Classes
We offer a variety of classes in the family of Swing Era dances, including Lindy Hop, Charleston, Solo Jazz, Blues & Slow Drag, and Balboa – for absolute beginners and experienced swing dancers alike.
Swing is, at its heart, a social dance, and our aim is to get you movin’ and groovin’ on the dance floor from your very first class. Lindy hop, the most popular partnered dance of the Swing Era, involves improvisation: mixing rhythms and patterns with vernacular jazz movements and charleston. Our classes are designed to help you get used to moving to swinging jazz music, and most of all, to feel the joy of this almost century-old dance.
Take a look at our Level Descriptions to get a better idea of where you can slot in!
City Centre on Fridays
Truth Coffee Roasting
36 Buitenkant Street, Cape Town
6 PM: Novice Learning Group
6 PM: Intermediate
7-9 PM: Social Dance (free entry)
Muizenberg on Tuesdays
Muizenberg Methodist Church
5 Marchmont Rd, Muizenberg
6 PM: Novice Learning Group
7:15 PM: Intermediate
Observatory on Wednesdays
Observatory Community Recreation Centre
Corner Rawson St & Collingwood Rd, Observatory
6 PM: Novice Learning Group
7:15 PM: Intermediate
Stellenbosch on Wednesdays
No classes at the moment
Level Descriptions
Beginner
Welcome! You’ve never danced lindy hop before but somehow through the magic of the universe, you have found your way to our classes. Maybe you're here to try something new, or perhaps you’ve danced other styles, or never really danced at all and would like to change that… This is the place to be! Our drop-in classes are perfect for anyone who’s new (or new-ish) to lindy hop.
Novice
Intermediate
You've been dancing for a while and feel more relaxed on the dance floor: more in your body, less in your head. You’re really starting to get a feel for the music. You find that you listen to swing music between classes to keep your groove going. You may even spend time looking up the pros (Swing Era legends and international lindy hoppers of today) and start to take notes on cool moves and rhythms you want to try. You are comfortable social dancing swing outs and variations, switching between 6- and 8- count rhythms, and mixing in some charleston. You can have a fun solo jazz jam by yourself to swing music. You’ve started exploring dancing to much faster (e.g. 200 BPM) and much slower (e.g. 80 BPM) tempos. Maybe you’ve also experimented with switching to the other role!
Advanced
Novice Learning Groups
Ready to become a Lindy Hopper? Whether you're brand new to swing dancing, or you've taken some classes in recent months.... if you’re ready to really learn, our Novice Learning Group is your next stop!
Coached by a CTS senior teacher, you'll learn to string together the essentials of Lindy Hop and other key dances in the swing family: Charleston, Vernacular Jazz, 6-count basics, and Blues/slow dancing!
Current start dates:
City Center: Friday 6th Ocober 2023, 6pmÂ
Muizenberg: Tuesday 7th November 2023, 6pm
Observatory: Wednesday 10th January 2024, 6pm
Stellenbosch: To be confirmed
The groups will meet once a week, and group members are expected to commit to attending every class. If someone misses a class, they may be required to take a private lesson to catch up (this will be at the teacher’s discretion). Once we're confident that you're well-versed in the basics of Lindy Hop, you'll be invited to take intermediate classes at any of our locations.
Newcomers to the group may join in the first two weeks of it starting; thereafter, anyone who wants to join the group will have to take private lessons (individual, pair or group) to catch up, before joining in. Contact us if you are interested.
Join the community...
Connect with the local dance community using your preferred platform:
Facebook: Cape Town Swing dance community Facebook group
WhatsApp: Contact us to join 'Swing Dance Anytime'