Little Big Weekend

Alice roberts

Alice Roberts is a talented, driven lindy hopper and one of the best solo dancers in the country. She has been teaching weekly solo jazz classes since 2012, and she travels extensively to learn from the finest dancers she can find. Alice has a prodigious memory for choreography, and is known for her exacting approach to teaching and learning.

She's also Australia's pre-eminent Big Apple caller. Though the title began as a joke, Alice is the only Big Apple caller in Australia, calling the Big Apple contest at Jazz BANG in 2014, and at a number of local Sydney Big Apple contests. Big Apple calling requires an extensive knowledge of historic Big Apple dance steps, a sophisticated understanding of musical phrasing, and an ability to assess the skills of a crowd of competitors.

Lennart Westerlund

Lennart Westerlund: Historian, performer, teacher, speaker, choreographer....one of the original lindy hop revivalists, Lennart began lindy hopping in 1981 with the Swedish Swing Dance Society. He was a founding member of the Rhythm Hot Shots (now the Harlem Hot Shots), an organiser for the first Herräng Dance Camp, and currently plays an important role in the Chicago Swing Dance Studio.

Lennart has worked with many of the great dancers of the swing era - Al Minns, Frankie Manning, Norma Miller, Dawn Hampton... too many to name! His knowledge of jazz and swing era dances is unparalleled. Lennart will teach workshops in lindy hop, and lead a film-and-talk night on Sunday with his characteristic charm and humour.

Workshops 1,2,3, & 4

10.30am-5.00pm Saturday 10th October The Ashfield Polish Club, 73 Norton St, Ashfield (MAP)

Workshop 1: 10.30am-11.45am
Workshop 2: 12.00-1.15pm
Workshop 3: 2.15-3.30pm
Workshop 4: 3.45-5.00pm

A solid day of workshops with Alice and Lennart. These classes are mixed level, but 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, and one or two jazz steps and breaks.

Why mixed level?
Swing Dance Sydney is committed to teaching and dancing lindy hop as a social dance, and that means an ability to find joy in dancing with all partners. Lennart and Alice draw on the tradition of social lindy hop taught by Frankie Manning, where partners work to find a shared sense of music and connection.

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?

You will discover historic jazz and break steps, and explore lindy hop moves from the swing era. The emphasis in all classes will be on clear rhythms (and how to dance them), and on communicating with your partner. And because this is Alice and Lennart, all dancers will be pushed to work hard and develop the core structures that make improvisation possible.

2.00-4.00pm, Sunday 11 October
St Luke's Anglican Church hall, 11 Stanmore Rd, Enmore (MAP)

A workshop for those dancers currently teaching lindy hop and authentic jazz dance.

In this session we will explore Lennart's unique approach to teaching lindy hop to beginners. How does he teach a swing out in 20 minutes? Why doesn't he count students in? Why does he let students spend so long with each partner before rotating? And why do students come out of classes feeling so happy and relaxed - and swinging out?

If you've already begun experimenting with Lennart's approach, you should bring your questions about working with more experienced students, or ask about Lennart's experiences as one of Frankie Manning's first students. How did Frankie teach? And what did Lennart take from these experiences?

6.30-8.00pm, Friday 9 October
St Luke's Anglican Church hall, 11 Stanmore Rd, Enmore (MAP)

This class is open only to experienced solo jazz dancers.

You:

• Are working on solo dance on a weekly basis, either on your own, in a troupe or disciplined practice group, or in Swing Dance Sydney's weekly classes;
• Have a solid repertoire of historic routines, jazz steps and rhythm breaks;
• Put jazz dance into your lindy hop... in fact, you don't distinguish between 'jazz' and 'lindy hop.' They are the same animal to you;
• Are ok with all tempos, and are thinking about tap dance (if not already tapping);
• Will be comfortable improvising and 'social solo dancing' in the group, often in front of the group.

Wednesday 7 October: Lindy hop with Lennart and Alice

6.30-9.00pm, Wednesday 7 October, Petersham Bowls Club, 77 Brighton Street, Petersham (MAP).

Lennart teaching at Swing Dance Sydney's weekly lindy hop classes.

6.30-7.30 Beginners
8.00-9.00 Intermediate
$15 per class (or two classes for $18 with a Swing Dance Sydney 6 Class Pass.)

Monday 12 October: Solo Jazz with Lennart

7.30-8.30pm, Monday 12 October, St Luke's Anglican Church hall, 11 Stanmore Rd, Enmore (MAP).

Lennart teaching at Sydney's only weekly solo jazz class.

7.30-8.30 Mixed Levels
$15 per class