Learn to swing dance and Lindy Hop at Cat’s Corner! Have fun, meet new people, and get great exercise all at once! Cat’s Corner offers:
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- Hip, expert & friendly dance instruction with Nathan, Karen and monthly guest teachers
- Progressive format classes so you can get better each week
- No partner needed. We rotate partners frequently in class. Beginners always welcome!
- Convenient and secure online class registration
- Live Music Dance Party & Cocktails after class!
Class and party dates: July 3, 10, 17, 24 & 31. Special schedule on July 3rd.
Other Month’s Classes: June 2019
| Main Floor | Side Room | |
| 4-week series on July 10, 17, 24 & 31 | ||
| 7-8 PM | Intermediate Lindy Hop with Benji and Julia |
Collegiate Shag with Amy and Joy |
| 8-9 PM | Beginning Lindy Hop with Benji and Julia |
Intermediate Advanced Lindy Hop “Lindy Hop Building Blocks” with Julian and Jess |
| Every Wednesday |
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| 9-9:30 PM | Beginning East Coast Swing Weekly Drop-in Crash Course with Benji, Julia and guests |
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| Boot Camp Classes on July 3rd | ||
| 7-9 PM | Lindy Hop Boot Camp with Nathan and Karen |
Balboa Boot Camp with Tor and Carissa |
Save $15 or more when you sign up early!
[wptab name=’For Beginners’]
Beginning East Coast Swing Drop-in Class
Class time: 9-9:30pm
This short and sweet class is designed for the absolute beginner with no previous dance experience. We start from scratch each week, covering partner dance fundamentals and introducing simple 6-count East Coast Swing, Jig Walks and Charleston steps to get you out on the dance floor and grooving to the music.
Cost: $10 per week (includes dance party admission). No registration required.
Beginning Lindy Hop 4-week Series
with Benji Ng and Julia Gladysh
Class time: 8-9 PM on July 10, 17, 24 and 31
In this class, you will learn the basics of Lindy Hop, the original swing dance from the 1930s that features fast footwork and addictive rhythms. You’ll learn the basic 8-count steps that every lindy hopper should know — swingout, lindy circle & charleston — plus solid lead and follow technique and a different set of beginner level steps each month. This class is a progressive series, which means we review and build steadily upon previous weeks’ material.
Previous swing dancing experience is helpful but not required. To get the most out of the class, we recommend that you are already comfortable with “triple-steps” — if you don’t know these yet, we suggest taking our 9pm drop-in swing class a few times first.
Save your spot in class!
Four Month Class Cycle (okay to start any month!)
| Jan/May/Sep (A) |
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| Feb/Jun/Oct (B) |
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| Mar/Jul/Nov (C) |
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| Apr/Aug/Dec (D) |
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About the Teachers
Julia Gladysh
Lindy hop and Julia’s love story started the night she walked into a tiny bar with jazz music and saw how dancers faces lit up with joy. She immediately signed up for classes and hasn’t stopped dancing since. To learn more about the beloved dance and its story, Julia accomplished a 2-year "African Heritage Performance" program. She believes that dancing makes us happier and healthier and spreads her love of dance through teaching solo movement and performing with solo and lindy teams.
When Julia doesn't dance, she designs everything from brands to interfaces and plays the ukulele.
Benji Ng
Silly, and ever quick with a joke or animal fact Benji hopes to bring happiness and swing outs to everyone around him. The 1974 film “Benji” about a lovable stray dog is loosely based on his life. They might have gotten some of the minor details wrong but they nailed the character's love for vintage jazz music.
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[wptab name=’Intermediate Lindy Hop’]
Intermediate Lindy Hop
with Benji Ng and Julia Gladysh
Class time: 7-8 PM on July 10, 17, 24 and 31
In this class, you will build up your repertoire of lead and follow techniques, classic lindy hop moves and styling.
Requirements:
Students wishing to join the Intermediate class must have completed our 4-month Beginning Lindy Hop program (or the equivalent) as well as a friendly level-check with one of our teachers. Students should be regular social dancers at this point, and should be able to confidently dance the steps listed on our 4-month Beginner curriculum (click the “Beginning” tab above) including 6-count turns, 8-count swingout, Lindy circle and related turns, and basic Charleston patterns. Contact the teachers to arrange a level-check and get class level advice.
Register now for classes
Save your spot in class!
Intermediate Lindy Hop 6-month Class Cycle (start any month)
| Jan/Jul (A) |
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| Feb/Aug (B) |
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| Mar/Sep (C) |
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| Apr/Oct (D) |
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| May/Nov (E) |
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| Jun/Dec (F) |
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About the Teachers
Julia Gladysh
Lindy hop and Julia’s love story started the night she walked into a tiny bar with jazz music and saw how dancers faces lit up with joy. She immediately signed up for classes and hasn’t stopped dancing since. To learn more about the beloved dance and its story, Julia accomplished a 2-year "African Heritage Performance" program. She believes that dancing makes us happier and healthier and spreads her love of dance through teaching solo movement and performing with solo and lindy teams.
