November 2, 9, 16, 30
note, no class on Nov. 23rd
All series classes: 7:00 - 8:00 pm
Taster class every Thursday 7:30 - 8:15
Level 1 - Level 2 - Elective - Advanced Topics - Practice Session (LBN)
Level 1 : Ready, Set, SWINGOUT
The Swingout!! THE move that defines so much of Lindy Hop. It's a move you'll be refining for the rest of your lindy hop journey, but for now we'll just start by learning the basics of it, as well as a variety of other classic lindy hop moves to put into your dancing. The swingout is critical for Level 2 and this class is well worth taking multiple times if you feel like you haven't got it down pat after just one month with it. No partner and no experience necessary.
Level 1 Teachers: Max Ramirez & Isaac Garfinkle
Max Ramirez (he/they) has been around the Bay Area Lindy Hop scene since 2012, when they began dancing, teaching, choreographing, and organizing with UC Berkeley’s Lindy on Sproul. They started teaching at the Breakaway in 2016. He’s also taught at the 9:20 Special, Wednesday Night Hop, and Cat’s Corner, and has made finals and placed in contests at national levels. Max loves teaching classes that help students build awareness of and get comfortable with the way their bodies move, and that instill a knowledge and love of jazz music
Isaac Garfinkle (they/them) started dancing in 2014 at Carleton College, and quickly started traveling to their hometown scene in the Twin Cities to do even more dancing. They moved to the Bay in 2017, and have been dancing and teaching at local venues ever since. They regularly travel to learn and compete at events across the country and beyond, and have placed at events like Midwest Lindyfest and Inspiration Weekend. Isaac firmly believes in teaching a strong rhythmic foundation and facilitating classes that are challenging and fun!
LEVEL 2: Thank You For Flying Charleston Airlines
Charleston Airplanes and Hand-to-Hand Charleston are two extremely versatile types of Charleston moves. They can go forwards, backwards, around in circles, down the line, and more! If you feel like your Charleston is pretty stuck in one place, then prepare for take-off, because this class will get you kick-stepping all across the dance floor!
Level 2 Teachers: Samantha Nguyen & Steven Bach & Minh Hoang
With no prior dance or rhythm experience, Sam (she/her) bravely joined a Lindy Hop class at UC Berkeley, where she quickly fell in love with the improvisation and joy of the dance. Although Sam has held many roles in the dance community (teacher, choreographer, performer, competitor, organizer), her one true love is social dancing. In her dancing, Sam loves to incorporate silly playfulness, "psychic" partnership, and smooth footwork to highlight the music. Coming from humble beginnings of gathering in random Berkeley hallways and learning through YouTube videos - combined with her day job of being a high school science teacher - her classes often include a ground-up approach where students learn and explore ideas together. Sam’s lessons are crafted to emphasize her own values of the dance: honoring the roots of the Black dance artform, finding connectedness with your partner and the music to inspire improvisation, and (straight up just) having a blast on the dance floor.
Steven (he/him) started swing dancing during grad school as a fun way to take a break from working in the lab and has been enthusiastic about it ever since. In his teaching he tries to impart what he values in dancing: strong quality of movement, musicality, communication in the partnership, and a tasteful amount of flash.
Minh Hoang (he/him) found out about lindy hop in 2017 at Wednesday Night Hop and was instantly hooked by the dance and the welcoming community. Once started, he just couldn’t stop going to classes and workshops. For his first few years, he was dancing almost everyday!
On the dance floor, he loves to synchronize with the music and his partner, and to flow around effortlessly together. Outside of dance, you can find him dabble in a lot of hobbies, but nothing seems to stick as deeply as dancing.
Elective: Line Dance: Doin' the Jive
Choreographed by Kelly Porter, Joshua Welter, and Michael Faltesek, “Doin’ the Jive” is a line dance to a a song of the same name written by Glen Miller in 1938. This dance was first performed by Mike Faltesek, Stefan Durham, Bethany Powell, and Casey Schneider at Midwest Lindy Fest 2012 to a version of the song released by the Careless Lovers in 2011. “The Jive” is unique from other line dances in its incorporation of non-traditional steps, sharp angles, and abrupt changes. Come learn this fun routine and improve your solo jazz at the same time!
