Rock n’ Roll Dancing
Today’s music ain’t got the same soul… Still like that old time Rock n’ Roll?
Mandi teaching a guest Rock n' Roll workshop in Seoul, Korea. June 2009
Rock n’ Roll Dancing
Rock n’ Roll is a partnered social dance but you don’t need to bring your own partner. We rotate during this class so that you have a chance to meet and dance with many different people. Partners are connected in a playful lead/follow relationship. It’s a dance that is happy, bouncy, free spirited and infectious. Absolutely no experience or partner are required.
Rock n’ Roll Culture
From Chuck Berry to Elvis to Fats Domino to Bill Haley & The Comets to The Beach Boys, this class lets us step back to a simpler time; diners, drive-in movies, milk shakes, black and white television and loads of nostalgia. Think American Graffiti, hot summer nights, poodle skirts, sock hops and TV dinners. It’s time to work it on out to some smoking hot dance tunes, so if you can relate to the Fonz in Happy Days and you wish it could have stayed 1955 forever then this is the class for you!
Rock n’ Roll dancing of the 1950’s and 60’s developed out of the popular social dancing of the Swing Era, mainly Lindy Hop. Just as Lindy Hop (swing dancing) was popular from the late 1920’s until after WWII, by 1955 the music had completely changed and so had the dancing. The result was some good old fashioned Rock n’ Roll!
Rock n’ Roll dancing by a different name:
You might know the name Jive; Rock n’ Roll is similar though more free than the Jive that is often taught at Ballroom studios. Also, what we call Rock n’ Roll dancing in Canada is actually called Boogie Woogie in Europe as opposed to the very athletic performance dance that the Europeans call Rock n’ Roll. That EU version of Rock n’ Roll is primarily danced for competition and consists of very athletic acrobatics with very few actual dance steps in between. That is not our focus in St. Catharines. Rather, our dancing is based on a fun, care free and not overly complicated approach to social dancing.
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.
The course has 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!
Though there are only 4 weeks of core Rock n’ Roll material, the instructors are constantly throwing in new and fun Beginner-friendly moves that you might not have seen before. Many students take the class for at least 8 weeks to really solidify what they’ve learned, and often they continue on with the class because the Rock n’ Roll lessons are just such an enjoyable dance party!
Please see the Dance Lessons page for more schedule and location details.