Bringing Lindy Hop to New England since 1995!

Hop to the Beat

Lindy Hop originated in the dance halls of Harlem in the late 1920s and evolved with the hot Jazz and jumpin’ Blues music. It’s an exuberant style of Swing, mixing uptempo Charleston with slow groovin’ and everything in between! Influenced by other dance styles and changes in popular music, Lindy Hop thrives today as an incredibly fun, creative partner dance mixing classic with new. Join in the fun and become part of the friendly Lindy Hop community! There are classes for all levels. Beginners are very welcome as well as singles and couples.

Only 2 Weeks To Go Until Beantown Camp!

By Beantown Camp on Wed, 06/12/2013 - 3:32am

Beantown Camp

The countdown to Beantown Camp opening day continues! Only 2 weeks to go.

For everyone planning to attend who has not yet completed a registration or an Endicott Reservation, it would be a huge help if you get your registration and full payment in ASAP! There are packets to assemble and the college has rooms to prepare. We want your complete camp experience to be smooth sailing from the moment you arrive and the more we can do in advance, the easier for us to make that happen.

If you are registered and would like to add a competition, now would be a great time to do that! Got soul? Why not sign up for the Soul division? That does sound like fun!

Join us for our 17th year! Camp runs from June 27 to July 4 with multiple registration options. If you’ve never done the full week, this will be the year to do it. There is so much that you will not want to miss!

Check website for all the details and registration.

Beantown Camp Forum

By Beantown Camp on Wed, 06/12/2013 - 3:20am

Beantown Camp

Be sure to check out the camp forum for ride sharing and other information. This is a great way to communicate with other campers and maybe organize a door-to-door airport shuttle or request a ride from a local. For our local campers, we would really appreciate if you check the forum to see if there are any visiting campers you can help out. It is wonderful when we all work together to make this an amazing experience for everyone!

Beantown Camp Forum.

Uptown Swing Dance this SUNDAY

By Hop to the Beat on Wed, 06/05/2013 - 6:07am

Sax GordonCome on out to Uptown Swing this Sunday, June 9 with the always entertaining and energetic Sax Gordon Band! Gordon and his band were on fire the last time they played our dance. They never even took their 2nd break as they were having such a great time. Now that is what we’re talking about!

This will be the first dance in our Special Sunday Summer Dance series.

Uptown Swingis held at KI, our awesome venue conveniently located on Harvard Street, just a few blocks from Coolidge Corner in Brookline. (Dance entrance on Williams Street.) There’s AC, a fabulous, huge wood floor, plus free street parking. Beginners are very welcome and there is a lesson included at the beginning of the evening. You do not need to have a partner to attend. The music will be excellent for Lindy Hop, Swing, and Balboa. Bring your friends and introduce them to a fun night!
  • Beginners welcome, no partner needed
  • Location: KI, 384 Harvard Street, Brookline, MA 02446 (Entrance on Williams Street!)
  • Band: Sax Gordon Band
  • Date: Sunday, June 9, 2013
  • Time: 6:45-10:30pm
  • Swing Lesson: 6:45-7:30pm
  • Admission: $15 ($10 with Student ID)
  • Parking: Meters are free on Sundays. Plenty of nearby parking available.

Uptown Swing Dance information.

Beantown Competitions & Sponsors

By Beantown Camp on Wed, 06/05/2013 - 6:03am

Beantown Camp

The countdown to Beantown Camp opening day is on. Only 3 weeks to go. Reserve your spot today!

Included among the many awesome activities scheduled for Beantown are some fun competitions for all levels during the weekend. It is still possible to sign up! The competitions always come with a fantastic, supportive audience. Divisions include a nice mix of Novice, Intermediate and Advanced J&Js, Strictly, Solo Charleston and Soul! The competitions are scheduled so that we have loads of social dance time with excellent live music on both Friday and Saturday night. (That would be Baby Soda and the Campus Five in case you have forgotten!)

We are honored to have so many wonderful events sponsoring the competitions and providing prizes for each division as well as a couple of special awards. They are all truly awesome! Be sure to check each one out for your future event plans!

  • International Lindy Hop Championships
  • Boston Tea Party
  • Lindy Focus
  • The Dirty Dozen Weekend
  • Dirty Water Lindy & Blues Exchange
  • Hart & Soul Weekend
  • Canadian Swing Championships

Beantown is very fortunate to have support from our local and neighboring sponsors and friends. We appreciate every one of them!

  • Dom V and the Swing Out Big Band
  • DanceNet
  • Boston Swing Dance Network
  • Boston Swing Central
  • Swing City
  • Providence Swings
  • Connecticut Swing Dance Society
  • Hartford Underground
  • Vermont Swings
  • Got2Lindy

Check out more info on all our sponsors.

Join us for our 17th year - it’s going to be phenomenal! (Really, seriously, it is!) Camp runs from June 27 to July 4 with multiple registration options. If you’ve never done the full week, this will be the year to do it. There is so much that you will not want to miss!

Check website for all the details and registration.

Summer Class Session

By Hop to the Beat on Wed, 06/05/2013 - 5:48am

Swing Dance Class After Beantown, we will have one session of classes for the summer. Information and registration is now up on the website. As usual for the summer, there will be no Sunday classes. Mondays will be continuing in Boston at Ruggles Church near Fenway Park. Sundays in Newton will resume in September.

