General Information
This mini-workshop with Trisha is designed to empower teachers with the essential knowledge and skills to teach Lindy Hop while honouring its rich historical and cultural roots. This approach ensures that the dance is not just taught as a series of steps, but as a vibrant cultural expression that emerged from the African American community during the Harlem Renaissance. By embracing the true essence of Lindy Hop, teachers can inspire their students to connect with the dance on a deeper level, respecting its origins and preserving its legacy for future generations. This training fosters a teaching environment where Lindy Hop is celebrated not just as a dance, but as a vital piece of cultural heritage, ensuring that every class pays homage to the pioneers who shaped it.
Students may be expected to complete some pre-work. The workshop will be a fully immersive and practical experience, where all students are encouraged to engage wholeheartedly in the exercises. Participants should come prepared to share their knowledge, approach the exercises with openness, and embrace vulnerability as they explore and honour the rich history of the dance. This collaborative environment will ensure a deep, meaningful learning experience for everyone involved. To be able to fully engage in this class, good English skills are required.
Lindy Hop will be taught by Trisha & Carlos, Bianca & Nils, Breonna & Stephen, Erol & Serpil, and Katja & Rikard. You will not have classes with all of the teachers.
Beginner/Intermediate
I have learned how to dance a Swing Out.
Intermediate
I know how to dance a Swing Out and I can dance some variations on the social dance floor.
Intermediate/Advanced
When I dance a Swing Out, I like to experiment with different variations and to make the Swing Out fit to the mood of the song.
Advanced
There are so many subtleties to a Swing Out, I could dance them all night. But hey, why keep the connection all night long? I also feel comfortable breaking away and dancing solo in between.
Performance (partner registrations only)
I have been dancing Lindy Hop and Solo Jazz for a long time and am looking for a challenge. Together with my partner, I want to work on the performance aspect of Lindy Hop.
Solo will be taught by our Lindy Hop teachers and LaTasha. You will not have classes with all of them.
You can take Solo as a 5 hour block per level or as 2 ½ half-day block.
Relaxed
I have a repertoire of solo jazz steps and would like to improve my creativity in a relaxed atmosphere.
Challenging
I love solo dancing and am eager to challenge my boundaries.
At Leapin’ Lindy, you can learn or improve your Collegiate Shag, a smooth and fun dance to fast music. You can combine all Shag classes individually, according to your dance level. Shag classes will be taught by Sandy & Fancy.
Shag Beginner
If you don’t have any or little Collegiate Shag experience, please come to the free class before the Friday party.
Shag Basics (Beginner+ and higher levels)
If you have learned the basics in the free class on Friday or some other class and want to learn more, this is the class for you. You will learn how to combine Shag and Lindy Hop and work on dancing to faster music with ease to get that smooth Shag feeling. You are also welcome to join this class if you have been dancing Shag for a while and want to work on improving your basics and your speed.
Shag Figures (Intermediate and higher levels)
If you know at least three different basic Shag steps, have been dancing Shag for at least a year in classes and like to social dance, this level is for you. The focus of the class will be learning new cool figures.
Shag Challenge (Advanced)
Sandy & Fancy will challenge you in this class. If you have been dancing Shag for several years in regular classes and on the social dance floor and are looking to go one step further with your Collegiate Shag, this class is for you!
In addition to the Themed Classes described below, you can also take Collegiate Shag or Solo as blocks of 2 ½ hours.
From Africa to the Diaspora
Go on a experience through time and space with Trisha. Starting with the traditions of West Africa, you will focus on being free in your movement and connecting yourself closely with rhythms. You will continue by following a migration route to Jamaica and from there to the UK. You will leave understanding the ‘seeds’ from which the many dance forms of the swing dance umbrella, including Lindy Hop, Shag and Balboa have grown and how they connect to other dances of the African diaspora.
Bebop
Learn to dance to Bebop music with Erol. Bebop evolved from Swing in the 1940s and is typically fast and has rapid chord changes. You will recognize the common basis of Swing and Bebop music and at the same time find new musical challenges. Together, we’ll explore how we can express this music in our solo dance as we dive into the basics of swing rhythm and syncopations. Erol’s dance and DJing is strongly driven by the music of the Bebop area, so don’t miss this opportunity to learn from his extensive knowledge. The class is open to solo dancers of all levels, but be prepared to challenge yourself.
