"I always had two left feet, but in [swing I] class, dancing became a very easy thing to do."
- Robert Craig, February 2007
"Alex taught me not only how to dance, but especially in his 'Inner Dancer Class', helped me to dance from the inside out. At first I found my body, and as Alex predicted, I lost track of my mind and expressed my soul."
- Lisa G, January 2008
"Instead of learning a plethora of rules, I found that I was learning principles of movement and connection. Dancing became something that made sense to me, and I found it as something that deeply enriched me."
- Brandon Schendel, March 2006
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Swing I · Introduction to Swing Dancing - Are you Brand New? Start Here. You can keep your decoder ring at home because we make it flat simple. Let us break it all down in simple, easy to understand language and movement that will get anyone (even you!), believe it or not, looking like a dance regular and having fun in no time.... guaranteed.
No Experience Necessary for Swing I. No Partner Necessary for any class.
__________________________________________________
Swing II
· Jump, Kick, and Fly
(swing II, variations A) -
Want to find out where folks get all those super amped-up, cool moves?
They don't have magic powers. This is where its at! Whether you've
been dancing for a few months or are brand new, you'll get a vocabulary of moves
to dance hot, dance fast, kick butt, and go all night long.
Prerequisite: Swing I - or -
1 month experience dancing 6-count swing.
__________________________________________________
Swing II · Get Your Groove On (swing II, variations B) - Beginner Swing helped you fool your friends and family into thinking you're a pro. After this class they'll see you as a dance god[dess]! We add patterns with our gritty downbeat feel that will help you style your swing like it aint' no thing. We will show you how to go beyond just moving - and get into the groove.
Prerequisite: Swing I - or -
1 month experience dancing 6-count swing.
__________________________________________________
Blues I
·
Smooth
Blues (blues I, variation
A)
-
Slow Dance Like a Pro. When the groove is too slow to swing to, it's time
to blues it up. Elegant and enticing, the slow and smooth blues will not
only make you "slow dance ready" and help you really know what you're doing
during that really long song intro, but this dancing will improve all of your
other dancing as well. Many people think they can blues dance just
by copying what they see on the dance floor, but dancing slow is challenging
because mistakes glare with so much time. No worries. We'll show you
how to make it so nothing can be spotted ... except for the elegance.
No Experience Necessary for Blues I. No Partner Necessary for any
class. We will allow partners to not rotate if they wish.
__________________________________________________
Blues I · Jook Joint Blues (blues I, variation B) - Hot, sensuous, and intense as all hell, blues dance soaks every seductive action from its African roots. Lacking wider social approval, it has developed and thrived in smoky jook joints, house parties, and in recent years among a new generation of swing dancers. Never having been adopted by mainstream or ballroom America, blues dance remains strongly entrenched in African principles of movement, not only in the motion of the hips, but also in the characteristic creation of dancing within a boundary of lead - follow.
No Experience Necessary for Blues I. No Partner Necessary for any
class.
We will allow partners to not rotate if they wish.
__________________________________________________
Swing III · Charleston and Hot Swing (variations A) - You have no doubt noticed all the variations of cool Charleston steps out there. These steps kick (literally!) and really stand out on the dance floor. Whether you want to do them for looks or just to have an arsenal for when the tempo starts a blazin', we'll help you cover your bases. In this class, we'll take you beyond the basic Charleston step and into the multitudes of Kickin' Style.
Prerequisite: Swing II (A) - or - comfort with 6-count swing and Charleston
__________________________________________________
Lindy I · Introduction to Lindy Hop and Groove Swing (Aka Swing III, var B) - Begin Learning the 8 Count Swing Patterns of Lindy Hop! We'll guide you through the basics and get you participating in this mother of all swing dances in style. Get ready to move into a new swing world. This class will set you up to succeed in grooving 8-count swing and is the gateway to more advanced dancing including our Intermediate Curriculum.
Prerequisite: Swing II (B) - or
- 1 month experience dancing 6-count swing with triple steps.
Note: This is an 8 week class. Price is adjusted for this
longer duration.
__________________________________________________
Swing III · Lead / Follow & Footwork Intensive (variations C) - Lead & Follow is the Life Blood of all creative dancing. If you want to be creative together, you'd better be unbelievably good at working with your partner. This class will be the start of perfecting your ability to mix & match footwork patterns by learning to rely on your connection to your partner instead of "knowing the move." In other words... Cut Loose and Dance!
