Learn to swing dance and Lindy Hop at Cat’s Corner! Have fun, meet new people, and get great exercise all at once! Cat’s Corner offers:
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- hip, expert & friendly dance instruction with Nathan, Chiara and monthly guest teachers
- progressive format classes so you can get better each week
- convenient and secure online class registration
- Live Music Dance Party & Cocktails after class!
Main 4 week class session runs July 11, 18, 25 & Aug 1 at Swedish American Hall, SF.
Special class schedule on July 4, 2018 – Independence Day…read more.
| Main Ballroom | Side Room | |
| 7-8 PM | Beginning Lindy Hop Monthly Series with Nathan, Joy & Kevin |
Electives: Collegiate Shag with Amy & Freddie |
| 8-9 PM | Intermediate Lindy Hop Monthly Series with Nathan, Joy & Kevin |
Intermediate/Advanced Lindy Hop with Rachel & Kendall |
| 9-9:30 PM | Beginning East Coast Swing Drop-in Class with Nathan, Joy & guest teachers |
[wptab name=’For Beginners’]
Beginning East Coast Swing Drop-in Class
with Nathan, Joy & guest teachers
Class time: 9-9:30pm
This short and sweet class is designed for the absolute beginner with no previous dance experience. We start from scratch each week, covering partner dance fundamentals and introducing simple 6-count East Coast Swing, Jig Walks and Charleston steps to get you out on the dance floor and grooving to the music.
Cost: $10 per week (includes dance party admission). No registration required.
Beginning Lindy Hop Month-long Series
with Nathan Dias, Joy Jing & Kevin Weng
Class time: 7-8pm
Series Dates: Wednesdays, July 11, 18, 25 & Aug 1
In this class, you will learn the basics of Lindy Hop, the original swing dance from the 1930s that features fast footwork and addictive rhythms. You’ll learn the basic 8-count steps that every lindy hopper should know — swingout, lindy circle & charleston — plus solid lead and follow technique and a different set of beginner level steps each month. This class is a progressive series, which means we review and build steadily upon previous weeks’ material.
Previous swing dancing experience is helpful but not required. To get the most out of the class, we recommend that you are already comfortable with “triple-steps” — if you don’t know these yet, we suggest taking our 9pm drop-in swing class a few times first.
4-week series cost: $60 early registration by Monday, July 9. $65 online after the deadline. $70 at the door.
Drop-in cost: $20 per week, weeks 1 & 2 only or with special teacher permission.
Save your spot in class!
Four Month Class Cycle (okay to start any month!)
| Jan/May/Sep (A) |
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| Feb/Jun/Oct (B) |
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| Mar/Jul/Nov (C) |
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| Apr/Aug/Dec (D) |
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About the Teachers
Joy Jing
Originally from Ohio, Joy got hooked on the improvisational energy and partnered creativity of swing dancing while living in Boston. She loves to both lead and follow, and has dabbled in almost all of the swing dances, with an emphasis on Lindy Hop, Balboa, St. Louis Shag, Collegiate Shag, and Charleston. She has been teaching swing dancing since 2014, and has won national and international competitions in Balboa, St. Louis Shag, and Collegiate Shag.
In class, Joy exudes energy and positivity, with a focus on partner connection, mutual responsiveness, and helping all dancers grow. Her style emphasizes fun, creativity, musicality, and technique.
Nathan Dias
Resident Teacher, Cats Corner Founder
Nathan specializes in Lindy Hop, the high-energy swing dance from the 1930s and 40s, and has been teaching, performing and DJing since 2005. He started swing dancing in 1997 and lindy hopping in 2000. A regular dancer in San Francisco since 2001, Nathan enjoys the creativity and personal connection of social dancing as well as the challenge and satisfaction on working on and improving his dance.
He has taught at practically all of the local swing dance venues at one time or another, including the 9:20 Special, Lindy in the Park, Tuesday Night Jump, Rent Party and original Doghouse, and has been a featured instructor at regional workshops such as Swingin' at the Savoy, California Swingin', *Workshop (San Luis Obispo), Santa Swing (Santa Barbara), and Le Hot Sauce (SF).
Kevin Weng
[/wptab]
[wptab name=’Intermediate Lindy Hop’]
Intermediate Lindy Hop
with Nathan Dias, Joy Jing & Kevin Weng
Class time: 8-9pm
Series Dates: Wednesdays, July 11, 18, 25 & Aug 1
In this class, you will build up your repertoire of lead and follow techniques, classic lindy hop moves and styling.
