Class Descriptions

Prerequisites: None

No dance experience necessary! Although this is a partner dance, you do not need to bring your own partner.

This is a great class to get started with partnered swing dancing and social dancing in general! We will go from the very basics of Lindy Hop and work through enough material to get you dancing comfortably to a full song. The class will include moves such as Gliding, Send Out, Return, Circles, Swing Outs, and Sugar Push. We will also learn some history of the Lindy Hop and why we are still dancing it today.

Taking this class would be a great opportunity for experienced dancers who’d like to refresh their basics or learn a new role. 

Prerequisites: Lindy 1, or equivalent

Prerequisite is Lindy Hop 1 or the ability to comfortably do an 8-count swing out from open and closed. Although this is a partner dance, you do not need to bring your own partner.

This class will teach you several new variations on swing outs and fancy new moves. It will also continue to teach the history of Lindy Hop dancing, as well as musicality and connection techniques. This is a great class for experienced dancers who would like to refresh their dance vocabulary or brush up on their technique.

Prerequisites: Lindy Hop 2, or equivalent

Prerequisite is Lindy Hop 2 or the ability to comfortably dance several 8-count swing out variations. Although this is a partner dance, you do not need to bring your own partner.

Are you looking for a challenge? A way to update your swing dancing with new moves? A way to dig deeper into your connection and musicality? Then this course is for you! This is a great class for experienced dancers as well as those continuing their Lindy Hop journey.

Prerequisites: Lindy Hop 3, or equivalent

Prerequisite is Lindy Hop 3 or you have been dancing 8-count Lindy Hop forever!

Drills for Skills! This class is focused on high quality connection, movement and Lead/Follow skills. It is not a move based class, but drills based. It will help you develop into a top-notch dancer, one who is smooth on the dance floor, has the capabilities of improvising and adding musicality to their dance, who looks graceful (swivels anyone) or funky. This is a great class for those continuing their Lindy Hop journey as well as experienced dancers who may not have taken lessons for years, but would like to clean up their moves.

Prerequisites: Lindy Hop 4, or permission from the teacher

Prerequisite is Lindy Hop 4 or you have been dancing 8-count Lindy Hop forever!

Each time this level of Lindy Hop is offered, it changes to meet the needs of the students. Some of the topics may include: rhythmic variations, connection, swivels, breaks, musicality, fancy footwork, 6/10/12/14 count moves, ochos, crossovers, grapevines, different connection points (wrist, shoulders, hips, ankles).

Prerequisites: None

Learn the fancy footwork, variations and history of the dance that started it all, The Charleston. This class will be all solo movements – no partner necessary. The course will also teach an easy Charleston choreography which you can put to use on the social dance floor.

Prerequisites: Lindy Hop 1 or 2 is encouraged, but not necessary.

1940s Charleston uses the partner dancing skills you learned in Lindy Hop 1 and 2 to introduce you to a different style of swing dancing: partnered Charleston. We work on side-by-side charleston, placing emphasis on timing, kicking, posture, and clear weight shifting. This session will give you a good selection of movements, to help you get through those faster songs where lindy hop might not be as comfortable.

Prerequisites: None

Refine your ability to express yourself through dance – without a partner! In this class, we’ll explore some iconic solo moves from the jazz era that inspired solo choreographies and partner dancing alike.

Prerequisites: Lindy Hop 2, or equivalent

This class allows us to grow and play with our ability to dance either/both lindy hop roles: lead and follow. We will be trying out lots of fun moves and techniques for switching from one role to another during the dance by “stealing the lead/follow”. Best for you to be comfortable in the basics of both roles to attend!

Prerequisites: Lindy Hop 3, or equivalent

An introductory class to dips and simple aerials in lindy hop. No partners needed. In this class we will go over the basics of a variety of different dips and tricks, establishing the foundational principles for how these moves work and how to do them safely. We will introduce the roles of base, flyer, spotter, and discuss the responsibilities of each. There will be an emphasis on accessibility, safety, and clear consent. Come out and learn some fancy moves and flashy ways to end your dances!

