Zero to Hero: Lindy Hop and West Coast Swing, At Super-Speed!
Next Date: To Be Announced!
The goal of our Zero to Hero workshop event is to give people with little or no experience, a fun opportunity to learn the basics of swing dancing (Lindy Hop or West Coast Swing ) in a single day!
- Do I need experience? No!
- Do I need a partner? No!
- Will I have fun? YES!
- Can I actually learn Lindy Hop or West Coast Swing in such a short time? YES! It's amazing what you can pick up in these intensive sessions!
- I've done a little WCS/Lindy before, can I come? YES! Although this event is for complete beginners, it's also great if you feel like your dancing is "swiss cheese" - full of holes! Want to brush up on your West Coast Swing? Smooth out the rough corners in your Lindy? Come learn with us!
Jitterbug and Lindy Hop
The original swing dance was named Lindy Hop in 1926 after Charles Lindbergh's famous flight or "hop" across the Atlantic ocean. Jitterbug was first used as a pejorative term in the 30's, to make fun of the enthusiastic, fast movements of Lindy Hop, but in the 40's it became the popular term for the dance! The term Jitterbug tended to also refer to combining the original Lindy Hop with other styles of dance such as Shag.
What's Lindy Hop?
Also known as Jitterbug, Lindy Hop is the original swing dance, the dance that swept across North America and even the world in the 30's and 40's. If you've come out swing dancing in Ottawa on Tuesdays, Fridays or Saturdays, chances are you've seen a lot of Lindy Hop! Learn about Lindy Hop!
What's West Coast Swing?
West Coast Swing is the modern swing dance that lets you get smooth or funky to styles of music ranging from slow blues to contemporary pop music, including everything from retro pop and Motown to the music you hear on the radio today! West Coast Swing has a lot of moves in common with Lindy Hop, but with a flavour and groove all its own! If you've danced at Saturday Night Swing--especially our Double Trouble nights, then you've seen people dancing West Coast Swing! Learn about West Coast Swing!
Where do I go after Zero to Hero?
Zero to Hero covers all of the most important material from our beginner classes. Once you've completed Zero to Hero, we still recommend taking the level I class if you haven't already. In our Swing I (Lindy Hop) or WCS I you'll get to review your basics and learn some more moves that don't fit into the Zero to Hero format. However, if you feel very comfortable after completing the workshop, you'll be able to join us for our level II class (Swing II for Lindy Hop or WCS II for West Coast Swing).
Saturday Night Swing: Double Trouble!
In honour of our double-track Zero to Hero workshop, we'll be having a special Saturday Night Swing with TWO rooms going! We'll have one room dedicated to vintage swing music for the Lindy Hop, East Coast Swing, Balboa and Shag lovers, and another room with great blues and contemporary music for West Coast Swing, Blues and Hustle lovers!
Teachers
This is a great opportunity to learn with some of Ottawa's and even Canada's best teachers! Check out the teachers.