Tag: Lindy Hop

Reno Swings! Format Changes

Posted by Clayton On January 3, 2018

We are kicking off the new year with a new format for our Wednesday night swing dance.

WHAT IS STAYING THE SAME?
We will still be offering our drop-in Jitterbug class at 7 PM, followed by social dancing afterwards (around 8 PM). This class will still be open to brand new dancers… no pre-requisites and no partner needed. Cost is $10 per class (includes social dancing) and $7 for students.

WHAT IS NEW?
We will be offering a progressive (month-long) Lindy Hop class ALSO AT 7 PM (we will be using both rooms). Lindy Hop is a bit more intricate than Jitterbug, so we are offering it as a 4-week series starting the first week of each month. Additionally, this class has a pre-requisite that you have taken 2 months (8 weeks) of Jitterbug classes… this will help the class move faster, as we will be building on the techniques that we teach in Jitterbug. This class costs $40 for the series (4 weeks), $25 for students. We allow drop ins the first week of the month ONLY with this class. Social dancing is also included.

What is Lindy Hop, you ask? Here is a short video explanation: What is Lindy Hop?

WHAT IS HAPPENING AT 6 PM?
We will be opening up the hall for a guided practice for experienced dancers between 6 and 7 PM. PREREQUISITE: this practice is designed for dancers who have taken at least 2 months of Lindy Hop classes – it will provide opportunities to fine tune and continue progressing beyond Lindy Hop basics. There is no charge for this practice session IF you are attending one of the 7 PM classes. As a stand alone, the cost is $5 per practice.

GENERAL INFO

Reno Swings! is held at the American Legion Hall at 877 Ralston St. in Reno. Map here

We accept cash, check or credit card at the door. We recommend wearing comfortable clothes and shoes, and we don’t recommend big heels.

If you have any questions about the new format, please feel free to call, text Clay at 707-843-0895 or email info@clayandcullen.com

We hope to see all of you every Wednesday – our night is growing, and you are a huge part of that! Please tell your friends, and take a moment to RSVP to and share our FACEBOOK event!

Cheers!

Observations Closed

November 2017 Reno Swing Dancing

Posted by Clayton On November 6, 2017

Come Dance With Us!

CONTENTS
1. COLLEGIATE SHAG on Wednesdays at 6 PM – POSTPONED
2. Blues News – 0-60 Blues Class at 8:30 PM, Int. Practice at 7:45 PM
3. Holiday Schedule – Thanksgiving
4. Live blues music for dancing Wednesdays
5. We’ve got T-Shirts!

1. Wednesday Night Swing – Come Shag With Us! (G-Rated – we promise!)   

UPDATE: We have postponed our shag class. We will instead be focusing on a different concept/technique each week (except the day before Thanksgiving). You are welcome to drop in to join us if you have basic Lindy Hop experience. Just $10 per night and $7 for students. Includes the jitterbug class and dancing.

Here is a little clip of us doing some shag:

Collegiate Shag Video

And, of course, we will have a Drop-In Jitterbug Lesson (40’s style street swing) each week at 7 PM, followed by social dancing starting around 8 PM. $10 for the Jitterbug and dancing ($7/students), Super fun and easy to pick up… no partner or experience necessary.

Reno Swings! Wednesday dance is held at the American Legion Hall at the corner of Ralston and 9th St. in Reno.

Please take a moment to RSVP on our Facebook event, and share it or tag anyone you think may be interested.

FACEBOOK EVENT

2. Thursday Blues Dancing at The American Legion Hall – 8:30 PM Lesson (with Intermediate warm up at 7:45 PM)

Join us for a killer night of dancing. No experience needed… dance the blues in socks or shoes.Location: American Legion Hall – Post 1 “The Darrell Dunkle:

Address: 877 Ralston St. Reno, NV (Corner of Ralston and 9th) MAP LINK

FORMAT:

7:45 PM – Intermediate Warm Up – If you are an experienced blues dancer, come a little early and use this semi-structured time to work on your dancing. We’ll have the hall open and will guide learning and practice, focusing on some more involved concepts (No additional cost for those who stay for the 0-60 class. Pre-req: at least 2 months of blues dancing experience).

8:30 PM – 0-60 Blues Basics Class – This fast-paced half hour class will give you a basic foundation in blues dancing and will get you up and running in no time! COST: $5 (includes social dancing) No pre-requisites.

9:00 PM Social Blues/Fusion Dancing – Practice the things you learned in class, or just come boogie with us! Social dancing/practica will run until 11 PM. COST: $5 (included if you take the class).

