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.
Journey - Me & Music: Dancing to Trad Jazz
This class will explore early jazz music and its influences across the decades. Learn how to move yourself and maintain attentive and clear partner connection even up to faster tempos. Discover how different jazz music inspires fresh vocabulary and moves. 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 and/or four months of weekly social dancing. No partner necessary; students may retake Journey classes, especially in another role.
Journey - Me & Music: Embracing the Spectrum of Swing Dance Rhythms
Discover the full spectrum of rhythm, a series designed for intermediate dancers eager to delve into the rhythmic depths of swing. This class is an invitation to journey through both conventional and unconventional time signatures to recognize patterns. In this series, you will:
- Identify the Beat: Learn to identify and adapt to the rhythms unique to swing music, from the common 4/4 swing time to the intriguing 5/4 and 7/8.
- Listen for Phrasing: Understand how musical phrasing shapes dance movements and expressions.
- Incorporate Syncopation: Learn about syncopation, adding complexity and flair to your dance steps.
- Play with the Rhythm: Experiment with altering conventional steps to fit unconventional rhythms, enhancing your improvisational skills.
- Learn how to spontaneously Choreograph: Gain insights into sequencing dance moves that align with the unique structure and mood of the music as you listen to it.
We will attempt to embrace rhythmic experimentation through playful trial and error to push the boundaries of swing dance. This class welcomes intermediate dancers with a passion for rhythm and a desire to deepen their musicality. No partner needed; just bring your curiosity and readiness to explore the rhythmic landscapes of swing dance.
PRE-REQUISITES: 3 months of Beginners and/or 4 months of weekly social dancing. No partner necessary; students may retake Journey classes, especially in another role.
Journey - Me & Music: Hit All The Breaks
Where are the breaks in a song and how do I get that satisfying hit with my partner? What do I do during solos or long songs? Exploration of building energy and complexity in a song and with our partner.
PRE-REQUISITES: Three months of Beginners and/or four months of weekly social dancing. No partner necessary; students may retake Journey classes, especially in another role.
Journey - Me & Music: The Music is Your Partner, Too
Come learn how to dance musically! In this class, we'll be exploring how to dance /with/ the music rather than just beside it. You don't need fancy footwork or elaborate moves to be musical! We'll take variations and steps from our beginner series and learn how to create dances that are very musical by focusing more closely on the music itself. If you feel like you are just doing a series of random moves after the music starts and you want to make your dance feel more cohesive, this is the class for you.
For folks who took Summer of Swing, this class will be the perfect next step and for more experienced dancers, you'll level up your musicality!
Advanced dancers are encouraged to use the class as a vehicle to examine their own musical choices and experiment with musicality foundations/drills-specifically, advanced dancers should practice expressing their own musical truth with any partner at any level. Selected topics include: phrase structure, linking 6s and 8s, choosing when to Charleston, tone/color of movement.
PRE-REQUISITES: Familiarity with basic 6 and 8 count patterns (pass by, swingout, circle, send out, turns), basic partnered Charleston + 3 months of Beginners and/or 4 months of weekly social dancing. No partner necessary; students may retake Journey classes, especially in another role.
Journey - Me & You: Call and Response
Maybe you've heard that dancing is a conversation: regardless of role, we all want to say meaningful things and listen to each others' voices in our dancing. In this class we'll investigate the back and forth of jazz music, making room for improvisation, and riffing off each others' ideas. 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 and/or four months of weekly social dancing. No partner necessary; students may retake Journey classes, especially in another role.
Journey - Me & You: Nuanced Partnering
Partnered dancing involves active communication. In nuanced partnership, both sides are required to be more attentive resulting in a richer and more dynamic dance. In this class series, we will go over moves that will highlight the underlying nuanced partnership. You will learn a set of tools to improve your basics and create a framework for more interesting moves and their variations.
PRE-REQUISITES: 3 months of Beginners and/or 4 months of weekly social dancing. No partner necessary; students may retake Journey classes, especially in another role.
Journey - Me & You: Stretch and Compression
The feeling of stretch and compression as you move in and away from your partner is part of what makes Lindy Hop unique, because prior to Lindy Hop, most partnered dances stayed in closed position instead of moving away. The connection between a lead and a follow is imperative for a communicative, comfortable, and fun dance. In this class, we'll dive into what makes that connection work as we learn how to follow and redirect momentum, how to adjust connection with different partners, and how to create clear communication with our partner.
