Swing Dance Leeds - Robert Shield | Have fun, learn something on the way!

by tinashield | September 10, 2019 · 12:51 pm

Have a go at Tandem Charleston!

We’ve got an exciting course coming up in October. We’ll be tackling Tandem Charleston. This is a really fantastic set of moves lead from an unusual position. Great for fast music and for impressing your friends! If you’ve encountered Tandem Charleston in a drop in class before you’ll understand why we think it’s worth spending a whole four weeks on it so that you can really get it properly

Wednesdays,
23 Oct – 13 Nov 2019
8:30-9:30pm
at Dance Studio Leeds
cost: £32 for the 4wk course

to book email: swingdanceleeds@gmail.com

The course will focus on core Tandem Charleston repertoire including entries, exits and fun things to do while you’re there.

No prior knowledge of Tandem Charleston required you’ll just need to have a good grasp of the 30s Charleston basic, experience with partner dancing is helpful but not required.

Here’s an idea of what we’ll get up to in the class:

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Filed under Charleston, Rob + Tina, What's On?

Tagged as 2019, Charleston, Classes, Courses, DSL, improver, intermediate, Wednesday

by tinashield | September 2, 2019 · 9:25 pm

Footwork Variation of the Fortnight #96!

This fortnight’s variation is Slow Taps Behind

Get those toes tippity tappin!

Master this week’s variation and we’ll build on it with a faster version next week :)

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Filed under lindy hop, News, video

Tagged as Footwork Variation of the Fortnight, improver, intermediate, Lindy, lindy hop, social dancing, swing dance, variation, video

by tinashield | August 21, 2019 · 7:25 pm

Add Some Fun to Your Life

When was the last time you rolled down a grassy hill or stomped in a puddle or made up a silly song? These days we all find ourselves spending far too much time working and planning and networking and generally adulting and we forget to make time to just have fun!

At Swing Dance Leeds we’re here to help. We want you to have a go at swing dancing, not so that you can become a pro and impress all of your friends–I mean that’s okay too–but mostly we want you too see how much fun it is! We think you’ll love it and that you’ll enjoy spending time with other people who have set aside the time to just do something fun for the hell of it.

How to get started

Our Fundamentals course will get you off to a great start and help you feel confident in your new found dancing skills. Classes are small so you will meet a lovely group of new friends and find out all about the swing dancing community in Leeds and other activities you can get involved in. This course is appropriate for absolute beginners and anyone else who wants to re-visit their basics in a structured learning environment.

Course Details:
Wednesdays 25th Sept – 16th Oct
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

For a full list of beginner lessons and drop in classes have a look here. And for those who might be feeling a bit nervous about their first class, check out this blog post: How to Survive Your First Dance Class

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Filed under News, Uncategorized

Tagged as 2019, beginners, Classes, Courses, improvers, lindy hop, Newbies

by tinashield | August 19, 2019 · 6:04 pm

Footwork Variation of the Fortnight #95!

This fortnight’s variation is Figure of 8 Version 2

Being able to turn away from your leader without over-stretching is a nice challenge to work on!

Extra Credit: Our first Figure of Eight variation is here. Play spot-the-difference to test your video learning skills!

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Filed under lindy hop, News, video

Tagged as Footwork Variation of the Fortnight, improver, intermediate, Lindy, lindy hop, social dancing, swing dance, variation, video

by tinashield | August 18, 2019 · 12:15 pm

Couch to Hellzapoppin’

It’s that time of year again when we ask the dancers of Leeds to show us what you’ve got! It’s time for the Couch to Hellzapoppin’ Challenge and this year we’ve got badges!

Here’s how to play:

Start off with our Fundamentals Course. This is a 4 week introductory course that runs Wednesdays 6:30-7:30 at the Dance Studio Leeds. Take this at your own pace, some people do this course twice, for others once is enough. If you’re starting at the very beginning you’ve still got time to complete the whole challenge if you book onto the next Fundamentals course running 28th Aug – 18 Sept.
Next up is the Swingouts Course. This one works on a quintessential Lindy Hop move and is an excellent follow on from the Fundamentals. Dates: 25 Sept – 16 Oct
After that you’ll need to get some Tandem Charleston under your belt. Date: 23rd Oct – 13th Nov (if you’ve never done any Charleston before you’ll need to pop along to Hot Charleston to learn the basic step first)
Wrap it all up with the California Routine, a choreography that incorporates all of the standard lindy repertoire that you can learn in the courses mentioned above as well as a few extra flashy moves. It is easily the most famous lindy hop choreography and a fantastic goal to work towards (see video below)! Course Date: 20 Nov – 11 Dec

Have you got what it takes to go Couch to Hellzapoppin’?

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Filed under lindy hop, News, Uncategorized, What's On?

Tagged as Beginner, improver, intermediate, lindy hop

by tinashield | August 10, 2019 · 12:47 pm

How to Nail Your Swingout

If you’re just at the start of your lindy hop journey, chances are good that you’ve seen a swingout in videos or on the dance floor and thought “Wow! When will I be able to dance like that?!” Swingouts have that effect on people–two dancers effortlessly whizzing round each other and don’t even get us started on swivels! Whenever you’re ready to take the plunge we’ve got a whole four week course dedicated to swingouts to help you really nail this iconic lindy hop move.

Swingout Course
Wednesday, 25th Sept – 16th Oct
8:30 – 9:30pm at The Dance Studio Leeds
£32 whole course

The course will go over the basic shape of a swingout and progress to more in-depth technique, styling, and a couple of variations to spice things up a bit. As usual with our courses numbers will be limited so we can give you personal feedback on what you need to make your swingout awesome.

This course is a good follow on from our Fundamentals Course for those who are feeling confident with the basics. It is also appropriate for those who have learnt a swingout before and want to improve on their technique, learn to dance faster and add some styling.