2026 Schedule of Events

CLASS DESCRIPTIONS 2026

LECTURES
SAVOY BALLROOM STORIES W/SUGAR SULLIVAN, BARBARA BILLUPS & CHESTER WHITMORE

Celebrate the 100 year anniversary of the Savoy Ballroom with two of our legends lived experiences and stories about the dancers who made the Savoy a special place.
LEGENDS W/SUGAR SULLIVAN, BARBARA BILLUPS & CHESTER WHITMORE

Celebrate and learn from three of our biggest legends in the dance community.
SCENE BUILDING W/ELAINE, STEFAN AND BEN
Lecture plus Q&A on marketing, culture, retention, and the key practices that help a dance scene grow and thrive based on the experiences of Seattle organizers Stefan, Elaine and Ben.


OPEN EVENING CLASSES
LEARNING FROM LEGENDS: STOPS W/SUGAR SULLIVAN, BARBARA BILLUPS, BEN & RACHEL

Learn the First Stops Lindy Hop routine that Sugar & Barbara are known for by these legends!
LEARNING FROM LEGENDS: BILLUPS BOUNCE W/BARBARA BILLUPS, SUGAR SULLIVAN, CHESTER WHITMORE & RACHEL BROWN

Learn the Billups Bounce routine straight from the source that Barbara and Chester created.
SWITCH
Learn some fun and creative ways to switch lead follow roles during your dance.
BAL BASICS CRASH COURSE
Learn the basics of Balboa in this crash course before the dance.

THE TRANKY DOO

Learn the Tranky Doo routine, that was danced at the Savoy, with Austin & Undre.
GROUP FEEDBACK

Work on your fundamentals with Ben & Ariel with this group feedback session.
THE CIRCLE
In this class, we'll be finding a groove and having a party with our friends as we dance to some of my favorite songs.
SOUL LINE DANCE

Learn a soul line dance before the Soul Party w/Chester & Rachel. Chester was featured on the TV show Soul Train, was featured as a Soul dancer in Usher’s music video and is respected as an expert in this dance.



BALBOA TRACK
 - open to all tracks but please be proficient in Balboa basics
PURE BALBOA RHYTHM & FOOTWORK

Play with rhythms, footwork, and texture to make your Pure Bal swing with clarity and ease.
BAL-SWING FLOW

Make it light, connected, and effortless. Find continuous flow between shapes, steps, and ideas.

THE SCIENCE OF BALBOA

Yep, you guessed it: Shag plus Balboa! Let's get out of our neat little silos and start shaking things up.

BALBOA INVENTIONS

One of the greatest feelings is of dancing unending flow in your Bal-Swing. Come learn a combination of steps and the secrets to make it feel incredible. 

CLOSED POSITION SWING

Close embrace, big swing. Explore contrast, groove, and dynamic movement without leaving closed.

QUALITY OF MOVEMENT

Up-level your lines, shapes, and intention — refine how you move, not just what you do.
EARLY SOCAL SWING

The father of slow Bal, Dean Rafferty, had a very particular way of moving. In this class we'll explore key mechanics around his basics as well as exploring new options that extend from these mechanics.

SLOW BAL


Slow it down and smooth it out as we take inspiration from the styles of Ray Cunningham and Dean Rafterty.

SWIVELS & TWISTS

Add variations, rhythms, and rotation to sharpen your swing and expand your movement palette.

MUSICALITY IN BALBOA

Play with phrasing, accents, and texture to bring musical choices into your Bal-Swing.


 

BEGINNER CLASSES

LINDY HOP


This 2 hour intro to Lindy Hop will teach you the footwork and partner dancing basics. No partner needed.
JAZZ
Jazz is a foundational part of these art forms and you will learn Jazz fundamentals and movement with legend of Black Vernacular Jazz dance, Chester Whitmore.
TAPNo tap shoes needed! Learn the basics of Tap in this introductory class.

 

SATURDAY AND SUNDAY TRACK CLASSES


*THERE IS AN OPEN TRACK AND A BALBOA TRACK ELECTIVE OPTION FOR TRACK CLASSES.

NEW!!  GROUP FEEDBACK DROP-INS w/Tim & Laura and Christian & Natalia
Open to all students, there is a Group Feedback drop-in available in the Emerald on Saturday and Sunday. This will be a more unstructured time where students can get feedback from instructors.
 

INTERMEDIATE TRACK


FUNDAMENTALS AND CONNECTION

In this class, you'll explore the fundamentals of dance anatomy to improve both your internal connection and your connection with your partner.
SAY IT WITH YOUR CHEST (AND ARMS)

Footwork is great, but so is chest and arm work. Let’s dance with more of our bodies. 


LINDY HOP FAVORITES

Revisit classic moves with a modern twist!

PLAYFUL PATTERNS & SASSY STYLING

It’s going to be playful and sassy with these fun Lindy Hop patterns, moves and styling options.

RHYTHM AND FLOW

Learn how to incorporate flow into your dancing using rhythms and smooth transitions.
JAZZ AND LINDY HOP

Jazz and Lindy Hop are intimately intertwined. Learn how to incorporate and combine Jazz movements and steps with your Lindy Hop.
 

