Schedule
Class levels
The classes will be self-streamed into three levels. The classes will all have one or two levels of dancers in them, and you will have the same level for all different styles and the classes will be taught accordingly (i.e. if you are an amazing lindy hopper but have very little blues or solo experience it is assumed that your general dancing ability will allow you to keep up in those classes. If you are very uncomfortable with this idea for yourself then please let us know and we can come up with a personalised schedule for you).
Please select the appropriate level for yourself based on the following descriptions. If you are unsure which level you should be in please get in touch with us. It is important for everyone’s experience of the festival that you put yourself in the correct level – while you can absolutely get a lot out of learning in levels at or below your skill, if you put yourself in a higher level you will struggle with the material and affect the learning for others in the class.
In general:
Level A dancers will have several years (or much longer!) of experience in swing styles, be prolific social dancers who are comfortable dancing with people of any level, to fast, slow, and in between music. You will have attended workshops and classes in other scenes, and be someone who is comfortable picking up new material in class and integrating it into the dancing you already do. You are good at improvising, playing with the music, and adding your own personality into your dancing. You are taking the top level of classes in your own scene and/or teaching. In Christchurch you are probably a level 4 or very experienced level 3 dancer, and/or a teacher.
Level B dancers will have been dancing for at least 6 months to several years, and have a solid grasp of lindy hop footwork patterns, moves and partnership. You can dance to a range of speeds and are developing your own style on the social floor. You are comfortable mixing together different types of moves, and are learning to improvise, and recover from missteps. In Christchurch you will be most likely an experienced level 2 or newer level 3 dancer.
Level C dancers are people who have completed at least two sets of our level 1 syllabus and therefore know at least a few moves in each of 6-count, 8-count and Charleston lindy hop and are capable to lead or follow these moves on the social dance floor. You are building up confidence to do more social dancing and are keen to learn more, more, more – more moves, more techniques, more fun! In Christchurch you will be a level 2 dancer.
Please note: there is no absolute beginners stream at CSF this year! This is because we feel that you can still benefit a lot from our local classes, and it’s really hard to write a schedule that works for people who have just started through to those who have been dancing for 20 years! Please help us out by being honest with yourself – if you don’t meet the requirements for level C above but are still keen to be involved, option 1) contact us pronto to take some private lessons which will help you get to this level, or option 2) get a socials pass and come along to all the evening dances and smash it out on the social floor every night – it’s guaranteed to improve your dancing, and be heaps of fun!
Note: We reserve the right to assign you a different level from which you have registered (either in advance, or during the weekend), if it would be a more appropriate fit based on your level and that of others who have signed up.