Requirements:
Students wishing to join the Intermediate class must have completed our 4-month Beginning Lindy Hop program (or the equivalent) as well as a friendly level-check with one of our teachers. Students should be regular social dancers at this point, and should be able to confidently dance the steps listed on our 4-month Beginner curriculum (click the “Beginning” tab above) including 6-count turns, 8-count swingout, Lindy circle and related turns, and basic Charleston patterns. Contact the teachers to arrange a level-check and get class level advice.
4-week series cost: $60 early registration by Monday, July 9. $65 online after the deadline. $70 at the door.
Drop-in cost: $20 per week, weeks 1 & 2 only or with special teacher permission.
Register now for classes
Save your spot in class!
Intermediate Lindy Hop 6-month Class Cycle (start any month)
| Jan/Jul (A) |
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| Feb/Aug (B) |
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| Mar/Sep (C) |
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| Apr/Oct (D) |
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| May/Nov (E) |
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| Jun/Dec (F) |
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About the Teachers
Joy Jing
Originally from Ohio, Joy got hooked on the improvisational energy and partnered creativity of swing dancing while living in Boston. She loves to both lead and follow, and has dabbled in almost all of the swing dances, with an emphasis on Lindy Hop, Balboa, St. Louis Shag, Collegiate Shag, and Charleston. She has been teaching swing dancing since 2014, and has won national and international competitions in Balboa, St. Louis Shag, and Collegiate Shag.
In class, Joy exudes energy and positivity, with a focus on partner connection, mutual responsiveness, and helping all dancers grow. Her style emphasizes fun, creativity, musicality, and technique.
Nathan Dias
Resident Teacher, Cats Corner Founder
Nathan specializes in Lindy Hop, the high-energy swing dance from the 1930s and 40s, and has been teaching, performing and DJing since 2005. He started swing dancing in 1997 and lindy hopping in 2000. A regular dancer in San Francisco since 2001, Nathan enjoys the creativity and personal connection of social dancing as well as the challenge and satisfaction on working on and improving his dance.
He has taught at practically all of the local swing dance venues at one time or another, including the 9:20 Special, Lindy in the Park, Tuesday Night Jump, Rent Party and original Doghouse, and has been a featured instructor at regional workshops such as Swingin' at the Savoy, California Swingin', *Workshop (San Luis Obispo), Santa Swing (Santa Barbara), and Le Hot Sauce (SF).
Kevin Weng
[/wptab]
[wptab name=’Intermediate/Advanced Lindy Hop’]
Intermediate-Advanced Lindy Hop
with Rachel Phillips and Kendall Lui
Class Time: 8-9pm
Series Dates: Wednesdays, July 11, 18, 25 & Aug 1
Stretch and grow as a Lindy Hopper by focusing on important fundamentals: connection, musicality and momentum while learning and dancing more complex patterns, challenging lead and follow techniques, and impressive styling.
Required: 6+ months of Intermediate Lindy Hop classes and social dance experience, or the equivalent.
Recommended: 12+ months Intermediate Lindy Hop class & social dance experience
If coming from another dance program, check our Intermediate Lindy Hop syllabus (click the “Intermediate” tab above) to see if what you’ve covered in other classes and social dancing is comparable. In particular, we are looking for:
- Your swingouts, lindy circle, 6-count turns, 8-count inside & outside turns, Texas Tommy and 6- and 8-count tuck turns should all be solid, fluid, and social dance worthy at medium tempos (140-170 BPM) with clean, accurate footwork
- You should be able to dance common modes of Charleston (side-by-side, kick-through, hand-to-hand, airplane, tandem and face-to-face) along with simple transitions into and out of them
- You should be able to incorporate some common footwork variations in your basics, independent of your partner (i.e. kick-ball-change, heel pops, Al Minn’s footwork, scissor kicks, Frankie’s footwork).
- You should be able to dance at least a few classic lindy hop “flashy” patterns such as: Curl & Points, Mini-Dip, the Chase, Sailor Kicks, Hacksaws, Behind the Back Promenade, Quick Stop, etc.
- You are starting to demonstrate an ability to lead and follow improvised movements not explicitly taught in class
There is no formal level-check, and student placement is by honor system. Teachers, however, are instructed to, at their discretion, politely send unqualified students to the appropriate level. When in doubt, the best is to arrange a friendly level check with one of our teachers.
Rachel Phillips
Rachel Phillips started dancing in Berkeley in 2015. She was walking through Sproul Plaza, heard the infectious music, and knew she wanted to learn the Lindy Hop! With a background in tap dancing, her favorite part about the dance is the rhythm, and she loves to play with the footwork to create new rhythms in her social dancing.
