If you've never been to a dancing lesson before, here's what typically happens in our beginners' lessons:

We stand in a circle with the teachers in the middle so everyone can see them. We'll do some sort of warmup to get everyone moving, by copying something the teachers are doing.

We ask people to choose which role (leading or following) they want to do for that lesson. You can find out more about leading and following here.

Often the teachers teach or recap a "basic step", that is, one of the common patterns that the dance has as a sort of default when nothing else is happening. The teachers will ask you to find another person of the opposite role to dance with. The teachers will teach for a bit, and then get you to try what they've taught with your partner, maybe with a bit of music playing to help, then teach a bit more, and so on.

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The teachers regularly ask all the dancers of one role to move around one place in the circle to a new partner. This is so that you get to practice leading or following different people and so that, if there's not enough people dancing one role or the other, everyone gets to try dancing with a partner (but see the note about staying with a partner on the question below).

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T​he teachers will ask you how it's going and will ask whether people have questions or problems. While you're practicing to the music, they might come over to help or offer to dance with you if you don't have a partner. At the end of the lesson they'll recap what they've taught and maybe mention any exciting events that are coming up. After the lesson, there's typically either some practice time, or one of our social evenings.

In most partner dancers, including swing and blues dancing, one partner is the follower and the other the leader (though some people who can dance both roles also switch during a dance).

The leader defines the shape of the dance, determining the basic moves that take place. The follower fills out and interprets the shape of the dance, interpreting those moves as they are led and providing additional context and style. In swing and blues, there is more space for followers' self-expression than in the more traditional ballroom dances: it's normal for followers to vary the timing to respond to something they're hearing in the music, for example.

Both leaders and followers have a critical role to play in the dance. Neither role is easier, though they make different mental demands on the dancer.

In the olden days, leaders were traditionally men and followers women. In swing and blues, we're keen that people can choose to lead or follow regardless of their gender.

No. In our lessons we like to rotate partners so you dance with different partners throughout the classes. In swing and in Blues dancing, responding to your partner is an important skill for both leaders and followers, so partner rotation will make you a better dancer quicker. Beginners who stick with a particular partner often compensate for each other's mistakes. Sometimes things which don't work with one partner will work with the next!

While we encourage rotation for these reasons, some people may want to stay with a particular partner, and this is fine too.

Yes, our Lindy Hop classes teach partnered Charleston as part of our Lindy Hop teaching, both in the 1930's "side by side" style and the 1920's style where you face your partner. Every third month, our Beginners and Intermediates Wednesday classes will be Charleston themed, and our Tuesday classes also keep Charleston in the mix.

Loose fitting clothing is best, and be warned: swing dancing is a decent physical workout, so you will get warm in most classes. You'll probably want to bring at least one change of top if you're dancing for a whole evening. Jewellery can scratch and get broken, so wear as little as possible.

On your feet, flat soled trainers are perfect, and it’s not necessary to wear leather soled shoes. We generally advise students to avoid open-topped, split-soled or high-heeled shoes for swing dancing.

We're a small voluntary group which isn't set up to provide safeguarding for children, so unfortunately people under 18 years old can't take part in our classes and events. From time to time we have events where we'll advertise that kids supervised by a parent or guardian are welcome in the venue, but not for social dancing.

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Note that some of our venues are licensed premises (pubs and bars) which may have their own restrictions on under 18s attending, especially in the evenings. If you look like you could be under 21, you may need ID in these venues.

Yes, our classes run all year round, including some Bank Holidays, except for a couple of weeks’ break at Christmas. During August, our regular Beginners and Intermediates classes on Wednesdays take a break and we run a series of taster classes in different styles.

Keep an eye on the website or social media for more details.

Not in our weekly lessons, but we run occasional workshops where we get professionals to teach air steps in a safe way, so keep a look out for those. Note that we don't permit air steps on the social dance floor unless it's in a jam circle or part of a performance or competition, where people nearby can stay out of the way of flying feet.

Some of our teachers do, and we're happy to put you in touch with them. See this page for details.

We try to teach a wide range of material at our classes to keep you interested, while still concentrating on improving the basics and technique. However, if there is something you feel we’re missing, or you’d prefer it if we did things a different way, then please do contact us and let us know. We love to hear your feedback and we are always looking for ways to improve our classes for you.