Class Levels

Attend more than one level but only pay for one!
If you’re taking classes at a given level you are welcome to attend classes at a lower level for free – this not only helps you recap and consolidate your own dancing, but helps newer dancers develop by having more experienced peeps in class with them (note that if the level down is particularly full, or if you are contributing to a large imbalance in leads/follows then we make ask more experienced people to step out). If you are a level 3 or troupe member and also doing level 2 (no extra cost!) then you will need to change venues in between after level 2.

Level 1

Absolutely no experience necessary! Our lindy hop beginners classes are in two 6-week long sets – A and B. These include some different material and some repeated, in order to ensure everyone gets a solid grounding in the fundamental footwork styles for lindy hop (8-count and Charleston) to help you handle anything the social dance floor might throw at you! Come learn the basics of this fun dance style and we’ll have you up on the floor in no time. Lots of people are worried about their “two left feet” but if you can walk you can dance and maybe even if you can’t walk! Your teachers will break down the steps in an easy to learn format, and have you social dancing from week 1, and really getting the hang of it by week 6! A great way to meet new people and keep yourself active!  If you’ve already done the first set, you’ll have some idea already for the second half of your next set (although we do try mix it up a bit), but this is a chance to really consolidate your technique and style before making the jump up to level 2.

We require people to do both sets before moving up to Level 2, but you’re welcome to repeat them as many times as you like if you are still building your confidence. We also encourage you to start coming social dancing – it really is the best way to get better (even if it is a bit scary at first!).

Level 2

Level 2 also runs in 6 week sets, and have a slightly larger range of levels, but dancing with people with more and less experience than you do is really the best way to become an awesome social dancer that everyone wants to dance with, so let’s see this as a feature!!

To get the most out of this level and be of a similar level to the other dancers you need to be at a level where you are confidently social dancing the basic level one moves at a range of speeds and footwork patterns. For most people this will be after at least two level 1 sets. If you have attended less than this but have been doing a lot of social dancing and/or have extensive background in other styles then get in touch with us to check if it’s okay to move up.

There are five 5-week sets in our level 2 + syllabus, each based around one of the main footwork patterns of 8-count, 6-count or Charleston. The aim is to build your vocabulary of moves, whilst focusing not just on the WHAT of the moves, but also the WHY and the HOW, to help you become a great lead or follow (or both!) on the social dance floor! We rotate through these sets, teaching you fun new moves, some styling, and really start to work on the underlying techniques of how you make it all work on the social dance floor.  We hope at this stage that you’re coming out social dancing with us regularly because it’s so much fun!
You can repeat these multiple sets as many times as you need/want to make sure you are very comfortable with the material before moving to the next level. Different teachers will approach the material in different ways so you can still gain a lot from repeating a set and moving up too soon can be detrimental to your progress.

The move from Level 2 and Level 3 is based on your readiness rather than a specific number of sets. Your teachers can give you an idea of what you need to work on to prepare for Level 3.  Some things we look for:

  • Follows
    • waiting for a lead rather than doing the moves themselves
    • being aware of their mistakes (i.e. noticing if you don’t follow something)
    • Comfort with unusual moves being led
  • Leaders
    • Capable at floorcraft
    • Awareness of how leads originate from the body
    • Can mix 6 and 8 count and charleston
  • All
    • Comfortable dancing at speeds up to 170 – 180 bpm
    • Aware of social dancing etiquette e.g. appropriate ways to ask people to dance, hygiene.

Performance troupe and Level 3

These classes are held at a different venue (currently we are in a temporary venue while we search for a longer term solution – check where it is currently here) and will alternate sets (6 week routine class sets, and 6 week level 3 sets). These are aimed at teaching more advanced techniques and/or learning fun choreographies with our performance troupe. If you’re interested in these, they are aimed for those who have been dancing for long enough to rock out to a bunch of different tempos and can comfortably social dance with most people in the scene. You should be able to mix moves of different counts and be very comfortable with the concepts of lead and follow!  You are starting to think beyond steps and ready to develop ‘how’ you dance. You have a basic understanding of the concepts of balance, centering, weight change and you wanting to develop your dance to music and feeling driven rather than steps driven.  There is an annual audition for the performance troupe. For level 3, if you are feeling like you might wish to move up from level 2 then please let us know and we will get some feedback from your teachers as to whether you are ready or give you pointers about what you might want to work on.

You don’t have to do performance troupe in order to sign up for Level 3.

Level 4 lindy hop

We will run several weekend workshop days throughout the year for our level 4 dancers – with entry to these via peer-audition. If you are an experienced level 3 dancer and interested in being considered for level 4 please let us know at swingtownrebels@gmail.com.

Blues and Balboa classes

These are run on an ad hoc basis – sometimes in short sets following level 3 sets and other times on additional nights. Most classes will be beginner (level 1) or intermediate (level 2) – all dancers are encouraged to attend these. For the purposes of these classes, “Level 1” means you know nothing (or have forgotten most things) in the style, whilst level 2 means you’ve done a number of classes, and know enough basic moves that you are happy social dancing for at least a whole song in the style (nothing flashy required – come along to class and learn the cool stuff!). If you’re unsure, flick us an email at swingtownrebels@gmail.com to check.

See the main classes page for details of any balboa of blues in an upcoming set. Also check out the info about socials and workshops as sometimes we do one off workshops in balboa or blues.