WHAT: Come learn Balboa with Emily and Ben in preparation for our Halloween Balboa Workshop at the end of October with Kate Hedin and David Rehm! Balboa is a type of swing dance that came out of Southern California, is often danced in close embrace, and is great for really fast music.
Whether you are new to this type of dance, or could use a refresher (e.g. if you took our Balboa progressive lesson this past spring), this workshop is for you! We will talk about basic rhythms and connection, practice moving from pure balboa to bal-swing with out & ins with variations, and (time permitting) add rotational movement to bal-swing with lollies and toss-outs. Don’t miss out — this workshop is a great way to prepare for the workshop with Kate Hedin and David Rehm! No experience necessary!
WHEN: Wednesday, October 11th 6:30-9:30pm ***This will replace our usual beginner lesson + social dance***
WHERE: Anderson Room ABC (1st floor), Michigan Union, University of Michigan
INSTRUCTORS: Emily Topham & Ben Sun
PRICING: $15 general admission $10 SAA members Acceptable forms of payment: cash, check, or PayPal
We’ll be offering two classes! These will include Swing I: Lindy Hope Essentials and Swing II: Swingout Bootcamp!
WHAT: Ready to level up from our beginner lessons? In this course, we will take the basic Lindy Hop you’ve learned at our beginner lessons and play around with it, extending your vocabulary and working on bringing your social dancing to the next level. We will focus on rhythm and musicality, improving your connection with your partner, switching between different types of footwork (e.g. 6-count and 8-count), and teach you some new shapes. This course builds up to and prepares you to enter Swing II, which will teach you how to do a solid swingout.
COURSE PREREQUISITES: Attendance at least 3-5 Lindy Hop beginner lessons (either at Swing Ann Arbor or elsewhere, e.g. Riverside swing). You should be starting to feel comfortable with both 6-count and 8-count Lindy Hop footwork, as well as pulse/rhythm and connection (in both open and closed position).
WHEN: 7:15pm-8:15 pm on Tuesdays in October (10/3, 10/10, 10/17, 10/24)
WHERE: Mason Hall Room 1401, University of Michigan
INSTRUCTORS: Lily Roof & Max Okros
PRICING:
General Admission 4-Week Pass: $40
SAA Member 4-Week Pass: $30
Individual Class: $12
Acceptable forms of payment: cash, check, or PayPal
WHAT: In this course, we will build on the Lindy Hop essentials of Swing I and learn how to do a swingout. Swingouts are a fundamental (and by far the most recognizable) move of Lindy Hop! They require dancers to hone their connection with a partner and can lay the groundwork for many new moves. We will dedicate most of the time in this class to cleaning up the swingouts you will learn in the first few weeks. We will also focus on musicality and teach you a few fun swingout variations (time permitting).
COURSE PREREQUISITES: Swing I or equivalent. You should feel comfortable switching between 6-count and 8-count Lindy Hop, have experience with some basic variations (e.g. yoyos, Lindy circles), and feel confident about your musicality and connection. We will not expect you to know how to do a swingout yet – we will teach you to do one!
WHEN: 8:30pm-9:30pm on Tuesdays in October (10/3, 10/10, 10/17, 10/24)
WHERE: Mason Hall Room 1401, University of Michigan
INSTRUCTORS: Emily Topham & Zayne Knuth
PRICING:
General Admission 4-Week Pass: $40
SAA Member 4-Week Pass: $30
Individual Class: $12
Acceptable forms of payment: cash, check, or PayPal
WHAT: Mama’s Stew is a fast paced choreography from the early 1960s. It was created by the 1955 Harvest Moon Ball champion George Sullivan for the Mama Lou Parks Dancers. The routine goes by several names: some call it “Mama Stew” (without an apostrophe), the Parkets themselves referred to it as “Hand Claps”, and it has (perhaps more accurately) been known as “Sully’s Stew”.
This beginner-friendly routine will be taught by Max Okros. It is a great primer for solo jazz and a fantastic way to be a part of the history and culture of swing dance!
Thank you to Paulette Brockington for providing us with the historical background and context of this dance.
