Since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, we have been carefully monitoring the progression of the virus and closely following the advice of public health authorities and university guidelines. We have followed their recommendations and we are suspending all our dance events and classes until further notice.
Read MoreDalKing's Swing Lindy Hop Class Policy
At DalKing's swing we would like everyone to preregister for a class series online, beforehand, or in person on the first night of classes. Of course we recognize that people's schedules or interests are not so simple, so in the hopes of accommodating as many people as possible, while at the same time respecting the progressive nature of most class series, we are making the following policy changes to attending classes. Anyone can try the first class of a series for $10 (unless otherwise indicated) Anyone can join a class the second week, at full price. After the second class the class is closed. After the first week no one-time drop-ins will be permitted.
We thank you for understanding the changes to the policy. We want everyone to have an amazing dance experience
New Committees Need Volunteers!
The Board has announced two new committees that need volunteers!
Outreach Committee
This is a new committee being formed by Dal Swing. The committee will handle requests for dancers to perform and organize dancers and choreography (if applicable). They will also look for more places in the community to showcase swing dance and work at finding dance opportunities with other groups. They can use the existing structure for asking for interested dancers as well as developing their own system. The committee will manage booking rehearsal space within their budget, work with finance to pay bills and dispense funds, and will find choreographers to create dances. They will work with Marketing to publicize outings, etc. The leader of the committee will sit on the Exec and work with the Exec to set budget, expectations, and check on scheduling.
Marketing and Communications Committee
This is a busy and growing committee. They oversee all social media, including Facebook, Instagram, the website, and the newsletter.They also handle any promotional materials we print. They will plan the posting schedule, postering schedule, and maintain a roster of designers. They are responsible for updating all events, classes, and performances, as well as answering any FaceBook questions. The leader of the committee sits on the Exec and takes direction from them in terms of tone, budget and ad goals.
If you’re interested in joining either of these committees, please email dalswing.volunteers@gmail.com
Board Positions Available
DKS is looking for a few good Board Members. We are in need of:
A Dalhousie student (elected position)
A Communications/Marketing person (elected position)
A head DJ (appointed, non-voting position)
The Board typically meets every 4-6 weeks. The time commitment is less than 2 hours per week. Please be available to communicate via social media regularly.
If you are interested, or want to nominate someone you think would enjoy this, please email dalswing@gmail.com before September 8th.
Come hang out with a great group of people!
Seaside Shimmy
So excited!! The 2019 Shimmy Weekend date has been confirmed - hope we can see you all lovely people November 15-17!
Registration is now open at www.seasideshimmy.ca
DalKing's Swing Factory - Saturday Night Dance
Come learn to swing dance! Every Saturday, your Halifax Swing Dancing Community welcomes you to learn and dance with them. The night begins with a half hour introductory lesson, followed with dancing to some great swing music until 10:00pm--all for only $5!!
No dancing experience or partner required, so come learn to swing, meet some friendly people, and dance the night away with us!
Please bring non-scuffing indoor shoes, and keep scented products to a minimum.
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Location: First Baptist Church, 1300 Oxford Street, Halifax, NS, B3H 3Y8
Doors open at 6:15pm
Beginner lesson 8:00-8:30pm
Music ends at 10:00pm
BLUENOSE BLUES - JAZZING THE BLUES (Sep6-8)
NOTE: This has been updated due to Hurrican Dorian. Click on Bluenose Blues from the main menu for updated schedule.
— 2019-Sept-6 10:30am
DalKing’s Swing Dance Society is thrilled once again to host the AMAZING Daniel Repsch – international blues dance instructor, competitor, and DJ—for another blues-dance workshop weekend in Halifax with all new material! You won’t want to miss this opportunity to learn more about blues dancing from one of the best dancers and teachers in the world. Whether you are new to blues dancing or trying to bring your dancing up a level, the weekend will be fun, engaging, and challenging!!
This time the workshop focuses on Jazz Blues or “Ballrooming” styles – the kinds of blues dancing that started in places like the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem and moved to the stylings of the great bands and jazz blues artists like Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Sidney Bechet. We’ll have three days of workshops and dancing! The main workshops and dances are on Friday night and Saturday, with local blues band Ced, Marty and Dave playing on Saturday night.
On Sunday we offer an “intensive” option for intermediate and advanced dancers (who have taken many blues classes or participated in national-level blues dance workshops); then we have our regular Second Sunday night Barrington Blues social dance. [Note that Sunday events require extra fees.]
