Swing Dancing Classes

The Archway Tavern

Please aim to arrive 15 minutes before the scheduled start time to register for class.

TUESDAYS

6.30pm – BEGINNERS
£10 + get the Beginners Plus class FREE

7.00pm – BEGINNERS PLUS
£10 or FREE if you took the Beginners class

8.00pm – IMPROVERS

£10 or just £5 if you took the Beginners Plus class

6.30pm – Beginners:
Basic footwork and connections. Excellent for absolute beginners, relatively new dancers and people who want to be more confident in their connections with dance partners and the combinations of rock steps, triple steps, kicks, pumps and more.

7.00pm – Beginners Plus:
This is an excellent class to learn or revise classic moves, but it’s also a bridge between the beginners and improvers classes. We introduce moves, frames and skills. If you’re already truly confident in your basic footwork and connections, you can skip the Beginners’ class and simply turn up for the Beginners Plus class. We start with a fundamental swing dancing move and introduce variations with the aim of attaining improvers’ level content by the end of the class. If you’re comfortable with the final move of the Beginners Plus class, talk to teachers about attending the dedicated improvers’ class as we’ll pursue futher variations on the theme taught in the Beginners’ Plus class.

8.00pm – Improvers:
We take dancers beyond the basics in our improvers’ class. Try this class once you truly feel confident in a few Beginners plus classes. Our aim in improvers classes is to encourage and inspire you with new sensations, rhythms and moves rather than challenge you beyond your abilities.

8.45pm – Social Dancing:
After our improvers class we open up the dance floor for two hours of all ability social dancing. We strongly encourage all of our dance students to dance with as many other dancers as possible, and support new and beginner dancers at our social events.

Any social dancing after class is FREE if you attended the class.
Social dancing will commence and continue as long as there are 20 dancers in the venue.

MORE INFO BELOW

How they work

Learn to dance. It’ll change your life.

Classes are £10 and last at least 45 minutes. Any social dancing that follows the class is FREE for class attendees and £5 for those that miss the class.

No partner is required and you don’t have to sign up for a course of lessons. Just turn up, learn some swing dancing moves, and start having fun, getting fit and making new friends. By the end of even one class you will have some moves enabling you to go swing dancing anywhere in the world. You’ll rotate partners frequently – which helps your dancing as well as encourages you to meet new people.

We teach Harlem swing – improvised, partnered social dancing styles known by numerous names including jitterbug, lindy hop, east coast swing, Charleston (20s & 30s), jig walks and breakaway. Most of today’s popular street dance steps – whether breakin’, hip hop, shufflin’ and more – derive from these original styles.

“Social dancing” is dancing you do for fun with someone else at events, parties, bars, clubs, parks, kitchens, pretty much anywhere that has the space. We’re not interested in performance routines or competitions. We love dancing with people as if nobody’s watching, even if everybody’s watching.

Please aim to arrive BEFORE class scheduled start time as this really helps the registration process go smoothly and helps the teachers to start on time, maintain their concentration and to cover as much content as possible.