Mad About Swing

Morning everyone, Okay... the tide has turned and sadly we won’t be holding the final get-together tonight after all. Due to the latest government release, it just isn’t wise. Hopefully, it’ll be business as usual in the not-too-distant future. Until then, stay safe. Our Lindy Love, D&L xx

Hi All, We hope you’re all well and making the best of these difficult times. Inevitably, Mad About Swing will close at some point but, whilst we’re still at work and the children are still at school, it seems ludicrous to shut down prematurely. However, we do need to be sensible. We’re going to take this week by week but anticipate that this Tuesday might be our last for a while. To reduce the risk of contamination, we’re replacing the usual format with a single Shim Sham cl...ass (It’s a fun solo class so there’ll be no need to touch one another). Following on from the class, there’ll be the option of extending the evening with a drink nearby (perhaps the Treasury as it’s right next door!) Doors open at the usual time. We’ll allow an hour for the class but there’ll be some flexibility. It’ll be great to see everyone for a get-together and farewell before isolation ensues. If you’re unwell, please do the sensible thing and stay at home. Similarly, if you’re part of the vulnerable group, please keep safe and don’t take any unnecessary risk. If you have any questions, please do get in touch. Our Lindy Love, Duncan and Louise
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March is here! This means the start of some exciting new blocks… hurrah!
The Fundamentals Class 7.30pm Here we return to Groove footwork which is great for cruising along to speedier tempos. We consider this our easiest footwork pattern and, being the first Tuesday of the month, this week is an ideal time for absolute beginners to start.
... The Second Class 8.40pm This month’s theme is “Developing The Swingout Arsenal”… if you’ve never ventured to our higher-level classes and think you might be ready, this is the perfect time to ascend as this set of classes follow on directly from the previous Core Triples block. You need to be reasonably comfortable with the three core triple step moves (the basic, the swingout and circle). As a leader, you’ll learn key variations to deliver the swingout in a variety of different ways. By adding turns, breaks and texture, you’ll have a wealth of new material. As a follower, you’ll discover how to follow these variations effectively and confidently.
We look forward to seeing you on the dance floor. Our Lindy Love, Duncan and Louise
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Hi Folks, Just wanted to make you aware that we have updated the class schedule for the next few months. The main changes are as follows: 1. We’re now only taking one week off at Easter (7th April). 2. We’ve changed March’s 2nd class theme to “Developing the Swingout Arsenal”. Attendees of the current 7.30pm Fundamentals classes are doing an awesome job and we want to provide a set of classes that follow on from the content that they’re currently learning. This new block has ...been designed to do exactly that.
It’s all outlined on our website here: www.madaboutswing.co.uk/classes/schedule. pdf Great work everybody; we’ll see you on the dance floor soon. Our Lindy Love, Duncan and Louise
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February’s Fundamentals classes will focus on triple steps...
Triple steps are the cornerstone of Lindy Hop because they comprise the syncopated rhythms that are found in the swing music that we dance to. With our new format, this month’s fundamentals classes will introduce simple triple step footwork during the first two Tuesdays (suitable for complete beginners who have never danced before).
In weeks 3 and 4, we transition to the core triple-step figures such as The Swingo...ut, Basic (sometimes called the Lindy Turn) and Circle. For the best learning experience, attendees to these latter weeks should have already experienced some of the simpler material from weeks 1 and 2.
Because of the opportunity to work on and hone the core basics regularly during these latter weeks every other month, our new format is designed to benefit our more experienced dancers too. Please ask if you have any questions. We look forward to seeing you on Tuesday!
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This looks good...

Hi Folks, This week, we reach wk 3 of our new format. The Fundamentals class progresses from Groove to Lindy Charleston and the second class continues with the month’s theme of “Getting back into the swing of things”, this week incorporating a medley of sweet triple step figures.
The new format advises absolute beginners to begin their Lindy journey on the first or second Tuesday of the month (Groove is the easiest footwork we deliver). The subsequent two weeks’ Lindy Char...leston classes are accessible to complete beginners; the footwork is just a little more intricate. They will be no more challenging than the beginner-level Lindy Charleston classes that we’ve taught for years (we’re simply giving new dancers a cleaner and more structured journey). If you have any questions, please ask.
Our Lindy Love, Duncan and Louise www.madaboutswing.co.uk/classes/schedule. pdf
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The Tuesday night swinging antics continue this week! Abbey Hall from 7.15pm Newbies welcome. See you there!The Tuesday night swinging antics continue this week! Abbey Hall from 7.15pm Newbies welcome. See you there!

