Winter Weekender 17-19 February

This time we have got an extra pair of teachers joining to team so in total we now have 7 teachers!

Judith and Kibble - Lindy Hop

Judith started swing dancing while at university and hasn't stopped since! With a trained dance background in ballet, jazz and tap, Judith took quickly to all things swing. She has placed in a number of national lindy hop competitions and has taught workshops and classes across the UK and internationally. She teaches with high energy and enthusiasm, focusing on lead/follow technique, social dancing, above all else – fun!

Kibble started Lindy Hop in early 2010. With a strong emphasis on quality of movement & timing, he excels on the social dance floor. However complex, simple, large or small, his moves are fluid and borne from the music. His teaching style has been described as clear, precise and in-depth, his dancing style incorporates quality of movement and freedom that inspires and encourages his follow.

Judith and Kibble have been dancing together since November 2012, after discovering they have a similar passion and shared ideologies for the dance. They regularly attend dance camps, events, and compete where ever they can and are part of a London based dance troupe, the Hotfoot Strutters. Judith and Kibble have taught in locations across the UK and between them have taught internationally in countries such as Barcelona, Germany, Poland, Estonia, Slovenia and Amsterdam.

Steph and Pete

Steph is a full time Music teacher during the day, but by night is totally devoted to all things Lindy Hop. Her love of dance stems from a very young age when she was introduced to solo jazz dancing early on. Since then, Steph has gone on to develop a real passion for swing dancing, teaching and performing.

Peter is a structural engineer and loves to chat about concrete (don't we all?? :p ) when hes not swinging-out on the dance floor. Pete stumbled across swing dancing eight-years ago and has been hooked ever since.

Steph and Pete are a swing dancing duo who originally hail from New Zealand and have been dancing and teaching together since 2010. Having competed all over New Zealand and Australia, these two Kiwis thought it was time for a challenge, and last year made the move to London. They are both currently employed as swing dance teachers for Swing Patrol London.

Steph and Pete

Steph is a full time Music teacher during the day, but by night is totally devoted to all things Lindy Hop. Her love of dance stems from a very young age when she was introduced to solo jazz dancing early on. Since then, Steph has gone on to develop a real passion for swing dancing, teaching and performing.

Peter is a structural engineer and loves to chat about concrete (don't we all?? :p ) when hes not swinging-out on the dance floor. Pete stumbled across swing dancing eight-years ago and has been hooked ever since.

Steph and Pete are a swing dancing duo who originally hail from New Zealand and have been dancing and teaching together since 2010. Having competed all over New Zealand and Australia, these two Kiwis thought it was time for a challenge, and last year made the move to London. They are both currently employed as swing dance teachers for Swing Patrol London.

Gabi and Sam - Lindy Hop/Aerials

Gabi has been dancing Lindy Hop since she was 15 years old and initially learnt in her home town of Vilnius, Lithuania. She was then encouraged by her teachers in Lithuania to travel to Sweden to attend Herring Dance Camp and from that moment Lindy Hop has been a very large, important part of her life. Gabis body movement and stylish technique makes her dancing unmistakable. She has placed in Jack&Jill at both HARLEM and London Swing Festival, and recently won 1st place at University of Swing in Edinburgh and Swing Revolution in Leeds in Jack&Jill. She loves being able to transfer her knowledge onto other passionate dancers and gets a kick out of teaching to a high level!

Sam found Lindy Hop in 2012 and was instantly addicted. Since then he has travelled around parts of the world dancing at every oppurtunity and his life has completely changed because of Lindy Hop. From visiting the original site of the Savoy ballroom in Harlem to attending dance camps across Europe, Sam loves to learn and teach as much as possible.

Sam & Gabi recently came 1st in Strictly Lindy at London Jitterbug Championships, University of Swing 2016 in Edinburgh and Swing Revolution 2016 in Leeds. They also placed in the Week 5 Lindy Hop competition at Herrang Dance Camp 2015 and at the Swing Patrol Meet the Scene Ball 2016.

Entertainment

We believe that live music adds so much to an event and nothing beats the sounds of live music alongside original recorded tunes so we have a live band every night! Each evening the bands will also be acompanied by some recorded music from some brilliant guest DJs!

BJORN DAHLBERG AND THE BROTHERS OF RHYTHM - It has been a while since Bjorn has played at one of our events so we are very excited to welcome him back. Bjorn, being Swedish, has a natural talent for playing swing, especially for dancers, so be prepared for some original sounds from a brilliant band!

THE STEVE COOMBE BAND - We welcome Steve back to Brighton for this weekender as he did such an awesome job at the last one! The band will mainly be formed of London based musicians that play for dancers on a more than regular basis so we can guarentee the music wont stop swingin'!

JATS ALL STARS - The band members that form the JATS ALL STARS have been individually hand picked but this band will be led by International musican, Charlotte Glasson. Having had plenty of experince playing for dancers, we know Charlotte and the band will keep the dance floor jumpin all night!

Matt Turner - Matt has been collecting and playing music for decades. For him, it’s the thrill of finding the right sounds to propel people onto the dance floor and keep them there that feeds his musical passion.

He has DJ’d swing, balboa and blues across the UK and Europe and has also been the DJ co-ordinator at both Herrang and the European Swing Dance Championships. Matt’s unique blend of tunes, both old and new, make his a set not to be missed!

Richard 'Don' Pucci - "Don Pucci" has been collecting vintage swing & jazz records for years, and takes pride in sharing the gems of the era that are less frequently played but get the dance floor rocking. As a seasoned dancer in all styles of swing, his selections for dancers are always spot on for the styles, levels and tastes he can see on the floor, making him one of the most sought after DJs on the UK and wider European scenes.

Slick Nick - Nick is well-known in Brighton, having been a popular DJ for 12 years. His DJing skills are in demand across the country and he has played at many weekenders and events including regular appearances at the internationally famous Goodwood Revival. Nick loves all dance music from the 1920s - 1950s with his first love being swing and jazz from the 1930s.

Competitions

Katie - Solo Jazz

Katie has been dancing Lindy Hop and Authentic Jazz for almost 4 years. After trying out a bunch of different dance styles, it was the joy and playful energy made Katie fall head over heels for Jazz. She is known for her infectious smile and bubbly personality. Her classes are full of fun and play!

Strictly Lindy

Jack & Jill

Friday

Sign up as a couple £10pc

Dance well with the music as well as your partner and throw some aerials if you can! Although routines are not forbidden, they are not as well praised as off the cuff musicality!

Saturday

Sign up individually £5pp

You will be paired up randomly on the spot and dance with three partners in the prelims.

If you then get to the final, you will be partnered randomly and compete as a couple.

Format/Rules

All comps - Prelims (All Skate) - Finals (Spotlights+All Skate)

Strictly Lindy will take place on Friday and Jack&Jill on Saturday.

Prize giving towards the end of that particular night.

Spaces are limited for all competitions so book onto them soon.

You must have already purchased a minimum of a social pass for the event in order to register for any competition, if not, your competition registration will be cancelled. Register now for the competitions and pay £10pc for the Strictly Lindy or £5pp cash at the registration desk.

Competition registration is now open!

Venue

Brighton and Hove High School

This venue will accomodate all of the dance classes and the evening social dancing.

The dance workshops will be held in a purpose built dance stuido and in the main hall both of which have sprung wooden dance floors. Evening social dances will be in Brightons biggest swing dance venue with capacity of up to 300 people! With shops close by and the train station just a ten minute walk, the location is perfect.

Being in a school you may wonder if there will be a bar....well we already thought of that and we will be running our own cash bar which means the drinks will all be very well priced! Jugs of tap water will of course be available too.

Tickets

A limited amount of Full Weekend Early bird tickets are available at a reduced price of just £80pp and once they are gone the prices will increase.

There are three levels for the dance classes, Intermediates, Intermediate/Advanced and Advanced. The classes will be spread over the Saturday and Sunday and run from 12-5:30pm so make sure you have a big breakfast or early lunch as there will only be water/snack breaks during this time to ensure maximum class time.

Please be honest with yourself when deciding which level to go for as this could potentially hinder the learning experience for yourself and others in the classes. All levels will get a solo jazz class and both levels will have equal teaching time.

Intermediate Level - You should be confident Leading/Following swing outs, charleston and switching between 6 and 8 count without even thinking. You should be confident social dancing with strangers.

Int/Adv Level - You should have been attending Intermediate classes for at least 1 year and be finding them reasonably easy. You should be 100% confident social dancing with strangers.

Advanced Level - You add styling to every social dance and like creating your own moves and variations but never forget how important your basics are! Feeling 100% confident social dancing with strangers and teachers. You have your favourite International teachers and have spent way too much time watching their videos on youtube. You are literally one of the best dancers on the social dance floor!

If you have any doubt, dont hesitate to contact us before booking your tickets and we can help advise which level would be most suitable. Once you have booked you will not be able to change levels unless you are told to do so by a teacher.

Social Tickets are now available so get yourself a party pass if you can't take classes!

Ticket prices will increase on the 15th October (early bird tickets will no longer be available) and then on the 1st of every month up until the event so the quicker you book, the cheaper it will be!

Don't forget to click 'Going' on the facebook event page to be notified of all announcments :)

General INFO to be aware of...

Please take 5 minutes to read the pdf document below, it contains useful information regarding the event, schedules, points of contact etc.

Teachers

Entertainment

Competitions

Venue

Tickets