When she’s not dancing, Rachel enjoys playing board games, learning to ride horses, and reading up on the fascinating history of jazz music and dance. Or she's at the DJ booth.
Kendall Lui
Kendall is a San Francisco native and took one of his first Lindy Hop classes at Cat's Corner. He spent most of his dance career in Davis, CA where he taught Lindy Hop and organized weekly dances. He is a technical dancer and loves exploring partnership through connection. His favorite part about swing dancing is social dancing - you'll hardly see him taking a break all night!
[/wptab]
[wptab name=’Electives’]
Collegiate Shag for Intermediate Lindy Hoppers
with Amy Sorenson and Freddie Ferber
Class time: 7-8pm
Series Dates: Wednesdays, July 11, 18, 25 & Aug 1
The Collegiate Shag (or “Shag”) is a partner dance done primarily to uptempo swing and pre-swing jazz music (185-250+ beats per minute). It belongs to the swing family of American vernacular dances that arose in the 1920s and 30s. It is believed that the dance originated within the African American community[1] of the Carolinas in the 1920s,[2][3] later spreading across the United States during the 1930s. Because the basic step takes up such a small space, the Shag can also be danced to fast music (over 300 beats per minute).
Geared toward Intermediate dancers, but all welcome!
3+ months of Intermediate Lindy Hop classes & regular social dancing recommended.
Amy Sorenson
Amy is a self-identifying Shagaholic. She is a former member of Steve Sayer and Chanzie Roettig’s LA Shag, and of Johnny “Bluejeans” Lee’s The San Francisco Jitterbugs, and is now running her own Shag team here in the Bay Area. As a method of sharing her love of dance she teaches, competes, performs, and helps organize dance events. She is very excited to be sharing her love of this dance with you as she continues on her journey to make Collegiate Shag more visible and increase its presence in the Bay Area. She hopes you will love it as much as she does.
Freddie Ferber
Freddie grew up listening to swing music. Both of his parents were professional jazz/swing musicians and performers. Freddie started playing music at age 12 and he is a composer/musician and guitarist. He has been dancing for 15 years. Although his main passion is Collegiate Shag and Lindy Hop, he also loves dancing Argentine Tango, Blues, Ballroom, Country two-step and Salsa.
Freddie is an avid student of the dance and really enjoys the learning process and sharing the dance through teaching and performing. His personal mentors and teachers include: Stephen Sayer, Chanzie Roettig, Kevin St. Laurent, and Nick Williams.
When Freddie is not on the dance floor, he can be found dancing with the fish via snorkeling in the tropics or fly fishing on the rivers of Northern California and Montana.
[/wptab]
[end_wptabset]
Series class sizes are limited and often sell out. A few extra spots are also made available to our staff volunteers.
Class Pricing
Beginning Swing Drop-in Class (9 PM, 30 min)
$10 per week. Cost includes dance party admission.
4-week Monthly Series (7 & 8PM, 60 min)
$60 early registration online by July 9th, 2018. $65 full price online. $70 door.
$20/week drop-in.
All class costs includes the 9pm Beginning Swing drop-in class and dance party admission.
Dropping in for Monthly Series Classes
Drop-ins for monthly classes allowed during weeks 1 and 2 of the series, or with teacher permission for later weeks of classes. Drop-ins are always welcome in the Beginning East Coast Swing class.
Multiple Series Class Discount:
$10 off ($5 off per class) the early registration cost when you enroll in two classes in the same month. You must meet the requirements for the higher level class to take both. Discount is automatically applied at checkout.
Save $10 or more!
(Can’t make Wednesdays? Check out Monday Classes in the Mission!)
Progressive vs. Drop-in Classes
All of the Lindy Hop classes are progressive, with each week’s material building on the previous week’s class. Lindy Hop drop-ins are allowed for $20 which also includes dance party and 9pm lesson admission. Please note that if you drop in to one of the classes, it may be in the middle of the class series, and you may fall behind. We recommend that you take the full series. We always offer a drop-in Beginning Swing class each Wednesday from 9:00-9:30pm.
Not sure which class is for you? Send us an email with any questions!
After the Classes
All class costs include admission to the Cat’s Corner Swing Dance Party. Stay to dance to live swing music starting at 9:30pm. The venue features cocktail bar, roomy dance floor, and great swinging ambiance. We often have surprises around 10:30pm – it could be a special performance, contest, or silly group activity — to add to the festivities.