Workshop with Solomon and Alana

Solomon and Alana present a beginner Lindy Hop workshop in Guelph, Ontario

On March 4th, 2001, two of Toronto's most sought-after Lindy Hop instructors, Alana Hock and Solomon Douglas, will be teaching a workshop and hosting a dance at The Palace in Guelph. They have danced for years, and learned their Lindy Hop from some of the best dancers in the world, including Frankie Manning (New York), Steven Mitchell (Los Angeles), Chachi (Toronto), the Rhythm Hot Shots (Sweden), Bill Borgida (Ithaca), and Paul and Sharon (San Francisco).

This is a beginner-level workshop, so no experience is required. We are expecting that the majority of participants will have no prior dance background whatsoever, and we're hoping that such participants will register for the entire day-long workshop. (However, if you do already know some Lindy Hop then don't be scared away—the material that we're teaching will be useful for dancers of all levels.)

What is Lindy Hop?

Lindy Hop, a social partner dance, is the original style of swing dancing. It first appeared in the ballrooms of Harlem (New York City) in the 1930s and late 1920s. It is joyful, energetic, soulful, sensuous, and playful. It can at times be very athletic, and at other times very relaxed.

Lindy Hop has experienced a great resurgence in popularity in the past ten years. Most big American cities have a thriving Lindy scene, and so do Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. We hope to catalyze a Lindy Hop scene in Guelph with this workshop.

Very elaborate answers to the question "what is Lindy Hop?" can be found at various web sites, including these in Toronto, Kansas City, London, Melbourne, and D.C..

Workshop venue

The workshop and the evening dance party will be hosted by The Palace at 100 Carden St. in downtown Guelph. The Palace is an old theatre that has been converted into a night club with a great sound system and a good-sized dancefloor. At the party, water and soft drinks will be available at the bars on the main floor, and alcoholic beverages will be available at the upstairs bar.

Class schedule

March 4, 2001
noon–1:15pm: Lindy Hop Connection and Basics: This class is open to everybody. We'll start right in with the important stuff, namely the lead-follow connection, and introduce the basic steps of the dance.
1:30pm–2:45pm: Lindy Hop Fundamentals: This class is open to anyone who attended the preceding Connection and Basics class. Building on what we covered in that class, we'll work intensely on the most important of Lindy Hop figures, focusing on the lindy circle and the swing out. This will be a very important class whether you're an absolute beginner or a seasoned lindy hopper.
4pm–5:15pm: Shim Sham Shimmy: This is a partnerless jazz routine that is known by lindy hoppers and tap dancers the whole world over. Learning the shim sham will be an important stamp in your Lindy passport. This class has no prerequisites: you don't need to take the Lindy Hop classes to sign up for the Shim Sham class.
5:30pm–6:45pm: Moving On: You attended the Connection and Basics class and the Fundamentals class, and now you're ready to put everything together: we'll teach a Lindy Hop routine that uses what we taught in the previous classes to build a picture of the great richness that is possible in this dance. Remember: other than attending the first two classes of the day, you don't need any prior experience to take this class!

Dance Party

After the classes, we will be hosting an all-ages swing night at the Palace Night Club. Solomon Douglas is one of the top Lindy Hop DJs in Toronto, and he will be spinning tunes starting at 9pm.

If you attend the workshop, then you get FREE ADMISSION to the party! Otherwise, you can pay $5 at the door.

Questions?

For more information, please e-mail Solomon Douglas at srcd@alum.mit.edu.

Registration

To register for the workshop, you must fill out and submit the form below, and send us a cheque or money order for the full amount of your payment. The cost for the entire workshop, if you were able to pay before February 26, was $25. If you pay us after Feb. 26, the whole workshop costs $30. This is ridiculously cheap! But, don't be fooled: you will be getting way more than your money's worth.

Space in the workshop is limited, and we will maintain an even lead-follow balance. If you register with a partner, then you will have no problem getting in, but unfortunately if you register as a follower with no partner you will probably be put on a waiting list until we have enough leaders signed up.

If you register before February 26, we will reserve you a spot in the workshop (or on the waiting list, in the case of an uneven lead-follow split) as soon as we receive your online registration. In that case, we must receive your full payment by February 26, or you will lose your reservation.

If you register after February 26, we must receive your payment in full before we will reserve you a space in the workshop or on the waiting list.