What is Modern Jive

Modern Jive is a fun partner dance that has been around for many years and predominantly has its roots more recently from the Rock 'n' Roll era, but with many more moves that have been developed over numerous years. The dance itself can be as dynamic or as sedate as one chooses it to be and can be danced to any music that has a defined beat.

There are many different styles of jive doing the rounds these days, but the style of Jive we teach is what we would term more as a 'pure jive' where there is a definite lead and follow and where musicality plays a significant roll (i.e. great emphasis is placed on dancing to the beat of the music, not just dancing because some music is playing!).

The music we aspire to use when teaching is predominantly swing based as we ourselves are not great lovers of much of the 'boom boom' modern type chart music, at least not to dance to.

We do not teach the 'bump and grind', 'groping', 'touchy feely' type Jive that you may have encountered or experienced elsewhere. We also teach for fun and portray this in our teaching, as this is our hobby and we want you to enjoy the dance as much as we do.

The Modern Jive Beginners Class

In the beginners class we concentrate purely on the basics of dancing with a partner, placing emphasis on frame, connection, footwork and fluidity, whilst maintaining a fun environment.

There are 25 moves within our beginner's curriculum, but that does not mean you have to master them all to progress on to the next level, but they are the basis of many of the more advanced moves and we always encourage even our most experienced dancers to continue with the beginner's lessons.

The Modern Jive Improvers Class

In the improvers class we work on variations on the beginners moves and introduce new more complicated and dynamic moves. At this level we would also introduce some 'safe' and 'comfortable' dips and tricks and of course the musical tempo increases.

We do not teach 'Aerials' in class, which are dynamic throws, lifts and jumps as these are not really designed for social dancing; more for performances. We do however; run the occasional workshop for like minded people who want to learn such moves, but only on a partnering basis (no rotating of partners).

What is Balboa (Bal-Swing)

Balboa today is commonly used as a general term for dances that come from southern California during the 1920s and 1930s, which makes the history very obscure. Most of the original Balboa dancers have passed and many of the swing dancers that followed continued to use their steps and sometimes styles to integrate into their "swing" dancing which some people today call "Bal-Swing".

Balboa is a form of swing dance that started as early as 1915 and gained in popularity in the 1930s and 1940s. It is danced primarily in close embrace, and is led with a full body connection. The art of Balboa is the subtle communication between the lead and follow, like weight shifts, that most viewers cannot see. As a result, Balboa is considered more of a "dancer's dance" than a "spectator's dance".

Balboa is danced to a wide variety of tempos. Because the basic step takes up such a small space, Balboa can be danced to fast music (over 300 beats per minute). Balboa is also danced to slow music (under 100 beats per minute), which allows more time for those more intricate moves.

Designed to take up only a small space, Balboa involves chaining two-step movements together while shuffling the feet on the floor. The leader typically wears smooth-soled or leather-soled dress shoes, whereas the follower often dances in heels.

The dance was originally a response to overcrowded ballrooms where the swing-out or breakaway (a move popular in Lindy Hop at the time) was often difficult, if not actually banned by the venue. Balboa is often perceived as a restrained or introverted dance, with most movement below the knees; however, part of its appeal is its variations on turns and twirls that allow the lead to show off his partner's legs -- an effect that is heightened when the follow is wearing a swirly skirt and high heels.

Balboa: sometimes referred today as "Pure Bal;" dancers stay in close embrace for almost the entire time, their torsos touching, doing variations based on footwork, turning as a couple and moving as a couple.

Bal-swing: originally known as just "Swing" or sometimes "Randy Swing" in newspaper articles of the time; Bal-Swing is an eccentric dance unlike Balboa, which allows for improvisation. This dance style came from Charleston, and its earliest known use was a contest in Venice Beach in 1932. The name "Bal-Swing" came about during the 1970s from an attempt to differentiate the dance from the much more general term "Swing Dancing." While dancing Bal-swing, the closed connection of the Pure Bal can be broken, with partners doing other variations.

The Balboa (Bal-Swing) Beginners Class

In the beginners class we concentrate on the basics of the 8-count balboa rhythm, the intricacies of frame, connection and leading; mixing both Balboa and Bal-Swing which introduce numerous turns, twists and shuffles, both from a connection and disconnection aspect.

The Balboa (Bal-Swing) Improvers Class

This is where we concentrate on more intricate patterns and faster tempos, taking the basic dance to new heights.

What is Lindy Hop (Swing Jive)

Lindy Hop was so named after Charles Lindbergh's flight to Paris in 1927, when the newspaper headline read: "LINDY HOPS THE ATLANTIC". The dance itself has no "hop" in it. On the contrary, it is smooth and solid, and while there is a constant rhythmic 8-count "pulse" that you feel in your bones, there is no hopping, bopping, or prancing in the dance.

Lindy Hop, also known as Jitterbug, is the authentic Afro-Euro-American Swing dance. It is an unabashedly joyful dance, with a solid, flowing style that closely reflects its music -- from the late 20's hot Jazz to the early 40's Big Bands. Just as Jazz combines European and African musical origins, Lindy Hop draws on African and European dance traditions. The embracing hold, and the turns from Europe, the breakaway and solid, earthy body posture from Africa. The dance evolved along with the new swing music, based on earlier dances such as the Charleston and the Black Bottom, from the black community of Harlem.

Lindy Hop is a social dance. Partners are connected smoothly and gently to each other, while relating closely to the music, in feeling, improvisation and phrasing. The core tempo range is 120-180 beats per minute.

Films such as Hellzapoppin and Day at the Races, as well as Malcolm X and Swingkids show seemingly reckless airsteps (aerials), often done at very fast musical tempos. Far from being just acrobatic antics, airsteps are in fact smooth, extremely precise, and perfectly in synch with the music. They require a superb degree of expertise and are not danced socially, but only for performance, if only inside a protective ring of spectators, as in the Cats' Corner jams at the Savoy Ballroom. Airsteps are impressive and spectacular, so that's what you see in the movies!

Savoy style Lindy Hop, as taught by late Frankie Manning and Steven Mitchell, has the lightest, gentlest, and smoothest connection of all the common Swing dances! It is solid, low, relaxed and energetic.

Just as Swinging Jazz music feels very different from, say, Rockabilly music, Lindy Hop feels very different from other dances, such as West Coast Swing, East Coast Swing, Jive, and Rock'N'Roll-Jitterbug, especially in posture, partner connection, and musical connection.

The Lindy Hop Beginners Class

In the beginners class we concentrate purely on the basics of a 6-count rhythm, dancing with a partner, placing emphasis on frame, connection, footwork and fluidity, whilst maintaining a fun environment.

There are numerous moves within our beginner's curriculum, but that does not mean you have to master them all to progress on to the next level, but they do set the basis of your dancing career and provide you with an understanding of the musicality within your dancing. Similarly, we always encourage even our most experienced dancers to continue with the beginner's lessons.

The Lindy Hop Improvers Class

In the improvers class we progress onto the 8-count rhythm and introduce you to what Lindy Hop is really about with new more complicated and dynamic moves, introducing other styles such as Charleston, Balboa & Shag. At this level we would also introduce some 'safe' and 'comfortable' dips and tricks and of course the musical tempo increases.

We do not teach 'Aerials' in class, which are dynamic throws, lifts and jumps as these are not really designed for social dancing; more for performances. We do however; run the occasional workshop for like minded people who want to learn such moves, but only on a partnering basis (no rotating of partners).