New Lesson Series Format!

Last October we brought in two awesome Lindy Hop instructors who are part of a dance studio called Studio 88 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.  Patrick Szmidt and Natasha Ouimet are really passionate about their teaching methods and after some great long conversations with them about lesson planning and curriculum development we were inspired to take a long look at our own lessons. 

Photo by David Heasley

Our goals are:

• To make the intermediate classes begin from a higher level
• To clearly differentiate one series from another
• To create better swing dancers through strategic skill building

New Swingology Lessons Structure
We now have a beginner level with 3 courses that can be taken in any order, followed by an intermediate level of 4 courses that can also be taken in any order.  Balboa was taken out of our core offerings and basic Charleston was integrated into some of the Lindy Hop classes. 

Beginner Level - Swing 1
No experience required.  All classes begin from scratch and include the basics of frame and connection, a few moves, and some social dance ettiquette.  The two Lindy Hop classes will include different moves to develop your skills for level 2. If you have never taken dance lessons before, we recommend starting with 6-Count Swing before trying Lindy.

Swing 1a	Swing 1b	Swing 1c
Beginner 6-Count	Beginner Lindy Hop	Beginner Lindy Hop

Note:  Beginner 6-Count Swing (aka East Coast Swing or Jitterbug) is also taught before each of our Swingin' Tuesdays, as well as before the monthly Saturday dance at the YWCA, so there are lots of chances to learn and practice! 

Photo by David Heasley

Moving up to level 2 isn't just about completing all the level 1 classes - you should feel comfortable with the basics before you move up to level 2, so that we don't need to re-teach the basic steps.  If you're not sure if you're ready to move up, just ask one of our instructors to dance and they can give you feedback.

Intermediate Level - Swing 2
These classes will begin assuming you are comfortable doing the basics of Lindy Hop:  swingout, sendout (swingout from closed position), and Lindy circle.  Rather than starting from scratch, we'll review the basics at a higher level, adding more frame, connection, and momentum concepts to what you already know.  These 4 classes are NOT sequential - take them in any order and feel free to repeat as many times as you want!

All classes will include frame/connection exercises, plenty of moves, mixing of 6 and 8 count patterns, and you'll learn more about Lindy Hop culture and history.  Shown here are just a few examples of moves you'll study in these classes:

Swing 2a	Swing 2b	Swing 2c	Swing 2d
Play it Cool	I Will Survive!	Let's Get Tricky	Connection is Everything
- Slower Tempos - Switches - Texas Tommy - Musicality	- Faster Tempos - Side by Side Charleston - Transitions	- Swingout Variations - Swivels! - Musicality	- Tandem Charleston - Moves that challenge your connection - Sugar Push

In addition to stepping up our lesson series, we are committing to offer more frequent crash courses and mini-workshops so that we can bring you more opportunities to learn 6-Count and Lindy Hop.  We'll also offer workshops covering Balboa, Blues, and Charleston to expand your swing vocabulary.