We want to create the best learning experience possible. The feedback from our fixed teacher streams over the past few years has been outstanding, and we believe it creates a much better learning environment. All streams have fixed teachers, i.e. you have the same teacher(s) for 9 hours of class over Saturday, Sunday, Monday. This means your teachers can tailor more to the group, and have more chance of giving individual tips during class.
You will still get to see the other teachers at the dances, and they will be joining in the circus taster classes beside you.
Please take the time to read the level descriptions and be prepared that we may move people up or down if necessary for the class overall.
- Beginners: Rob & Tina
- Level 1: Cat & Cam
- Level 2: Ryan & Lana
- Level 2 Savoy: Ben & Michaela
- Level 3: Sharon & Tony
- Solo Jazz Advanced: Trisha Sewell
- Solo Jazz Intermediate: (teacher tbc – not on sale yet)
Beginners: Rob & Tina
The class size will be much smaller than the general levels. You are new to Lindy Hop and have probably taken classes for a few weeks or months only. You’re still learning the basic moves, and probably don’t feel very confident social dancing yet. It’s unlikely that you’ve been to an international level Lindy Hop camp before.
Level 1: Cat & Cam
Level 1 dancers are improver-intermediate. You have probably been to weekly classes for around a year. If you don’t do regular classes now, then you have been dancing for much longer. You know the basic moves, but few variations. You’d like to feel more confident social dancing, and you’re looking for a step change in your dancing ability and repertoire over the weekend. You may have been to an international level Lindy Hop camp before – if you haven’t, congratulations on such a good first choice!
Level 2: Ryan & Lana
Level 2 dancers are intermediate-advanced. You’re well on the way, but you’re not as free in your movement and your dancing as you’d like to be. You want new moves, and we’ll also help you to fix up the basic technique so it forms a tight foundation for your dancing. If you’re a lead, you’ve got all the basic repertoire and standard variations but you still sometimes have to think about what you’re doing and how moves work. If you’re a follow, you’re able to use some of the follow variations without disrupting the lead, but you don’t always find it easy to follow moves you haven’t done before. You have been dancing and taking classes consistently for a few years and you’re likely to have been to several international level Lindy Hop camps before.
Level 2 Savoy: Ben & Michaela
The level description above describes your dancing, but you’d like a more intensive learning experience and you’re prepared to do some work before and after the festival.
The class size will be smaller, and you can expect plenty of individual feedback. Expect to work hard on your learning and you should feel significant changes in your dancing in areas such as body shape, movement and awareness, stretch and frame, as well as feeling comfortable with faster dancing.
You will get opportunities to ask questions, to track progress, and challenge each other to mutually improve your abilities. There will be recaps and revision each day to help solidify concepts and keep it in your bodies and
memories! There will be partner rotation for the majority of the time, but also some opportunities to work with your dance partner.
Prior to the festival, Ben & Ash have asked that you submit a 60 second clip of social dancing, and include 1 or 2 specific points or areas that you would like to focus on so that they can so that they can give you the best experience possible. They will also ask you to do some specific work after the festival.
Level 3: Sharon & Tony
Level 3 dancers are advanced, and the pace of these classes will be quicker. You can generally copy a variation that you haven’t been taught, and playing with rhythms is as exciting as playing with new moves. If you are a lead, you can easily assess your partners dance style/level and adapt accordingly to create an enjoyable dance for you both. You allow your partner space to throw in variations, and you are able to respond and change as needed from what you’d planned. If you are a follow, you find it easy to adapt to different leads. You are also able to hear things coming up in the music, to respond with your own variations, and create a dance conversation with your partner. You are an experienced dancer and you’ve probably been attending international level dance camps for many years, taking part in their higher level classes. You are now at the sort of level where people feel confident to enter competitions and dance in front of a crowd.
Solo Jazz: Trisha & 2nd Teacher (tbc)
We are hoping to have two solo jazz tracks at this year’s festival – we’re just waiting on confirmation of our second teaching space. If we get that then we’ll have two levels. If we don’t we will only have the Advanced level. The intermediate level is therefore not going on sale yet, but we’ll announce in advance if/when it does.
Solo Jazz Intermediate with (tbc): NOT ON SALE YET. You are keen to develop your vintage solo jazz, either as a dance form in it’s own right, or because you understand how much working on solo dance will improve your partner dancing. We expect you’ll have done some solo jazz before – as a guide familiar with Shim Sham/Tranky Doo, and/or already attended at least one dedicated solo jazz track at a dance weekend. We’ll assume everyone taking this class is already comfortable dancing partner Lindy Hop, although it won’t be expected in the class.
Solo Jazz Advanced with Trisha: You are already an accomplished vintage solo jazz dancer (NB it is not enough to be an advanced partner Lindy Hop dancer). You will have attended multiple solo jazz tracks over the past few years at events such as Shine, Gents Jazz, Paris Jazz Roots, etc. You are also confident performing in a solo jazz troupe, or are at the equivalent dance level.