Starting in June:

Also starting in June is an all new three week class on the Shim Sham! The Shim Sham is a jazz era dance routine originally done by Vaudeville performers in the early 1900′s. While there are many variations of the Shim Sham around today, the version popular amongst swing dancers and Lindy Hoppers is a solo group dance (dare we say “line”?) that incorporates various jazz steps. Taught by Anna and Shelley, this class will teach you the whole dance from time steps, to cross-overs and Tacky Annies. You’ll get a chance to practice it as a group step-by-step until you have it down pat.

Big news! On a side note… wondering what the big news is? Well drop by this website. More info will be coming!

Series classes are a great way to learn! This format will take you step-by-step, week-by-week to avoid information overload. Not only do you get an hour of class time a week, but each class is followed by a half hour of practice time where you can ask questions and get individual help. We work to give you as many tools as possible to make your dance education a success!

In the meantime, you can follow her adventures and view more photos by clicking here.

Group Classes: Normally, we start classes for the year in early January. However, we will be postponing our first classes of 2012 until sometime in April. Shortly after the baby is born we will have a better idea of the exact time frame and will be scheduling classes then. To stay up to date, please sign up for the email list (on the right) to get the latest updates on when classes are announced. If you are just starting out dancing, we highly recommend going to the beginner swing dance lesson before the 2nd & 4th Saturday dances. That will give you a great head start!

Private Lessons: As of mid-January, we will be putting private lessons on hold for a while. We plan to return to group classes first and private lessons sometime after that. Again, keep an eye on the website and the email list for updates.

Thank you to everyone for your understanding and support! We’re very honored that we’ve already gotten many inquiries on when we will be returning to teaching. With the help of some close friends, we plan to return in spring. If you want to be one of the first to know when the little one arrives, be sure to follow us on Facebook.

Rob & Dawn’s Christmas Party (12/17): We would like to invite all our friends, neighbors, and students (past and present) to our annual Christmas Party to say thank you for a great year! We’ll provide the music and the dance floor. Please feel free to bring light snacks and/or drinks (no alcohol please) for yourself or to share. There will be an open dance floor and we’ll be playing lots of great holiday swing music. Feel free to dance, or just come out and socialize! The event will be on Saturday, December 17th from 8pm to 11pm at the Longwood Ballroom.

Beginner Lindy Hop (4 pm):  This will be a condensed version of our regular six week class and will cover just the essentials to get you up to speed in Lindy Hop. Unlike our six week class, this class will not cover the six count basic, so you must know that in order to join in. However, you can pick this up at the beginner lesson before the dances or if you are in our current swing class, you are all set. This “mini” series class is designed to take you from six count moves into the Lindy Hop swing out (eight count) and give you the essentials to get you out on the dance floor. The full Lindy class won’t be offered again until late spring or summer, so be sure to sign up now.

Lindy Hop Style (2:30 pm): This three week series class will focus on style and footwork variations for Lindy. It is designed to teach you how to be creative with your footwork while still adhering to strong basics. It will also focus on the connection used to communicate and interact with your partner while you “style it up”. From variations to slides to kicks, this class will cover a wide variety of tricks and techniques. You must know the Lindy Hop basic to join in.

Both classes? If you are just starting out with Lindy Hop, we don’t recommend that you do both classes at the same time. However, if you are doing the Lindy Hop class as a review, you are welcome to do the Lindy style class at the same time.

With a new addition to the family, we will be revamping how we offer private lessons in 2012. Until then, we plan to keep teaching private lessons until the end of the year. Be sure to take advantage of them now before our schedule gets busy! We will go on hiatus from teaching private lessons at the start of the year and don’t plan to return until sometime after we start group classes again in March or April.