Lindy Hopcats

Hey All! Dont forget to stop by our Nov. practices. Please note the time change--we will be moving Hopcats to 10am during Nov and Dec due to a scheduling conflict. But not to fear, you can resume sleeping in on Sunday for the new year 🎉

Reminder: deadline is this Friday!

Drosselmeyer Performance Sign up Form Lindy Hopcats has been asked to perform in Club Drosselmeyer this year! For more information on the event please see: https://www.clubdrosselmeyer.com/. This form, along with a video submission, will serve as a way to audition for a spot in the Hopcats performance group. Please see the requirements....

We would like to announce that Hopcats has been asked to perform at Club Drosselmeyer this year!

If you have an interest in performing, please fill out the attached form. This form will close on Oct 18!

Drosselmeyer Performance Sign up Form Lindy Hopcats has been asked to perform in Club Drosselmeyer this year! For more information on the event please see: https://www.clubdrosselmeyer.com/. This form, along with a video submission, will serve as a way to audition for a spot in the Hopcats performance group. Please see the requirements....

Don’t forget to drop by practice in Oct!

Hi All, remember that there is no hopcats today! See you next week!

We still need folks to sign up for a few more volunteer slots during our social dance this Sunday night— It's a great chance to meet people, as well as free entry to the dance!

⭐ Sign up link is in the bio ⭐

https://m.signupgenius.com/ #!/showSignUp/60B0F4BAAAA2FA7FA7-50149116-tyedric

We have a very special class this weekend— Crossing over, we have a community collaboration class with freestyler, Stackz! 🙌🏼

🔥 Tickets are in the bio!! 🔥

Stackz is regarded as one of Boston's most renowned veteran freestyle dance specialists, with many years of intensive training in many different street styles and classical dance forms including Krump, Popping, Locking, House, Hip Hop, Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Modern, Afro- Haitian, and beyond. He is a big deal y'all!

Just a reminder that tomorrow's practice (July 28th) is cancelled! See you at practice on Aug 4th!

Join us for a night of live music to wrap up our workshop weekend! ฅ⁠^⁠•⁠ﻌ⁠•⁠^⁠ฅ

💫 To grab your ticket, check our bio link labeled 'Tyedric Workshop!!' 💫

Get ready for some tunes that will want to make you swing your heart out, a dance performance that leaves you inspired, and some groovy DJ breaks to bring out the boogie even more. You don't want to miss this!

SCHEDULE

- All Levels Swing Dance Lesson w/ Julie Brown: 7-8PM
- Swing Dance Social: 8-11PM with live music feat. Justin Davis on vocals, as well as a special performance from Tyedric Hill!
- Short showcases from your fellow dance friends!

If you're interested in performing a short showcase, please fill out our performance form in the bio!

ABOUT THE BAND

Local guitarist and dancer Kevin Sihlanick is bringing you some of his favorite tunes from his new sing band. The group features John Lindsay on saxophone, Jameson Stewart on bass, Steve Tadeo on drums, Rich Greenblat on vibes, John Clark on clarinet, and Kevin Sihlanick on electric guitar. Also featuring special guest vocalist Justin D. Davis! Expect hot swing, cool ballads, and fun mid tempo dance favorites 🙌🏼

Our July 28th Hopcats practice has been cancelled. See you at the Tyedric workshop!

There’s no practice today, but drop by next week (7/21), when we are planning to start with a short exercise to help you collaboratively come up with ideas for solo jazz choreo or improv, led by the wonderful Raquel. As always, there will be free practice starting at 11:30 am.

Because of COVID exposures from Beantown, please abide by the following policies for our July 7th practice:

1. If you're sick, stay home
2. If you have a suspected exposure, please test to make sure you're negative. If you have a confirmed exposure, please additionally take into account the intensity of exposure and use your best judgement to make a decision about attendence
3. Everyone will be required to wear a mask

Instead of normal practice this Sunday, Jamica Zion will be joining us for a very special Q&A practice! Bring your dance questions, and Jamica will teach a mini dance lesson for each question. Jamica is an expert in slow Lindy, follow voice, performance, and much more. You can let us know your questions before the practice (through email, Messenger, or Discord) or ask questions in real time. Be aware that we will prioritize questions that come in to us prior to practice. After the Q&A, people will have 30 minutes to freely practice the content of the Q&A session, and Jamica will be available to provide individual feedback.

Remember folks, we dont have practice on June 9! See you on June 16 for a very special practice! Details coming soooon

Remember we don't have practice tomorrow. See you on June 2nd!

Hey all! ⭐

We have a very special workshop coming your way the weekend of Aug 9-11— will be coming to Boston!! Get ready for an unforgettable time that will celebrate the continuum of jazz dancing and provide education about cultural values and history. See you there!!

Graphics done by: .shamu

For those of you going to the workshop today, I'm so sorry for this! We have a mistake in the Saturday schedule on the CCCA website where you bought tickets. The classes actually start 30 minutes earlier, so the first class starts at 1pm, not 1:30pm.The schedule on our Facebook event and on the Hopcats website is correct. I've pasted the correct schedule below. So sorry for the confusion!