This class will be more physically demanding than our regular dance classes. If you find the physical requirements of the Lindy Hop classes challenging, or you are still working on maintaining good connection in a swingout, this may not be the class for you. However, we encourage people of all body types and levels of physical ability to try this class. This is an introductory level class, and no experience in tricks is required. The moves we will work on are very safe, and we will cover variations to make them as accessible as possible!

Prerequisites: None

This class welcomes new dancers into the simple joys of juke-joint blues, a gritty and intensely rhythmic genre of dance, grand-daddy to later styles like funk, hip-hop and even swing. In Blues 1 students will be introduced to fundamentals of jukin’ blues including pulse, posture and partnership. We’ll then build on these fundamentals by adding flavour with classic blues “grooves” like funky butt, scratch, low downs, mess around, and rhythmic turns. Students will also explore ways to dance with partners in a variety of positions including closed, open, and breakaway. Tie your shoes on tight cuz this class is fixin’ to knock your socks off! We’ll also discuss the history of the dance.

No dance experience necessary! Although this is a partner dance, you do not need to bring your own partner.

Prerequisites: Blues 1, or equivalent

In an era when Swing was king, a moderate tempo blues was a welcome opportunity for dancers to slow down, catch their breath… and maybe take someone else’s breath away with some smooth and stylish moves!

In this class, students will learn the Ballroom Blues fundamentals of pulse, posture and partnership. This style of dance walks and strolls rather than rocks and rolls. Step variations and turns will be explored and students will use these to navigate the dance floor with confidence. We will learn fancy turns, promenade, a dip and how to match our dancing to the music (musiciality). Come on out and see what all the fuss is about!

Although this is a partner dance, you do not need to bring your own partner.

Prerequisites: None

We the Cats Shall Hep Ya (choreo) with Maria: A Hepcats special – we created this solo choreography especially to celebrate our studio’s reopening! The choreography is danced to a mid-tempo song called We the Cats Shall Hep Ya by Cab Calloway. Come have fun and celebrate a return to swing dancing. (No dance experience necessary.)

Safety Notes

• social distancing will be in effect during class, every participant will have their own space to dance in
• this is a solo dance class, no one will be required to dance with a partner
• vaccine passports will be checked on the first day of class and are required to participate
• COVID screening questions will be asked at the start of every class
• masking is required at all times inside the studio, if you need to eat or drink you will be required to step outside

Prerequisites: None

In this class we get you up to speed with some of the standard choreographies you see all the time at Hepcats. Makes it way easier to jump in next time the songs play at the next dance you attend!

Shim Sham The Shim Sham Shimmy has a long history as a choreographed dance sequence, starting as a common tap routine from the 1920’s and 1930’s, and evolving into the sequence of solo jazz steps that is danced by swing dancers today. The Shim Sham is very accessible to dancers of all levels and includes many foundational solo movements like boogie back, tacky annie, and kick-ball-change.

Doin’ the Jive Doin’ the Jive is a line dance choreography created by Mike Faltesek, an international dance instructor and musician intent on spreading the love of good old fashioned swing music and dancing to as many people as possible.

Mama Stew The Mama Stew routine is fast and furious and will challenge you to really get up to speed!

Prerequisites: None

The Shim Sham Shimmy has a long history as a choreographed dance sequence, starting as a common tap routine from the 1920’s and 1930’s, and evolving into the sequence of solo jazz steps that is danced by swing dancers today. The Shim Sham is very accessible to dancers of all levels and includes many foundational solo movements like boogie back, tacky annie, and kick-ball-change.

The routine can be done to several different songs, often Benny Goodman’s “Stompin’ At The Savoy”, or Bill Elliott Swing Orchestra’s “The Shim Sham Song”.

