Workshops
Jazz BANG offers you lindy hop, balboa, and St Louis shag workshops, taught by the best teachers we can find.
Check out the Registration Page for pass information.
General Workshops
10.30am-4.30pm Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 May, pre-register only.
There will be 2 streams of general admission workshops at Jazz BANG:
- LA
This stream is all about balboa and bal-swing. - St Louis
This stream is all about lindy hop, solo jazz, and St Louis' native dances like St Louis shag.
These streams are run in parallel, at two different locations.
Everything Pass holders may move between streams as they like, provided they meet the level requirements for each stream.
Workshop Program
Saturday 4 May workshops
| Time | St Louis Workshops |
|---|---|
| Ashfield Polish Club, 73-75 Norton St, Ashfield (MAP). | |
| 10.30-11.30 | Session 1 |
| 11.45-1.00 | Session 2 |
| 1.00-1.45 | Lunch |
| 1.45-2.45 | Session 3 |
| 3.00-4.00 | Session |
| 4.00-4.30 | Filming, recaps, & conversation. |
| Time | LA Workshops |
|---|---|
| Ruby's Dance Hall, 14 Cadogan St, Marrickville (MAP). | |
| 10.30-11.30 | Session 1 |
| 11.45-1.00 | Session 2 |
| 1.00-1.45 | Lunch |
| 1.45-2.45 | Session 3 |
| 3.00-4.00 | Session |
| 4.00-4.30 | Filming, recaps, & conversation. |
Sunday 5 May workshops
| Time | St Louis Workshops |
|---|---|
| Ashfield Polish Club, 73-75 Norton St, Ashfield (MAP). | |
| 10.30-11.30 | Session 1 |
| 11.45-1.00 | Session 2 |
| 1.00-1.45 | Lunch |
| 1.45-2.45 | Session 3 |
| 3.00-4.00 | Session 4 |
| 4.00-4.30 | Workshop 4 Filming, recaps, & conversation. |
| Time | Balboa Workshops |
|---|---|
| Ruby's Dance Hall, 14 Cadogan St, Marrickville (MAP). | |
| 10.30-11.30 | Session 1 |
| 11.45-1.00 | Session 2 |
| 1.00-1.45 | Lunch |
| 1.45-2.45 | Session 3 |
| 3.00-4.00 | Session 4 |
| 4.00-4.30 | Filming, recaps, & conversation. |
Taster Classes
6.30-8.30pm, Friday 3 May, Ruby's Dance Hall, 14 Cadogan St, Marrickville (MAP), $20 each/$35 for both at the door (or included with Everything Pass).
There will be 2 evening taster classes on Friday 3 May before the party.
- 6.30pm 'Welcome to LA' with Sylvia and Blake
- 7.30pm 'Welcome to St Louis' with Jenny and Christian.
These classes will give you a taste of the fundamental rhythms and history we will be devouring during the weekend.
Both taster classes are included with the Everything Pass, or may be purchased individually on the evening. Previous experience has shown that they are likely to sell out.
Workshop levels
These classes are mixed level, but for participation in the St Louis stream you will need to have been dancing lindy hop for at least a year, and be comfortable with swing outs, circles, charleston, a variety of turns, jazz steps, and breaks.
For participation in the LA stream you will need to have been dancing balboa for at least a year, and be comfortable with the basic rhythms and steps of pure balboa and balswing, including throwouts, pop turns, lollies, and double and single time steps, to join the balboa stream.
We also ask that you be social dancing regularly to join these workshops
Why mixed level?
Swing Time Australia and Swing Dance Sydney are committed to teaching and dancing swing dances as social dances, and that means an ability to find joy in dancing with all partners. Jenny and Christian draw on the tradition of social dancing, where partners work to find a shared sense of music and connection. Sylvia and Blake approach balboa as a dance of the ballrooms of Los Angeles, where Betty and Hal Takier would join thousands of dancers on the floor.
In these workshops we shift our emphasis away from dancing through a sequence of steps in perfect repetition, and towards social dancing skills.
The challenge for all follows and leads will be: how do you maintain your own sense of rhythm and timing while sharing a dance with a partner?
Jenny Shirar
Specialities: St Louis shag, lindy hop, solo jazz.
Jenny is one of the driving forces behind the Nevermore Jazz Ball and St. Louis Swing Dance Festival, her passion for the city, its people, its music, and its dances coming together in this one huge project. We'll be taking advantage of her knowledge at Jazz BANG, getting Jenny to dance and talk and dance some more so that we can learn a little bit more about her favourite town.
Jenny and Christian have been enthusiastically hunting down the jazz dances that grew up in St. Louis, learning them, and sharing them whenever they can. And that means all over the world. In class Jenny is clever and articulate, and on the dance floor she is FIERCE and clever and articulate. You can look forward to Jenny's patience and love for her dances as she invites you to explore St. Louis.
Christian Frommelt
Specialities: St. Louis shag, lindy hop, solo jazz.
Christian is a swing dancer and musician from St. Louis, Missouri. That's important, because where he came from and where he lives are central to Christian's philosophy of dance and music.
As a keen dance and music historian, Christian has worked with Jenny to find St. Louis' Original Groovers, and then learn as much as they can from them. St. Louis Shag is probably the most famous of the dances they've learnt, a rhythmically complex yet super fun partner dance. It's easy to learn, but always has something new and interesting to offer.
Christian is a keen social dancer (go to bed, Christian, you've got classes tomorrow), a pianist and avid jazz fan, and one of the friendliest, enthusiastic jazz dancers in the modern scene. Ask him to dance, but make sure you hydrate first!
Sylvia Sykes
Specialities: balboa, lindy hop, solo jazz, hustle, west coast swing... everything.
Sylvia is one of the key figures in the modern lindy hop and balboa world, one of the few dancers who worked closely with lindy hopper Dean Collins (in the early 80s) as well as balboa dancers like Maxie Dorf.
Based in Santa Barbara, Sylvia still teaches locally, and has a practical, accessible teaching style. That means she makes dancing look simple and feel nice. Though her teaching, performing, and judging background is unparalleled, Sylvia is friendly and approachable; you should ask her to dance.
Check out Ryan Swift's interview with Sylvia for The Track: you'll hear Sylvia talk about working with OGs, her love of live music, and her time as a professional hustle dancer. YES. DISCO.
Blake Thiessen
Specialities: balboa, more balboa, all the lindy hop.
A proud member of the Southern California dance scene, Blake has stayed up irresponsibly late on far too many nights dancing. If he's not social dancing, he's probably teaching, competing, or analysing old clips. And always enjoying the music.
This love of dance is partly why you'll have seen him in so many competitions recently. He can't bare to sit and watch when he could be up and dancing. And enthusiasm has brought him a wave of prizes in both lindy hop and balboa contests.
As a dancer and teacher, Blake values connected, finessed, historically rooted dancing. That means he likes his balboa to feel and look as good as it can. Few things make him happier than seeing students actively improving and enjoying their dancing.