This fortnight’s variation is Wrap In
This variation makes any move look extra fancy
The trick to making it pop is to wrap into your arm on the 6.
2020 Wednesday Courses!
Our 2020 line up is out! Put these dates in your diary folks. All of these courses are 8:30-9:30pm at Dance Studio Leeds. We’ll also have Lindy Hop Fundamentals running alongside these courses on the same dates in the 6:30-7:30pm slot.
- 8 Jan – 29 Jan Intro to Partnered Charleston
- 5 Feb – 26 Feb Swingouts
- 4 Mar – 25 Mar Tandem Madness
- 1 Apr – 22 Apr Classic Moves (Frankie’s Moves)
- 29 Apr – 20 May Musicality
- 27 May – 17 Jun Swingouts
- 29 Jul – 19 Aug Intro to Partnered Charleston
- 26 Aug – 16 Sept Classic Moves (Tricky Moves)
- 23 Sept – 14 Oct Swingouts
- 21 Oct – 11 Nov Tandem Charleston
- 18 Nov – 9 Dec California Routine
For a more detailed description of any of these courses visit our Courses Page. Considering revisiting a course that you’ve done before? Great idea! We often cover slightly different material each time we run these courses to suit needs of the group. We think many dancers benefit from doing a course more than once so anytime you take a course that you’ve done before you get it for the discounted price of just £20 per person.
Filed under lindy hop, News, Uncategorized, What's On?
The Ultimate Christmas Gift
Have you asked for experiences instead of things this year? Do you want your Christmas shopping to support local businesses instead of corporate greed? Then look no further!
Swing Dance Leeds Gift Vouchers tick all the boxes!
- Locally Sourced
- All Natural
- Zero waste
- Carbon Neutral
- Family Friendly
- Gluten Free
We can do gift vouchers for Wednesday Courses, Hot Charleston workshops or private classes. A private lesson is an especially lovely treat–like a spa day for dancers. These can also be a nice low stress experience for someone who really wants to have a go at dancing but can’t work up the confidence to go to a class
To purchase a gift voucher simply email swingdanceleeds@gmail.com or send a request through our web form. Let us know what you have in mind and we’ll do the rest!
Filed under News, Uncategorized
Footwork Variation of the Fortnight #100!
This fortnight’s variation is Sweep Scoot Tap
Stuck in a rock step rut? Try this variation and open up a world of possibilities (you don’t have to rock step on the 1, 2!)
That’s right this is variation number 100 whoop! 100 kick ass variations to shake up your lindy.
There’s Still Time to Learn to Dance!
Did you promise yourself that this would be the year that you would finally get around to signing up for a swing dance class? The clock is ticking but don’t worry you can still make it! Our final Lindy Hop Fundamentals Course starts 20th November. Just in time to get you ready to dance the night away on New Years!
Lindy Hop Fundamentals is our four week beginners course covering all the basic steps of this joyful vintage swing dance. You’ll learn at your own pace alongside a small group of other newbies and you don’t even have to have a partner! We promise you’ll make friends along the way, have a good laugh, and even get a bit of exercise.
Course Details:
Wednesdays 20th Nov to 11th Dec
6:30-7:30pm
at Dance Studio Leeds
cost: £32 for the 4wk course
Pre-booking and payment required in advance
to register email: swingdanceleeds@gmail.com
Have a look at this video for a taster of what you can expect on the course:
For a full list of course dates visit our courses page
Filed under lindy hop, News, video, What's On?
How to Deal With Rejection
When you’re first learning to dance it’s easy to laugh at yourself and just hope that one day you’ll feel less awkward. As you start to push yourself to dance with strangers, learn harder material, perform or compete you’re likely to have moments that really knock your confidence, maybe even make you feel like giving up. Most of us do.
Imagine the scene: you’re at a weekend event and you take notice of some dancers that look quite good. You think hey I’ll be brave and make a point of asking those folks for a dance. You spot one of them and approach.
“Hi want to dance?”
“Oh sorry no.”
“Oh okay, no worries”
You approach someone else, “Are you dancing?”
“Oh uh–I’m just resting…”
“Oh right sorry”
You ask another person and get yet another rejection. You start to feel a bit snubbed, a bit down about yourself and your dancing.
What to do next…
I think we’ve all experienced this at one time or another. Does no one want to dance with you or is it all in your head? It doesn’t really matter which it is, you still feel crummy. Here are some tips to help get past that icky feeling and still have an awesome night.
First, just take a moment to rule out a few factors that are in your control. If you can answer yes to any of these then you may just need to be more aware of these factors as any of them could lead to someone declining a dance:
- Could the person you’ve asked be uncomfortable with the speed or style of the music or the role you were asking them to dance?
- Did you ask in an unusual or indirect way? (an insinuating hand gesture may be less effective than a direct question)
- Was the person you asked in the middle of a conversation or doubled over out of breath.
- Have you danced with the person before and gotten the impression that they were uncomfortable?
If you answered no to all of the above questions then remind yourself what a declined dance (or two) does not mean. Your mind can take you to some strange places when you’re feeling down. It’s good to remember that a rejection (especially one from a complete stranger):
- Does NOT mean that no one likes you
- Does NOT mean that everyone thinks you’re a terrible dancer
- Does NOT mean that you’re not good enough to be at the event
- Does NOT mean that you’re not good enough to enjoy dancing and feel like you’re pretty okay at it sometimes
What a few declined dances might mean:
- Just a bit of random bad luck (and a bit of projection)
- A difference in taste (you love the band–they’re just waiting for the DJ to come back on)
- The dancers you’re asking are only there to dance with people they know, the teachers, dancers with the same wristband
- The dancers that you’ve been asking have made negative assumptions about you/your dancing based on your clothes, age, body shape, etc
Some of these reasons might not seem very kind. I’ve tried to be realistic. However, in the moment it can be really difficult to tell if someone is snubbing you or if you’re just having a bit of bad luck so try not to jump to conclusions. Ultimately it doesn’t matter what the reason is because all of these things are outside of your control and also not about you or your dancing.
How to Turn Your Night Around
This is the important bit, how to go from being sad and annoyed to hopefully having an awesome time!
- Take a break and chat to people, get a drink, or just listen to the band.
- Remind yourself of the good interactions you’ve had at the event–nice chats, a compliment in a class, good dances the night before.
- If someone declines a dance with no explanation don’t ask them again later, it’s not worth it. If you feel like you are getting rejections from a certain group of people avoid asking anyone in that group.
- Focus your energy instead on all of the other lovely dancers in the room! (ask people from your classes, people you’ve had good dances with before, people that you’ve had good chats with)
- Treat others how you would want to be treated. When I feel bad about myself, being nice to someone always makes me feel better. If you feel bad about your dancing, make a point of complimenting someone else. If you feel like you’ve been snubbed, take a moment to make sure that you aren’t making someone else feel that way. Go ask a beginner to dance, ask someone who seems to be sat down a lot, dance with someone who’s working hard to learn the opposite role.
- By now you should be back on track to have an awesome time!
Filed under Cats' Corner, News
Footwork Variation of the Fortnight #99!
This fortnight’s variation is Truffle Step
A fast variation that needs be calm, grounded, and smooth. You’ve got your work cut out for you
Why have we called it the Truffle Step? Who knows. We’re open to suggestions…
