating life, it is giving thanks, it is the climax of the moment".
Carlos has trained in several disciplines simply because he loves dance and likes to try everything. He has specialized in some of them, such as Musical Jazz and Broadway, Lindy Hop, Tap Dance, Solo Jazz, Charleston 20's, and Boogie Woogie. What he is most passionate about is putting on a show, and making people happy by entertaining them doing what he loves the most. He has belonged and belongs to groups and companies of musical character. His approach to improving one's dancing is to know the music you dance to understand it better and let oneself go.
Photo taken at Big Mama Swing
BJazz Project
BJazz is a band formed by Samantha de León (double bass), Silvia Jiménez (trumpet), Amelia Gutiérrez (drums) and Irga González (piano). The group plays songs that move between classic jazz, swing, latin jazz, and bossa nova, and also performs versions with their own arrangements of songs by contemporary composers such as Maria Rita, Esperanza Spalding, Diana Krall or Norah Jones, seeking to give a female presence to the world of jazz in the Canary Islands.
Their latest show, Encanto de Mujer, is a tribute to overcoming the prejudices against which women have had to fight for over a hundred years in the field of jazz and other styles, to be considered by society on an equal footing with men. It is a journey through the music of women committed to their time who left and leave their mark on the music scene, women with their own name, that history has been and should be putting in the place that corresponds to them.
Ale G
Alessio Grimaldi, aka Ale G, is a swing DJ from Rome whose sessions are full of proposals inspired by the mix of genres, sounds and musical languages. Since 2001 he has worked as a resident and guest DJ at important music festivals all over Europe.
His DJ sets range from original swing music to modern reinterpretations of songs from the 30s/50s, aimed at the most enthusiastic dancers.
Camen Cissé
The Canarian Carmen Cissé a.k.a Cissé will be our teacher in the afrofusion taster. Cissé specializes in urban African dances and since 2018 she has been part of the African dance group Afrokanaria. She stands out for her interest in making known the different styles that make up these dances and is committed to continuously training through the best dancers of these styles.
Sonia Ruiz de Arkaute
Our dear friend from Vitoria, Sonia Ruiz from Arkaute will be our teacher in the shag taster that will take place on Friday afternoon. Sonia was already dancing in her mother's womb with the rock and roll played by her father. She has spent her whole life in connection with music and dance: Basque dances, contemporary dance, rock and roll, lindy hop, shag, etc. And as a teacher she has been leading movement groups for 30 years. Art therapist and body psychotherapist and expert in dance therapy, she understands dance as a form of expression, enjoyment and health. Movement is life.
Parties where everything is possible
As you may have guessed, we are not your average swing festival. At our parties don't expect competitions where only the best in the class participate or endless exhibitions of performers. Instead, you will have dancing and more dancing, some absurd games, and plenty of time to make new friends.
We want to recover the original spirit of swing dancing, we want to celebrate life with friends of all colors and shades, without pretensions, without restrictions. Just smiles and dancing without rest to the sound of the best jazz music.
This year we are having a couple of theme parties again (we're Canarian, we can't help it 🙃). Obviously, you are not required to follow the dress code we propose. We promise you a safe space, where you can go as you want, where you will never be judged.
Under the Sea Party
Friday we will have a very marine party 🐠 🐙 🐳 🐳
Fish, seahorses, jellyfish, sharks... Anything is possible as long as you represent any creature or object that resides in the deep sea. We recover the mythical Back to the Future party and we will fill it with the best swing music.
Secret Party
This year we are having a party again in a secret location. All you have to do is grab your swimsuit, sunglasses and sunscreen, hop on the bus and let yourself go.
We promise it'll be worth it 👯🍹😎
Tropical 80s Party
Miami, Marbella, Playa del Inglés... We traveled to the most tropical 80's, full of shoulder pads, prints, pastels, lots of white... 🌺🍸🍍.
There will be prizes for the best costumes, we will have absurd games and we will dance all together a choreography that you will take with you as one more memory of an unforgettable weekend.
Places where things happen
Garbo's Theater
The main parties on Friday and Saturday will take place in this iconic room in the south of Gran Canaria, equipped with the best sound and light equipment and a spectacular atmosphere. The perfect place to dance until the body endures.
TUI BLUE Orquídea
The event will begin and end in the tropical gardens of one of the best hotels on the island. On Friday you can enjoy a wonderful sunset to the sound of the best swing music and on Sunday we will close the weekend with a chill-out party with live music.
Schedule
The following schedule is subject to change. We will always keep it updated before and during the event.
Thursday - 2 November
17:30 – 21:00 Welcome Party
TUI Blue Orquídea
Friday - 3 November
12:00 - 13:00 Michael Jackson dance workshop
Garbo's Theater
17:00 – 18:00 Shag Taster
Garbo's Theater
18:00 – 20:00 Solo Jazz workshop
Garbo's Theater
22:00 – 02:00 «Under the Sea» Party
Garbo's Theater
Sábado – 4 Noviembre
10:30 - 12:00 Lindy Hop workshop
Garbo's Theater
12:00 – 15:00 Secret Party
Secret location
17:00 – 18:00 Afrofusion Taster
Garbo's Theater
18:00 – 20:00 Solo Jazz workshop
Garbo's Theater
22:00 – 02:00 «Tropical 80s» Party
Garbo's Theater
Domingo – 5 Noviembre
10:30 - 12:00 Lindy Hop workshop
Garbo's Theater
12:00 – 15:00 Chill-out Party
TUI Blue Orquídea
16:30 – 18:30 Sunset Party
Bahia Feliz Beach
Prices
Crazy Pass
3 hours of Lindy Hop (multilevel) (1)
2 hours of Solo Jazz (multilevel)
3 very alternative tasters
3 parties with live music
3 very tropical socials
1 spa circuit pass
More surprises to come!
Tropical Pass
2 hours of Solo Jazz (multilevel)
3 very alternative tasters
3 parties with live music
3 very tropical socials
1 spa circuit pass
More surprises to come!
* Special discount for members of Mojo Swing Canarias and partner associations.
(1) If you have been dancing Lindy Hop during for 1 year at least. All classes will be multilevel. Regardless of your dance level, come with an open mind and a proactive attitude for a collaborative group learning experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where will the festival take place?
Nearly all of the weekend's activities and events will take place in the area of Bahía Feliz/Tarajalillo, in the south of Gran Canaria.
We recommend you to look for accommodation in or around that area.
How do I get to Bahia Feliz?
If you are coming from the airport, you have three options:
- A cab costs around 35 €.
- The bus costs 4,05 €. You can take the lines 66 and 90 of Guaguas Global. You have more information here.
- You can rent a car at any of the rental companies with offices at the airport.
If you are coming from Las Palmas, we recommend you to take the line 30 of Guaguas Global.
Where can I stay?
The hotels we recommend are Tui Blue Orquídea, Tui Blue Tres Vidas, Tui Blue Las Pitas, Tui Blue Playa Feliz and Monte Feliz.
Alternatively, you can look for accommodation in Playa del Águila (15 minutes on foot) or in San Agustín or Playa del Inglés (10 minutes by cab). From Playa del Inglés, the bus costs 1.70 € and a cab costs about 6 € each way.
What is the spa circuit pass?
All tickets include a pass to a circuit on the Orquidea Club Spa for you to relax and recover from all that dancing 🛀
You can use the pass between 10:00 a.m. on Thursday and 2:00 p.m. on Monday. The circuit has a duration of 1 hour and a capacity for 20 people. It is not necessary to make a reservation. Just show up and give your name. It will be attended on a first-come, first-served basis.
Our collaborators
