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!
Other Month’s Classes: September 2019
| Main Floor | Side Room | |
| 4-week Series on October 2, 9, 16 and 23 | ||
| 7-8 PM | Intermediate Lindy Hop with Nathan and Karen |
Solo Jazz: the Big Apple Routine with Jess Centorbi |
| 8-9 PM | Beginning Lindy Hop with Nathan and Karen |
Intermediate Advanced Lindy Hop with Sam Nguyen and Calvin Lu |
| One Week Only on October 30th | ||
| 7-9 PM | Lindy Hop Boot Camp (Beginners through All Levels) with Chad Kubo and Michelle Richter |
Cabaret Mini-Performance Class (Int/Adv) with Benji Ng and Julia Gladysh |
| Every Wednesday in October | ||
| 9-9:30 PM | Beginning East Coast Swing Weekly Drop-in Crash Course with Nathan, Karen & Guest Teachers |
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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 Nathan Dias and Karen Huddleston
Class time: 8-9 PM on October 2, 9, 16 and 23
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
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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[wptab name=’Intermediate Lindy Hop’]
Intermediate Lindy Hop
with Nathan Dias and Karen Huddleston
Class time: 7-8 PM on October 2, 9, 16 and 23
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
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).
[/wptab]
[wptab name=”Intermediate Advanced Lindy Hop”]
Intermediate Advanced Lindy Hop
with Samantha Nguyen and Calvin Lu
Class time: 8-9 PM on October 2, 9, 16 and 23
Stretch and grow as a Lindy Hopper by focusing on important fundamentals: connection, musicality and momentum while learning and dancing more complex patterns, challenging lead and follow techniques, and impressive styling.
October Focus: Sam and Calvin will be teaching a class on reacting to your partner! Learn some cool new moves and how leaders and followers can add variations to those moves, and then how we can react and respond to those variations!
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.
Sam Nguyen
Sam Nguyen fell in love with swing dancing at UC Berkeley, where she quickly became engrossed in teaching, choreographing, and DJing. Since then, she has helped organize many events across the Bay Area and can be found both leading and following on the social dance floor.
[/wptab]
[wptab name=”Solo Jazz: Big Apple Routine”]
Solo Jazz: the Big Apple Routine
with Jess Centorbi
Class time: 7-8 PM on October 2, 9, 16 and 23
Learn, practice and perfect the fun, high-energy 1930s jazz dance routine by dance legend Frankie Manning that is popular among Lindy Hoppers around the globe!
The Big Apple was a 1930’s dance craze that started in South Carolina and caused a frenzy when it hit Harlem’s Savoy Ballroom. The Big Apple is danced in a circle, and is loaded with high-energy jazz steps and fun footwork. The Big Apple is a super addition to any swing dancer’s repertoire, and learning it is a great way to pick up the styling of some of the original Lindy Hoppers. In the last few years, the Big Apple has enjoyed a revival in popularity among dancers worldwide.
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.
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.
Save your spot in class!
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[wptab name=”October 30 Boot Camp”]
October 30th: One-Night Special Schedule
Class time: 7-9 PM on October 30, 2019
Main Room
HallowSwing Monster Mashup
Lindy Hop Boot (Hill) Camp, All Levels
with “Hanging” Chad Kubo and Michelle “Wicker Woman” Richter
Whip your Lindy Hop into shape in this ultra-fun, long-format class that welcomes absolute beginners and experienced dancers alike. Develop your leading and following skills and partner connection while getting a taste for the unique flavor and style of Lindy Hop!
Benefit from Chad and Michelle’s unique perspective on movement fundamentals that combines their individual expertise in Martial Arts (Chad) and Blues Dance (Michelle) with their many years of Lindy Hop expertise.
From Chad and Michelle:
In our Boot (Hill) Camp,
Our ghoul is to raise your dance level from the dead so it can live again. In this Monster Mash-up we will cement your foundational boots to improve your ghastly habits. Our magical martial arts Zen and Blues principles will make your dancing Bootiful! and supernatural on the dance floor.
It will be the Cat tonic for what ails your dancing.
Stop in for a spell, don’t be a scaredy cat. If you are a beginner you will “Nevermore!” fear the stigmata of dancing with a ghoul or boil. (Because it sucks if you can’t dance, it’s such a Drag-ula). You will be possessed with the new found spirit of dance!
From Blues to Hallowswing you will have a fangtastic, fun and spooktacular night!!
But, we might work you to death!!!!! Ah Hahahaha!!
Copyright Chad Kubo 2019
Michelle Richter
Michelle Richter has been dancing and studying dance as a discipline for over 20 years. Her background in ballet and modern dance has inspired her to focus on technique combined with creative movement in her teaching style. She has studied the movement of the human body in many forms of dance, including African-Caribbean, Jazz, Contact Improvisation, Salsa, Belly Dance, Hip Hop, Tango, and various Ballroom styles. Michelle also enjoys performing and creating choreography. For the last 16 years, her main focus has been Lindy Hop and Blues dancing. Her teaching focuses on connection, attitude and self-expression, proper body mechanics, and one-on-one attention. As a Nationally Certified Massage Therapist, Michelle’s extensive knowledge of anatomy/physiology compliments her dance instruction in a unique way.
Chad Kubo
Chad Kubo is the original Ambassador of Swing in San Francisco. He has been dancing lindy hop since 1994, and has performed and taught workshops in the United States and abroad, including SF Frankie Manning Workshops, and at events featuring jazz legends Lionel Hampton and Wynton Marsalis. He is the co-founder of San Francisco’s Lindy in the Park, and for many years taught at and ran The Doghouse, SF’s premier Saturday dance party. Drawing on his 30+ years of martial arts experience (black belts in aikido, judo, and karate), as well as a background in gymnastics, Chad emphasizes movement and body dynamics in his lindy classes, such as Zen and the Art of Lindy Hop, Creativity and Musicality, Aerials, Stealing and Switching Partners, Jazz Movement, and Floor Craft.
Side Room
Mini-Cabaret Routine (Intermediate-Advanced)
with Benji Ng and Julia Gladysh
Your challenge, should you choose to accept: learn a fun, simple choreography in 2 hours flat, shape it into a full-fledged showcase routine, and perform it that very evening as part of the Cat’s Corner pre-Halloween half-time show! This class will help you overcome your performance anxiety, evolve past your perfectionist tendencies, and develop your inner showperson! Benji and Julia will share the framework choreography, and students, working in pairs and groups, will help fill in the blanks with their own creativity and ideas.
3+ months Intermediate/Advanced Lindy Hop experience and/or good sense of humor required.
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.
Save your spot in class!
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[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.