Prerequisites: Swing II (A & B) - or - comfort with triple steps and Charleston
__________________________________________________
Jazz I · Jazz Routine (infinite variations) - Its all game from Shim Sham to Big Apple: If you want to dance better with a partner, you've got to learn to dance better solo, and this is how you do it.
No Experience
Necessary for Blues I. No Partner Necessary for any class.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Blues II · Blues in the Open - By now, you've probably ventured out into open position with your blues dancing. Most people get the idea of dancing in open pretty quickly. They can even style it up, but often lack the partnering and musical capabilities of making it "pop". Blues dancing in open is not the same as Lindy Hop or Swing in Open. We'll show you how.
Prerequisites: Blues I (both A & B) - or
- 8 months of blues dancing experience
__________________________________________________
Lindy II · Cool Ass Moves - While the basics can cover much of your dance experience, there are times, you've just got to hit some cool moves. Based on the old school spirit of improv and high energy, we use these with some "Newtonian" principles to get your lindy through a whole arsenal of rockin' moves with exuberant musical style that will leave you and your partner with a smile each time you get off the dance floor.
Prerequisites: Swing III B (aka Lindy I )
- or - comfort with Lindy
Hop Basics : Swingout, Lindy Circle, Turns & Variations
__________________________________________________
Blues II · Inside Blues - Blues dance may have become more addicting than you thought, or maybe there seems to be more to it than you thought. Whether you're looking for more to do or just want to make your blues better, in the raw we provide more ideas, style, and all the little things that make a big difference.
Prerequisites: Blues I (both A & B) - or
- 8 months of blues dancing experience
__________________________________________________
Lindy II · Musicality Essentials - Good musicality depends on flawless execution of lead & follow. We will spend some time playing with variety and musicality within the basics, and also give you the keys that every dancer needs to understand in order to dance musically.
Prerequisites: Swing III B (aka Lindy I )
- or - comfort with Lindy
Hop Basics : Swingout, Lindy Circle, Turns & Variations
__________________________________________________
Lindy II · Social Lindy Hop - Keep the steps simple and dress them to the nine. Simplicity feeds the partnership that is the lifeblood of this improvisational dance. While Lindy Hop rewards individual expression, it demands selfless collaboration. Our map shows you how to do whatever it takes to work successfully with your partner to create dancing that is imaginative, elegant, inspired, and joyous.
Prerequisites: Swing III (all - A, B, C) - or
- 1 year of Lindy Hop Experience
__________________________________________________
Lindy II · Styling Jumpstart - The joy of the basic steps comes in large part via the space available for personal style & musical expression.
Prerequisites: Swing III B ( Lindy I )
- or - comfort with Lindy
Hop Basics : Swingout, Lindy Circle, Turns & Variations
__________________________________________________
Lindy II · Off the Slot - Get off the hook! You don't have to base your dancing on the same "old" standard moves. Get ready to roam free! (It works if you know what you're doing) We'll give you a little extra zip and show you where to use it. Through our love of this improvisational dance form, we will give you insight into its old school coupling with harmonious feel and movement.
Prerequisites: Swing III B ( Lindy I )
- or - comfort with Lindy
Hop Basics : Swingout, Lindy Circle, Turns & Variations
__________________________________________________
Lindy II · Whilrin' Fast, & Harlem Style - Want to dance fast and take names? Find that drive of pure liberation. It's easier than you think, everyone can do it, and everyone can do it with flair! EVEN YOU. So come on in and we'll burn the place up until all that's left are the ashes of our free flying - humgmpphh!! HA!
Prerequisites: Swing III (all 3 variations) -
or - 1 year of Charleston & Lindy Hop
Experience
__________________________________________________
Lindy II · Tandem Time - Charleston Moves in Tandem Position.
Prerequisites: Swing III (all 3 variations) plus one more Lindy II class
with Charleston - or -
18 months of Charleston & Lindy Hop Experience
__________________________________________________
Lindy II · Lindy'd Up in Blues - As you know by now, songs are not always strictly for one type of dance, nor are skills between dances completely separated. Many songs or parts of songs are a swingy blues or a bluesy swing. Whether you're sexing up a turn or putting more power into a dip, dancing is your emersion into all of the music. Take your blues dancing to new heights and your swing to new depths.
Prerequisites:
Blues I (both
A & B) plus three or more Lindy II classes - or
- 2 years of Lindy Hop and Blues Experience
__________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
You don't have to have been dancing a long time to cook up some impressive musicality and you don't have to have been dancing a long time to impress your partner. There are some "short cuts" to doing both of these where you don't a lot of experience. We call these the "mojo basics," and it's the surest way to looking like a natural in no time flat.