HELP US SPREAD THE WORD! Here is the event LINK – take a moment to SHARE it…

What else do you need to know? This new all-ages venue has a great wood dance floor which lends itself to dancing in shoes (we recommend flats or very small heels with some slip to the sole) or in socks… both are welcome. It has several swamp coolers to help keep it cool in the summer. We will be using our killer 2000W sound system so you can FEEL the music. We will have bottled water for sale for $1, but you are welcome to bring your own. There is plenty of street parking in the neighborhood. If you want to grab something to eat just before or after this event, the Pub N Sub is one block up Ralston St, and they are open until 11 PM.

3. Holiday Schedule – THANKSGIVING

As we approach the holiday season, we’ve made a couple of adjustments to our regularly scheduled dances:

Wednesday Night Reno Swings! – We WILL hold a dance the night before Thanksgiving, November 22nd. However, there will be NO series class at 6 PM. Since it’s a 5-week month, we will complete the 4-week series at 6 PM on the 29th.

Little City Blues – There will be NO Little City Blues dancing on Thanksgiving Day (November 23rd).

4. Live Blues Music for Dancing
After RenoSwings! on Wednesday nights (see item 1 above), some of us head over to The Saint (761 S Virginia in Reno).
There is a live blues jam that is pretty awesome that runs until 11 PM. No cover… just buy a beverage to support the venue. Big dance floor and good live blues music – hope to see you there. This is a 21+ venue.

NOTE: Going forward, we will be focusing our attendance one Wednesday per month. Keep an eye out for an announcement.

5. Northern Nevada Lindy Hop T-ShirtsA friend of ours has designed a T-Shirt for us. It is available in men’s, women’s and youth sizes in multiple colors. If you’d like to order one, they are available here:

LINDY HOP T-SHIRTS

If you’re on Facebook, don’t forget to “like” Northern Nevada Lindyhoppers to keep up to date on all the fun dancing going on in the area. There are other opportunities to dance in town, and we will be creating a calendar with all of them shortly.

Cheers,
Clay & Cullen

Observations Closed

October 2017 Swing And Blues Dancing Opportunities

Posted by Clayton On October 10, 2017

Come Dance With Us!

CONTENTS
1. RenoSwings! brings back PARTNER CHARLESTON on Wednesdays at 6 PM
2. Blues News – Check the New Spot and Format – 0-60 Blues Class at 8:30 PM
3. Live blues music for dancing Wednesdays
4. Blues Dance Lesson – Carson City Oct. 21st

1. Wednesday Night Swing – We’re bringing back PARTNER CHARLESTON!!   

October means the start of a new series class at 6 PM. In addition to our drop-in Jitterbug Class at 7 PM (no partner or experience necessary) and social dancing starting at 8 PM, we will be teaching a 4-week Partner Charleston class.

Progressive Class (6 PM) – PARTNER CHARLESTON
Charleston is pretty easy to pick up, and super fun. Done with a partner, it is a very efficient dance that is well adapted to medium and fast tempo swing music.

While no experience is required to take this class, we find that having some swing dance (ie. Jitterbug or similar) experience can help your Charleston.

$40 for the month, $25 for students. While basic swing dance knowledge is helpful, no experience or partner necessary.

And, of course, we will have a Drop-In Jitterbug Lesson (40’s style street swing) each week at 7 PM, followed by social dancing starting around 8 PM. $10 for the Jitterbug and dancing ($7/students), Super fun and easy to pick up… no partner or experience necessary.

Reno Swings! Wednesday dance is held at the American Legion Hall at the corner of Ralston and 9th St. in Reno.

Please take a moment to RSVP on our Facebook event, and share it or tag anyone you think may be interested.

FACEBOOK EVENT

2. Thursday Blues Dancing at The American Legion Hall – 8:30 Lesson (with Intermediate warm up prior)

Join us for a killer night of dancing. No experience needed… dance the blues in socks or shoes.Location: American Legion Hall – Post 1 “The Darrell Dunkle:

Address: 877 Ralston St. Reno, NV (Corner of Ralston and 9th) MAP LINK

FORMAT:

7:45 PM – Intermediate Warm Up – If you are an experienced blues dancer, come a little early and use this semi-structured time to work on your dancing. We’ll have the hall open and will guide learning and practice, focusing on some more involved concepts (No additional cost for those who stay for the 0-60 class. Pre-req: at least 2 months of blues dancing experience).

8:30 PM – 0-60 Blues Basics Class – This fast-paced half hour class will give you a basic foundation in blues dancing and will get you up and running in no time! COST: $5 (includes social dancing) No pre-requisites.

