March 28, 2023
Site updates:
- Safety information page now reflects updated COVID precautions.
March 23, 2023
Site updates:
- Lindy Hop and Blues class descriptions updated to reflect current content
- Obsolete courses removes
- Minor wording fixes across the site
March 12, 2023 - evening
Site updates:
- Class schedule is open for registration.
March 12, 2023 - morning
Site updates:
- Wording has been updateed on the Donate page. (No longer says that we are closed.)
- Class schedule has been udpated for the next round of classes. We hope to open registration this evening. (Currently, you can only view the classes, not regiser.)
March 11, 2023
Site updates:
- Information about our safety precautions related to COVID-19 has been consolidated on the Safety Information page. If you find contradictory info on another page, please let us know at info@hepcatswing.com so that we can remove it.
- We've updated pricing information on the class pricing page and on the Monday Night Dance page.
- We're still happy to take your donations! We're still figuring out how to update the wording on the Donate page. Please rest assured that we are open!
- We've made other small updates across the site. If something seems broken, missing, or otherwise weird, please drop us a line at info@hepcatswing.com.
- Class registration for the session starting April 3 is not yet ready, but we hope to have it up within the next few days.
January 3rd, 2023
January Classes Please check out our lessons page!
October 27th 2022
November and December Classes!
We've got a whole new lineup of classes being offered for November and December! Some old favourites and some new classes being offered for the first time! If you're interested please check out our lessons page!
September 26th 2022
AGM News!
Our 2022 AGM was held yesterday. Thank you to everyone who attended, it was great to see such engagement from the membership!
There's a new Board of Directors: Matthew Wiebe, Katelyn Versteeg, David Wang, Greg Nash and Amy Yardley. Our Board page will be updated with their names and headshots shortly.
Special thanks to Catherine Fife for attending and for her kind words in recognizing our OTF Operating Grant. You can a media release regarding that here
September 8th 2022
Social Dance Update!We'll be hosting our first social dance of the season this Monday September 12th at our Erb St location. Dance starts at 9:00 and ends at 11:00. There's going to be a refresher class for experienced dancers from 7:30-8:30, and an intro lesson at 8:30.
This dance will be free admission, so come out and join in!
We will be requiring proof of vaccination and masking throughout the event. If you have any questions please email info@hepcatswing.com
August 31st 2022
Hey Hepcats!
We're in the process of opening for a Fall session! We'll be offering two classes starting in September, Lindy 1 and Blues 1. Please check our lessons page for more details and registration info!
We're also planning a social dance, on Monday September 12th from 9:00-11:00! There will be free admission to this dance! Location and further details still TBA. We still have the studio you're all familiar with, but we have a new surprise location that may be ready in time!
If you'd be interested in volunteering to help get things running, please check out our volunteer information page or email us at info@hepcatswing.com.
See you all on the dance floor!
The Hepcat Swing Team
March 16th 2022
Hey there Hepcats,
We hope everyone is staying safe. With COVID numbers dropping and the province reopening, Hepcat Swing is looking to start up classes again early to mid spring. However, as partner dance is a higher risk activity, we want to be careful to not open up too soon and put the members of our community at risk. We have been watching the trends, and specifically the wastewater levels. We’d like to see the numbers be consistently trending down and reach levels from before Christmas before we start classes again. We will keep actively monitoring in the next few weeks to see the impact of reduced provincial measures and decide on more specific timelines to start registrations.
If you have any questions you can reach us at info@hepcatswing.com
The Hepcat Swing Team
December 21st 2021
Hi Hepcats Community,
Given the state of COVID and Omicron in Ontario, we have decided to postpone any plans for January classes. We were so thrilled to be able to run some classes during the fall while it was safer, and want to thank everyone involved! Whether you were a student, teacher, or working behind the scenes organizing, we're grateful.
We'll be keeping an eye on the situation and posting more announcements here and on social media in the new year. But for now, we don't expect to be running any classes or dances in January. We'll be looking to reopen yet again when things are safer.
If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to us at info@hepcatswing.com
Have a safe and restful holiday
The Hepcat Swing Team
Tuesday August 10, 2021
Hi Hepcats Members,
It's been a long time, but we're happy to announce that we have plans to start resuming activities again soon! This fall we'll be rolling out new class series, beginning September 20th with some solo dance classes. Registration is now open, so please check out our class page for more details and to sign up! These classes will all be socially distanced, with masks required. We're limiting the number of people who can be participating in the class so that everyone will have space to distance. We'll also be doing your standard COVID screening questionaires before each class.
For more detailed information on safety with COVID-19 please see our safety information page.
If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to us at info@hepcatswing.com
Looking forward to seeing some of you soon!
The Hepcat Swing Team
Friday March 13, 2020
Hello Again, Fellow Dancers,
When we posted our COVID-19 update earlier, we did not think we would be making another announcement quite so soon. However, in our previous update we made it clear we would be closing the studio and cancelling classes in the event that major employers or institutions in the region moved to an online or work-from-home model. Yesterday, all publicly-funded schools in the province closed for three weeks and today the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University announced they were cancelling in-person classes, assignments, and exams for the remainder of the term.
We recognize the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Waterloo Region is still very low. However, we are aware that social dancing is a high-risk activity and we want to do what we can to protect the community. Therefore, in line with public health recommendations for social distancing, we are cancelling all upcoming events at Hepcat Swing, including classes, until further notice.
We will be offering regular updates throughout the closure, including some tips on how to work on your solo dance practice, so please stay tuned for further announcements. If you registered for this session of classes, you will be receiving an email with further instructions tomorrow.
Stay healthy and take care of one another! Hepcat Swing Board of Directors
Thursday March 12, 2020
Hello Fellow Dancers,
With news of COVID-19 constantly being updated, we imagine that many of our community members are thinking about how this could affect their social dance. We are monitoring this situation very closely and plan to follow guidelines issued by public health authorities. We also feel it’s important to be proactive when it comes to safeguarding one another’s health. You will be hearing about some new rules at upcoming dances, and we will also post them here and on the web site.
First, we ask that anyone who displays symptoms of cold or flu please refrain from attending events at the studio. We also ask that all members practice effective (and regular) hand washing and sanitizing while they are here. This is not just a matter of protecting yourself – it also protects everyone else. Remember that not all conditions are visible, and other dancers may have compromised immune systems you are not aware of. Please exercise good judgement – if you have recently been travelling in a place with community transmission of COVID-19, now is not the time to go partner dancing. We also ask that you communicate with us if you have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and have been to an event at the studio within the last two weeks.
Many of you will be wondering whether Hepcat Swing will remain open in the coming weeks. While public health officials state the risk for this region is still low, this situation could change any day. For now, we will remain open. However, if major employers or institutions in the region move to an online or work-from-home model due to COVID-19 exposure among staff/students, we will close the studio and cancel planned events until further notice. We will also close if we discover someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 has been at the studio.
Those of you who are taking classes or thinking of taking classes may ask what this will mean for you. In the event of a studio closure, all classes will be cancelled. Students will have the option of claiming a studio credit or receiving a refund for the weeks that were cancelled. We will provide updates on this process as needed.
Stay healthy!
Hepcat Board of Directors