Hi Folks! Mad About Swing's classes return on Tuesday 7th January at Abbey Hall in the centre of town. Doors will open at 7.15pm with our Fundamentals class beginning at 7.30pm and a second class at 8.40pm. Other than the venue and timings, the main differences will be:
1. Newcomers should strive to begin on the first Tuesday of any month (the schedule outlines our class structure and some Fundamentals classes are not suitable for absolute beginners.)
... 2. The Second Class at 8.40pm will comprise a variety of content with each month offering its own theme. Prerequisites may apply, so check the schedule before attending.
3. There'll no longer be drinks for sale. Jugs of water will be available; please remember your drinks bottle!
For those of you with membership, we froze your remaining subscription in July. Remaining months will simply rollover to the new format.
For full details, please check the website www.madaboutswing.com If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. We're excited about the relaunch and look forward to seeing you all in 2020.
Our Lindy Love, Duncan, Louise and the Mad About Swing Crew
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It's all happening this Saturday!

IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Hi folks, As some of you already know, we’ve decided to take a break. Our current plan is to put Mad About Swing on hold until January 2020. The reasons for this are numerous and complicated but we’ve reached the point where, with two gorgeous little boys, the enormity of running our classes and events has become too much and we simply haven’t got the time that we used to inject into our dance scene. This has been exacerbated by issues with venues and cl...ass structure which we need to address and these things are not an easy fix. We’ve been running Mad About Swing for 12 years now and are very proud of what we have achieved and also very grateful to everyone who has been a part of what has been a very exciting and rewarding journey. In particular, we’d like to thank Ollie, Marianne, Brian, Di, Teri and Matt for all they have done for our scene, especially since we became parents. Without them, the last 6 years would not have been possible.
So, we’re taking a few months off to evaluate what we want Mad About Swing to be within the parameters of what is feasible on top of the necessity of high-quality family life and demanding day jobs. We’ve come to realise that it’s not possible to do it all so our current thinking is that we will return with a stripped down format consisting of weekly classes but the absence of any regular socials. There will be local dancing opportunities which we will hasten to promote and our neighbouring swing scenes in Exeter and Falmouth really aren’t that far away and are worth the commute!
Looking ahead, we have the Lindy Honk event on 24th July and the Outdoor Cinema party of 7th September. We’re cancelling all other classes, socials, workshops and events that have been advertised thereafter. We are truly sorry for any inconvenience this may cause but we really need to do what’s right for our family. As our swing family, we hold you in very high regard and feel enormously blessed to have such an incredibly kind, fun-loving and inspirational group of dance friends.
We hope to see you soon, Our continuing Lindy Love, Duncan and Louise
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Yee-Haw! What a fantastic evening. Thanks to everyone who came and joined in with the wild-west swinging antics! Special thanks to Angela and Andrew for not only lending us their lovely barn but also for cleaning it out and looking after us all. Further thanks to Amanda, John and Lactic Galactic for prepping the barn, organising the loos and the lighting. Thanks to Myles and the guys and girls from Skedaddle for two awesome sets and to everyone else who helped make it happen. We were really pleased with the turnout and delighted that our somewhat crazy plan not only reached fruition but turned out to be such a success. Next on our social calendar is the Lindy Honk evening at The Honky Tonk Wine Library on Wednesday 24th July. We'll see you then!

Hi Folks, tomorrow is the last class before the break. As well as the last opportunity for advanced rate tickets for our Summer Party, we have some fab classes in store: the final chapter in our Balboa series, some laid-back Groove and some cool triple step moves to conclude with in the Amber slot. Hopefully, we’ll see you there! x

Our Summer Party is just around the corner! Saturday 13th July Live Music from Skeddaddle Wild-West themed shindig in an actual barn! BYO Drinks... Fun Wild-West Lindy Fusion Class Late-night shenanigans Camping option Yee-Haw!
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