Prerequisites: Swing 2, or equivalent

Swing Out to Victory is an annual fund raiser for the Canadian War Plane Heritage Museum in Hamilton. Every year dancers from the area gather to dance and perform. Requires Swing 2 or equivalent experience (familiarity with 6 and 8 count patterns, swingouts). No partner required to sign up, we will see who is interested the first day. This class runs leading up to Swing out to Victory, in November.

Prerequisites: None

Learn this original dance choreographed by the one and only Frankie Manning. In this class you will learn a specific set of steps and moves to the song “The Dipsy Doodle” by Ella Fitzgerald.

Prerequisites: None

This class is open to anyone, no previous experience necessary. Dream of You is a choreography from the iconic film Dancing in the Rain.

Prerequisites: None

This class is open to anyone, no previous experience necessary. Doin’ the Jive is a line dance choreography created by Mike Faltesek, an international dance instructor and musician intent on spreading the love of good old fashioned swing music and dancing to as many people as possible.

Prerequisites: None

This class is open to anyone, no previous experience necessary. Jitterbug Stroll is a line dance choreographed by Ryan Francois, an international choreography most notably known for his work on So You Think You Can Dance.

Prerequisites: None

This class is open to anyone, no previous experience necessary. The Big Apple is one of those classic choreographies danced around the globe.

Prerequisites: Swing 2, or equivalent

Inspired by the Rueda de Casino, a particular type of Salsa round dance, the Rueda is a “called” dance. Pairs of dancers form a circle, with dance figures called out by one person. Most figures involve the swapping of partners, where the partners move around the circle to the next partner. The combination of elaborate dance combinations and constant movement of partners create a visually spectacular effect. You need to feel comfortable with swing outs and Swing 2 content.

Prerequisites: Swing 2, or equivalent

This choreography is inspired by another choreography taught at dance camp by Evita Arce. It is a partnered choreography that builds off the concepts from Swing 1 and 2.

Prerequisites: A solo movement class, or equivalent, or equivalent

he Black Bottom is a dance which became popular across the Continent in the 1920s. Billy Pierce was an African American choreographer and dancer who has been credited with the invention of the Black Bottom dance. It was danced both solo and in partnership. This particular choreography was created by the Dance Jubilee Troupe in the 1950s to demonstrate the key elements of the dance. (Video: Black Bottom 1926, and The Black Bottom Dance) It is a fast-paced and energetic dance.

Prerequisites: None

Stuck at home alone with no dance partner when a great song comes on? No worries, we’ve got you covered In this new course where you will learn the basics of solo jazz. It is beginner friendly, but will also have lots of new material for the experienced dancer. The concepts learned here will be helpful in all of our solo choreography classes!

For this session of classes, we ask that you please show up to class at least 10 minutes early. This will allow adequate time for everyone to undergo screening and enter safely before class starts.

Prerequisites: Teachers Only, or equivalent

Lindy Hop New Curriculum Teacher Training with Connie & Julie-Anne: This training session is the prerequisite for any Hep Cat Swing teacher interested in teaching any of the LIndy Hop classes at Hepcat Swing. After you have taken this course, you will be added onto the teacher roster for Lindy Hop. This six week course will cover all of the Lindy Hop 1 and Lindy Hop 2 new curriculum and lesson plans. It will take you through not only the order of moves to teach, and techniques for teaching them, but it will also explain the theory and reasoning behind the new curriculum. Please come prepared to take notes during class. COVID safety will be taken into high consideration during this course – be prepared to vote on whether you feel comfortable with rotation during the classes or not.

Prerequisites: None

DJing Swing music is its own skill set. Typically developing after a few years of going to dances, listening to tons of music, and accumulating your own collection of favourites. That said, it is a process that can be put on fast forward if you want it to. This class will help you get started cataloging and categorizing your music library, adding to it, and teaching you how to pick the order you play songs in.