About Prerequisite Recommendations
Because Swing is a very creative and individual dance, we do not subscribe to strict levels and arrangements where dancers must jump through the hoops from tier to tier based on how many classes they've purchased. (This kind of system does not work anyway. Leveling to a strict standard based on rules rather than creative capacity breeds stifled, one-dimensional, and systematic dancing, thus reducing overall creativity and spontaneity even for the advanced dancers.) We believe that every level of dancer can learn something from any of our classes. Even we, as instructors, can learn from the students. Dancers learn from dancers. The goal of our classes is for everyone to learn from one another. As instructors, we try to teach you fundamentals that will help you find your own voice on the dance floor.
We do this because your voice has the power to inspire us. Then we get to learn from you.
All this learning talk is not to say that there aren't certain skills or amounts of exposure necessary to grasp deeper fundamentals. There is certainly practice and time necessary to bring one's creative capacity to a higher level. Inexperienced dancers will only benefit from more advanced fundamentals once they have mastered the basics. You have to be able to do a triple step before you can do a swingout. In other words, more evolved techniques will always require mastery of the basic elements first. The point of all technique is to improve the level of creative capacity.
Everyone has different strengths in their dancing and some folks advance faster than others. An occasional highly-skilled dancer may be able to easily go directly to a 300 level class from Lindy 123, others may need to take every single class in the 200 series first. We love teaching everyone. All we ask is that you be considerate of the other members of the class in choosing future classes, but do not be intimidated. No amount of dancing skill or lack of dancing skill makes anyone a better or worse person. The skill only helps bring out the person that is already inside.
Our prerequisite recommendations are a middle-of-the-road guide we consider valid for over 80% of our students. It is a guide to help students get the most from their classes. It is not the law. However; if you have reason to break the guideline, please inform us, so that we may find ways to ease the transition. If you think you might have reason to skip over the guideline (or hold yourself back), but aren't sure, let us know, and we'll give you our best idea of what the class will be like for you. Usually, we will okay skipping ahead, but not always. It is a rare case, but we will also remove students out of a more advanced class if they have not yet built the musical and kinesthetic language to authentically participate. We will always inform you of specifics whenever there is a gap between dancing ability and participation in a class.
If you are coming to us after having learned somewhere else, please let us know. We will never put down the awesome dancing that you have already learned! We want you in our classes and want you to be happy, learning useful material in our classes. It is hard to get useful material if you've placed yourself either too high or too low in level. We will be teaching you with this in mind, so it is a good idea put a little note on your registration.
100 Level
Classes - Beginner
No Experience Necessary. Walk
In. Dance Out.
All 100 Level Classes have no pre-requirements and are open to beginners. All classes with the number beginning and ending in one (which is almost all of them) are ideal for absolute beginners who've never danced or swing danced. Core to these classes are Swing 101 and Lindy 111 which can be taken in any order. Both are perfect to take as an absolute newbie. Continuing students are encouraged to take both classes. You can think of these classes like "US History" and "World History" (but hopefully more interesting ;) ). You may be a history or dance newbie, but you can take either of these classes without the other. After you take one class, you can take the other for a more complete picture. Although each class easily stands on its own for anyone in their first History or Swing class, there are intersections where the more complete picture becomes self evident to the returning student who has taken the opposite class.
100's Class Syllabi
101 :
6-Count
Basic (step - step - rockstep & triple basic), Underarm Pass, Rockstep Recovery,
Waist Slide, Arm Tricks, Cuddle Moves, Closed Position, Arch Turn, Bring In,
Send Out, He Goes, Cross Hand Turn, Cross Hand Pass, Windmill, Fancy Hands, Jump
Out Arial
111 :
Groove
Steps, Pull Through, In, Out, In/Out, 90 degree, Lindy Circle, Swingout, 180,
Half Lindy Turn, Full Lindy Turn, She Turns / He Turns, Behind the Back, Inside
Turn, Outside Turn, Musicality
131 :
Blues
Basic Movement, Hip Movement, Musicality, Hits & Pops, Back & Forth, Chase, Call
& Response, Partner Play, Spontaneous Lead/Follow
190 :
Shim
Sham & Big Apple
200 Level
Classes - Intermediate
Approximately 6 months Experience for
dancers new to Downbeat.
