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:

    • hip, expert & friendly dance instruction with Nathan, Chiara and monthly guest teachers
    • progressive format classes so you can get better each week
    • convenient and secure online class registration
    • Live Music Dance Party & Cocktails after class!

Register for classes

Please note: Cat’s Corner has a special schedule of classes and parties this June due to private events at Swedish American Hall on June 13 & 27.

Date Venue Classes & Party
June 6 Swedish American Hall
2174 Market Street, SF
  • 7-9pm Beginning Lindy Boot Camp (main floor)
  • 7-9pm Intermediate Lindy Boot Camp (side room)
  • 9-9:30pm Beginning Swing Crash Course (main floor)
June 13 Ukrainian Hall
345 7th Street, SF
  • 7:30-9pm Swing Rueda Workshop (Intermediate+)
  • 9-9:30pm Beginning Swing Drop-in
June 20 Swedish American Hall
2174 Market Street, SF
  • 7-9pm Beginning Lindy Boot Camp (main floor)
  • 7-9pm Intermediate Lindy Boot Camp (side room)
  • 9-9:30pm Beginning Swing Crash Course (main floor)
June 27 Local Edition
691 Market Street, SF
  • No classes
  • Live Music with Steve Lucky & the Rhumba Bums
  • FREE Admission
July 4, 11, 18 & 25 Swedish American Hall Back to Normal Class & Party Schedule
Other months’ classes: May 2018

June 6th & 20th:

Lindy Boot Camp Classes at Swedish American Hall

Get a double dose of Lindy Hop instruction in two ultra-fun 2 hour sessions on June 6th & June 20th. Nathan, Chiara, Kristin & special June guest teachers Sean and Hannah will cover all the same material from our usual 4-week class program in a 2 evening format.
  • 7-9pm Main Floor – Beginning Lindy Hop
    with Nathan, Chiara & Kristin – 50 spots available
  • 7-9pm Side Room – Intermediate Lindy Hop
    with Sean Krazit & Hannah MacKenzie-Margulies – 24 spots available
  • 9-9:30pm Main Floor – Beginning East Coast Swing Crash Course
    unlimited spots

Cost:
Single Bootcamp Night (June 6 -OR- 20): $30 early registration online / $35 door
Both Bootcamp Nights (June 6 -AND- June 20): $50 online / $70 door.
9pm Beginning East Coast Swing Crash Course: $10/week, drop-in only

All class costs include dance party admission.

Sign up for classes now!

June 13th:

Swing Rueda Night at Ukrainian American Hall

Music by the SF Medicine Ball Band!

Learn Swing Rueda – the group dance that uses familiar Lindy Hop moves to switch partners around a circle in response to a caller. It’s swing dance meets up with Simon Says mashed up with Ring-around-the-Rosie…and it’s super fun!

Address: 345 7th Street, SF

More details…

June 27th:

Cat’s Corner Field Trip to Local Edition

with Steve Lucky & the Rhumba Bums

We’re taking a night off classes, and skipping straight to the party! Join us for high-energy Swing, Jump Blues & Rockin’ R&B with one of San Francisco’s sensational musical acts! Sip on classic cocktails between dances. FREE. 21+.

Address: 691 Market Street, SF

[wptab name=’For Beginners’]

Beginning East Coast Swing Drop-in Class

with Nathan, Chiara & guest teachers

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

with Nathan, Chiara & Kristin

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.

Sign up for classes now

Save your spot in class!

Four Month Class Cycle (okay to start any month!)

Jan/May/Sep (A)
  • Swing out from open
  • Swing out from closed
  • 6-count tuck turn from closed
  • 8-count tuck turn from closed
  • Reverse Jerk
  • Promenade with Pecking
Feb/Jun/Oct (B)
  • Side-by-side Charleston
  • Toss Across & Yo-Yo Charleston
  • Toss Across & Yo-Yo Lindy
  • Swing out from closed
  • Swing out from open
  • Lindy Circle
  • Shimmy
Mar/Jul/Nov (C)
  • Simplified Swingouts (no triple steps)
  • Swing out from closed
  • Swing out from open
  • 8-count Inside Turn
  • 8-count Outside Turn
  • 8-count Texas Tommy
  • Lindy Circle
Apr/Aug/Dec (D)
  • 6-count turns
  • triple steps vs. jig walks
  • closed vs. open position
  • Behind-the-back Charleston
  • Side-by-side Charleston
  • Kick-through Charleston

About the Teachers

Karen Huddleston :

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 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).

nathan@catscornersf.com

[/wptab]

[wptab name=’Intermediate Lindy Hop’]

Intermediate Lindy Hop

with Sean Krazit & Hannah MacKenzie-Margulies

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)
  • Swingout Like Things: Reverse Jerk, Reverse Swingout, Half-Swingout, Slip-out, Travel Swingout
  • Charleston: Airplane, Cross-plane & Shadow
  • Footwork, Rhythm & Style I
Feb/Aug (B)
  • Mixing 6-count, 8-count Turns and Tuck Turns
  • Classic Sequences: Pecking Promenade, Curl & Points, Quick-Stop, Jump Turn, Tango, Drags
  • Spins & Turns
Mar/Sep (C)
  • Dancing Fast: Jig Walks, Charleston Swingouts & Fast Lindy
  • Charleston: Kick-Through & Hand-to-Hand
  • Footwork, Rhythm & Style II
Apr/Oct (D)
  • Swingouts, Circles & 6-counts: mixing 6- vs. 8-counts, Forward & Backward swingout technique, rotational swingouts
  • Charleston: Side-by-side, Yo-Yo, Face-to-Face and Hacksaws
  • Moving Like a Dancer
  • Musicality
May/Nov (E)
  • 8-count Turns: Inside, Outside, Finger-roll & Texas Tommy from an 8-count swingout
  • Charleston:  Tandem & Hand-to-Hand
  • Footwork, Rhythm & Style
Jun/Dec (F)
  • Tuck Turns
  • Classic Sequences: Mini-Dip, Behind-the-Back Promenade, Sailor Kicks, the Chase
  • More Spins & Turns

[/wptab]

[/end_wptabset]

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.