14. What happens in beginner swing dance classes?
We teach beginners in 6 week class blocks, so you have can meet the fundamentals of lindy hop in a structured way, consolidating your learning as you go.
You can only start a beginners block in weeks 1 or 2. Otherwise it's best to wait a few weeks so you don't miss anything important.
Our beginner classes are a fun, friendly place to meet the basic steps and rhythms of lindy hop and other swing dances. We laugh a lot, and tell a lot of jokes.
Students rotate partners in class, and we like to take time to meet each other, and to laugh and enjoy dancing!
We work at a gentle pace, taking time to correct posture and partnering technique, and to be sure everyone is comfortable with the fundamentals.
We begin each class with a warm up which introduces you to fun, authentic jazz steps, and then break down the key rhythms for that class. The rest of the class is devoted to key steps and moves, and to combining them comfortably. We build social dancing skills into all our classes, allowing students lots of time to figure out how to lead and follow steps, and how to combine them in their own way, and in their own time.
We play only classic swinging jazz music of the 1930s and 40s, and of the modern day. Each class takes time to explore the timing and tempo of swinging jazz, and we look at phrasing and syncopation right from our very first lessons.
Our beginner classes are intended as a basic skills class, perfect for more experienced dancers who want to tidy up their basic rhythms or partner work, as well as for brand new dancers.