frequently asked questions

• No dance experience is needed, our Beginners (Level 1) is for absolute beginners
• No partner needed, you will be rotating partners in class.
• Our classes are gender neutral and we encourage all our students to try both dance roles. So please only attend if you are happy to partner with every other student in class. This means you might be dancing with men, women, in between and beyond! Old school dance for new school people, cool?
• This is an adult dance class, all attendees must be 18+
• Swing dancing is a physical pursuit and classes may at times involve rigorous activity. A good level of basic fitness and range of movement is needed. If in doubt please consult your GP before participating.

A Course is a progressive 3-week program, consisting of three 1-hour classes over three weeks. You must sign up for the full course and attend all three classes. Each course costs £30.

A Series is a series of 3 drop-in classes over three weeks, separate classes but all on the same theme. Each class is different. You can attend any single class in a Series, or book all three. To take a single class in a Series, it doesn’t matter if you haven’t taken the other classes in the Series (for example, you can take the third class of a Series, even if you have not taken the first or second). 

Apologies, no. A course is a progressive program, so you must sign up for the whole course.

Yes! A Series is a series of 3 drop-in classes over three weeks, separate classes but all on the same theme. Each class is different. You can attend any single class in a Series, or book all three.

To take a single class in a Series, it doesn’t matter if you haven’t taken the other classes in the Series (for example, you can take the third class of a Series, even if you have not taken the first or second). 

Yes, if you have a package of credits on your account when you book a course, 3 credits will be taken as payment (£30 equivalent).

Don’t panic! We know sometimes life gets in the way and you might miss a class. If you miss one class in a course, the teacher will try their best to help you catch up in the next class. As we like to say, there are no emergencies in swing dancing. We’ll work it out!

Please note, there are no refunds for missed classes in any course booked, and you cannot take an alternative class to make up for the one you missed. Missed classes are forfeited.

If you need to miss Week 1, it’s probably best to defer to the next course, so get in touch to transfer your registration to the next course scheduled.

Apologies, no. Our courses are only 3 weeks long, so it’s better to wait until the next course so you can start in Week 1.

Apologies, no. If you want to try a single class before you commit to a Beginners course, then try our Beginners Taster Class on Wednesday evenings.

Just wear light, casual clothes that allow for unrestricted movement. For example, jeans and a t-shirt (or anything similar) would be perfect. We might work up a sweat, so layers you can take off are recommended. Some dancers like to dress in a vintage 1930s/1940s style, but that is not required. Just be your (comfortable) self! 

This is a partnered dance, so for the sake of your partners please come in clean clothes, wear deodorant and maybe pop a breath mint! 

Experienced swing dancers wear shoes with leather/suede soles. But to get started, any comfortable flat enclosed shoe (eg: trainers, loafers, plimsolls, oxfords) will be perfect. Rubber soles are fine to get started with. If you want to wear heels, we recommend a Mary Jane or T-Bar style with a sturdy heel no more than 1 or 1.5 inches high, and make sure you are already comfortable walking and moving around in them. Generally, soft-soled “jazz dance”, ballroom or tango shoes are not appropriate. Please no high heels, stilettos, flip flops, strappy sandals, slingbacks or any shoes that will scratch or mark the dancefloor. We love talking about shoes, so feel free to ask your teacher for the lowdown on the best shoes for swing dancing.

Everybody learns at a different pace and how quickly you progress will depend on how much time you can put into practicing, outside of class.

You might feel like you have mastered the material after taking a course just once. Or you might prefer to take it twice (or thrice) before moving on. In general the students that put in the time to build really strong fundamentals, become the best dancers. 

Some people like to take a course once as a leader, and again as a follower, to learn both roles. 

For moving on from Level 1 to Level 2: of course we want you to know the moves we teach in all the Level 1 courses. But it’s particularly important that you have mastered the basic footwork. Please do not move on to Level 2, until you are feeling confident with your triple-steps. Without your basic footwork patterns in place, you won’t be able to move ahead. If you’re not sure, ask your teacher for a quick test to see if they think you’re ready to move up.

Absolutely! In fact we encourage it. Many students take two or even three different level classes (for example, on Monday nights many students take all three classes that evening, Levels 3, 4 and 5). Just check that you meet the prerequisites for any class you attend (they are written in the class description in the booking area). 

For example, here’s how you could progress through our levels:

• Start with your Level 1 classes/courses.
• When you’re feeling ready, and meet the prerequisites, start taking Level 1 and Level 2 classes simultaneously.
• When the Level 1 classes start to feel too easy, stop taking them and continue with Level 2 only (or you could start taking Level 1 classes in the opposite dance role).
• When you meet the Level 3 prerequisites, start taking Level 2 and Level 3 classes simultaneously.
• When the Level 2 classes start to feel too easy, stop taking them and continue with Level 3 only (or you could start taking Level 2 classes in the opposite dance role).
• When you meet the Level 4 prerequisites, start taking Level 3 and Level 4 classes simultaneously.
• When the Level 3 classes start to feel too easy, stop taking them and continue with Level 4 only (or you could start taking Level 3 classes in the opposite dance role).
• When you meet the Level 5 prerequisites, start taking Level 4 and Level 5 classes simultaneously.