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You'll receive regular emails about classes, parties and just general goings-on with the Hilo Hep Cats

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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.

Vaccination required. Masks required. Class size strictly limited.

Please pre-register via email; no drop-ins.  Each class $5.

Dance FUNdamentals - Mondays, May 23 - June 13

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5:00 - 6:00 p.m.  We won't be learning new dance steps in this class, but instead as solo dancers we will explore and experience key skills applicable to any dancing (solo or partnered)--recognizing tempo and energy (they're not the same thing!), expressing different rhythms, and playing with creative interpretations which will shake you out of whatever rut you are in.  I challenge you not to be smiling by the end of the class!. 

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Beginning Balboa- Mondays, May 23 - June 13

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7:00 - 8:00 p.m.  This class returns us to partnered instruction.  If possible, we'll keep partners together for the duration of the class (no rotation), but you don't need to have a partner to sign up--we'll sort out the partnering at the first class.  Balboa originated in S. California and has a distinctive close embrace, rotational connection, and quick but subtle footwork.  It's a great dance for fast music, but elegant at slower tempos as well.  You can dance Balboa to the same swing music you love for Lindy Hop, but its non-syncopated rhythm allows you to dance to other jazzy music as well (even some Hawaiian tunes!)

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Solo Blues - Tuesdays, May 24 - June 14

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5:00 - 6:00 p.m. Blues dance is a creative and expressive partner dance, offering abundant interpretive freedom for both partners.  We will work solo on the fundamentals of pulse, rhythm, and body isolations, taking time also to focus on the structure of the music and how that can inspire improvisation.

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The Big Apple - Tuesdays, May 24 - June 14

 

 7:00 - 8:00 p.m.  Yep, we're offering Frankie Manning's challenging choreography again!  We will start at the beginning of the routine, so this is a great opportunity if you've never learned Big Apple.  It will also be a good review for those of us who've experienced this iconic dance, and are seeking a chance to lock in the moves and add styling. To see what it looked like when performed by Whitey's Lindy Hoppers for the film Keep Punchin' in 1939, check out this clip:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trsX4GWdc94 

   

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