The Huntsville Swing Dance Society is pleased to announce the biggest event we've ever had.
A Lindy Movement...Gettin' down to the nitty gritty!
Michael and Jaya Gamble of Lindy Focus fame will be coming to Huntsville to teach a massive two-day lindy movement! This will be lessons like you've never seen before. In addition to organizing Lindy Focus (1-7), Sugar Foot Stomp (1-2), Enter the Blues (2-3), and Southern Belle Swing Bash (1-5), they have taught workshops in over 25 US cities.
In this workshop we'll be mixing it up for the Huntsville crowd. The larger theme of this whole set of classes is musicality/improvisation through clear communication and solid technique. The whole program is designed to radically improve everyone's social dance skills. Not only will be adding to your dance repertoire, but there will be a strong focus on where to put that flair as well! You'll get not just the moves but the movement, the rhythm, the flow and the musicality!
Michael and Jaya have planned out lessons that will take you off the beaten path and into areas that will test your dancing, whether you started a month, a year or ten years ago. We are extremely excited about this workshop. It won't be like anything Huntsville has ever seen!
Look forward in the coming days for online registration, class descriptions, venues, etc! It's going to be fun, so you should register early. Not only will it be cheaper (and help us track who's coming), but also there's a chance this workshop will fill up and we want to make sure all the Huntsville crowd gets in!
Update: Online registration is now open! Check it out at the HSDS Event Catalog
Update: If you're on facebook, check out the event there as well:
Update: For those who have asked about privates, our schedule is fairly tight, however you may email swing@huntsvilleswingdance.org and we will see if any time is available.
Update: Michael has graciously offered to DJ for our Saturday latenight! On top of that, Breanna Perry from Nashville and Huy Huynh, (formerly of Huntsville and now out of Atlanta) are also coming over to DJ! It's going to be a blast!
Update: We've added another event to our already amazing weekend! Sunday evening we will end the weekend with a nice chill dance wrap party at The Station 2. We'll sit down for dinner at 6pm, (Sorry, you have to pay for your own meal), followed by dancing in the party room until 9 or 10. We look forward to seeing you there!
Update: Early registration is now closed. However, since we've had a few people who wanted to register online but didn't make the Friday deadline, I've opened up a final registration. The pricing is the same as at-the-door pricing, however, you'll be able to use your credit card. I'll have to close it Monday at noon but if you missed early registration and want to pay with a credit card, here is your chance!
Update: Bring $2 to the Main Dance Saturday and compete in the "OMG I've never competed!" competition! For all those who have danced a month to a year or two but never competed, this is your competition! Prizes will be cheap yet meaningful. Bragging rights will be invaluable! We want EVERYONE to participate so bring those eight quarters!
Class Descriptions
Series 1: Mechanics of Social Lindy Hop - Lots of drills and plenty of social repertoire, too. This series is about getting everyone speaking the same language with their bodies. Analyzing how things work, and breaking down assumptions. We will cover a lot of material, but it's not about memorizing everything, it's about what you learn just by being in class.
- Saturday Class 1 - The Rhythm in the Move - Here we will dive into the age-old question of distinguishing between different rhythms by breaking apart common moves, examining how they work, and putting them back together into entirely new patterns. Leaders can expect to gain a deeper understanding of their vocabulary, as well as the ability to 'mess with' their moves in new ways. Followers can expect a detailed clinic on interpreting the rhythmic intention of the leader.
- Saturday Class 2 - Total Rhythmic Communication - In this class we will uncover just how deep connected communication can go, using a set of rock-solid drills and exercises to get both leader and follower focusing on the detailed messages that are passed back and forth within a partnership. One of Michael and Jaya's most requested workshops, this class will bring a new level of intention to your social dancing.
- Saturday Class 3 - Speaking in Tongues - This class combines all of the concepts in the previous two classes, using those skills to explore out-of-the box rhythms and social dancing possibilities that will keep your dancing forever evolving, forever challenging. We will definitely learn a new set of unique moves, but along the way we will empower you to understand the process of creating these more complex and exciting figures.
Series 2: Mirror Image Movement and Versatility - This series is designed to strengthen your technique under a wide variety of challenging situations, often asking you to do things on the "wrong side/wrong foot", to execute demanding movements in just a few beats, and generally broaden your skill set and understanding of the dance.
- Saturday Class 4 - Speed Turns - Just what it sounds like, this class will focus on leading and following very demanding turns with clarity and precision, from a variety of positions/handholds.
- Sunday Class 1 - Chill Steps - In this class we will take a step back and work on "walking movement" -- figures that use few if any triple-steps, but nonetheless are a study in control, precise execution, moment, and (of course) great-feeling connection.
- Sunday Class 2 - Dynamic Triples - Here we will break apart the triple step, learning how to modify the shape of it to make it fit some new movements and situations, tackling a handful of new figures and new concepts at the same time. A powerful way to make simple steps very exciting.
- Sunday Class 3 - Combos, Dynamics, and The Big Picture -If you missed a class here or there this weekend, you can probably still survive this class. But what we'll be doing is throwing out combinations and challenges based on everything that's been taught this weekend. Not to be missed, this session will help you assimilate everything else we've covered by putting it into CONTEXT. In other words, we won't just be looking at how to put this stuff together, but also how to make good musical decisions, and how to keep your dancing artistic, expressive, and genuine, while maintaining technical integrity.
- Final Class - Spotlight on the Student - For our final session, we'll break from the normal class format. Basically, we'll have one couple at a time dance for the class, and the instructors will constructively offer technical and artistic critique. There won't be time to do this for every couple; this is more about learning as a group, and learning from other people's critique than getting your own dancing analyzed. Always a favorite, and a great way to tie the weekend together, you will want to bring a notebook and paper for this one!
