1) Do I need to bring a
partner?
You don't need to bring a partner for any of the classes. We
rotate partners so the men dance with all the ladies and the ladies dance with
all the men. If there is an unbalanced gender situation, then whichever group
has more (ladies or men) simply has to take turns during the rotation. People
are also welcome to learn the opposite part (for example, ladies can learn to
lead or men can learn to follow).
2) What if I have a partner and I don't want to dance with anyone else?
Don't fret. We won't force you to take part in the rotation
system if you're not comfortable with it. However, we do encourage everyone to
rotate because dancing with a diverse group of partners will develop your and
your partner's dance skills more rapidly and more completely. It's also been our
experience that people who rotate tend to get more enjoyment out of their dancing
as a general rule.
3) What should I wear?
We don't recommend that people buy clothing or shoes until
they've gotton some experience with dance and have a better idea of what they
want. In our classes, you won't need any special clothing, but we do recommend
the following: (1) Wear clothes that are comfortable and are not restrictive to
your movement (for example, long tight skirts are not recommended). (2) Wear shoes
with flat soles (high heels are not recommended) that grip your ankle, so they
don't fly off when you kick. (3) You also want light shoes without a lot of traction
(hiking boots are bad), so you can spin with less strain on your knees. (4) For
beginners, comfortable dress shoes (like loafters or wing tips) or light gym shoes
are fine to start. (5) Its a class, not a social event, so you aren't obligated
to dress up. Wear something that won't make you feel self-conscious. We also recommend
that you be aware of hygiene (deodorant and toothpaste are your friends). If you
tend to sweat a lot, consider bringing an extra shirt or towel and a bottle of
water.
4) What's the difference between swing and lindy? What's balboa? Charleston? Collegiate
shag?
These are all swing-era (1920s, 30s and 40s) dances that are
very closely related. They share many common fundamentals and can be mixed together
fluidly by people who know more than one. Dancers during the swing era didn't
necessarily categorize the different things they did, but we do now for the purposes
of clarification.
Charleston was an international dance craze in the 1920s that
featured very rhythmic movements (from the African roots of the music and dance)
involving lots of kicks.
As traditional partner dances (waltz, foxtrot, etc.) exerted
their influence, the partnering aspects combined with the rhythm of charleston
to creat lindy hop, which then followed the trends in the development of American
music to give rise to many other forms of American dance, including west coast
swing, Carolina shag, east coast swing/jitterbug and even hustle. Lindy hop is
the dance most commonly associated with big band music.
Our beginning east coast swing classes teach 6-count patterns
that are popular with the more obvious rhythms of jump blues and rock & roll.
Collegiate shag is also based on 6-count patterns. Our lindy classes focus primarily
on 8-count movement, a jazzier style and beginning to improvise while dancing.
At the same time lindy was evolving from charleston, the Balboa
island area of Southern California was crazy about jazz music as well. But there
was a problem. The dance halls in Southern California were so packed that there
was little room to execute the breakaway steps that defined lindy hop. Also many
of the ballrooms outlawed breakaways. Because of these factors, the dancers in
that area created balboa, a dance that incorporates rhythms of charleston into
a close partnering position much like the foxtrot.
5) Do I have to be a student?
No! UGA faculty and staff are welcome, as are
members of the community! Visitors from out-of-state are also
welcome to join us!
6) How much does it cost?
If you enjoyed the lesson, we request a $1 donation
to help us learn more moves and expand the repertoire of styles and
moves we can teach!
7) What is the format?
We plan to teach the basic steps, one standard move,
and one 'cool' move every class period. Classes move along in
order to allow more advanced students to enjoy the lessons as well, but
beginners should not feel out of place or lost!