When Julia doesn't dance, she designs everything from brands to interfaces and plays the ukulele.
Benji Ng
Silly, and ever quick with a joke or animal fact Benji hopes to bring happiness and swing outs to everyone around him. The 1974 film “Benji” about a lovable stray dog is loosely based on his life. They might have gotten some of the minor details wrong but they nailed the character's love for vintage jazz music.
[/wptab]
[wptab name=”Collegiate Shag”]
Collegiate Shag
with Amy Sorenson and Joy Jing
Class time: 7-8 PM on July 10, 17, 24 and 31
Enjoy this snappy swing dance that explodes with energy and features a unique double-rhythm six-count basic and eye-popping footwork, plus animated movements that will whip you into shape and invigorate your dancing! Collegiate Shag is currently in the midst of a huge worldwide revival. Join the movement and give it the old college try!
We are excited to offer this class in an Everybody-Leads-Everybody-Follows (ELEF) format!
Required: 4+ months of Beginning Lindy Hop classes and social dance experience, or the equivalent.
Recommended: 3+ months Intermediate Lindy Hop class & social dance experience.
Joy Jing
Originally from Ohio, Joy got hooked on the improvisational energy and partnered creativity of swing dancing while living in Boston. She loves to both lead and follow, and has dabbled in almost all of the swing dances, with an emphasis on Lindy Hop, Balboa, St. Louis Shag, Collegiate Shag, and Charleston. She has been teaching swing dancing since 2014, and has won national and international competitions in Balboa, St. Louis Shag, and Collegiate Shag.
In class, Joy exudes energy and positivity, with a focus on partner connection, mutual responsiveness, and helping all dancers grow. Her style emphasizes fun, creativity, musicality, and technique.
Amy Sorenson
Amy is a self-identifying Shagaholic. She is a former member of Steve Sayer and Chanzie Roettig’s LA Shag, and of Johnny “Bluejeans” Lee’s The San Francisco Jitterbugs, and is now running her own Shag team here in the Bay Area. As a method of sharing her love of dance she teaches, competes, performs, and helps organize dance events. She is very excited to be sharing her love of this dance with you as she continues on her journey to make Collegiate Shag more visible and increase its presence in the Bay Area. She hopes you will love it as much as she does.
Save your spot in class!
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[wptab name=”Int/Adv Lindy Hop”]
Intermediate Advanced Lindy Hop
with guest teachers Julian Enis and Jess Centorbi
Class time: 8-9 PM on July 10, 17, 24 and 31
TOPIC: Lindy Hop Building Blocks
Explore different fundamental concepts in Lindy Hop with this series of individual workshop-style classes focused on integral topics and lessons that you can use to take your dancing to the next level!
The topics to be covered this month are:
- Floorcraft
- Breaking Your Patterns (Dance Legos)
- Musicality Through Mood
- Jam Circles
Required: 6+ months of Intermediate Lindy Hop classes and social dance experience, or the equivalent.
Recommended: 12+ months Intermediate Lindy Hop class & social dance experience
Save your spot in class!
If coming from another dance program, check our Intermediate Lindy Hop syllabus (click the “Intermediate” tab above) to see if what you’ve covered in other classes and social dancing is comparable. In particular, we are looking for:
- Your swingouts, lindy circle, 6-count turns, 8-count inside & outside turns, Texas Tommy and 6- and 8-count tuck turns should all be solid, fluid, and social dance worthy at medium tempos (140-170 BPM) with clean, accurate footwork
- You should be able to dance common modes of Charleston (side-by-side, kick-through, hand-to-hand, airplane, tandem and face-to-face) along with simple transitions into and out of them
- You should be able to incorporate some common footwork variations in your basics, independent of your partner (i.e. kick-ball-change, heel pops, Al Minn’s footwork, scissor kicks, Frankie’s footwork).
- You should be able to dance at least a few classic lindy hop “flashy” patterns such as: Curl & Points, Mini-Dip, the Chase, Sailor Kicks, Hacksaws, Behind the Back Promenade, Quick Stop, etc.
- You are starting to demonstrate an ability to lead and follow improvised movements not explicitly taught in class
There is no formal level-check, and student placement is by honor system. Teachers, however, are instructed to, at their discretion, politely send unqualified students to the appropriate level. When in doubt, the best is to arrange a friendly level check with one of our teachers.
Julian Enis
Julian learned to Lindy Hop at Cat's Corner and ever since has been dancing with a smile on his face. He enjoys social dancing wherever there's swing music, and has performed and competed with groups from the Bay Area locally and nationally. He always brings his dance shoes when he travels (even on the rare occasion that it's not dance related) and enjoys making connections with people that share a love for the art of Lindy Hop. When he's not dancing he can be found swimming in the bay, baking bread and pastries, brewing beer, or nerding out about food and wine.
Jess Centorbi
Jess started dancing Lindy Hop 2 years ago when she was invited by a good friend to a local dance. When she saw her first swing out, she was hooked and wanted to start learning as soon as possible. Jess has performed and competed with solo and Lindy teams across the United States. When she's not cutting a rug on the dance floor, she’s usually at home reading and hanging with her cat Oliver.
