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Classes
Spring Classes
Here is the new schedule for session II. Classes start May 6/7 and run for four weeks through the end of the month. $10 w/UCID, $20 w/out, for all four weeks. No partner or special shoes required, just show up a little bit early to the first class to register. Classes for the first week are in Ida Noyes Hall, either in the Library or the Cloister Club, but after that it varies so be sure to check your email/the website before class each week.
Tuesdays
8pm - Aris and Jame - Beginning Lindy
9pm - Roman and Debra - Beginning Swing
Wednesdays
8pm - Abbi and Joe - Continuing Lindy II
9pm - Adeoye and Holly - Continuing Lindy I
Beg. Swing is a PQ for Beg. Lindy; Beg. Lindy is a PQ for Cont. Lindy I; Cont. Lindy I is a PQ for Cont. Lindy II.
Saturday, May 24th at the Shoreland Ballroom, Carl and Karrie are going to be teaching a workshop aimed at the beginning to intermediate levels. If you haven't taken our classes yet, or haven't taken as many as you'd like, and want to learn some swing/lindy, this Saturday is the day to do it. More details on times/prices will be forthcoming, but save the date!
Which Class Should I Take?
Our Classes may be taken with or without a partner. Unless otherwise specified, our classes will rotate partners, as this practice reinforces the social nature of the dance. Likewise, no special shoes are required, though high heels and sandals without a back strap may cause trouble—most people wear worn-down tennis shoes. We encourage our students to do their homework every week—go dancing at least one night a week between classes to practice what you've learned and explore the local Lindy Hop community. Java Jive, offered every Friday by CSDS, is free, and you will see many familiar faces from your classes.All of our classes are designed to be taken more than once. Each session, instructors teach a different class, and bring to that class different opinions, styles, techniques, and lessons. We find this particularly useful to our higher level classes, where the students begin to develop their own personal theories about the dance and their own stylistic voice.
Basic Swing, or East Coast Swing, is the basic, most rudimentary dance done to Swinging Jazz music. Beginning classes focus on six-count and eight-count rhythms, triple-swing, and basic figures and techniques therein. No social dance experience is required at all—if you can walk and you can count to eight, you have what it takes to learn basic swing. After this class, if you feel you're ready you can move on to Beginning Lindy—otherwise you can take it again!
Beginning Lindy Hop will build from the rhythms introduced in the Swing class, but introduce the basic figures of Lindy Hop. Basic variations will also be introduced and discussed. Prerequisites are Basic Swing or sufficient social dance experience with other types of dance (Latin, Ballroom). You should take this class at least twice, as different instructors have different ideas of what a swing-out looks like, and this diversity is what makes swing dancing interesting, and it's what makes you a good dancer. If you wish, you can take Continuing Lindy Hop I at the same time as you take this class again.
Continuing Lindy Hop I and II will refine techniques learned in Beginning Lindy Hop and study more closely the relationship between partners, connection, control, and mechanics of the dance. These classes are designed to be taken multiple times each to solidify techniques. You should take Continuing Lindy I at least once before you take Continuing Lindy Hop II. Sometimes there is only one Continuing Lindy class, in which case everyone who would take I or II can take the one combined class.
Advanced Lindy Hop Seminar delves into the nuances and subtleties of the music and the dance that thrives on it. This class will focus on applying techniques to a wider range of tempos and syncopations, as well as addressing different topics within the dance such as styling and musicality. Content will vary with instructors, but this class is designed to be taken more than once. If you're taking this class, you've taken Continuing Lindy Hop II at least twice, or have had a year's worth of social Lindy Hop experience 1-2 nights per week.
Other classes sometimes offered by the Chicago Swing Dance Society or incorporated into other classes include:
Continuing East Coast Swing – Refinement of the basic swing moves and introduction of more moves, focusing on the smooth transition between 6- and 8- count patterns. [not usualy offered]
Charleston – Basic patterns and moves from the dance that links the Lindy Hop to East Coast Swing. Includes techniques to transition in and out of different Charleston positions and the Charleston swing out. [usualy incorporated in other classes]
Blues – Technique to dance to the music that makes Chicago famous. Focus is on connection, weight placement, counterbalance, and musicality. [sometimes offered instead of Continuing Lindy II, or incorporated into any of the Lindy Hop classes]
Balboa – Basic footwork and method for this fast, upright, 8-count dance that easily fits into Lindy Hop patterns. [sometimes offered]
Jazz Routines – Two part series of classes utilizing the original jazz steps performed by originals such as Shorty George and Frankie Manning. These jazz steps are then incorporated into full routines performed as line dances. [sometimes offered]
Lindy Hop Performance – Our newest addition to CSDS, this class is for the highly dedicated and experienced. Instructors teach technique for aerials, choreographed dancing, and showmanship by developing a choreographed routine to be performed at functions, and even competitions. [sometimes offered]