PRE-REQUISITES: 3 months of Beginners and/or 4 months of weekly social dancing. No partner necessary; students may retake Journey classes, especially in another role.
Journey - Me: Conditioning for Lindy Hoppers
Come learn how to level up your dance skills, reduce injury, and build a solid foundation for growth and creativity. Remember: Lindy hop is an athletic dance and learning to take care of you body means you can dance for many, many more years. At the end of this series, you'll have a grasp of the body mechanics we use in solo and partnered dancing as well as several drills to improve balance, partner connection, and dynamic movement. We'll work on how to feel comfortable with both faster and slower songs in addition to expanding your creative options within your comfort zone.
PRE-REQUISITES: 3 months of Beginners and/or 4 months of weekly social dancing. No partner necessary; students may retake Journey classes, especially in another role.
Journey - Me: Move This, Not That
Cross-body movement! Footwork isolations! Fake-outs! How do we add improvisation and creativity to our vanilla moves without throwing partnership under the bus? This series will focus on building your balance, isolation, and energetic movement in leaders and followers. The Journey series cycles through topics of self-movement, partner communiction, and musical expression to level-up your social dance skills!
PRE-REQUISITES: Three months of Beginners and/or four months of weekly social dancing. No partner necessary; students may retake Journey classes, especially in another role.
Journey - Me: Speedy Lindy
Conditioning! Fast swingouts! Fast 6 count with efficient and agile footwork! This class will cover staying close and keeping steps small, moving your own body in space and hitting the stretches and connections at key moments with your partner.
PRE-REQUISITES: Three months of Beginners and/or four months of weekly social dancing. No partner necessary; students may retake Journey classes, especially in another role.
Journey - Me: Spring into Variations!
Independent improvisation is core value of partnered swing dance and nowhere is this more visible than in variations: the injection of personal styling and rhythm into well-worn dance patterns. Test your balance, rhythm, and coordination with these stylings that will spice up your 8-ct, 6-ct, and charleston moves!
PRE-REQUISITES: Three months of Beginners and/or four months of weekly social dancing. No partner necessary; students may retake Journey classes, especially in another role.
ADVANCED: SMALL GROUPS TRACK
FORMAT: Class topics are all teachers’ choice. This is an advanced level class.
Advanced: Small Groups - In the mood: Music, Expression, and Individuality
One of the core values of jazz and Lindy Hop is to express your authentic self. Now that you have built up some vocabulary and are comfortable with the fundamentals of the dance, how do you go about adapting moves not just to different partners, but different songs, artists, and styles? This class will be an intensive-style exploration into how we listen to the music, how far we can push our movement, and how deeply we’re willing to introspect.
PRE-REQUISITES: Completion of 3 months of Beginners, 6 months of Journey and/or social dancing weekly for a full year. Comfort with some basic solo jazz vocabulary will be helpful, but not required. No partner necessary. Students are expected to arrive with curiosity, kindness, and a willingness for self-directed study.
Advanced: Small Groups - Level Up with Solo Jazz
Solo jazz doesn't have to be scary. It can be a great way to level up your dance skills. Learn about variations, musicality, and jam circles. We will be covering a different topic every week and show you ways to practice with friends or by yourself.
PRE-REQUISITES: Some experience with solo jazz preferred, but not necessary.
Advanced: Small Groups - So You Wanna Be a Swing DJ
Even if you don't aspire to DJ status, this class will get you familiar with DJing a swing dance and bring you a better understanding of the music and methods to improve your swing dance experience! Bring your laptop and learn how to work with soundboards and sound levels, choose songs, source music, find software/hardware, and get you and your friends dancing 'till dawn. Features special guest instructors from the city!
PRE-REQUISITES: Please plan to bring your laptop to class and secure it when not in use.
Advanced: Small Groups - Switching, Stealing, and Sneaking Around
Become a master of the steal jam, an aficionado of the switch dance, and an altogether smooth conductor! This class requires comfortable familiarity with all fundamental patterns covered in Beginners and Journey, as well as some familiarity and willingness to dance in both roles. Class will deep dive into nuanced partnered connection as a basis for any patterns, but will also rely on peer work to uncover the complexities of timing and technique.
