History of the BB-DanceCamp
The BB-DanceCamp, or "Pfingstseminar" as it was called until 2012, is one of the oldest and also one of the biggest international swing camps in Europe. Many of today's famous teachers of the swing scene even had their first workshops in Landsberg with all-stars like Frank Manning and others.
Here is a short overview of the history of the BB-DanceCamp:
1987
A couple of boogie dancers from Munich decide that they want to spend a whole weekend just dancing boogie woogie. The first Pfingstseminar takes place in a gym in Germering. The teachers are Marcus Koch, Roland Seeger and Monika Drechsler for 50 participants.
1989
The dance club „Boogie-Bären München e. V.“ is founded and undertakes the organsation of the "Boogie-Bären Pfingstseminars" from then on.
1992
The camp moves to Landsberg am Lech, the current venue. Lindy Hop is also offered for the first time. This is thanks to the efforts of Marcus Koch, Bärbl Kaufer and others who had already visited Herräng at that time and met the first generation of international Lindy Hop teachers. Among those present are Frank Manning from New York, Eva Lagerqvist and Eddi Jansson from Sweden, Erin Stevens and Steven Mitchell from California and Simon Selmon from Great Britain. 400 participants joined the camp.
1996
The 2nd Lindy Hop World Championships ishosted on Friday evening as part of the camp.
1996-2000
The Pfingstseminar is becoming increasingly popular. Registration sometimes has to close two weeks after opening because the places are already taken. The whole boogie and lindy world meets here because the Pfingstseminar is one of the few opportunities to pursue this hobby at that time.
2002
Euro conversion, price increases, economic crisis after 9/11, but also competition from newer dance camps as well as generational changes in the organisation of the Boogie Bears lead to a decline in participants.
2004
New people and new concepts bring momentum to the Pfingstseminar. Guests of honour this year and the following year are stars like Jean Veloz and Dawn Hampton. The number of participants increases again.
2006
Frankie Manning joins the Pfingsseminar for the last time. The camp now attracts more than 400 participants.
2007
The 20th Pfingstseminar takes place. The camp is dedicated to thanking the first generation of the Boogie-Bären. The Frankie Award goes to long-time BB board member Ralf Hergert.
2009
Another phase of change with many refreshing innovations takes hold of the Pfingstseminar . Probably the most visible of these: the Swing-Diele, a chilled-out café-lounge with a dance floor, quickly becomes the heart of the camp.
2013
The Pfingstseminar is renamed to „Boogie Bären Dance Camp“, in short: BB-DanceCamp.
2014
The Frankie Award goes to Ryan Francois. It is the year of Frankie's 100th birthday and Ryan's 30th stage anniversary.
2015
A new course concept is introduced in Lindy Hop with "Intensive" and "Open" tracks. With a stable number of participants around 400, the BB-DanceCamp is and remains a constant for Lindy and Boogie dancers worldwide.
2022
The BB-DanceCamp celebrates its 35th birthday.