9:00 PM Social Blues/Fusion Dancing – Practice the things you learned in class, or just come boogie with us! Social dancing/practica will run until 11 PM. COST: $5 (included if you take the class).

HELP US SPREAD THE WORD! Here is the event LINK – take a moment to SHARE it…

What else do you need to know? This new all-ages venue has a great wood dance floor which lends itself to dancing in shoes (we recommend flats or very small heels with some slip to the sole) or in socks… both are welcome. It has several swamp coolers to help keep it cool in the summer. We will be using our killer 2000W sound system so you can FEEL the music. We will have bottled water for sale for $1, but you are welcome to bring your own. There is plenty of street parking in the neighborhood. If you want to grab something to eat just before or after this event, the Pub N Sub is one block up Ralston St, and they are open until 11 PM.

3. Live Blues Music for Dancing
After RenoSwings! on Wednesday nights (see item 1 above), some of us head over to The Saint (761 S Virginia in Reno).
There is a live blues jam that is pretty awesome that runs until 11 PM. No cover… just buy a beverage to support the venue. Big dance floor and good live blues music – hope to see you there. This is a 21+ venue.

NOTE: Going forward, we will be focusing our attendance one Wednesday per month. Keep an eye out for an announcement.

4. Blues Dance Lesson @ High Sierra Swing Dance Club
We are excited to announce that the High Sierra Swing Dance Club (West Coast Swing club) in Carson City has invited us to come teach a blues dancing lesson prior to their October dance.

The lesson will be held Oct. 21st at 6:30 PM, with the dance to follow at 7:30 PM. It will be held at the Brewery Arts Center in Carson City. Details are here:

EVENT LINK HERE

 

 

If you’re on Facebook, don’t forget to “like” Northern Nevada Lindyhoppers to keep up to date on all the fun dancing going on in the area. There are other opportunities to dance in town, and we will be creating a calendar with all of them shortly.

Cheers,
Clay & Cullen

Observations Closed

Lindy Hop Workshop – November 21st in Reno

Posted by Clayton On November 9, 2015

Lindy Hop Workshop coming up at UNR on November 21st.

Lindy Hop Workshop coming up at UNR on November 21st.

 

We are excited to present our first Lindy Hop workshop. Clay and Cullen will be teaching a 3-hour workshop on Saturday, November 21st at the University of Nevada Reno from 1-4 PM. This workshop will benefit UNR’s Wolf Pack Swing Dance Club, and will be followed by social dancing until 7 PM. The workshop will be held in the Rotunda at the Knowledge Center on campus.

The workshop is open to the general public in addition to students – reserve your spot and purchase your workshop pass HERE. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions at info@clayandcullen.com

 

Here is a short bio on the teachers, Clay and Cullen:

Products of the swing revival of the late 1990’s, Clay & Cullen Mitchell met (officially) on the dance floor in late 2000, and started teaching together shortly thereafter. They have traveled throughout North America, dancing socially and honing their skills. They have taught regular group classes, private lessons and workshops in Northern California. They moved to the Reno area almost 2 years ago, and are excited to share their passion for Lindy Hop, their favorite partner dance.

 

Lindy Hop is an energetic, engaging and most of all fun partner dance that was incubated in the ballrooms of Harlem to the sound of some of the premier swing bands of the early 1930’s. Lindy Hop underwent a revival in the early 1990’s when small, dedicated groups of Swedish and American dancers searched for, and found, some of the original professional swing dancers and convinced them to share the dance. Vintage swing dancing, and especially lindy hop, now exists in cities throughout the US and is also popular across Europe, Asia and the rest of the world.

This is a dance for everyone, there’s no need to have any previous dance experience and people of all ages, shapes and walks of life are part of the lindy hop community. The Wolf Pack Swing Dance Club and lindy hop scenes around the world focus on inclusivity, providing a fun, safe space for socializing and dancing, and on having fun while connecting with another dancer for about three to four minutes (the typical length of a swing tune)!

We hope to see you at the workshop – if you’re coming, wear comfy clothes, bring a water bottle and shoes that have some slip to them.

Observations Closed

Hello world!

Posted by Clayton On July 14, 2015

You have found a dedicated and growing group of swing dancers in the Reno/Tahoe/Carson City area.

We are bringing Vintage Swing Dancing (Lindy Hop, Jitterbug, Charleston, Shag, Balboa) to the Reno area. We are also a resource for information about West Coast Swing Dancing and Blues and Fusion Dancing.

 

We are just getting the website up and running, so bear with us.  We are active on our Facebook page, and are starting to flesh out our calendar of dancing opportunities.

Observations Closed
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