PRE-REQUISITES: Completion of 3 months of Beginners, 6 months of Journey and/or social dancing weekly for a full year. No partner necessary. Students are expected to arrive with curiosity, kindness, and a willingness for self-directed study.
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 - Remains to be Seen
Historical records are incredibly important to the swing community, the advent of the dance coinciding with the development of film, radio, and recording technology. Today we continue to draw inspiration from video clips of modern competitions and performances. In this class, you will learn ways to break down video clips, apply them to your dancing, and learn about the biases, origins, and limitations of using visual records.
PRE-REQUISITES: Completion of 3 months of Beginners, 6 months of Journey and/or social dancing weekly for a full year. No partner necessary. Students are expected to arrive with curiosity, kindness, and a willingness for self-directed study.
Small Groups - Style Lab
How do you develop your own unique style? Well, one way to go about it is to start by noticing, studying, and copying someone else's style! You "try it on," see what parts you like, what parts you don't, and figure out how it all fits together with the rest of your dancing. In this class, be prepared to take inspiration from your fellow students, as they're going to be your models AND your collaborators, while Sam and Calvin help walk you through the process.
PRE-REQUISITES: Completion of 3 months of Beginners, 6 months of Journey and/or social dancing weekly for a full year. No partner necessary. Students are expected to arrive with curiosity, kindness, and a willingness for self-directed study.
Small Groups - The Rhythm in You
Everyone has a song in their heart! This class will focus on developing your unique relationship with the music and how to use it to unlock organic dance movement. There will be exercises to improve your expression and communication of musical ideas, as well as partnered and peer group experiments to spark your creativity.
PRE-REQUISITES: Completion of 3 months of Beginners, 6 months of Journey and/or social dancing weekly for a full year. No partner necessary. Students are expected to arrive with curiosity, kindness, and a willingness for self-directed study.
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: Completion of 3 months of Beginners, 6 months of Journey and/or social dancing weekly for a full year. No partner necessary. Students are expected to arrive with curiosity, kindness, and a willingness for self-directed study.
PERFORMANCE TRACK
July 2023 – Performance - Original Shag Routine
Collegiate Shag is a swing dance style like Lindy Hop or Balboa, typically danced to higher tempos, with heavy focus on rhythm. This month Karen and Nick will be diving into an original choreography that helps you get a handle on the basics of Shag, and even a few flashy moves. No experience with Shag is required or expected, come out and learn this fantastic dance style.
PRE-REQUISITES: Students should be very comfortable with dancing to swing music.
June 2023 – Performance - Flash Mob
Celebrate the summer months with outdoor dancing and Lindy inspiration! In this class, you will learn an eye-catching, exciting routine to perform at flash mobs all around the Bay Area this summer! Be a part of a Lindy Hop summer wave!
PRE-REQUISITES: Students should be very comfortable with Beginners' series material: 8ct, 6ct, charleston basics
Performance - California Routine
The California Routine as we know it is a fascinating mix of Frankie Manning's choreographies in Hollywood, Al Minns' lessons to the Swedish group, The Rhythm Hot Shots, and close calls and misnomers danced in preserved film footage. Wherever it came from, this partnered routine is a classic for swing performance groups the world over. Come learn to dance this energetic routine (sans air steps) and flex your Lindy/Charleston chops!
PRE-REQUISITES: Students should have familiarity with Swing Outs, Lindy Hop 8 and 6 count basics, as well as some Charleston to participate.
Performance - Competition Concepts
More details coming soon!
PRE-REQUISITES: More details coming soon!
Performance - Just Doo It
Come learn the Frankie Doo! This solo jazz routine was originally choreographed as the Tranky Doo by the Ambassador of Swing, Frankie Manning, but was reimagined by him and others many times over the decades. We will discuss its similarties and differences with other versions over the course of its complex history. 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!
Performance - Mama's Stew and First Stops
These two iconic routines are choreographies that every swing dancer should know. Mama's Stew is a fast paced yet simple solo jazz routine. It's flashy and lots of fun! First stops is a partner routine that is straightforward and classic. Come learn both in just three weeks!
PRE-REQUISITES: All levels welcome!
