Description
In this class you will learn the basics of Collegiate Shag - a partner dance that originated in the 1930’s and has a history similar to other jazz and swing era dances. The dance is known for its hopping basic step and high energy footwork to up-tempo swing and pre-swing jazz music (185-220+ beats per minute).

In Col. Shag 1 we focus on two types of basics. First is the face-to-face basic in both closed and open connection. Next we also work on our side-by-side basic both on the spot and with travelling patterns. Within those basics we will teach you different turns and spins in a way so you are a ready for a social dancefloor already after this first round.

Level Guidance
You don’t need any prior dance experience to join this class. But if you have danced swing or another dance before, then that’s of course an advantage.

Description

In this class you will learn how to dance as you! You will work on your own personal styling and gain confidence with the skills that you already have!

The class is a help to self-help class. Meaning, Niomi will be there to help you improve what you already know - not necessarily teaching you new moves. She will be answering your questions and helping you with your technique, working with each couple in turn instead of teaching the class as a whole. 

The goal is to help you with your social dancing for future parties and to concentrate more on connection and technique so that you can get the moves that you already know really down to a T! 

So this class is mainly a practice class! Niomi will be there to answer questions, to help you improve moves you already know, work on technique and improve footwork and also do some endurance practice. As well as help with musicality and much more, this is pretty much an open class to what you individually need.

Level Guidance
This course is for students usually taking Shag 2, 3 and 4. The course is partnered, but you don't need a partner to sign up. 

You don't need a partner to register. If you register alone we will simply pair you up with another participant. We will also have partner rotation in the classes, so you will get to meet and dance with other people in the class. A nice way to make new friends!

COVID-19 update: If you sign up with a partner, then you are welcome to not change partner of course. For everyone else, we will do partner changing in small teams of a few couples. The teams will be set up in the first class and you will have the same team the whole round - no jumping between teams.

A little tip though: since this is a partner dance we need to balance the number of leaders and followers ( traditionally leaders are men and followers women. However, in these modern times we welcome anyone to pick whichever role they prefer). We typically have many more followers than leads, so if you choose to be a follower we recommend that you sign-up with a partner to avoid the waiting list.

We organize Intro Classes to Swing Dancing during our Friday Parties, which take place in our studio every second/third week. You don't need to sign up beforehand, just show up on the day and pay the entrance to the party at the door. The intro class takes place right before the party. For more information on that, check our Friday Party section.

You can also join an intro class to swing dance in Student House on Tuesdays. See more info about it here.

We don't offer sign ups for single classes to our weekly classes. We need to make sure that our classes are well balanced, so that there is an equal or almost equal amount of followers and leaders (where leaders are usually men and followers are women). Sign ups for single classes would disrupt our leader-follower balance. Therefore it is only possible to sign up for a full round of classes (7 weeks of classes).

We teach in English because our classes have dancers from all over the world. However, you are welcome to ask questions and speak to us in Danish.

Anything that you feel comfortable in that doesn't limit your movement. We suggest bringing some extra clothes to change into after class - Lindy Hop is an energetic dance, so you might get sweaty. We have a Shower Area in our studio, where you can take a shower and change clothes before or after class.
Regarding footwear, flat shoes will be the best choice, preferably with a not-too-sticky sole. We do not recommend high heels for beginners. If you want to invest in some good dancing shoes, try these brands: Keds, Aris Allen, Toms, Dance Joy.

Don't worry if you happen to miss a class or two. We do a recap after all our classes. which students are welcome to film and share with each other. You should be able to get the video from your classmates and practice the moves.

If you feel like you have missed out on too many classes, and you are having trouble catching up with the new material, you can:
• book a private lesson with us, where we will work one-to-one with you on the material. Check our Private Lessons section for more info.
• sign up for the Beginners Course again. It will give you a chance to recap the material you've learned, and catch up with the things you missed.

Regarding refunds: Once the course has begun, we do not offer refunds for any missed classes.

You can have your registration refunded, if you write us latest one week before classes start, after which we do not offer refunds. You may sell your registration to someone else. All we need is an email from you, with their name and email included. Please note: It is not possible to change the follow/lead role of your original registration.

Swing dancing is for everyone, regardless of age. In Copenhagen you can meet swing dancers from every age group, having lots of fun together on the dance-floor. That said, you must be at least 15 years old to join our classes, due to legal regulations. We do not however have a maximum age limit. 🙂

Friday Parties at Happy Feet Studio
(every second/third week)
Great evenings of dancing and hanging out in in the home of happy feet! Each party starts with an Intro Class to swing dance. After that, the dancefloor is open, and we have plenty of special attractions prepared for you, making each party different and unique.
From time to time there will be live music, dance competitions, dance shows, quizes, intro classes in blues/shag/balboa, and much more. There is also a cozy bar where you can buy drinks and hang out with your friends in between dances.
Get more info about Friday Parties here.

Open Practice in Happy Feet Studio
(almost every day)
You can come to Open Practice in our studio up to three times a week, to practice moves from your class or just dance with your friends. You might want to bring a partner to dance with, but otherwise the dancefloor is open, and the music is playing, so just show up and dance! Open Practice is free and open for everyone, no sign up needed.
Get more info about Open Practice here.

Other social dancing opportunities in Copenhagen:

• Tuesday Swing Dance
at Studenterhuset: 19.30 - 23.00

• Sunday Swing organized by Swingin' Hepcats
at Indre By Kulturhus: 15.00 - 18.00
(and 16.00 - 19.00 on the 1st Sunday of the month)

• Saturday Extra Training organized by SwingShoes
at Vesterbro Kulturhus: 12.00 - 14.00

Apart from that there is also plenty of other events and places where you can dance socially and meet other swing dancers. For more info, check out the Facebook group Swing Dance in Copenhagen - it has over 3000 members and has important updates on swing dance events in Copenhagen.