To stay updated, watch for information on the Halifax Blues and Fusion Dancers FB page https://www.facebook.com/groups/299840556772541/
Registration at https://www.dalswing.ca/bluenose-blues-registration or https://www.dalswing.ca/bluenose-blues-products
BLUENOSE BLUES – Schedule
Friday, 6 September 2019: Workshop 7:30-9 pm, dance 9-12 midnight – 1313 Hollis
Saturday, 7 September 2019: Workshops 10 am-4 pm [DalPlex]
Lesson 8:15-9 pm; Dance 9 pm to 2 am -- Band: Ced, Marty, and Dave – 1313 Hollis
Sunday, 8 September 2019: added events -extra fee
Intermediate and advanced intensive -12:00 to 1:30 pm – [DalPlex]
Second Sunday Barrington Blues social dance (blues and blues-fusion)– Haliente studio, Barrington St (upstairs) $5 entry at the door— lesson 8 pm, social dancing 8:30-10:30pm
Lindy Hop Level 1b
Lindy Hop level 1b
Date: June 22-July 27 (no class july 6)
Time: 6:30-7:45
Price: $40
Location: 1300 Oxford Street
Have you taken Linday 1a, or have done a lot of social dancing and want to work on your swing outs and charleston? Please join us for a 5-week progressive series where we will take your dancing to the next level, no partner required. In this class, we will work on improving your swing out technique and show you cool variations for both swing outs and basic 6 count moves. We will also speed the music up and introduce you to partnered charleston, an energetic and exciting style of moves. At the end of these classes, you will be dancing to a larger range of music tempos, and will have more tools to express yourself on the dance floor.
Register now!
Cost: $40
Upcoming Performance Opportunities
June 8 at 2pm: FUSE pre-festival at Halifax Central Library
June 15 afternoon (time TBA): Sharing Dance Day, June 15th at Halifax Central Library
July 1 from 2:30-3:30pm: Canada Day FUSE Festival , at the Halifax Commons.
On Canada Day we will be performing at the Big Apple at the Halifax Commons
If you are interested in performing for any or all of these, please sign up here: https://forms.gle/WS4meRhnR3dtse5m7 or with Claire (claire.boteler@gmail.com).
For Canada Day’s performance, we will perform a routine, teach the audience a move, and social dance. Practices will be Mondays in June, 6-7pm at Dalplex.
Dalswing Modules Class June 1st- 29th
Are you up for a jazz-step challenge? Do you want to bring some lindyhop greatness to Halifax? The Big Apple is such an amazingly fun group routine. It's not an easy routine, but the feelings of elation are worth the effort, and it is now going to be taught once again, back by popular demand. One of the things that makes it great is that it's done in a circle and that Frankie Manning is credited with many of the steps (see more history below).
Once you've learned this routine, you will have a plethora of jazz steps at your musical disposal. Check it out:
Whitey's Lindy Hoppers perform the Big Apple: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfgKMfexdPQ
Harlem Hot Shots perform the Big Apple: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmsYp583IYw
Time: 6:30-7:40 pm
Dates: Five Saturdays June 1, 8, 15, 22, & 29
Who: Level 1a
Cost: $30 (or free for Teaching assistants who already know the Big Apple)
You can invite your friends on Facebook to the Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/389363655000306/
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From http://www.bigappleroutine.com/
"The Big Apple had already exploded in New York City when we started doing it in the famous Savoy Theatre every Saturday"Night!
- Frankie Manning
Frankie Manning is credited with inventing the steps of the famous Big Apple Contest for the Movie "Keep Punching." With the release of the Movie in 1937, his steps where preserved for all of us to see. Along with the original footage of this dance, Hanna & Mattias attempt to recapture the original Hype of the 1920s. They give step-by-step instructions on how to dance the Big Apple Routine and with Whiz and Jazz make the routine fun for all dancers alike.
The exact origin of the Big Apple is unclear but one author suggests that the dance originated from the "ring shout", a group dance associated with religious observances that was founded before 1860 by African Americans on plantations in South Carolina and Georgia. The ring shout is described as a dance with "counterclockwise circling and high arm gestures" that resembled the Big Apple.
It is still practiced today in small populations of the southern United States. The dance that eventually became known as the Big Apple is speculated to have been created in the early 1930s by African American youth dancing at the House of Prayer Synagogue on Gates Street in Columbia, South Carolina. The synagogue was converted into a black juke joint called the "Big Apple Night Club.
REVIEW OF SWINGIN’ INTO SPRING WORKSHOPS
REVIEW OF SWINGIN’ INTO SPRING WORKSHOPS
DATE: MAY 11- 18 (2 WEEKS)
TIME: 6:30-7:40
PRICE: $15
LOCATION: 1300 OXFORD STREET
After an amazing dance weekend at Fredericton’s Swingin’ to Spring April 26-28, we are inspired to bring back some of the highlights of what we learned from the amazing teachers, Bobby White and Kate Hedin. We will take two weeks to recap and share our favorite pieces from their workshops, including some snazzy swingout variations and cool movements to refine partner connection & momentum. Feel free to come to both weeks or only one. [Note: Did you attend this year’s Swingin’ to Spring workshops? Come help out the class and get a refresher for free; just pay $5 for Swing Factory dance entrance!]
