Lindy Hop 1
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LH1 covers the most basic social dance skills critical to learning Lindy Hop
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Every class is structured the same way so you always know what to expect
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A physical warm-up with athletic exercises
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Technique drills
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New content
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Integration of prior concepts
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Assignment of homework​
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We teach a collection of skills so you can make the dance for YOU
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We teach Lindy Hop as a combination of rock steps & and triple steps
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We teach Lindy Hop as a combination of the above steps framed as combinations of 2 counts NOT combinations of 6 & 8 counts. Each rock step is 2 counts. Each triple step is 2 counts. Mix and match them accordingly
A foundation of LH1 is consent. We teach proper social dance etiquette in every class of course, but we teach that Leading and following is not decision and submission.
It is a question and an answer. Leaders do not decide and followers do not submit to that decision. Followers have the final right of refusal for anything the lead does. Consent and follower primacy are key elements of our teaching philosophy.
We teach LOTS of moves in LH1 so you aren't waiting to have FUN while social dancing. Learning contemporary moves are critical to developing a sense of the dance as it's done today. Or another way of thinking about this section is learning mini choreographies. This is the essence of improvisation, and leading and following.
Foundational musicality training: Throughout learning the footwork skills and mini choreographies we thread a basic understanding of how to listen in order to dance to the music as consistently as possible and built into this idea is which music Lindy Hop is done to and not done to. So we only play certain genres of music during classes and social dances. Typically students can expect to get through all of LH1 in 3 months. Then you graduate to Lindy Hop 2.
Lindy Hop 2
Lindy Hop 2 we start to refine the quality of movement so you can dance healthier for longer. It is at this stage we teach pulse and we refine hand-to-hand, and hand-to-body connection points.
We do this by adding more advanced Charleston as a core skill to always be included in your social dancing. Charleston is a precursor to Lindy Hop, therefore it must be a part of learning Lindy Hop. Even in this modern era.
LH2 covers the main US regional styles of Lindy Hop. NY/Harlem style, West Coast/Hollywood style. While these styles aren't easily divisible in this way, we cover them as more of a general overview than specific hard differences. This again is to help you begin to develop your own style.
We also get into greater detail about floor craft and how to adjust your dancing to better accommodate a full dance floor.