Jazz NOW
Explore the influence of Jazz in contemporary African American music and dances with LaTasha. Learn about the continuation between the Lindy Hop of the olden days and music expressions of today such as House, Vogue, Hip-Hop and Line Dances. For this class you should not only be open to trying out new types of movement but also eager to expanding your cultural horizon. You will profit the most if you can understand English reasonably well.
Soft Shoe Tap
Soft Shoe is a rhythmic dance which does not require special Tap dance shoes. Soft Shoe and Tap Dance developed in parallel with the dances known today as Authentic Jazz and Lindy Hop. These different dances have always inspired each other and can continue to inspire you today. In this class with Sakarias you will learn to improve your rhythm and practice some fancy footwork. You should feel comfortable dancing solo and working on improving your dancing without holding on to a partner.
Aerials (partner registration only)
Be ready to fly or to make your partner fly with the instructions of Nils & Bianca. You will be working on using proper timing and focused momentum to achieve impressive moves. For this you need good awareness of your body movement and be free from injuries. Since you need a high level of trust to practice and dance aerials, you need to sign up with a partner for this class. You will be dancing with your partner for the whole class.
Lindy Hop will be taught by Trisha & Carlos, Nils & Bianca, Breonna & Stephen, Erol & Serpil, and Katja & Rikard. You will not have classes with all of the teachers.
In addition to the Themed Classes described below, you can also take Collegiate Shag or Solo as blocks of 2 ½ hours.
From Africa to the Diaspora
Go on a experience through time and space with Trisha. Starting with the traditions of West Africa, you will focus on being free in your movement and connecting yourself closely with rhythms. You will continue by following a migration route to Jamaica and from there to the UK. You will leave understanding the ‘seeds’ from which the many dance forms of the swing dance umbrella, including Lindy Hop, Shag and Balboa have grown and how they connect to other dances of the African diaspora.
Bebop
Learn to dance to Bebop music with Erol. Bebop evolved from Swing in the 1940s and is typically fast and has rapid chord changes. You will recognize the common basis of Swing and Bebop music and at the same time find new musical challenges. Together, we’ll explore how we can express this music in our solo dance as we dive into the basics of swing rhythm and syncopations. Erol’s dance and DJing is strongly driven by the music of the Bebop area, so don’t miss this opportunity to learn from his extensive knowledge. The class is open to solo dancers of all levels, but be prepared to challenge yourself.
Continuum Flow (Themed Class with LaTasha)
Join LaTasha on a journey into sound! Explore the relationship between the embodiments of Jazz from NOLA to present-day in concert with the musical (cultural) intentions that ushered them forward. Through “The Continuum Method” learn to flow from intention to intention with rhythmic, harmonic and grounded clarity. Not a survey or fusion of styles, but a method to curate and choreograph dynamic and musically authentic jazz movement.
Soft Shoe Tap
Soft Shoe is a rhythmic dance which does not require special Tap dance shoes. Soft Shoe and Tap Dance developed in parallel with the dances known today as Authentic Jazz and Lindy Hop. These different dances have always inspired each other and can continue to inspire you today. In this class you will learn to improve your rhythm and practice some fancy footwork. You should feel comfortable dancing solo and working on improving your dancing without holding on to a partner.
Aerials (partner registration only)
Be ready to fly or to make your partner fly with the instructions of Nils & Bianca. You will be working on using proper timing and focused momentum to achieve impressive moves. For this you need good awareness of your body movement and be free from injuries. Since you need a high level of trust to practice and dance aerials, you need to sign up with a partner for this class. You will be dancing with your partner for the whole class.
In addition to the Themed Classes described below, you can also take Collegiate Shag or Solo as blocks of 2 ½ hours.
Musicality
In this class you will practice expressing music through movement. Recognizing patterns in Swing music can help you understand where the music is going. This enables you to adapt your dancing to the tune playing. Training your ears will improve your dancing both as a Lindy Hopper or a Solo dancer. The class will be taught by Ari & Simon and Felix and is open to dancers of all levels.
Lindy Hop will be taught by Trisha & Carlos, Nils & Bianca, Breonna & Stephen, Erol & Serpil, and Katja & Rikard. You will not have classes with all of the teachers.
We are all very enthusiastic dancers who organize Leapin’ Lindy in our spare time. If you have any questions, please contact us at registration@leapinlindy.ch and be patient, if we don’t get back to you directly. We are working on it, we promise.
There will be no auditions and we trust you to choose the level that best fits your level of dancing. You can ask more experienced dancers or your teachers for help if you are finding it difficult to choose.
In all levels, teachers may ask you to switch your level if they feel you don’t fit in with the group.