
Swing Outs & Swivels
The Iconic Move of Lindy Hop
Day & Time: Wednesday, 19:45 – 20:45
Dates: 22.02.2023 – 29.03.2023
The amazing dancer Al Minns once was asked what Lindy Hop is; he said, “It’s when you send the girl out and then she does the twist”. In this course we’ll do just that - except that anyone can be a follower and do the twist! Starting with the classic Lindy circle and into a basic version of the swing out, we’ll of course also add fancy variations. As a leader you'll learn how to position yourself to support your follower in more complex movements. And as a follower you'll learn the classic swivel, to decorate your dancing with beautiful hip twists.
Each of these moves will come with its own fun variations, but this list shows the fundamental moves you’ll learn in the class.
- lindy circle
- swing out
- swivels and switches
You’re very comfortable with Triple-Step based moves in both closed and open positions.
When dancing with a partner, we talk about “Leaders” and “Followers”. Classically, the person dancing in the role of leader initiates movements and directions and the follower interprets and actively dances them. However, there is no hierarchy to the roles and throughout the dance both partners continuously make decisions on how and where to go.
Click here to get more detailed explanations of the roles.
At SwingStep, we encourage everybody to see themselves as dancers rather than leaders or followers. This is why we strive to give everybody the opportunity to learn the dance from the leader and follower perspectives. This is known as “Everybody Leads and Everybody Follows” or “Switch dancing”.
We generally leave it up to our teachers to decide how to communicate and manage roles within a dance class. We are indicating what you can expect inside the sign up form in the field “Select your Role”:
- Leader / Follower: If you are asked to select a role during sign up, during these classes you are generally going to learn to dance in the role you selected, though occasionally teachers may invite you to try out the other role too.
- Single Person: If it is a partner class, you’ll get the opportunity to learn the content from both perspectives. This will allow you to deepen your understanding of the concepts and ideas more deeply, dance with anyone in the class and never have to wait for the right amount of “opposite roles” to show up so that you can dance. Switching roles can either happen in a structured way, where the teachers invite you to change your dance role in regular intervals, or in an organic way, where the teachers leave it up to you and your dance partner at any given time to switch roles according to your own wishes and needs.
When you book a subscription with us, you’ll have access to any classes you want as well as all the online classes. If you have primarily explored the dance from one perspective, you can use your subscription to join classes that suit you to explore the role you have less experience in.
Question: What if I feel too challenged doing both roles?
Answer: We encourage you to take care of your own needs at this moment. For example, make an agreement with your dancing partner to either get the help you need or revert to your stronger role.
Question: What if I only want to learn one role?
Answer: We encourage learning both roles, because it makes you a more flexible dancer and brings more dancing opportunities (and also fun). However, we will not force you to switch roles. Take care of your own preferences and needs.
Question: What if I want to only dance with my partner?
Answer: We strongly encourage you to rotate and explore the dance with everybody in the class. However, we will not force you to rotate or switch. Take care of your own preferences and needs.
Want to Join Swing Outs & Swivels?
Step 1: Select a payment option below and fill out the form
Step 2: (While logged in) Select this course again and sign up
6-Class Package for a couple
180€
- Start anytime!
- Join multiple drop-ins, or take a full course
- Class video summaries
If you want to take classes with us, but you don’t want to commit to a subscription yet, then this option is for you.
This package is intended for couples who want to sign up for classes together.
You can also purchase this package as a single person, to have even more tickets available for yourself 🙂
City Pass
*All you can dance*
59€ / 30 days
- Best deal
- Start anytime!
- Join any drop-in and take any course
- Class video summaries
- Included: Online Pass Program
- Pause or cancel anytime
- We’ll send you an automatic payment reminder before each payment.
If you dance more than 3 times within 30 days, this subscription is the best option for you.
All Info at Once
Here’s where Swing Outs & Swivels takes place:
Location:
Ballhaus Prinzenallee, Prinzenallee 33, 13359 Berlin
Enter through the big gate, the entrance is in the backyard
Public Transportation:
U-Pankstraße (U8)
Osloer Str./Prinzenallee (M13)
Prinzenallee/Soldiner Straße (Bus M27)