Cambridge Lindy Hoppers
Lindy Hop swing dancing in Cambridge, UK
Regular Classes
Mondays at The Man On The Moon
Drop-in classes for absolute beginners. No experience required. Just come along and join in!
7:30pm - 8:15pm: Absolute beginners
8:30pm - 10:30pm: The Speakeasy: social dancing to live jazz
Cost: £5 (non-members) / £4 (members) for the whole night.
Details: See below for details of the individual classes and for directions.
Wednesdays at The Centre at St Paul’s
Classes are normally taught in 4-week blocks. Current block: April 30, May 7, 14, 21. Next block: May 28, June 4, 11,18
7:30pm - 8:30pm: Beginners
8:30pm - 9pm: Social dancing
9pm - 10pm: Intermediate
Costs: All classes cost £4 (members) / £5 (non-members) for one class, or just £1 extra at £5 (members) / £6 (non-members) for both classes on the Wednesday night.
Details: See below for details of the individual classes and for directions.
Lindy Hop Swing Dancing for Absolute Beginners
Time: 7:30pm - 8:15pm, Monday nights
Cost: £4 members, £5 non-members
Location: The Man On The Moon
Details: No previous dance experience is required. You will learn 6-count and 8-count basic steps in a fun environment. There is just one entry fee for The Speakeasy evening, which includes this short introductory lesson and social dancing to live and DJ’d jazz music. These classes are self-contained and do not run in blocks. Drop in whenever you like!
Lindy Hop Swing Dancing for Beginners
Time: 7:30pm - 8:30pm, every Wednesday
Cost: £4 members, £5 non-members
Location: The Centre at St Pauls - Church (ground floor)
Details: No previous dance experience is required, although these classes are slightly more challenging than our Monday classes for absolute beginners, so we recommend you attend one or two Monday classes first if you have never done any dancing before. You will learn 6-count and 8-count basic steps in a fun environment. Social dancing is free if you do a lesson. There is a nominal entrance charge of £1 (members) / £2 (non-members) if you just come for the social dancing.
Lindy Hop Swing Dancing for Intermediates
Time: 9pm - 10pm, every Wednesday
Cost: £4 members, £5 non-members (or just £1 extra if also doing the beginners class)
Location: The Centre at St Pauls - Church (ground floor)
Details: As a guide, you should have at least approximately 6 months dance experience, and should feel comfortable with both 6- and 8-count basics, including the Charleston, Lindy Turn (Swing Out), Lindy Circle, and simple footwork variations. We recommend that you attend at least two 4-week Beginner blocks before attempting this class if you have no previous dance experience. This class focuses on improving your dancing in a fun and challenging environment, and covers fundamental social dancing techniques such as connecting with your partner, improving your footwork, and musicality.
Venues
The Monday night class is held at The Man On The Moon, 2 Norfolk Street, Cambridge, CB1 2LF
Location: Google Maps
Directions: The Man On The Moon is located in Norfolk Street, just off the Grafton Centre (quite close to CB2 café).
Wednesday night classes are held at The Centre at St Paul’s, Hills Rd, Cambridge, CB2 1JP
Location: Google Maps
Directions: The Centre at St Paul’s is on the south side of the city of Cambridge, on the corner of St Paul’s Road and Hills Road. It is close to the centre of Cambridge and a 10 minute walk from the rail station. Buses from the station and the city centre (Drummer Street) stop immediately outside the building. Pay and display parking is available in St Paul’s Road. There is a multi storey car park ten minutes’ walk away at Gonville Place and an NCP car park at the rail station.
Private Lessons
Beginners and experienced dancers alike can benefit from accelerated learning through private tuition, either on a regular basis or as a tune-up once in a while. Typically private lessons are conducted with 1 or 2 students at a time to enable you to focus more on your personal goals. You can tell us what you most need to work on. For example you might want to work on footwork, brushing up on the basics, variations, building your musicality, lead/follow technique, groundedness, or linking everything together. Or you might be interested in learning a particular style such as 20s Charleston, balboa, jazz, early Lindy or fast Lindy. Some wedding couples just want to work on getting ready for their big day! It’s really up to you.
Private lessons for members start at £20/hr for one teacher, and £30/hr for two teachers (2 students max, based on a regular booking). Email info to make a booking.
Common Questions
- What exactly is “Lindy Hop”? Lindy Hop is the original name for swing dancing. See the About page for more info on Lindy Hop.
- Can I just turn up? Yes, of course. You will probably find it easiest to start classes at the beginning of a 4 week block, but you can certainly drop in at any time, with no prior dance experience.
- Do I need a partner? No. Swing dancing is a social dance, and we like to keep students rotating so that they learn to dance with different partners throughout the classes. Sometimes partnerships build up over time and couples enter competitions or perform regularly together, but even then most dancers continue to dance with as many partners as possible socially.
- What should I wear? Loose fitting clothing is best, and be warned: Lindy Hop is a decent physical workout, so you will get warm in most classes. 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 Lindy Hop. Jewellery can scratch and get broken, so wear as little as possible.
- How can I become a member? Membership cards are available at any class. Just ask before you pay for the class: your member discount will apply straight away. Membership runs from October-October but you can join at any time - the price is on a pro-rata basis
- Is there a discount for students/OAPs? Yes, we offer a reduced membership rate for students/OAPs.
- Do I have to start at the beginning of a 4-week block? No, all of our classes are run on a drop-in basis, so you can come along any time, and you don’t have to attend a full block. The idea behind the 4-week block structure is to aid learning - the classes will follow on from each other each week, allowing you to build on the concepts learnt at the previous classes. Because the classes build on the material from the previous weeks, you will find it easier to join at the start of a block, especially if you are a new beginner or are making the jump from beginner to intermediate for the first time. Our Monday classes are entirely self-contained and do not run in four week blocks. Come along any time!