Styles Members facilitate
'Swing dancing' is the term used to cover a wide range of styles danced to jazz music. There's dozens of them - each with their own unique movements and forms of expression. Depending on who you are, you might naturally find you connect more strongly to one form than another, so we encourage you to try as many different styles as you can!
Below are the styles of swing dancing we currently facilitate either in classes or in workshops. We're constantly looking to expand this list, so if you are familiar with a particular style consider facilitating a workshop as a Sugarfoot Stomp Member!
Whitey’s Lindy Hoppers: Famous Dance Troupe that featured Swing Dance Legends such as Frankie Manning and Norma Miller.
Lindy Hop
The Lindy hop is a Black jazz roots dance, born in streets and ballrooms of Harlem, New York City in 1928. It gained widespread popularity in the 30's and 40's at the height of the jazz age. Lindy hop stayed thriving in Black communities as it has evolved alongside jazz music.
Collegiate Shag
Slow slow, quick quick! Collegiate Shag is always a winner on the dance floor. A very versatile style that can be danced partnered and solo to medium and fast tempos in a small space. Perfectly suited for the Wellington Jazz bands and dance floor spaces. With roots in black American Jazz, Collegiate Shag was first danced in the 1930s and remains popular around the globe.
Solo Jazz
No partner? No worries! Strut your stuff on the social dance floor by busting out your solo jazz moves. But you don’t always have to do it solo! Solo jazz is a great way to add musicality, flair and style to your partnered dancing. It’s a great option for dancers to feel deeper connections and relationships with jazz music
Charleston
Looking to add a little hep to your step? Charleston soared to popularity in the 1920s as Jazz Music exploded onto the scene. Fast paced and fun, this style was adapted in the 1930s and 1940s by Lindy Hop dancers and integrated into the dance to suit swing Jazz music.
Blues
Blues dancing is a family of historical vernacular dances that developed alongside the blues music it was born from. It has strong ties to the cultural history of Black America and has since evolved to encompass many other branches withing the 'blues dancing' family tree.
Workshops
Workshops are a great way for dancers to get that little bit extra out of their dancing. Catered to many different levels of dancing, they're a fun and challenging way to learn new things outside of regular classes. Workshops are run by passionate local Wellington facilitators. See Classes for more details of upcoming one-off workshops.
Special Workshops
Swing dancers are a travelling bunch, and we often have amazing dance facilitators from all over New Zealand visit our windy city to run one-off workshops and attend events. Keep an eye out on our Events Page & Facebook for more details for when these happen.