1-2:30pm CHOICES
TEACHERS: Katie and Jason
LEVEL: Open
It is so easy to fall back on defaults. To go into following patterns. To dance the same dance over and over. We want to help you make choices in your dancing and take it from off the rack to custom couture!

2:45-4:15pm CO-CREATING COOL STUFF
TEACHERS: Katie and Mike
LEVEL: Intermediate/Advanced
This is how we make magical improvisation moments happen. When you’re dancing you gotta connect with yourself, the music and your partner. Let’s work on those connections and use them to create some cool s**t.

4:30-6:00pm DANCE LIKE YOURSELF
TEACHER: Jason
LEVEL: Open
From me to us; from solo to community. In this class, we will explore how dance shapes our identity and learn how to get comfortable with your own body and dancing with it.

What better way to close this spectacular workshop than some social dancing, live music, and... a contest?? 🌟👀

Get your ticket here!:
https://rb.gy/lvrybb

For this very special event we want to celebrate our community and the uniqueness that each person brings to the dance floor. Hope to see you on the dancefloor! 🎶

The live music for this event will be the debut of K.S. Quintet! This group is a compilation of notable swing musicians from around the Boston area and will bring all of the community vibes! We will also be providing a free beginner lesson prior to the social dance to help you unlock your inner QUEEN 👑

✨ MOCK STRICTLY CONTEST ✨

During the dance, we will hold a mock contest where contestants will leave with individual feedback from our special guest judges: Mike Sonder, Katie Cobalt, and Jason Hsu. This is a strictly contest, meaning you will need to sign up with a partner. It is up to you and your partner on what you want to showcase on the dancefloor. You can improvise, do a choreography, or switch dance— The floor is yours! Our judges will provide feedback based on your goals.

CONTEST FORMAT:

1. Short, private discussion with judges about your goals
2. Warmup
3. Spotlights - medium tempo (12x8), faster tempo (12x8)
4. All-skate at the end
5. Private, verbal feedback from judges

LOCATION: Multicultural Arts Center, 41 Second St, Cambridge, MA 02141

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TICKETING INFORMATION

Social Dance Ticket (Includes Lesson): $25/Person (100-Person Cap)

Mock Strictly Contest Ticket: $10/Person (Requires also Social Dance Ticket purchase)

✨ Instructor Spotlight ✨— Mike Sonder 🙌🏼

Only a week away till this incredible workshop!! There's still a few spots open so make sure to join us May 18th–19th!!

Here's a message from Mike:

“Hello Bostonians! It's lovely to be back in town after moving away a year ago- looking forward to seeing you all on the floor. 😁

Having a partner connection that feels amazing and allows for two-way communication is one of those things that once you feel it, you never want to dance without it again. Building on that connection to create magical improvised moments with a partner is one of my absolute favorite things about Lindy Hop. I'm looking forward to sharing this and more in the That's Communication workshop. Hope to see you there. 🙂✌️”

✨ Instructor Spotlight ✨— Jason Hsu!
📸: Rick Hsu

"Be sassy and be jazzy!" 🌟

Freedom of expression characterises Jason's teaching and dancing! Jason will show you not only the ways you can connect to the music and express yourself through improvisation but also how to feel free to do it. That's the main value you will get from Jason! With a background in second-language and cross-cultural pedagogy and theatre training, you will be immersed into an inclusive, safe, and playful journey into learning, not from, but along with him!

Apart from dancing around the world, Jason is bridging the dance experience to the academic field, too. With his current pursuit in a Master's program in Anthropology of Dance, Jason is working on re-learning Lindy Hop through the lens of q***r study and bringing q***r perspectives to your class! 🎶

Here's a message from Jason:

“Ready to WERK again, Boston people? I am so excited to be back again since last summer and share more SAS and FAB, alongside Katie and Mike!!

This time we are bringing you the secrets to creating mutual communication for both roles in the dance, through the magic of switch dancing, improvisation, connections, and most important of all - self-expression. Hop on to this journey of exploring and learning on the weekend workshop 'That's Communication!'

✨ Instructor Spotlight ✨— Katie Cobalt!
📸: Sunsun Leung

To give you a sneak peek into our workshop next weekend, we're giving you some insight with each guest instructor, along with their approach to dancing!

Here's a message from Katie:

“Hey Boston!

This is my second time visiting and I'm so looking forward to seeing some familiar faces. 💙💙💙

Right now as a follower I'm all about trying to take bigger risks and seeing what happens, it's very much a f**k around and find out methodology. I want to try new things but make sure I'm communicating all of this to my leaders as not to freak them out...too much. I'm also at a point where I ADORE my swivels at fast tempos, this is a new development and I'm happy to share my learnings.

As a leader I'm excited to focus less on cool new moves and more on grooves and following my partner's lead. Making sure I'm not just leading but I'm also dancing!

In solo I am working on being more myself, more present. I want to be able to not let adrenaline or old habits take over and still be able to put cool stuff out there. I know I have more interesting shapes than my old favourites and I'm working on not falling back on defaults.

If any of this sounds like stuff you also wanna work on COME AND PLAY! I'm in town until the 20th and me, Mike and Jason are doing a workshop together on the 18/19!”

kthanxbai
Katie Cobalt