Vintage Swing Spokane
How to be a Good Student
FAQ: What you'd want to know to be successful. What you do before, during and after class.
01
WHAT DO I NEED FOR CLASS
1. Patience. This will only hurt for a little bit. And this is not something that will come easily to everyone. That's why you are coming to class, so we can learn together.
2. Comfy Clothes: jeans, sweats, or whatever happens to be on your body that is worthy of a public appearance. It is not necessary to have fancy, expensive shoes or clothes. Wait until you are totally addicted, then spend the money for fancy shoes and vintage clothes.
3. Something to help you remember: Bring a pen, notebook, maybe even a camera. If you ask, I am sure other students would not be opposed to holding your camera to record yourself or other students dancing through the material. Always ask permission to record a teacher.
02
WHAT ABOUT PRACTICE?
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1a. Yes. Do it. Dancing is a skill you should practice outside of class as much as you can. Practice anywhere that you have space. Practice everywhere!! The living room, the kitchen, the grocery store, airport baggage claim... If you are inspired, you should dance.
1b. Listen to Swing music!! Listen to lots of it. When you are listening, enjoy it first. Then notice the beat. Can you find the 1 in the music? Now this is the trickiest, can you hear the structure?
1c. Practicing individual moves repeatedly is great for muscle memory. As you practice one move linking to another, working up to a short sequence of moves. You can dance to music or not. For the sake of learning mechanics, music is not required. However, you should include practicing moves to music.
2. Get inspired with videos. Watch videos of social dancing, performances, old movies, etc. YouTube is a fantastic place to start. Be warned. YouTube can also be a giant black hole. Once you get sucked into the coolness that is there, you may never come out.
03
GET CONNECTED
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This is more important than you would first think!
1. Shake hands, exchange names. It is fun to make new friends.
2A. Most everything we do is posted on Facebook first. Join "Lindy Town, USA." That's where all the action is. It will lead you to many other dance groups, sites, events, etc.
2B. If you like email better, sign up for our mailing list.
Learn More
About VSS
About the Dances
Being a Student
About the Studio
Your Instructor