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[wptab name=’July 3rd Boot Camps’]
July 3rd: Boot Camp Night!
Get an intense dose of swing dance instruction in a one-night, 2 hour, ultra-fun format!
Wednesday, July 3, 7-9 PM
Lindy Hop Boot Camp with Nathan and Karen (Main Floor)
Beginning and Intermediate Level
Learn the Lindy Hop, the original swing dance from the 1930s that features fast footwork and addictive rhythms! This class will introduce must-know steps including the swingout, essential leading and following technique, and fun moves that will help you enjoy the music and dancing with a partner.
This class is designed with absolute beginners in mind, but also welcomes experienced dancers who want to brush up their basics and learn some fun new steps.
Balboa Boot Camp: Pure Bal Intensive with Tor and Carissa (Side Room)
Intermediate and Advanced Level
Experience the subtleties and close connection of Balboa, a swing dance style that originated in southern California on the Balboa Peninsula and is characterized by its closed position, body lead, intricate footwork flourishes and simply efficient basic step perfect for dancing to extremely fast music and on crowded dance floors…without breaking a sweat! This class will focus on Pure Balboa, which is danced entirely in closed position and focuses on fancy footwork and leading and following subtleties.
The class assumes no previous Balboa experience, but is geared toward intermediate students and experienced dancers.
Boot Camp Cost: $30 early registration by July 1. $35 full price online. $40 door.
East Coast Swing Cost: $10 / week
All class costs include dance party admission!
Carissa Koo
Carissa Koo’s goals as a teacher are to increase exposure to and improve the level of Balboa in the Bay Area, while showing people how to throw down! She believes that perfecting basic movement technique is the backbone for learning more complicated moves/musical expression, and emphasizes this in all her lessons. She pushes for follower agency over each dance and the lead’s ability to “follow” as well!
Carissa started dancing Lindy Hop and Balboa in 2014 in San Francisco. She began traveling for Balboa shortly after and continues to travel around the nation (and the world!) to pick brains and share insight with other teachers. She co-leads the Shimmytown Shufflers Balboa choreography team with Tor Helmer. When not dancing, she thinks about how she’d rather be dancing and looks at cat pictures.
Tor Helmer
Tor Helmer starting dancing ballet at a young age and absolutely fell in love with swing dancing a few years ago.
He believes that dance is about movement and expression and learning to interpret the song with how you feel it. Best achieved with a strong foundation in the basics and underlying movement.
His dream is to promote Balboa as the wonderful and intimate dance it is and to show everyone it’s merits at both throwing down and pure dance enjoyment!
Karen Huddleston
Karen came to the Bay Area from Portland, where she regularly danced Lindy Hop and Blues. She started training in dance at the age of 3 and discovered swing dancing as a high school student. In college, she helped run the swing dance club and participated in the ballroom dance team as a member and coach for several student groups. She's an avid social dancer in San Francisco and has performed with the Someday Sweethearts and Nathan's Swing or Nothing dance troupes. Karen and Nathan recently taught their first Intermediate-Advanced Lindy Hop class at Cat's Corner, and they had so much fun that Karen decided to return for more!
Nathan Dias
Resident Teacher, Cats Corner Founder
Nathan specializes in Lindy Hop, the high-energy swing dance from the 1930s and 40s, and has been teaching, performing and DJing since 2005. He started swing dancing in 1997 and lindy hopping in 2000. A regular dancer in San Francisco since 2001, Nathan enjoys the creativity and personal connection of social dancing as well as the challenge and satisfaction on working on and improving his dance.
He has taught at practically all of the local swing dance venues at one time or another, including the 9:20 Special, Lindy in the Park, Tuesday Night Jump, Rent Party and original Doghouse, and has been a featured instructor at regional workshops such as Swingin' at the Savoy, California Swingin', *Workshop (San Luis Obispo), Santa Swing (Santa Barbara), and Le Hot Sauce (SF).
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Series class sizes are limited and often sell out. A few extra spots are also made available to our staff volunteers.
(Can’t make Wednesdays? Check out Monday Classes in the Mission!)
Progressive vs. Drop-in Classes
All of the Lindy Hop classes are progressive, with each week’s material building on the previous week’s class. Lindy Hop drop-ins are allowed for $20 which also includes dance party and 9pm lesson admission. Please note that if you drop in to one of the classes, it may be in the middle of the class series, and you may fall behind. We recommend that you take the full series. We always offer a drop-in Beginning Swing class each Wednesday from 9:00-9:30pm.
Not sure which class is for you? Send us an email with any questions!
After the Classes
All class costs include admission to the Cat’s Corner Swing Dance Party. Stay to dance to live swing music starting at 9:30pm. The venue features cocktail bar, roomy dance floor, and great swinging ambiance. We often have surprises around 10:30pm – it could be a special performance, contest, or silly group activity — to add to the festivities.