Bringing Lindy Hop to New England since 1995!

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Lindy Hop, Swing & Balboa Classes

Classes with Tony & Aurelie Tye are offered in 6 week sessions throughout the year. Hop to the Beat specializes in the Lindy Hop style of Swing as well as Balboa, Charleston and other related dances. Newton classes have been running since 1995, with a new Boston location added in 2010. Classes have a fun, relaxed atmosphere, emphasizing lead/follow connection, rhythm, musicality, technique and styling. Each class consists of a 1 hour lesson per week for 6 weeks. It is possible to join a class in its second week. No partner required, singles and couples welcome. These are adult classes, but teens may also attend. Partners are rotated during classes, which is encouraged and very helpful for learning plus a fun way to meet classmates. However, rotating is not a requirement for couples who would prefer not to switch partners. Locations are easily accessible by car and T.

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Lindy Hop & Swing Classes
February–April 2012 Session
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Sundays • Newton, MA February 26 to April 1, 2012 (6 Week Session)
Mondays • Boston, MA February 27 to April 9, 2012 (6 Week Session, no class 3/26)
4:40–5:40pm Beginner Swing/
Intro to Lindy Hop Level 1a For those who are brand new to Swing dancing, this is the place to start! Also ideal for those with some experience who would like to brush up on skills and build a repertoire of fun moves. Six count basics will be covered along with a different selection of steps each session. There are 7 different sessions at this level designed to provide a good base for social dancing. Level 1 classes may be taken in any order. It is recommended that students stay at this level long enough to feel very comfortable with the material taught before moving to Level 2. Discount after 2 full sessions. No experience or partner required.
5:50–6:50pm Lindy Hop Level 2f Level 2 focuses on the core moves of Lindy Hop, including a mix of 8 and 6 count basics. Emphasis is on technique, partner connection, musicality and building skills. No previous Lindy Hop experience required, although must competently social dance any style of triple-step Swing. There are 8 different sessions at this level which continually change over time and can be taken in any order. Each session includes classic Charleston and newer variations, all with a touch of flash! Discount after 2 full sessions. No partner required.
7:00–8:00pm The Lindy Chorus The Lindy Chorus 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! For intermediate to higher up Lindy Hop dancers, no partner required.
6:30–7:30pm Beginner Swing/
Intro to Lindy Hop Level 1a For those who are brand new to Swing dancing, this is the place to start! Also ideal for those with some experience who would like to brush up on skills and build a repertoire of fun moves. Six count basics will be covered along with a different selection of steps each session. There are 7 different sessions at this level designed to provide a good base for social dancing. Level 1 classes may be taken in any order. It is recommended that students stay at this level long enough to feel very comfortable with the material taught before moving to Level 2. Discount after 2 full sessions. No experience or partner required.
7:30–8:00pm Stay after class for practice!
8:00–9:00pm Lindy Hop Level 2f Level 2 focuses on the core moves of Lindy Hop, including a mix of 8 and 6 count basics. Emphasis is on technique, partner connection, musicality and building skills. No previous Lindy Hop experience required, although must competently social dance any style of triple-step Swing. There are 8 different sessions at this level which continually change over time and can be taken in any order. Each session includes classic Charleston and newer variations, all with a touch of flash! Discount after 2 full sessions. No partner required.
9:00–9:30pm Stay after class for practice!
Lower Falls Community Center
545 Grove Street, Newton Lower Falls, MA 02462
Please bring a change of clean shoes, either sneakers or soft-soled flat dance shoes.
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Ruggles Baptist Church (near Fenway Park)
874 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02215
Please bring a change of clean shoes.
Get directions
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Registration: Please pre-register by submitting a Registration Form together with payment. If you are not able to pre-register, please still submit a Registration Form to help speed your registration on the first day. If pre-registered, please arrive 10 minutes before class time on the first day to allow time to check-in. If not pre-registered, please arrive 15 minutes early to allow time to register and pay. No partner required unless mentioned otherwise. It is possible to join the session at the second week. If you are new to our studio and would like to try out a class, you may register and if you decide not to take the session, contact us within 2 days after the first lesson for a refund (less $15). We are always happy to help in deciding which class level is the best fit, and adjustments can be made in the second week of the session. Check the directions for parking information and note that the classes are held at different locations on different days.

Cost per person
Discounts are for the same person taking multiple classes in the same session.
Any one 6 week class (covers 6 weeks of lessons)
$65
Discount price for LH Level 1 after completing 2 previous Level 1 sessions
$55
Discount price for LH Level 2 after completing 2 previous Level 2 sessions
$55
Any two 6 week classes
$110
Any three 6 week classes
$155
Any four 6 week classes
$200
Contact Us for information on the college group discount price for classes.

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

So you are great dance instructors and are solely responsible for all the fun I’ve had dancing over the last 8 years, as I got better and better, so thank you for all that.

Andy C.
Newton, MA

…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

Just to thank you (Tony) and Aurelie for your wonderful dance instruction…I really appreciated the teaching methods that you and Aurelie used. You broke everything down and allowed us plenty of opportunity to practice (again and again) the moves we’d just learned. Also, you were so very positive and encouraging–not to mention generous with the time you spent with me/us individually! AND, you were great not only at identifying my areas of “weakness”, but at giving very specific and concrete suggestions on how to address whatever it was that was going wrong. Incredibly helpful!

Leslie G.

Arlington, MA

Private Lessons

Private lessons for individuals, couples and groups are available by arrangement, just contact us.

What Is Lindy Hop?

Lindy Hop is the original style of Swing dancing. It can be danced to all tempos of Swing music, starting with 1920s hot Jazz and smokin’ Blues, Big Band Swing and Jazz Combos of the 1940s to today, as well as Jump Blues, Boogie Woogie, ’50s Rock ’n’ Roll, R&B and even some popular contemporary tunes.

Originating in the late 1920s, Lindy Hop evolved out of the Charleston in the ballrooms of Harlem. Today it is still wildly popular among groups of dancers all over the U.S. and around the world. Lindy Hop has continued to evolve over the years, influenced by other dance styles and changes in popular music. It has become an incredibly fun, creative partner dance mixing the classic with the new. With a character all its own, Lindy Hop is hard to resist!

What Is Balboa?

Balboa is a closed position dance originally developed in the early 1930s in California. Open position moves were later added and the name Bal-Swing was coined. These days Balboa includes both pure Bal and Bal-Swing and continues to grow in popularity among dancers across the U.S. and beyond. A real plus is that since it easily mixes in with Lindy Hop, you can add it to what you already know. Balboa emphasizes footwork, has great partner connection and goes especially well with medium to very fast tempos.