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New HTTB Classes in Newton & Boston

Swing Dance ClassYes, it is August, but we still have some wonderful summertime left! We’ve been lucky this year with lots of great weather to keep us smilingSmile. Hope everyone has found opportunities to get out and enjoy! Life is so crazy busy these days and we can’t neglect to take some time to rejuvenate and relax.

We have been having a lot of fun with our Monday class session in Boston this summer. Although we are not quite ready to be concentrating on September, we did want to announce that our new classes are now up and we’ll be back to our schedule of Sunday and Monday classes. The new 6 week session starts Sunday nights on September 9 in Newton Lower Falls and Monday nights on September 10 at Ruggles Church (near Fenway Park). There are classes for all levels, no partners required.

Here’s what’s up for the next session:

  • Beginner Swing/Intro to Lindy Hop Level 1: 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 providing a foundation of the basic elements of Lindy Hop such as rhythm, style and partner connection. There are 7 different sessions at this level building 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 sessions. No experience or partner required. This class meets in both Newton and Boston.
  • Lindy Hop Level 2: Level 2 focuses on the core fundamentals 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 a range of classic Charleston to newer variations, all with a touch of flash! Discount after 2 sessions. No partner required. This class meets in both Newton and Boston.
  • Interesting, Fun and Fancy Turns: This new class features a variety of moves from open and from closed which include the element of turning for follows, leads and sometimes both. We’ll be moving in and out, twisting and turning and passing while working on connecting with flow, stretch and momentum. (All that good stuff!) For experienced Lindy Hop dancers with solid basics, no partner required. This class meets on Sundays in Newton.

Full details and registration.

Beantown Camp 2012 Thanks

It doesn’t seem like three weeks have passed since Beantown Camp ended. Maybe that’s because we are still wrapping things up, collecting photos and working on the camp DVD. Leading up to camp, we had a feeling that it was going to be a good week. How could it not with the incredible line-up of instructors and bands?

Once again, we just have to say that Beantown exceeded expectations. It was just an incredibly wonderful week full of smiles, fun and joy! We want to thank each and every one of our Beantown staff and campers. So much positive energy. As we are back in our regular classes, it is very rewarding hearing from our own first-time students mentioning how much they loved the classes, all the nice people they met and the fun time they had. Good to hear after subjecting them to our saying over and over again to go to camp!Smile

Here are just a few highlights to mention:

Beantown Bounce Finale

Another amazing Beantown Bounce showcasing the incredible talent of Beantown instructors. Thanks to Michael Jagger and Evita Arce for producing, Peter Strom for choreographing the finale, all the performers and the entire crew for providing such an inspiring and entertaining show.

Soul Party

Peter’s late night Soul Party, always a camp highlight, where everyone kind of just lets loose and has a super fun night.

Eric's Hip Hop Routine Class Performance

The end-of-camp track performances, always a great way to wrap up a week of excellent classes! We moved into Rose this year which really added the perfect atmosphere for cheering on each group. My own personal highlight, being in Eric Fenn’s Hip Hop routine and loving every minute of it. (Plus thanks to all my practice buddies!)

Saturday Night Jam to Campus Five

Night after night of phenomenal music from our three awesome bands, Gordon Webster, Campus Five and Glenn Crytzer, as well as Michael Gamble and his crew of DJs.

BBQ Sparklers

The most fun BBQ night ever on the 4th of July, one of our all time highlights. Something about the end of camp, the sparklers (thank you Cynthia!) and watching the fireworks across the water made it a really special night.

Frankie Foundation Ambassadors

Our wonderful Frankie Foundation Ambassadors, Merika, Josh and Lehua. They were each a joy to have at camp all week and we are thankful that we were able to provide this opportunity for them.

In addition to our teen ambassadors, we may have had our largest group of teens ever and it was such a great time watching all of them having so much fun. If this is the future of Lindy Hop, we are in good shape!

Beantown Camp Swimming

The excellent weather we had, perfect for the beach, and it seems that many campers took advantage of that this year.

Norma Miller

Having Norma Miller with us all week to share her life, remind us of where it all started and for being so much fun to talk with.

As always, one of the most special features of Beantown, connecting with old friends, new friends and just enjoying being together!

Yes, there were more, and the list could go on and on! The whole week was kind of one huge highlight!Cool

So many people to thank for the incredible week of camp. We would like to send some special shout outs to our wonderful crew who help us to check-in all campers, run the café, the shop, the water crew, drivers, videographers, photographers and help with so many other tasks including Joel Domoe for once again doing an awesome job running the competitions and Edgar Herwick for adding his emcee talents to the proceedings this year. Thanks to Dave Lasagna for bringing extra smiles to our faces and providing his own special touch to our days. We also want to send a huge thank you to the most wonderful staff at Endicott College. We know how lucky we are to have Patrick watching over everything and going out of his way to be sure everyone has the best time possible. Plus the amazing dining staff who make the effort to provide us with a big variety of healthy, decadent and delicious meals. Everything has just gotten better since we moved to this wonderful campus eight years ago and we feel it adds so much to what makes Beantown such a unique and special experience each year.

Beantown Campers, you are the best! Thanks to all who traveled far and near. We appreciate your support and we appreciate you!  We wish you all many happy times ahead and hope to see you back in 2013!

Happy dancing,
Aurelie & Tony

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