| Classes - London Lindy Hop Festival |  |
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| Lindy Hop |  |
Lindy Hop, the Grand Daddy of Swing, is a jazzy, energetic dance which was born out of Harlem ballrooms in the late 1920s and 30s. The term 'Lindy Hop' was first coined by George "Shorty" Snowden, drawing inspiration from Lindbergh's pioneering aeroplane flight across the Atlantic in 1927. Characterised by imaginative combinations of 6 & 8 count moves, acrobatic lifts and "breakaways" in which partners separate and improvise steps individually, the dance is free spirited and fun, encouraging creativity and innovation. This is perhaps why, 80 years on from its inception in ballrooms such as the famous Savoy, Lindy Hop is enjoyed today by a new generation of dancers around the world, all bringing something original to the dance and making it their own.
We're very lucky this year to be joined by some great Lindy Hop teachers who will inspire you, challenge you and release the Lindy Hopping spirit within you!
| Charleston |  |
Think of the 20s and you immediately think of Charleston , capturing the exuberant spirit of the age. Fast (frantic even!) with shimmying flappers, swivelling footwork and no inhibitions, whether it's solo or partnered, this dance is about having fun and going wild!
Considered reckless and decadent in an age of prohibition, traditional ballrooms displayed signs reading "Please Charleston Quietly". But there'll be no such restrictions at the London Lindy Hop Festival! Our Bees Knees are loud and proud - they'll have you swinging those arms and shaking your 'Black Bottom' like you never knew you could! And if solo's not your style, toddle along to the Partnered Charleston class and step-touch your feet with a partner.
| Shag |  |
Collegiate Shag dates back to the early 30s, when college students were spicing up traditional ballroom dances and injecting them with some teenage spirit. Best suited to medium & faster tempo Swing music, it is danced with a 6 count 'step hop, step hop, run run' basic step, alternating between a close hold position, side-by-side and breakaway moves.
If this bouncy style sounds like your kind of thing then hop, kick and truck on down to the Shag taster class.
| Balboa |  |
Love dancing to faster music? Then Balboa could be the dance for you. Originating from the Balboa Pavilion in Newport Beach , California , the dance became popular in the 30s and 40s. As a response to overcrowded dance floors, Balboa evolved as a very close hold dance, with shuffling footwork and a subtle lead/follow connection relying on the shifting of weight. The upper body remains very still in this dance, with most of the movement below the knees. Although usually danced to quicker tempo music, Balboa can also be adapted to slower music, allowing more time for intricate footwork.
If you fancy an opportunity to improve on your basic Bal footwork, try out the Improvers Bal footwork class.
| Big Apple |  |
The Big Apple was born in the 30s in Columbia , South Carolina , and takes its name from the 'Big Apple' Juke Joint where it was first danced. It owes its development to dancers such as Betty Wood. Today we think of Big Apple in two forms - the social Big Apple and the choreographed routine danced by Whitey's Lindy Hoppers in the film "Keep Punchin'". In both forms the dance is a group dance performed in a circle and made up of a series of jazz steps originating from other dances of the era - Charleston, Black Bottom, & Shag to name a few. In its social form, a leader calls out the names of the moves - Suzy Q, Spank the Baby, Apple Jack etc - and the rest of the dancers follow.
There are literally hundreds of moves that make up the dance and our Beginners Big Apple class will aim to teach you some basic vocab to get you up on the floor doing your best Rusty Dusty, Posin' and Pecking! If you already know the basics, you might want to try out the faster paced and more challenging Intermediate Big Apple class.
| Musicality |
Learning moves is one thing, but if you're not moving your body with the music, then you're not really dancing. Musicality is about listening, feeling and experiencing the music, and then translating that into body movement. It's about understanding what the music is trying to say and saying something back through the dance. In a partnered dance such as Lindy Hop, it's also about sharing that interpretation with your partner and helping them to hear the music in a different way.
The Musicality taster class will aim to get you thinking about all these things and, ultimately, help you become a better dancer.
| West Coast Swing |
West Coast Swing is a partner dance which derives from Lindy Hop. Dean Collins was a major influence in developing the style on the west coast of America . West Coast shares some familiar patterns with Lindy Hop but, unlike the latter, is danced in a slotted fashion on the dance floor with the follower moving back and forth along a line of dance with respect to the leader. The style is slower and smoother than Lindy Hop and can be danced to many different kinds of more modern music with a 4/4 time.
| Blues |
The lights dim, the heat on the dance floor rises and night creeps slowly towards morning - now's the time for Blues dancing! An 'after-hours' dance, Blues can sometimes be misunderstood as something sexual or even labelled 'sleazy'. But Blues is about far more than this. The real beauty of Blues is in its focus on connection. Whether you're dancing with a partner or on your own, Blues is about experiencing the full range of human emotion - love, passion, joy, sadness, pain.. There's no limit to the emotions that music can evoke in us, and likewise no limit to where Blues can take you in your dancing - if only you're ready to let it!
The Blues taster class will help you shake of those inhibitions, connect with your partner, and lose yourself in a love affair of music and dancing. And what's more, as the last class on Saturday afternoon, it's guaranteed to get you in the mood for our all-night Blues party on Saturday night!!
| Tap |
Shuffle ball change, step shuffle, leap, toe, heel drop! With tap dancing, you're not just dancing to the music - you're creating it too, using your feet as a percussive instrument and your body to give expression to the rhythm. Tap dancing was born in the United States and came into its own during the early part of the 20 th century in Vaudeville and Broadway performances. Born out of and developed during the jazz era, tap dancing is characterised by its use of syncopated jazz rhythms and improvisation, and features common patterns such as the 'time step', Maxie Ford, shuffles, paddles, flaps and taps. However, whether you're entirely new to tap, or an experienced hoofer, the Tap taster class is an experience not to be missed!
| Shim Sham |
If you've ever been swing dancing I'm sure you have seen a version of the Shim Sham Shimmy. It's a 1920s line dance made popular once again with today's dancers by that King of Swing, Frankie Manning. This routine was originally a tap routine and is credited to Leonard Reed. It's a must for anyone who calls themselves a Lindy Hopper!
| Jazz Routine |
Jazz dance was born out of African American vernacular dance of the late 19 th and early 20 th centuries. Today, jazz dance manifests itself in many different forms. However, understood in relation to the dances of the jazz era (1920s - 40s), the term covers dances such as Cakewalk, Black Bottom, Charleston, Boogie-Woogie, Lindy Hop and Tap. Emerging out of a vernacular tradition of social dance, jazz dance takes to its heart the concepts of improvisation and self-expression. By learning a jazz routine, with choreographed steps and patterns, this gives you a foundation from which to build upon your own styling and technique, and gives you confidence to transfer some of the steps you have learnt and improvise with them in your Lindy Hop dancing.
| Boogie-Woogie for Lindy Hoppers |
Boogie Woogie is a form of swing dance originating in Europe in the 1950s. The basic step is a 6-count step and Boogie dancers are famous for their fast feet, musicality and plenty of flashy patterns. Currently enjoying huge popularity in Europe , Boogie Woogie is both a social dance and a competition dance, with competitions organized internationally through the WRRC and IDO.
World class teacher and dance champ Melanie Bucher will share the benefit of her Boogie Woogie expertise with you, taking you through the basics in the "Boogie Woogie Moves for Lindy Hoppers" taster class.
