The Swing Dance Cooperative

Good {{greeting}} and salutations,

In April, we are hosting three classes: Red Series on Mondays, Balboa on Wednesdays, and beginning swing at Evergreen on Thursdays.

A reservation is required for Balboa and the Red Series. The Evergreen classes are open to the public and just drop in.

We're a new organization, here to share our favorite activty – swing dancing – with Olympia. We're also here to be a part of the cooperative movement, but more on that later.

Next Event

Beginning Balboa
Wednesday, April 3
7 - 8:30 p.m.

An introduction to balboa with David B and Leah.

Abigail Stuart House
1002 Washington St SE, Olympia

Reservation required (see below). By donation.

Balboa demonstration:

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Swing Dance Lessons and Events

April

On Mondays in April we're hosting our first Red Series, an uptempo class for people who've taken a class with us before.

On Wednesdays we're hosting a balboa lesson series with David B and Leah. Registration is up for that, below.

On Thursdays we're hosting an intro to swing dancing, drop-in lesson and practice, at Evergreen, which will run through May.

Red Series, Mondays
Apr 1, 8, 15, 22
Beginning Balboa, Wednesdays
Apr 3, 10, 17, 24
Thursdays at Evergreen
Apr 4, 11, 18, 25

Swing Dance Lessons – Beginning Balboa

Balboa is a swing dance that developed in the 1920s in Southern California. This class will cover the basic steps, techniques, and common moves to feel comfortable on the dance floor. We'll be sharing 'pure balboa' and 'bal-swing' topics.

April 3, 10, 17, 24 (Wednesdays)
Time: 7-8:30 p.m.
Instructors: David B and Leah
Venue: Abigail Stuart House, 1002 Washington St SE, Olympia

The general format of the class will be a lesson from 7-8 p.m. each evening, followed by a 30-minute practice session.

Here is a balboa demonstration from LindyFest 2016 in Houston:

Requirements

This is a class for people who've previously taken at least one (social) dance lesson, have danced with other people before, and can lead or follow a few things.

To attend

Please reserve your spot by submitting this form.

Because there's no admission cost for the Beginning Balboa series, we do have a $20 fee for cancellations made after March 27. Missing the first session or the second session is considered a cancellation in this series.

Registration status

This chart displays a ◯ for each person who has signed up:

Follows:
Leads:
Any:
◯
◯
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For this class, we have room for 20 students.

R.S.V.P.

Please confirm your availability:
What dance role would you like to have during this Beginning Balboa series?

Swing dancing is a conversation, typically between two people. The person who is responsible for moving first is referred to as a lead, whereas the person who moves second is referred to as a follow. Most people who dance long enough learn both roles.

What's your zip code?
And your email address?
Anything else you'd like to share?

A note from the teachers: We recommend bringing indoor-only shoes with leather soles, that will allow you to shuffle across the floor. For follows that have them, we suggest leather-sole kitten heels.

Sending ...

Thank you! You should receive an email within an hour to confirm that everything went through. — P

Sorry, there was an error when we tried to submit your form. Please let us know at rsvp@dance.coop?

Attention: To RSVP, please mark that you can attend the first class and the second class, above, and try submitting the form again.

Swing Dance Lessons – Red Series

On Mondays in April, we are hosting our first Red Series.

The Red Series is for people who've completed one of our classes at The Swing Dance Cooperative. We have our eight-count rhythms, our connection, our frame, and now we're going to kick up the music and start to move.

April 1, 8, 15, 22 (Mondays)
Time: 7-8:30 p.m.
Instructors: Gabrielle and Philip

Prerequisites

  • You've completed at least one Swing Coop class
  • OR you've taught with us, at Potluck or elsewhere

To Attend

The Red Series has already started.

Keep in touch

With Meetup, you will be emailed when we share new events. It's also a decent way to reach us. On Instagram we're @swingcoop.
Meetup Instagram

Swing Dance Cooperative Staff

Gabrielle

Dancing has been part of her life for as long as she can remember. From little pink slippers to her suede soled heels, expressing herself through dance is one of her greatest passions. Her dance philosophy is that as long as you're smiling, you're doing something right.

With over 15 years of experience, Gabrielle has been teaching in Washington and learning all over the States. Despite knowing many styles of dance, Lindy hop is her first love. The pure energy of Lindy is hard to match!

She lives for creating solid connections on the dance floor. Her favorite move is a well-executed outside turn, simple but so good!

Philip

He took his first dance class to confront his greatest social fear, dancing in a public space. Philip is a co-founder of the Corvallis Swing Dance Society, where, among other things, he developed their class curriculum. He has taught for over 10 years, helping thousands of people discover swing dance in that time.

Philip loves old jazz, and the people who created it. He enjoys creating spaces where people feel comfortable expressing themselves, and his favorite move is hopping around.

Recommendations

If you're wondering if these classes are for you, they probably are. I mean, you're reading about swing dancing on the internet. Let us know if you have any questions.

Here's an example of Lindy hop from Denver in 2013:

Cooperative

About the co-op

We're a cooperative, and we identify with the cooperative movement and its values.

Events Mission Contact us
The Swing Dance Cooperative
Olympia, Washington.