Swing Camp 2022
Swing Camp is coming back, this time in March! Assuming the Covid situation has calmed down, of course…
We’re planning to host Swing Camp 2022 on the Human Rights Day long weekend, 18−21 March, a beloved event for avid lindy hoppers new & old:
– Three nights at the gorgeous Fynbos Estate olive farm in lovely cottages (or camping if you’re on a budget);
– Daytime classes and group practices (for all beginner, intermediate & advanced lindy hoppers);
– Good food, fully catered;
– Chilling with new & old friends;
– Social dancing in the evenings with the Pebble Shakers & DJ’d music – and late-night farmhouse parties 🥳
Weekend Schedule:
Mornings will start gently with a healthy breakfast served in the farmhouse kitchen and some light stretching on the lawn, before we move into two hours of classes. Lunch will be served in De Perdestal, where you can hang out with friends. After lunch, we’ll have one class, for those who want to learn the Swing Camp Choreography. There’ll be a couple hours’ break in the afternoon for chillout time, pool dips and naps. Get a quick shower and change into something nice for the evening parties before heading to dinner, which will be served in De Perdestal. We’ll head straight to the dance floor after dinner!
Tickets & Registration:
Ticket prices range from R2,600-R3,500, depending on your choice of accommodation. This price includes three nights’ accommodation, three catered meals per day, all workshops, parties, showcases etc.
Partnered registrations open on 1 December. If you register with a partner in the other role and in the same level (i.e. both booked and paid), your registration will be approved immediately. Single registrations (lead or follow) will open on 1 January and will only be approved with an overall balance of leaders & followers within each level (Beg-Int & Int-Adv).
Payment:
You can pay the full amount upfront, or you can pay in three instalments. If you choose the latter option, your first payment will be due by 15 December, the second payment by 15 January, and the third payment by 15 February.
Direct bank transfer:
Account holder: Cape Town Swing
Bank: First National Bank (FNB)
Account number: 62527638780
Branch code: 250655
Account type: Cheque
PayPal:
Accommodation:
There are several different accommodation options to choose from, depending on your budget, comfort and privacy needs etc. Scroll down for the specific layout (subject to change).
Farmhouse:
The huge, multi-roomed farmhouse. Cheaper than sleeping in a cottage, but in a cosy bed surrounded by fun people. Be warned: the farmhouse is the hub of Swing Camp: each room will sleep 3-5 people, everyone will be in and out of the kitchen for coffee and snacks, and the lounge is where we host the late-night parties 🙂 There will be single beds and double beds, and we will leave it up to you to figure out where you want to sleep: the sleeping plans will be made available.
Cottages:
There are four cottages on the estate, the furthest being a 5-minute walk away from the farmhouse. The smallest sleep 4, the largest sleeps 12. If you’re after privacy, extra comfort and quiet, this is the option for you. You can share a double bed with your partner or friend in a private room, or you can opt for a single bed. The sleeping plans will be made available.
Camping:
If you love the solitude and simplicity of camping, you are welcome to pitch a tent in the garden. Needless to say, you’ll have to bring all your own gear (tent, mattress, sleeping bag etc.). You will have full use of the farmhouse bathrooms and kitchen.
Old Barn:
Foam mattresses can be laid out in the Old Barn, a large simple concrete building 2 minutes’ walk from the farmhouse. It’s the simplicity of camping but you don’t need gear. You’ll need to bring your own bedding, only the mattress is supplied. Please bear in mind that this space will be used for daytime classes, so we’ll need to move beds to the side of the space during the day.
The full accommodation layout (including Farmhouse, Cottages, Camping and Old Barn) is shown below, and availability is updated weekly as bookings come in. You can view and comment on the online spreadsheet here.
Food:
All meals will be catered. If you have specific food allergies, let us know so that we can accommodate you.
Classes:
The Beginner-Intermediate classes will cater to those who are relatively new to lindy hop. You’ll manage better if you’ve taken at least couple months of lindy hop classes and have a little familiarity with 6-count, 8-count and charleston basics.
The Intermediate-Advanced classes will be for those who’ve been dancing for at least a couple of years, and who are really comfortable with the various lindy hop basics, have decent lead-follow technique and can improvise easily on the social floor.
The All Levels classes will be open to anyone, and will most likely focus on solo jazz 🙂 Did we hear something about a Swing Camp choreography?
Parties & Showcases:
Friday:
The Welcome Party starts after dinner, around 8pm. Change out of your dusty day clothes (grab a shower if you feel the need) and join us on the dance floor for a welcome jam. Our DJs will be playing all the best tunes. We’ll end the party by midnight so you can get some rest for a long, fun day on Saturday.
Saturday:
Sign up in advance for the Mix & Match, a friendly competition where you’ll be randomly matched with a dance partner to dance three songs at different tempos – participants will be “judged” on various criteria including creativity, partner connection, rhythm and good vibes. We’ll move straight on to the main party, where the Pebble Shakers will keep the floor swinging with their signature Echoes of Sophiatown tunes and popular classics. The after-party will be back in the farmhouse where our DJs will keep the groove going.
Sunday:
The Talent Show is specifically not-swing! Puppet shows, songs, mimes, comedy and weird & wonderful talents are encouraged. Sign up in advance. The Goodbye Party will start straight after, with our DJ team on deck. Stick around for the Fast Feet Competition at midnight: sign up with a partner to swing the f* out in three rounds of increasing tempo. YES. And of course, the after-party will be in the farmhouse.
Monday:
Stick around after lunch, where we’ll close the weekend with the Showcase: this is where we’ll perform the Swing Camp choreography that we’ll have been learning over the weekend; and any other choreographies that folks will have at the ready, solo or partnered.
COVID-19 policy:
All attendees must either be fully vaccinated (with proof of vaccination) or must present a negative Covid test, taken within 48 hours of the event start. If you are not vaccinated and will instead opt for the test, please do your utmost to avoid contact with other people in the 48 hours between your test and arrival at the camp. We trust that everyone is on board to create a safe and welcoming environment for all attendees.
Cancellation Policy:
Many of our expenses are incurred months or weeks ahead of the event. Depending on when a booking (or the event itself) is cancelled, some of our event organisation costs may be sunk and impossible to get back. Hence our timeline-based cancellation policy.
If you have paid for your ticket but can no longer make it to Swing Camp, here is what we can offer, depending on whether you can find a replacement, and depending on how close we are to the event date.
Scenario 1: Find someone to buy your ticket (same dance role, same level). In this case, you can sort out the payment with them and we will transfer the ticket. They will have to take the same accommodation that you booked.
Scenario 2: We try to find a replacement: if we manage to find someone, you get a full refund minus 15% admin fee (i.e. 85% refund). If we don’t manage to find someone, you forfeit the ticket and are refunded as per Scenario 3.
Scenario 3: If you cancel without finding someone to replace you, we will refund you as follows:
– Before 1 January: 75% refund
– Before 1 February: 50% refund
– Before 1 March: 25% refund
– After 1 March: no refund
If the event is cancelled as a result of government directions and/or regulations promulgated as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the following partial refunds will apply:
– Up to 72hrs prior to check-in: 60% refund
– Up to 24hrs prior to check-in: 30% refund
Please Note:
* Registration between 1-31 December 2021 is only possible with a partner in the opposite role, in the same class level.