Our 200 Level Classes are designed to take you from feeling like a beginner dancer to a mid-level complete with an entire arsenal of moves, lead/follow skills, style, technique, and musical feel. We build on the principals introduced at the 100 level, and begin to build dancing as craft, capable of unique and personal creative expression. We give a basic feel for Swing movement, dynamic, texture, and tradition.
Skills from 100 levels or previous experience fundamental to 200 level classes: Ease with six and eight count patterns, comfort with a relaxed lead/follow, ability to execute basic dance patterns (swingout, closed basic, charleston, arch turn, triple steps, etc.), understanding of what is meant by "frame", ability to dance together and in synch without looking at your partner's feet.
Guide for New Students Who Did Not Begin with Downbeat Dance
Students participating in class # ____ should have a solid familiarity with (but do not need absolute mastery of) ....
201 :
6-Count
Basic (step - step - rockstep), Turning, Lead/Follow in Open & Closed Positions,
passes, waist slide, cuddle, cross hand moves
203 :
6-Count Triple Step Basic (triple-step, triple-step, rockstep): Turning,
passes, waist slide, cuddle, cross hand moves
211 :
Swingout,
Lindy Circle, Turning, Lead/Follow in Open & Closed Positions, She Turns / He
Turns, & Swingout variations.
212 :
Swingout,
Lindy Circle, Turning, Lead/Follow in Open & Closed Positions, She Turns / He
Turns, & Swingout variations.
221 : Swingout,
Lindy Circle, Turning, Swingout variations, 6-Count
Triple Step Basic, Arch Turn, & Passes
222 : Swingout,
Lindy Circle, Turning, Swingout variations, 6-Count
Triple Step Basic, Arch Turn, & Passes
231 :
Blues Basics,
Hip Movement, Weight Shift, Open & Closed Position, Some Jazz Movement
250 :
Mind-Body
Dance Practice or Experience with Trance, Shamanic, Yogic, 5 Rhythms, or other
similar Mind-Body Practice w/ Music
290 :
Jazz
Basics or
Dance Movement Experience
Students participating in class # <above> should have a solid familiarity with (but do not need absolute mastery of) ....
300 Level
Classes - Advanced
About One to Two years experience for
dancers new to Downbeat.
Our 300 level classes get nitty gritty on fundamentals, and dive into the unbounded dynamo of Swing Music. If you're looking simply for more moves or cut-and-dry answers for every dancer out there, these are the wrong classes to attend. These classes will deal with fundamentals that provide you with tools vital to partnered expression. We will also deal with those things that get in the way of an intense, improvisational dance. We will be working on distilling the craft to pave the way to make deep personal expression (Art if you will) out of our dancing. If you're looking to revolutionize your dancing and are willing to "start over," these classes are for you.
Note on 300 Level Numbers: 300 Level Classes have a focus based on whether the class number is even or odd. Odd numbered classes will focus on "left brain" or structural elements of dance vocabulary, technique, and skill building. Even numbered classes will be more of an exploration of "right brain" creative elements of finding personal style, flavors of partnership, and musicality. Every class will deal with both "left" & "right" brain, but emphasis will depend on even or odd number.
Skills from the 200 Level (or equivalency) that will be essential in 300's classes: A 'quiet' sense of partner connection, frame, weight shift, pulse, centering, absorption, mobility, and controlled momentum.
Everyone is born with their own gifts of creativity. We encourage all levels of dancer to learn from one another, and not be afraid to teach each other. This is the atmosphere we hope to create in class and on the social floor. Where creativity mixes and communicates, inspiration thrives.