All classes will be held at the Unified Training Center.

(origin prior to 1920s)

An introductory class which will cover basic ballroom traveling dance technique, running, the 8-count basic step, turns and other simple variations, and one or two syncopations.

(origin prior to 1920s)

An introductory class in what is now known as "pure Bal" which will cover the basic step, breaktime rhythm, styling variations, and a handful of "ad-lib" or improvisatory steps.

(origin late 1920s)

An introductory class which will include both solo and partnered material. We will start with a solo routine that consists of a sequence of standard Black Bottom patterns, and then take a handful of those steps and apply them to a partnership.

See more on the Black Bottom at the Streetswings Dance History Archives.

(origin early 1930s)

An introduction to early improvised blues dancing with an emphasis on artful patterns and highly stylized movement. We will cover a handful of simple patterns that can be minimally or greatly embellished.

(origin early 1930s)

This class takes basic elements of Charleston and shows how they gradually evolved into Lindy Hop. We will learn a series of distinct, usable moves as a basis for explaining this evolution.

(origin 1930s-1940s)

We'll learn five to six simple solo jazz patterns (difficulty level similar to Shim Sham) and how to improvise with them.

(origin 1930s-1940s)

This class will demonstrate the fundamentals of Bal-Swing including cross breaks, lollies, come-around, toss-out, and the necessary transitions. Time permitting, we'll throw in a few syncopations and embellishments.

(1950s-1990s)

We'll explore as deeply as possible the transition from the "rhythm diverse" swing world into the "mostly 6-count" paradigm that sprouted not only "jitterbug" but also East Coast Swing, West Coast Swing, hustle, hand dancing, shag, etc. There was also a key musical shift during this time: popular-song arranging became much more simplified (or efficient, depending on your perspective), leading popular music away from the relative elaborateness and sophistication of the swing era towards a more "groove and nod your head" era in pop music. Naturally, the dancing followed suit.

This class will focus positively on a few aspects of this transition in the dance: why 6-count movements are very efficient; why setting a repeating groove can be very freeing to your dance; how dancing slower can improve the quality of your dancing at all tempos; and what all "swing dances" have in common, and why swing scenes with differing styles should support each other.

(origin 2000s)

This class will focus on the protean nature of the modern blues movements, utilizing steps borrowed from tango, ballroom, Latin dances, swing dances, and modern dance.