Performance - Original Choreo by Susan Mart
Get ready to perform! You’ve mastered swing outs and your connection skills are solid. It’s time to take the next step with Performance Basics, led by Double or Nothing members Susan Martindill and Margot Helm. We will cover:
- Blocking - how to hit your mark and maintain your spacing in a group using traveling moves
- Choreography - how to balance group coordination with your personal flair through a series of choreographed steps
- Performance - Where should you look? What should you do with your hands? Learn how to put the finishing polishes on your routine to make it performance-ready
You should be an intermediate or above level swing dancer with good connection and knowledge of lindy hop basics. Please sign up with a partner.
PRE-REQUISITES: Students must sign up with a partner for this class. Students should be comfortable with swing outs and the connection for similar level moves.
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 - St. Louis Shim Sham
The St. Louis Shim Sham is a routine choreographed by Jon Tigert. He was visiting St. Louis when his friend asked him to participate in a local line dance competition. It is an advanced beginner to intermediate solo jazz routine.
PRE-REQUISITES: All levels are welcome - this class will have something to learn for everyone!
Performance - The Big Apple
Choreographed by Frankie Manning and performed by Whitey's Lindy Hoppers in 1939's Keep Punchin', the Big Apple is one of the most famous, beloved line dances of Lindy Hop. Still popular amongst Lindy Hoppers, you'll be able to do this solo routine around the world with other dancers! Students will also get a chance to perform it for the Wednesday Night Hop community at the end of the month. This is an intermediate to advanced solo jazz routine.
PRE-REQUISITES: Students should be familiar with basic solo jazz, and ideally would have done at least one solo jazz routine (such as the shim sham, Tranky Doo, Franky Doo, Mama's Stew, etc) before.
Performance - Tranky Doo
The Tranky Doo, a fun and rhythmic line dance performed often to Ella Fitzgerald's recording of Dipsy Doodle, is the perfect step up from your Shim Sham days. Come learn new solo jazz steps, riff on variations, and learn how this dynamic routine fits many of our favorite songs.
PRE-REQUISITES: Students should be familiar with basic solo jazz, and ideally would have done at least one solo jazz routine (such as the shim sham, Franky Doo, Big Apple, Mama's Stew, etc) before.
Performance - Trickeration (solo jazz)
Not just a jazz move, the "Trickeration" solo jazz routine is rhythmically challenging and exciting. The Queen of Swing, Norma Miller, used it to audition candidates for her professional jazz troupe, the Jazz Men, and separate the wheat from the chaff. Come learn a routine that will inspire your musical understanding and quality of movement.
PRE-REQUISITES: Basic solo jazz (like the shim-sham).
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: Familiarity and comfort with at least one of the three dances (more are helpful, but not required) and a willingness to explore the boundaries of swing dance.
BALBOA TRACK
Balboa - Foundation: Bal Swing
Originating in the Balboa Peninsula of Orange County, the Balboa combines intricate footwork with smooth body movement, to create a dynamic and fast-paced dance that is fun to watch but even more fun to do!
In this series we’re going to explore the “open” side of balboa with bal-swing movements that originate from the original LA Swing movements that the dance inherited. In this class we’ll explore the out and in and the lolly movements. Come learn what it means to be rotational!
PRE-REQUISITES: Completion of 3 months of Beginners, 6 months of Journey and/or social dancing weekly for a full year. No partner necessary. Students are expected to arrive with curiosity, kindness, and a willingness for self-directed study.
Balboa - Foundation: Bal Swing (Toss Outs)
Originating in the Balboa Peninsula of Orange County, the Balboa combines intricate footwork with smooth body movement, to create a dynamic and fast-paced dance that is fun to watch but even more fun to do!
In this series we’re going to explore the “open” side of balboa with bal-swing movements that originate from the original LA Swing movements that the dance inherited. In this class we’ll explore the out and in and the toss-out movements. Come learn what it means to be rotational!
PRE-REQUISITES: No previous Balboa experience is necessary (nor Lindy Hop). No partner necessary. Fundamental Balboa Classes are taught “from scratch”. Students are expected to arrive with curiosity, kindness, and a willingness for self-directed study.
Balboa - Foundation: Pure Bal
Starting with the chest to chest pure Balboa foundation, we'll show you the moves and techniques that make Balboa a unique and fun swing dance! We'll cover pure Bal, ad lib steps, lollies, out and ins and more.
PRE-REQUISITES: Pure Bal is danced in close embrace, so make sure you are comfortable with it. No previous Balboa or Lindy Hop experience necessary. No partner required; just bring your enthusiasm and comfortable clothes!