Learning to dance is fundamentally about learning how to move your body to music and interacting with another human being in partner dancing. Many dancers find it helpful to take classes to build their understanding of the dance as well as their vocabulary.
CURRICULUM TRACKS
Our class syllabus is organized into a Beginners track, a Journey track, a Small Groups track, a Performance track, and a Balboa track.
BEGINNERS TRACK
The Beginners Track answers the question: “What is Swing Dance?”
PRE-REQUISITES: Two-left-feet friendly, no partner required; just bring comfy shoes and your enthusiasm!
FORMAT: There are three months of distinct curriculum mixing 6ct, 8ct, and Charleston.
- Beginning Swing ♠︎: 6-count
- Beginning Swing ♦︎: 8-count
- Beginning Swing ♣︎: Lindy hop & Charleston
JOURNEY TRACK
Journey - Break Away, Not Break Apart
Breakaways are a form of solo improvisation within partnered Lindy Hop. We will go over different entries and exits to this expressive art, learn new moves, and play with the partnered communication when you're not even touching.
PRE-REQUISITES: Three months of Beginners class series and social dancing.
Journey - Leading and Following Mixed Counts
How do I know if it's a 6-count move or an 8-count move? We will cover the techniques of clear communication, how to switch between patterns, and how the music affects our choice of phrasing for both leads and follows. The Journey series cycles through topics of self-movement, partner communication, and musical expression to level-up your social dance skills!
PRE-REQUISITES: Three months of Beginners class series and social dancing.
SMALL GROUPS TRACK
FORMAT: Class topics are all teachers’ choice.
Small Groups - Flow and Momentum
What does it mean to have good flow in your partnership? Is it an aesthetic? A sequence of fast, small moves? Does the follow move more or the lead move more? Does it mean elongated phrasing? How do we find and communicate our own flow?
PRE-REQUISITES: Three months of Beginners class series and social dancing.
Small Groups - The Solo Jam Circle
How do we jam solo jazz? How do we exchange ideas with other dancers, riff on historical moves, and also shine with moves of our own invention? How does innovation fit into the lindy hop aesthetic? How does a shared vocabulary and musicality bring disparate dancers together? Small Groups instructors ask deep questions about how we dance along with dedicated time for experimentation, innovation, and discussion with peers.
PRE-REQUISITES: Three months of Beginners class series and social dancing.
PERFORMANCE TRACK
Performance - Solo Jazz (January 2023)
In this solo jazz performance class, we will draw inspiration from the rich history of jazz dance and music in movies! Come to expand your jazz movement repertoire, add some theatrical flair to your dancing, and have the opportunity to perform a full solo jazz routine for the Wednesday Night Hop community at the end of the series!
PRE-REQUISITES: All levels are welcome - this class will have something to learn for everyone!
Performance - Triple Threat Routine
Often we think of Lindy Hop, Balboa, and Collegiate Shag as completely separate dances, but their foundations in swing music and co-development make them closer than one might think. In this class, we'll be exploring how these three dances connect through a routine that will switch between them and highlight their similarities and differences. At the end of the month, students will have the option to perform the routine in front of the Wednesday Night Hop community.
PRE-REQUISITES: All levels are welcome - this class will have something to learn for everyone!
BALBOA TRACK
Coming soon…