Wow, did April fly by quickly! At least the trees are finally budding, the temperatures are rising and it actually feels like spring!

Sunday Lindy Hop/Swing Classes This Week!

Our new 6 week session starts this Sunday, May 1 at the Newton Lower Falls Community Center in Newton. This will be our last session until after Beantown Camp! Here is what’s coming up:

• Beginner Swing/Intro to Lindy Hop - This class is for both brand new dancers and those with some experience who would like to build a stronger foundation and gain more confidence on the dance floor. Six count basics are covered along with a different selection of fun steps each session. There are 7 different sessions at this level, which can be taken in any order, providing the opportunity to develop a good base for social dancing while continuing to learn new steps. If you have any friends who have been wanting to get started, please send them along!
• Lindy Hop Level 2 - This class is aimed at intermediate level Swing dancers who can already comfortably social dance any style of triple-step Swing. It is not necessary to already know Lindy Hop. The class focuses on core moves, including a mix of 8 and 6 count basics, emphasizing technique and lead-follow connection. There are 8 different sessions at this level which continually change over time and can be taken in any order. Each session includes a mix of classic Charleston moves and newer variations.
• Partner Charleston - After requests for MORE with our last partner Charleston class, we added a new one! This one concentrates on tandem and side-by-side variations to add to your Lindy Hop repertoire. Charleston is fun, it’s flashy, and we’ll be focusing on execution and pizazz to make it shine! This class will be for intermediate to advanced Lindy Hoppers.

Thanks to everyone who joined our workshop weekend with the always amazing Michael Jagger and Evita Arce! Uptown Swing was a blast with the fabulous Toni Lynn Washington Band AND a phenomenal performance with M&E. The room was hoppin’ and so much fun! If you want more classes with Michael and Evita (and how could you not?), come to Beantown! Can you imagine a whole week of awesome classes with awesome teachers? We’ve got that!

• Ryan Francois & Jenny Thomas
• Sylvia Sykes
• Peter Strom
• Skye Humphries
• Naomi Uyama
• Michael Jagger & Evita Arce
• Zack Richard & Maryse Lebeau
• Mike Roberts & Laura Glaess
• Eric Fenn
• Richard Badu
• Daryl Begin & Jennifer Stout
• Joel Domoe & Melanie Myers
• Dan Newsome & Gaby Cook
• Chris Nickl & Shirley McAdam
• Andrew Thigpen & Karen Turman
• Marc-Andre Vachon & Catherine Desjardins
• Ben Yau & Sheri Kang

That’s a lot of awesome!

Springtime and beautiful weather remind us that summer is on the way! Start off your summer with an excellent time at Beantown Camp. There will be tons of great classes with some of the world’s best instructors, amazing performances, great live and DJ music for hours of social dancing, friendly dancers from all over the U.S. and beyond, plus a bunch of other fun activities. All levels are very welcome to attend! Check out the schedule for what’s in store. May 9 is the due date for discounted tuition fees.

Have you ever attended a dance weekend and been energized, inspired, enlightened or wowed? Did you want more? Imagine what a whole week can do for your dancing! Beantown Camp is designed to give you just that opportunity. Check out some comments from campers:

• “In a word: fabulous! Thanks for a remarkable week that hit all the right notes. I can’t imagine NOT being at Beantown year after year. I love it that much.”
• “What a week. Thanks so much to everyone for putting in such long hours to make Beantown such an amazing event! Most definitely worth the investment, says I.”
• “I can’t thank you guys enough for the FABULOUS time I had at Beantown. It’s my third camp but my first whole shebang and man, going the extra mile and staying was a BLAST. Doing a routine in the track really brings everyone together. Met tons of great people, danced my toes off and learned a lot. Such nice people on all sides: the attendees, the instructors and the college staff.”
• “Thanks so much for putting on such an amazing event! I loved it! Beantown was the Best vacation I’ve ever had! I can’t wait for next year!”
• “Beantown is an event that mixes world-class instruction and excellent music with a level of friendliness and accessibility that’s really remarkable.”
• “It was SO amazing, truly a special week for many people.”
• “I’m so glad I attended; being totally immersed in dance for almost a whole week, plus the camaraderie that developed with the other campers combined to make an unforgettable learning experience.”
• “My dancing has gone up several notches since the camp.”
• “I had a life changing experience this year. I am so glad I signed up for the whole week.”
• “The Beantown experience is a must for anyone who is serious about Lindy.”
• “The DJ’s were great, the live bands fantastic, and all the students and staff and everyone had such a positive energy!!”
• “Beantown is my favorite week of the year!”
• “This was my first Beantown Camp and I had the best dance-event time EVER (and I have traveled to well over 25 exchanges and camps all across the US in my 2 3/4 years of dance history.)”
• “As always, I return well-fed, tired, inspired, and enthusiastic to move my dance forward.”
• “The camp experience, besides being wonderful fun as always, has made my dancing smoother, more relaxed, and more expressive.”
• “I met so many interesting people and learned so much from the many great instructors.”

Early birds - get your discount for the Whole Shebang and Week before it expires this Sunday, March 20!

Here are just some of the reasons why you want to go to Beantown Camp: