Teachers
Simona & Mindaugas - Simona and Mindaugas both started dancing at the same club “Lindyhop.lt” and helped to develop a lindy hop scene in Lithuania. Everyone who has attended their classes say those folks know how to have fun. Mindaugas’s vivid leading followed by Simona’s shining personality makes them a perfect duo while teaching and performing.
Simona is known for her extraordinary choreographic skills that turn her jazz moves into an original dance story. Her ability to easily follow the rhythm makes her a perfect follower in couple dances and also spotlights her solo dance talent.
Mindaugas's biggest passion in jazz culture is the music. Being a DJ and a dancer he came up with an idea to expand jazz culture in Vilnius scene. In the winter of 2008 he started a band, consisting only of dancers. Mindaugas says, that the most important thing is to know jazz music from the inside. He is happily sharing this experience with his students.
This dynamic duo will make sure you embrace lindy hop at its best!
Arnas & Egle - Coming straight from the heart of Lithuanian Swing Dance scene, partnered up from the very first dance Arnas & Eglė are dancing, performing, teaching and inspiring the community in Vilnius everyday. Passion and joy for Lindy Hop & Collegiate Shag gained their name as international instructors in regular small workshops around Europe, specially in Poland, where along with SWINGOUT.PL community they inspired Collegiate Shag scene in Warsaw and all over the country. Rich experience in teaching every day classes grants quality and fun with clear explanation of their material by expressing swing music and yourself in it. Arnas & Eglė are the organisers of the one and only Balboa & Shag festival in Lithuania – Swing Paradise.
Austėja - The whole life on the dance floor! She started dancing at the age of 3, did ballroom dancing for 7 years until she found lindy hop. At 2011 she discovered this dance that gripped her and kept her in with the great spirit and joy. 3 years later she started teaching at the Hoppers’ Dance Studio in Vilnius, Lithuania. With every group of students, with every festival she gets more and more inspired in teaching, performing and involving herself into this community. She loves the way jazz and swing music let her express herself and stay herself on the dance floor. This is the idea that reflects in her classes: stay yourself, listen to the music and enjoy.
Edas & Edita - This couple of passionate swing dancers are from Kaunas (the second-largest city of Lithuania). They have just started the fifth season of lindyhop classes at a local dance studio In*Beat, where they teach, organise events and build a growing community of Kaunas lindyhoppers. In love with swing dancing, they seek every opportunity to participate in dance events in Lithuania and abroad. You can count on meeting them at the Herräng Dance Camp every year.
In their teaching, Edas and Edita emphasize social dancing, comfort, technical leading and following, and improvisation. Whereas, when they solo dance, they pay attention to cool moves and smooth execution.
Edas and Edita are in love with swing dancing and are very excited to share their love and knowledge about this amazing dance with the dancers in Brighton!
Entertainment
We believe that great 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! Social dances will run from 8pm-midnight with a late night party on Saturday evening.
BJORN DAHLBERG AND THE BROTHERS OF RHYTHM - You may have caught this amazing band at the Winter Weekender, we were blown away by their standard of musicianship and simply had to have them 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!
STEVE COOMBES HOT SIX +1 - We welcome Steve and his band back to Brighton for the fifth time! His band always deliver an astounding sound and unique atmosphere! The band will mainly be formed of Londons top musicians that play for dancers on a more than regular basis so we can guarentee the music wont stop swingin'!
Here's a clip from our Summer Weekender....
Rhythm Lord Brothers (Saturday afterparty) - Lord Mindaugas and Lord Arnas are united both by title and demeanour; driven by a love for The Jazz Age (Ages of Jazz) dance and music, as well as the whole culture that surrounds it. Under the A.K.A. of Rhythm Lord Brothers, they are committed to ferry their listeners almost a century back, to a time where a party was no paltry matter and a swinging dancer’s feet were never allowed to stop… ever.
Laura Helen-Knight - Self confessed music geek grew up in a dusty record store listening to a huge range of music. As a teenager she spent her weekends at record fairs thumbing through vintage vinyl and haggling for bargains. Laura has DJed at dance events all over the world. She loves nothing more than sharing great music that inspires people to dance.
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.
Don "Lindyverse" Mazonas - Don strongly believes that it is his duty to bring out the inner dancing "monster" in each one of the dancers. Therefore, Don plays songs that are musical and well known with a little taste of some less popular songs."
Don has DJ'd at in Croatia (Swing Break), Hungary (One Minute Challenge), UK (London Throwdown, Hullzapoppin', Stomp Stomp, Bristol Swing Exchange, Lindy Turn, Oxford Lindy Exchange, Swingamajig) and of course Lithuania.
Competitions
Venue
Friday
Sign up individually £5pp
Prepare a routine lasting between 20-40 seconds of whatever you like!
Shag, Balboa, Solo, Lindy Hop...anything goes. Groups, couples, solo...whatever, as long as you kick ass!
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.
Jack & Jill
30 second showcase
Strictly Lindy
Format/Rules
Strictly and J&J - Prelims (All Skate) - Finals (Spotlights+All Skate)
Strictly Lindy & 30 second showcase 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 for the competitions and pay £10pc for the Strictly Lindy or £5pp for the J&J and 30 second showcase at the registration desk, cash only.
Brighton and Hove High School
This venue will accomodate all of the dance classes and the evening social dancing with the Saturday night after party being held upstairs at the Hope and Ruin in Brighton city centre.
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 will be available at just £90pp and once they are gone the prices will increase.
There are three levels for the Lindy Hop dance classes, Intermediates, Intermediate/Advanced and Advanced and one/open level for Solo Jazz. The classes will be spread over the Saturday and Sunday and run from 11-5:30pm 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.
Open Level Solo Jazz - This track is suitable for anyone looking to focus on their own body movement, styling and to learn quickly and progress. Classes will begin with basic material and move onto challenging moves for the seasoned solo dancer by the end of the weekend! Aimed at dancers who know the Shim Sham by heart and parts of Tranky Doo/Big Apple or other styles of solo dancing experience (Tap, Hip Hop etc.)
Please be honest with yourself when deciding which level to go for with Lindy Hop tracks as this could potentially hinder the learning experience for yourself and others in the classes. All levels on Lindy Hop will get a solo jazz class and all tracks have equal contact/teaching time.
Intermediate Level - You should be confident Leading/Following swing outs, charleston and switching between 6 and 8 count without even thinking. This is where the majority of hobby- and general social dancers belong. You are familiar with both rhythms and patterns as well as the technique that comes with it. The level will both try to improve on the execution of fairly basic material, but also provide slightly more technical and challenging material.
Int/Adv Level - You should be 100% confident social dancing with strangers. This level is for experienced dancers. We believe that students showing up at this level are confident, technically knowledgable and fairly fluent in the rhythmical language around the dance form. The material in circulation on this level will be challenging from all aspects: rhythmically, technically and tempo wise.
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! You have everything described in the Int/Adv level and will likely stand out as one of the stronger dancers in the audition.
For the first time we are introducing auditions for Lindy Hop Int/Adv and Advanced levels.
If you have never done an audition before, there is nothing to worry about, everyone will be dancing at the same time. Auditions will take place on the Saturday morning immediately before classes begin in the main hall.
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 in the audition.
Depending on full weekend ticket sales, social passes may become available nearer the event.
Ticket prices will increase when early bird tickets sell out.
Don't forget to click 'Going' on the facebook event page to be notified of all announcments :)