The summer classes will be starting on Monday, July 8 and include Beginner Swing/Intro to Lindy Hop Level 1 and Lindy Hop Level 2.

Class information.

Friday is Beantown Camp Discount Date

By Beantown Camp on Wed, 05/29/2013 - 5:33pm

Beantown CampJust a reminder that the Beantown discount prices expire this Friday, May 31! We’ve got the instructors, bands, DJs and dancers for an amazing week at Beantown. Don’t miss out on our 17th year! There are multiple registration options.

Check website for all the details and registration.

Beantown's Got Talent
Beantown’s Got Talent

Frankie Manning Weekend

By Hop to the Beat on Thu, 05/23/2013 - 3:01am
Frankie Manning leading Shim Sham at the Hop to the Beat Dance, Cambridge Friends School, February 2005
Frankie Manning leading Shim Sham at the Hop to the Beat Dance, Cambridge Friends School, February 2005

Not only is this a holiday weekend, this Sunday, May 26 marks what would have been Frankie Manning’s 99th birthday. It is hard to believe that 4 years have passed since we lost this most special person. Lindy Hoppers around the world will be celebrating his life and wonderful spirit.

This Friday at Boston Swing Central we’ll be teaching the Shim Sham at the pre-dance lesson. Later that evening we’ll all dance the Shim Sham in our best Frankie Manning tradition! I (Aurelie) will be guest DJing for the first part of the evening, featuring many of Frankie’s favorites, followed by the wonderful Tina Desorcy.

Check BSC site for all the details.

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Thursday, June 27, 2013

Beantown Camp

Friday, June 28, 2013

Beantown Camp
Beantown Camp
Beantown Camp

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Beantown Camp Dance Party
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Testimonials

I’d like to thank you both for all the efforts you’ve made to bring some rhythm to our lives. Lindy is the best and you are the best at bringing it to us. Looking forward to all the fun in the coming year.

Larry F
Winchester, MA

I’d like to thank you for the great teaching and the unforgettable Beantown Camp. In my top five of best memories, three are related to Lindy Hop. Thanks for being my first Lindy Hop teachers and I hope to see you some time next year during one of my visits to Boston!

Sophie D.
Belgium

I am still so grateful for the lessons we had with you - you and Tony truly gave us the first dance we dreamed up, and that we (and our guests!) won’t soon forget! Thank you again and looking forward to seeing you soon!

Mary L.
Ashland, MA

A year ago, we were a young couple in (desperate) need of dance lessons for our wedding. Lucky for us, we happened on one of the monthly Uptown Swing events in Brookline, discovered Tony & Aurelie, and now we can’t get enough!

Tony & Aurelie are knowledgeable, fun teachers that deliver well-balanced lessons—always adding new moves to the mix, covering (necessary) technique, and giving personal feedback. Lindy is so much fun and we continue to have a blast learning it together (even after the wedding). We have Tony & Aurelie to thank for our new found addiction that will certainly keep us dancing (and laughing) together for years to come.

Derek H.
Brookline, MA

Aurelie & Tony are such wonderful Lindy Hop teachers.  I absolutely love their classes.  Their fantastic dedication in nurturing their students and in providing a terrific strong supportive Lindy and swing community is a total inspiration.  Uptown Swing—their dynamite monthly dance in Brookline, is not to be missed!  Their most incredibly phenomenal premier Beantown Lindy Hop Camp for the worldwide Lindy community is truly absolutely amazing beyond words.

Connie S.
Boston, MA

It is a pleasure being part of the Swing dance community.  Aurelie & Tony you make everyone enjoy dance in a warm inviting happy way.

Shelly T.
Brookline, MA

I think you consistently have the best dance: great dancers, lots of energy and great bands.

Julie N.
Watertown, MA

We want to express to you our deep gratitude for your participation in making New Year’s Eve a hugely successful event. Your performance was wonderful. We continue to hear compliments from the evening’s attendees.

Jeremy A.
Dance Umbrella, MA

Thank you for doing a tremendous job as DJs and dance teachers at our wedding…We were thrilled to see so much energy on the dance floor…It’s impossible to overstate how instrumental you were in catalyzing that energy…thank you for creating a fantastic wedding.

Julie & James

I have heard nothing but wonderful comments from many Festival patrons and our other performers about your performances at the Milford Oyster Festival. I also appreciate that your group helped to work up the audience to participate…Your dance routines were what I have been looking for for a long time and the period attire only made it more appealing.

Walter S.
Milford Oyster Festival, CT

…just want to thank you for being such wonderful teachers, delightful people, and powerful advocates and supporters of the Swing dance community! It has been terrific participating in your classes; I learned so very much and enjoyed myself all the way.

Laura M.
Waltham, MA

When I think of what it means to be a traveling Lindy Hop instructor, it is always Beantown that comes to mind. For me it has been the model against which the rest of my teaching career has been measured. Every year, Beantown is one my very favorite places to teach. The people have the right attitude for learning, the setting is always great for classes, and the week-long camp provides enough time to really help people to change their dancing for the better. And on top of it all, you will rarely find a nicer crowd of people.

Peter Strom
Minneapolis, MN