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NEW TEMPORARY LOCATION: we are offering "outside" classes in a garage with a smooth, concrete floor. Please wear athletic shoes or other footwear which provides a cushion. Beginners welcome. Masks required. Please pre-register; no drop-ins. Each class $5.
Group Classes
The Madison - 4 Classes - Mondays Sept. 14 - Oct. 5, 2020
5:00 - 6:00 p.m. The Madison, a novelty line dance from the 1950s with references to cultural icons of the time like Wilt Chamberlain, The Rifleman, and Jackie Gleason is a fun routine to a song which calls out the moves. It was featured in the movie “Hairspray.”
The Big Apple - 4 Classes - Mondays Sept. 14 - Oct. 5, 2020
5:00 - 6:00 p.m. One of the best known, and also most challenging, jazz routines of the Lindy era is The Big Apple. We will be learning the version Frankie Manning choreographed; before Frankie “standardized” it, The Big Apple was a called dance; it varied each time, according to the moves called out. Danced in a circle at a fast pace, this dance is guaranteed to provide both a physical and a mental workout! Please note that we might need more than four classes to master this routine
Solo Dance Technique - 4 Classes - Tuesdays Sept. 15 - Oct. 6, 2020
5:00 - 6:00 p.m. Learn how to organize jazz steps into your own full-length solo dance! Using jazz vocabulary you may already know (and yes, I’ll teach some fundamental moves as well), arrange them to express the music and leave room for innovation and improvisation. We’ll explore the three tempos of swing: quicks, slows, and syncopation. If you’re ever at a social dance and don’t have a partner, this class will let you dance to the music on your own.
Jazz Movement Vocabulary - 4 Classes - Tuesdays, Sept. 15 - Oct. 6, 2020
7:00 - 8:00 p.m. Learn from the universe of vintage solo jazz steps which is part of swing dancing’s heritage! Many of them are widely used in popular routines such as Shim Sham, Big Apple, and Tranky Doo, so if you later learn one of these routines, you will already know the footwork. Many can also be creatively incorporated into partnered dancing.
Private Lessons
Our primary swing dance instructors offer private lessons by request. In addition, most of our workshop instructors offer privates when they are in town. If you would like to take private lessons please use the Contact Form.
Resources for Students
If you're a Hep Cats student, click here for additional class resources.