WHEN: September 26th, 7:00pm
WHERE: Mason Hall Room 1401
INSTRUCTOR: Max Okros
COST: $5 (cash, check, or PayPal)
COVID PROTOCOL: You MUST either A) show proof of COVID-19 vaccination in order to attend indoor, in-person SAA events OR B) wear a mask during the entire duration of indoor, in-person SAA events if proof of COVID-19 vaccination cannot be provided.
SAA is offering memberships again for the Fall 2023 Semester!
Fun perks of being a member include:
FREE admission to our weekly dances!
Discounts on our series and workshops!
Discounted admission to our special dances!
Free SAA swag!
SAA semester memberships are active from the beginning to the end of a semester. Fall memberships will last from September 2023 thru December 2023. Membership savings cannot be applied retroactively.
Cost:
If you pay by cash or check, the cost is $50.
If you would prefer to pay through PayPal, the cost is $51.55 (to offset PayPal fees)
Join us for our usual Wednesday night beginner lesson and social dances OUTSIDE September 6th and September 20th! We’ll be under the Harlan Graduate Library Overhang from 6:30-9:30pm those days. Map below for reference!
Swing Ann Arbor has two special events in August: an Instructor Workshop on August 13th and a St. Louis Shim Sham Workshop on August 15th!
What: Join Angel Jenio, Eric Wu, and Ike Swets as they share tips, wisdom, and advice on swing instruction!
This workshop will be broken into two parts. In part one, Angel, Eric, and Ike will share their approaches to teaching, how to prepare for a lesson, what they do while teaching, things they do after a lesson, and how they develop themselves as teachers. In part two, workshop attendees will practice designing and developing a lesson plan, getting feedback in real time.
This workshop is for experienced swing instructors, those just getting started with teaching, and those in-between!
When: August 13th, 2-5pm
Where:Mason Hall Room 3437, University of Michigan
What: Created by Jon Tigert in (you guessed it!) St. Louis, the St. Louis Shim Sham is now a favorite line dance of swing dancers everywhere! Join Max and Zayne to learn this fun, beginner-friendly line dance! No original Shim Sham or solo jazz experience necessary. After this workshop, you’ll know just what to do when the DJ plays “Murder” He Says!
WHAT: Got your Shim Sham down pat? Level up your line dance skills and learn the Tranky Doo! Emily and Laura will lead you through this Swing Era classic, expanding your vocabulary and increasing your confidence in Solo Jazz. The next time Tuxedo Junction or The Dipsy Doodle comes on at a dance, you’ll know exactly what to (tranky) do!
Previous solo jazz experience is helpful but not required. You just need to be comfortable with basic rhythms.
WHERE: Anderson Room ABCD (1st floor), Michigan Union
INSTRUCTORS: Laura Kurek & Emily Topham
COST: $5 per person (Acceptable forms of payment: cash, check, or PayPal)
COVID POLICY: Proof of vaccination required. If proof of vaccination cannot be shown, attendees must wear a mask the entire length of the event instead.
We won’t be holding a beginner drop-in lesson and social dance tonight, April 19th. Instead, we’re having a DJ workshop!
What: Wanna learn how to DJ for swing dances? Look no further! Experienced swing DJs Matt Oonk, Clarisse Jorah, Kenny Schabow, and Max Okros will share tips, wisdom, and advice.
Topics will include: how to find music, music style and history, using a PA system, and adjusting for tempo and skill level.
We will have snacks! We will also be raffling off a $20 Bandcamp gift card for you to start building your music library!
Swing Ann Arbor will be offering a Balboa Fundamentals progressive lesson series this April! This class will meet three Tuesdays in April. Topics will include: Basic footwork, connection, out and ins, lollies, and toss-outs. No previous Balboa experience or partner needed. Just bring a comfy pair of shoes.
WHEN: 7:15-8:45pm on Tuesdays in April (April 4th, April 11th, April 18th)
LOCATION: Mason Hall Room 1401, University of Michigan
INSTRUCTORS: Ben Sun & Emily Topham
PRICING: General Admission 3-Week Pass: $36 SAA member 3-Week Pass: $30 Individual class: $12
Acceptable forms of payment: cash, check, or PayPal
Swing Ann Arbor 