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.

The Sound of Beantown Camp 2012

By Beantown Camp on Sat, 02/04/2012 - 2:38am

There are so many truly awesome things we could say about Beantown Camp #16, but right now we’ll just focus on the live music! We are so excited about this line-up!

  • Gordon WebsterGordon Webster & Friends featuring Naomi Uyama on vocals. Gordon and his band have become regulars at Beantown and it just wouldn’t be the same without them. They’ll be kicking things off on Friday night.
  • Campus FiveJonathan Stout and his Campus Five, featuring Hilary Alexander. Yes folks, they’ll be back! Saturday and Sunday! We had just too much fun last year to not do it again.
  • Glenn Crytzer and his SyncopatorsGlenn Crytzer and his Syncopators, featuring Meschiya Lake on vocals and Solomon Douglas on keyboard. This will be their first Beantown appearance, although Solomon has played for us in the past. Our last night this year is July 4th and we just had to finish up with a bang.Laughing

To sum it up, some words from Jon Tigert…

Has anyone else noticed that Beantown Lindy Hop Camp has Gordon Webster, Glenn Crytzer w/ Meschiya Lake, and Jonathan Stout and his Campus Five, feat. Hilary Alexander?

HOLY BEJEEZUS!! Can we say best music lineup of the year?

Camp runs from June 28 to July 5th with multiple registration options. The website continues to be updated with the latest information. Registration opens in February, date TBA. If you have always wanted to come to Beantown, this will be a phenomenal year to do so. If you’ve never done the full week, do it in 2012!

Check out the website for information.

New Lindy Hop/Swing Class Session

By Hop to the Beat on Sat, 02/04/2012 - 2:36am

Lindy Hop Swing Dance ClassInformation for our new 6 week session is now up! Sunday classes start on February 26 in Newton Lower Falls and Monday classes start on February 27 in Boston (near Fenway Park). Both locations include a class in Beginner Swing/Intro to Lindy Hop Level 1, appropriate for anyone starting out as well as those with some experience who are working on building a solid foundation of dance skills. Six count basics will be covered along with a variety of fun steps to build your repertoire and get you out on the dance floor!

Lindy Hop Level 2 is also offered in both locations. This class is for more intermediate level Swing dancers, although no prior Lindy Hop experience is required. Eight and six count basics will be mixed along with a variety of classic Lindy Hop, newer variations, and a focus on partnering, technique and style.

For intermediate to advanced Lindy Hoppers, we are excited to say that we’ll be teaching The Lindy Chorus! If you are not familiar with this, it is a classic routine choreographed by Frankie Manning and known to Lindy Hoppers around the world. In 1999, about 120 couples, including some of us from Boston, traveled to NYC to perform the Lindy Chorus for Frankie at his 85th birthday celebration. We have had several opportunities to perform it since then, including beside Frankie himself! In his honor, we’ll be teaching it this session. Join us for this fun class! It meets on Sundays in Newton. You do not need to attend with a partner.

If you have any friends interested in getting into dancing, lessons are a great way to get started. Please pass on the info!

Registration is open. Check the website for more information.

The Love Dogs at February's Uptown "Tropical" Swing Dance

By Hop to the Beat on Sat, 02/04/2012 - 2:34am

The Love DogsOur next monthly Uptown Swing Dance is coming up in Brookline on Saturday, February 18 featuring The Love Dogs, always a popular band! This month we are having a special Tropical Swing Dance Party and we hope you will join us! We have some special things planned and are looking forward to a very fun time. Everyone is encouraged to get in the spirit and dress for a warm night on a cool beach. You know you’ve been wanting to break out that Hawaiian shirt.Cool

Beginners are very welcome and you do not need to have a partner. The music will be great for Lindy Hop, Swing, Balboa and even some Blues. This will be an excellent night to bring your friends and introduce them to the joy of dancing!

Uptown Swing Dance information.

Uptown Swing Dance with the Solomon Douglas Quintet is on for tonight!

By Hop to the Beat on Sat, 01/21/2012 - 3:11pm

Solomon DouglasUptown Swing is on for tonight! Join us for a fun dance with the Solomon Douglas Quintet featuring vocalist Alison Dreyfuss. If Solomon can make it from Seattle, we can get there from here:-)

  • Beginners welcome, no partner needed
  • Location: Brookline Tai Chi, 1615 Beacon Street, Brookline, MA 02446
  • Band: Solomon Douglas Quintet featuring Alison Dreyfuss
  • Date: Saturday, January 21, 2012 Time: 8:15pm-12:30am
  • Swing Lesson: 8:15-9:00pm
  • Admission: $15 ($10 with Student ID)

Uptown Swing Dance information.

Happy dancing,

Aurelie & Tony

This Saturday Uptown Swing Dance

By Hop to the Beat on Thu, 01/19/2012 - 4:47am

Solomon DouglasCome on out to Uptown Swing this Saturday, January 21 with the Solomon Douglas Quintet featuring vocalist Alison Dreyfuss. Solomon is joining us all the way from Seattle and he promises to keep the floor swingin’. He does travel around the U.S. quite a bit playing for dancers and we are excited to have him back here in Boston. This will also be a wonderful opportunity to welcome all the newbies starting the new year with dancing!

Uptown Swing is held at Brookline Tai Chi, which is our wonderful venue conveniently located directly across from the Washington Square T stop on Beacon Street. There’s AC, a fabulous floor for dancing, plus free street parking after 8:00pm. Beginners are very welcome and there is a lesson included at the beginning of the evening to get everyone started. You do not need to have a partner to attend. The music will be excellent for Lindy Hop, Swing, Balboa and even some Blues. Bring your friends and introduce them to a fun night!

  • Beginners welcome, no partner needed
  • Location: Brookline Tai Chi, 1615 Beacon Street, Brookline, MA 02446
  • Band: Solomon Douglas Quintet featuring Alison Dreyfuss
  • Date: Saturday, January 21, 2012
  • Time: 8:15pm-12:30am
  • Swing Lesson: 8:15-9:00pm
  • Admission: $15 ($10 with Student ID)

Uptown Swing Dance information.

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Testimonials

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
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