Elective Teacher: Andree George
Andree (he/him) began swing dancing in 2011 at his college club in Gainesville, FL. In the decade that followed he spent time learning, traveling, teaching, and competing in an effort to push himself as a dancer. Andree learned from some of the most well-known dancers of our time and traveled to dance events all around the country. He teaches lessons to all levels, headlined local workshops, and teaches locally at Lindy by the Lake. During his travels, he competed at several local and regional events, most recently placing at camp jitterbug. In his spare time he also enjoys choreographing and performing routines. He describes his style of dancing as playful and conversational. Each dance is treated as a chance to try something new or revamp something old. He brings this energy to each lesson, encouraging his students to play with a variety of ways to change the feel of the dance and to converse with their partner and the music. Most of all he tries to embody the spirit of the dance as it began as a contrast to the more well-defined ballroom dancing of the era. He believes that the only rule in dancing is to have fun.
Advanced Topics: Training & Cross-Training
This series is 3 weeks long, November 2, 9, & 16
Includes Practice Session November 30
**REQUIRED** To sign up for this course, you must be approved for Advanced Topics. Please fill out this form to apply. You can also find our teacher coordinator, Calvin (with a blue streak in his hair) at the dance most Thursday nights, or 20 min before the first week of class for an in person evaluation.
Mimi Liu-Leyco, a seasoned dancer hailing from the New York City, brings a wealth of experience in various dance styles, including Lindy Hop, Balboa, Solo Jazz, Latin ballroom, tap, hip hop, as well as high-intensity interval training. In this exciting series, you'll not only delve into the intricacies of swing dance, turns, and speed training but also learn essential techniques for maintaining peak physical condition as a dancer. This includes isolating muscle groups and effective stretching routines to enhance your performance.
But that's not all – for the third class, Mimi's partner in dance and life, Jeff Liu-Leyco, will join the session, offering valuable insights and guidance in swingout and swivel training. Get ready to immerse yourself in a dynamic dance experience that will push your limits, make you move with passion, and leave you sweating with joy!
About Advanced Topics:
This series is meant for our most experienced students who are also looking to challenge themselves. Students who have danced for multiple years, have experience practicing outside of a class setting, might have experience competing or teaching, and are interested in a class honing in on specific skills and concepts rather than focusing on new moves. In these classes, teachers may introduce topics that they’re currently working on themselves. Some topics may have extra requirements.
Note: Topics may have additional special prerequisites. Please check the class description for each month to make sure the class is a good fit for you.
Advanced Topic Teacher: Mimi Liu-Leyco
Mimi (she/her) is excited to be teaching swing dance in the Bay Area after being an active leader of the NYC swing dance scene for over 15 years. In addition to being known for her smooth and sassy stylings, Mimi has also been an established teacher, performer, DJ, and choreographer in the Northeast and beyond. Her advice to all swing lovers is to get to know the music and musicians, which is how she continually finds joy in swing.
Practice sESSION: Musical Phrasing
Intermediate/Advanced Practice Session is held on the last Thursday of each month at 7-8pm, right before the dance.
These structured practices are meant for dancers who are feeling beyond Level 2 content, have danced regularly for at least a year, and are more interested in improving fundamentals than learning new moves. Coming with a dance partner is not required but is allowed and encouraged. Expect to workshop moves and ideas with other dancers, give and receive constructive feedback, and build connections in the Lindy Hop community!
Practice Session Leader: Edward Paddock
After a childhood of dance, Edward (he/them) discovered Lindy Hop in college at UC Davis and fell in love with the dance and the community. After moving to Oakland in 2018, they branched out into Solo Jazz and Collegiate Shag, as well as continuing their training in Rhythm Tap. They are passionate about rhythm, technique, and making dance a fun and welcoming experience for dancers of all levels! Edward's recent dance achievements include choreographing the winning Solo Jazz team for Camp Hollywood 2022 and buying too many new pairs of tap shoes.