INTERMEDIATE PLUS TRACK

BUILDING UP YOUR DANCING
In this class, we'll take simple moves and find ways to add style, rhythm, personality and complexity. Find ways to "re-discover" simple moves through little (and big changes)
LINDY HOP FAVORITES

Revisit classic moves with a modern twist!
CALL & RESPONSE RHYTHMS IN LINDY HOP
Your partner throws out a great idea... now what? Explore how the shared language of jazz can inform your conversation.
KEEPING THE FLOW

People aren't 'one size fits all' so why should our connection be??

COMMUNICATING BREAKS

Ideas for executing and communicating breaks. Telepathy for Lindy Hop.
CREATIVE CHARLESTON

This class will teach you unique charleston variations and combinations.
 

ADVANCED TRACK

VARIATIONS ON A THEME

How to lead and follow moves that actually work on the dance floor? We’re going to start with an idea, and then add increasingly complex variations to make that idea more honest and social-danceable.
ROTATIONAL MOVEMENTS & PARTNERED TURNS

In this class, we’ll look at different moves and methods to bring rotation into your steps. Leaders will work on flow and pacing, followers will work on turning technique and working with end points.

A JAZZ MAN’S PLAYBOOK

Get ready to get creative when Chester & Andrea bring you a bag of tricks to incorporate into your Lindy Hop.
GROOVING THROUGH SPACE
In this class, explore the dynamics between physical and musical space, develop syncopations without sacrificing groove.
SPIRIT MOVES SLIDES & VARIATIONS
Learn intricate Savoy stylings and slides inspired by the legends in The Spirit Moves. Leather soles or suede recommended.
INSPIRED BY NORMA

Steps and movements inspired by the Queen of Swing, Norma Miller. Come ready for a challenge.
 

OPEN TRACK ELECTIVE - All tracks welcome to explore the open track option
GESTURE IN PARTNER CONNECTION

This class focuses on pulse-driven moves and footwork variations, helping you navigate rhythm changes while adding style.
OC INSPIRED MOVES
Orange County has a unique and energetic scene and dance history. Learn some cool moves inspired by the OC dance community.
FUN, CHALLENGING ROUTINE (INT+/ADV only)

Come prepared to sweat. We’ll have a good time.
THE BIG APPLE (FULL CHOREOGRAPHY)

Learn one of Lindy Hop's most celebrated line dances: the Big Apple, choreographed by Frankie Manning. In this class, we'll learn the Big Apple and call out specific moments of unique style performed by different dancers from the film "Keep Punching" (1939)
SWINGIN’ AT THE SAVOY

The Savoy was called the “Home of Happy Feet” for a reason! Using inspiration from the Savoy Ballroom, this class will explore some of the history and dance content from the place where Lindy Hop was born.

MAMBO & BEBOP IN THE SPIRIT MOVES

Both Mambo and Bebop were danced at the Savoy! Explore their connections to Lindy Hop and jazz dance while adding new flavor to your movement.

 

MONDAY ELECTIVES

DANCING WITH A GENTLE ABANDON
E
xplore the delicate balance of free and loose movement and keeping it together.
RHYTHM!
Learn some all levels-friendly rhythm variations to bring more style and sauce to your social dancing.
SMOOTH LA STYLE LINDY HOP

Refine your movement with smooth transitions,  stretch, and beautiful lines inspired by LA–style Lindy.
SOLO SLIDES & FANCY MOVES

We are going to have fun with Chester & Undre as we explore extra fancy solo movements and slides.
ST LOUIS SNACKS

Learn a few characteristic steps from the dancers who frequented St. Louis‘ Club Imperial.
FANCY CHARLESTON TRANSITIONS

Just like the title says! Coming into this class, it’s helpful to know the basic Charleston positions (side by side, tandem, airplane) so we can focus our time on transitioning between them.

INSPIRED BY THE HOUSE BANDS OF THE SAVOY

In this class, we'll look at the house bands of the Savoy Ballroom like Chick Webb and Erskine Hawkins. In this class, we'll listen to the unique contribution of these bands, and learn dance steps inspired by their work.

SWING WALK

Keep cool when the tempos pick up with the Savoy Ballroom‘s Swing Walk. Used by Lindy Hop greats Norma Miller and Frankie Manning, this line-of-dance swing style is a fantastic complement to more athletic styles of dance.

THE CREATOR: MAKE YOUR MARK ON THE MOMENT

As the original dancers grew, so often did their taste for slides. Come learn a variety to try on the floor as a leader and follower. (Shoes with leather soles highly recommended!) 

LIFTS AND TRICKS (partner required)

Get ready to bring it to this partner Lindy Hop class where we will learn lifts and tricks to be used in competitions, jams and performances. You must bring a partner to this class.

FUN AND ATHLETIC SOLO ROUTINE

It'll be fast. It'll be footwork. It'll be Gaby and Laura.

HOW THEY USED TO DO IT

In order to expand your dancing today, you need to honor and learn from the originators and people before you. This class will explore the roots and inspiration from our predecessors.
HIP HOP
Rooted from Jazz , learning Hip Hop is a great way to expand your dancing through movement, rhythms and styling. Learn a high energy and challenging hip hop routine.