Pre-reqs: Lindy level 1a & 1b OR 6-count & 8-count basics, including swingouts
Instructors: Pri and Logan (11th), Yuvii and Jessie (18th)
You can invite your friends to the Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/2293176680945764/
Lindy Hop Level 1a
Lindy hop is a wonderful, joyful dance for all ages! This dance comes to us from the ballrooms of Harlem where Black dancers and musicians pioneered this incredible art form. Please join us for a 6-week progressive series (May 11-June 15) where you will be introduced to Lindy Hop fundamentals--no partner required! Gain some confidence and rhythm in your dancing. We will cover basic 6-count and 8-count moves, including tuck turns, promenades, send outs, and swing outs. This course is progressive, ie you must attend the classes in succession. Register now!
Cost: $30
Blues: Lead, Follow, or Switch?
Thursdays May 2-June6 (6 week progressive)
If you dance blues in a large blues scene or at a major workshop, chances are you will hear someone looking for a dance ask: “Lead, follow, or switch?” Some scenes teach dancers both roles from the start, while others urge dancers to try the alternative role to enhance skills and appreciation for the creative potential of the dance. In this 6-week session, Jill and Toby will help dancers improve their understanding of the fundamentals of leading and following while learning some strategies for seamlessly switching between roles for an inspiring and fun dance.
Carpool to Swingin' to Spring
A group of dancers will be traveling to Fredericton's dance weekend Swingin' to Spring the weekend of April 27, 2019. They are having international dancers Bobby White and Kate!!! The weekend features social dances, live bands and workshops. Beginners are welcome too!
Event info:
https://www.facebook.com/events/323424891638195/?ti=as
Carpool info:
https://m.facebook.com/groups/857545651251650?view=permalink&id=857545661251649
(Note this is not an official DKSDS event.)
No Swing Factory April 27-May 4
The church is unavailable April 27, 2019 and May 2, 2019 so there will be no lessons nor Swing Factory those weeks.
Connection!
Ready for advancing your connection skills?
Join the connection class with Jessie & Pri! This class will break down the essentials of having a relaxed yet communicative connection to allow both dance partners have a dynamic and clear conversation. We will look into the balance between too tight and too loose, too loud and too soft, and what makes dancing connection feel smooth as butter.
*Pre-req: swingouts
Suped Up Swing Outs!
Want to learn some swingout sequences taught by world reknown instructors Skye and Frida? Tomorrow is your chance! Take part 2 of Jessie and Priyanka’s class from back in January (finally!!) with Priyanka and Logan. Those who already paid for that course are in for free (obvs) and those who are interested are totally welcome! Only requirement is Lindy 1a. $7.50 at the door. 6:45 start.
Blues Dancing for Lindy Hoppers
BLUES DANCING FOR LINDY DANCERS
This Saturday night (2 March) plan to join Jill Grant and Amy Belanger for an introduction to blues dancing at Swing Factory – just in time to get ready for DalKing’s Swing’s Bluenose Blues dance workshop with Dan Repsch (8-10 March). We’ll introduce Lindy hop dancers to some elements of blues dancing in ways that lets you draw on what you know from Lindy!
6:45-7:45 at the Church. Workshop price: $7.50
Lindy Hop Level 1a
Lindy hop is a wonderful, joyful dance for all ages! This dance comes to us from the ballrooms of Harlem where Black dancers and musicians pioneered this incredible art form. Please join us for a 4-week progressive series where you will be introduced to Lindy Hop fundamentals--no partner required! Gain some confidence and rhythm in your dancing. We will cover basic 6-count and 8-count moves, including tuck turns, promenades, send outs, and swing outs. This course is progressive, ie you must attend the classes in succession. Register now!
Cost: $30
Bluenose Blues
Dal-King’s Swing Dance Society is thrilled to host the AMAZING Daniel Repsch – international blues dance instructor, competitor, and DJ—for a blues-dance workshop weekend from March 8th to March 10th in Halifax! You won’t want to miss this opportunity to learn more about blues dancing and styling from one of the best dancers and teachers in the world. Whether you are new to blues dancing or trying to bring your dancing up a level, the weekend will be fun, engaging, and challenging!!
We’ll have three days of workshops and dancing! The main workshops and dances are on Friday night and Saturday, with local blues band Shrimp Daddy playing on Saturday night. On Sunday we offer an “intensive” option for intermediate and advanced dancers (who have taken many blues classes or participated in national-level blues dance workshops); then we have our regular Second Sunday night Barrington Blues social dance.