Beginner Swing Dancing in St. Catharines

It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing!

Swing dancing in St. Catharines

Bees’ Knees Dance has been specializing in the dances of the Swing Era since 1999. Our re-creative swing dance classes include both partnered and solo classes:

Swing Dancing – Lindy Hop

Learn Lindy Hop, the original Swing Dance! No experience or partner required.

Swing dancing is joyful, free spirited and infectious. Fall in love with Lindy Hop, the original dance of the swing era. Sometimes known as Jitterbug, Lindy Hop evolved in the 1920’s and dominated dance halls throughout the Great Depression until World War II. It is an unabashedly joyful dance, with a solid, flowing style that closely reflects its music — from the late 20’s hot Jazz to the early 40’s Big Bands.

Lindy Hop is a partnered social dance but you don’t need to bring your own partner. We rotate during the class so that you have a chance to meet and dance with many different people. Partners are connected in a playful lead/follow relationship. The dance evolved along with the new swing music, based on earlier dances such as the Charleston and the Black Bottom, by the African American community in Harlem. Absolutely no experience or partner are required.

The name Lindy Hop was inspired by Charles Lindbergh’s flight to Paris in 1927, when the newspaper headline read: “LINDY HOPS THE ATLANTIC”.

As re-creative Swing Dance specialists,

Bees’ Knees Dance has a particular passion for original swinging jazz which is closely tied to our dancing and teaching. Our original artistic mandate – to study and promote the culture of the swing era including classic jazz music, history and vintage jazz dances – continues to be paramount. Though we have grown to include many other fantastic forms of dancing on the Bees’ Knees menu, Lindy Hop is especially close to our hearts. We know that you’ll love it too!

Levels

Beginner Beginner (Level 1)

Absolutely no experience or partner required! These classes are designed for the complete novice. A new beginner session starts every month so that you don’t have to wait to get started. The new session begins with the new calendar month so for example, if the first of the month falls on a Wednesday then Wednesday night classes will begin on the 1st, Thursday night classes on the 2nd, and then Monday and Tuesday night classes will start on the following week which would be on the 6th and 7th of the month.

There are 2 months (8 or sometimes 9 lessons) of rotating material – Introduction to 8 Count Steps and Introduction to Charleston steps. These steps are all part of Lindy Hop and Swing Dancing. The 2 months of material are designed to be a completely welcoming to adults with no previous dance experience. There is no particular advantage to learning either one or the other month of material first; these courses have been designed so that you can conveniently take your first lesson when you’re ready so there is need to wait. Please feel welcome to check it out – try a free class, meet people, get in shape and have fun!

Students can take the Beginner course for 2 months/8 lessons and then move to the Transitions level or they are welcome to repeat the same course for more practice.

Transitions in Swing (Level 1.5)

This class will help Lindy Hop students who have completed at least 2 months of Beginner Swing to build confidence for the social dance floor.

It’s time to prepare for the wider world of swing! This class reinforces all of the basic steps as well as adding more sophisticated fundamentals to the repertoire. At the Transitions level will integrate 8 count Lindy Hop patterns with Charleston patterns and introduce new material including Tandem Charleston, Hand to Hand Charleston, and 1920s Charleston variations and much more.

We will also introduce 6 count patterns and work through the transitions between 6 count and 8 count steps. It’s also time to start to pick up the tempo and become more confident on the social dance floor no matter what the music brings.

Become more stylish in your dancing while continuing to polish basics. It’s time to learn some new fancier moves but at this stage it’s also understood that moves are a third priority; connection to your partner and to the music are paramount.

Some students find it beneficial to continue attending Beginner Lindy Hop for review while they are taking the Transitions class but it is not mandatory.

Lindy Hop Troupe (Level 2+) – Coming in January, 2011!

This class will be added once a critical mass of swing dancers has been established in the Niagara area. At this ‘established’ level we will begin to work on choreography, both for performance opportunities but also as a means of polishing our dancing and becoming role models for the growing community. This class is designed for dancers who already dedicated social dancing but are also ready for a different kind of push. Using performance as a tool, we’ll now start to integrate more complex moves into our dancing and take connection and musicality to a more advanced level.

In addition to shaping ourselves as Lindy Hop performers, we’ll also become role models on the dance on the social dance floor. Though we’re no longer focusing on the fundamentals, we’ll always continue to put the basics to use. Practice and polish makes perfect!

Please see the Dance Lessons page for more schedule and location details.