SDA Events

Masterclass Series 2024

Swing Dance Adelaide is proud to present the Masterclass Series. Join us over three weekends for workshops with wonderful interstate teachers, socials with live bands & DJs in magnificent venues, and much, much more. It’s everything you loved about the 2023 Melbourne Masterclass Series, but bigger!

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Introducing Shob & Andy

After bringing their Blues grooviness to us in 2023, we’re very excited to welcome back Shob Nambiar and Andy Fodor for the 2024 Masterclass series!
Both of them national and international award-winning dancers, Shob and Andy are the masterminds behind The Night Owls, a Blues school dedicated to bringing live blues music, classes and community to Melbourne. Since its creation 2 years ago, The Night Owls has been a huge success, seeing a renewed vibrance and passion in Melbourne’s Blues community. We’re so lucky to be able to learn Blues firsthand from teachers as experienced and passionate as Shob and Andy!
 

About the weekend

The weekend will contain a full day of Blues workshops with Shob and Andy, an evening social dance, followed by a Challenge Class (Solo Blues) and a chilled mid-afternoon social on the Sunday. These workshops are intended for people at a beginner-intermediate level. If you have any questions about your experience, please get in touch.

Venues

Saturday workshops:
Kensington Gardens RSL
Address: Kensington Gardens RSL, 339 The Parade, Kensington Park SA 5068.
There is free on-site car parking, and bus stops for busses H20, H21, H22, H24 and N22 across the road. There are some small cafes and takeaway spots within a 5-min walk from the venue, with more food options are a short drive (or slightly longer walk) down the Parade.

Saturday night social:
Torrens Rowing Club
Address: Victoria Drive, Adelaide
Please note there is a football game at Adelaide Oval at starting at 7pm, so please plan accordingly to ensure you aren’t stuck in footy traffic or finding a park. Parking is free on Victoria Dr/Kintore Ave in the night, but will be very limited due to the footy.

Sunday workshop:
Kensington Gardens RSL

Sunday afternoon social:
Ern Malley, 137 Magill Road, Stepney

Schedule

Note: all times are listed in Adelaide, ACST time.

Saturday

10:30 am  – 11:45 am: Workshop A
12:00pm  – 01:15 pm: Workshop B
2:30 pm – 3:45 pm: Workshop C
7:30 pm – 11:30 pm: Social dancing with some of Adelaide’s best Blues DJs

Sunday

11am – 12:30pm: Challenge Class – Solo Blues 
4pm – 7pm: Sunday Blues at Ern Malley

Workshops

Workshop A: “Fall in love with the blues”
Start the day exploring the key principles of body movement, rhythm and connection that make us love this dance so much!

Workshop B: “Blues is your story, make it a good one”
Blues music is full of emotion, tension and storytelling.  Learn to fill the space between your steps in order to really express the richness of the Blues

Workshop C: “Chicago triple”
This fantastic blues idiom is designed to be danced to Chicago blues music, usually mid to uptempo blues music with a driving “triple step” basic rhythm.  We love this style of blues and it is so helpful to know when going out to see live blues bands!

Challenge Class: Solo Blues
In this workshop we will explore as our foundation a number of classic solo blues vernacular moves.  However, solo blues dancing is so much more than just learning a list of moves. We want to explore the art of improvising blues, how to explore a concept deeply and really tell a story with our dancing; how to step into our courage, and fully express our own personality and spirit. And just as importantly, how to support and elevate our fellow dancers to do the same.

Code of Conduct

This event will adhere to the Swing Dance Adelaide Code of Conduct. You can read more about it here.

 
Photo credit: James Lee

Introducing John & Julia

We’re overjoyed to welcome back Balboa legends, John and Julia Wharington for the 2024 Masterclass series! John and Julia are passionate about Balboa, and they love sharing their love for the dance with dancers at any level. They’ve been teaching Balboa together since 2012, including local classes, troupes and workshops all around Australia, as well as in the US and Europe. Having won many Australian Balboa Championships, and winning or placing at various Balboa competitions in the US, they are experts in their field and bring an infectious enthusiasm to their classes while employing creative teaching techniques.
 

About the weekend

The weekend will contain a full day of Balboa workshops with John and Julia, an evening social dance, followed by an upper-interediate challenge class on Sunday, and wrapping the weekend up with a relaxed Sunday afternoon social at Ern Malley. These workshops are intended for dancers who are at an intermediate level (with the challenge class intended for upper-intermediate dancers). It is assumed you are familiar with: very basic balboa vocabulary; including basic rhythms (up & down hold), ad libs, lollies, out and ins, toss out etc. Check out this handy video demonstrating these for your reference (thanks to our friends from Corner Pocket Swing, Rob & Emma!). If you have any questions about your experience, please get in touch.

Venues

Saturday workshops:
Payenham RSL

Saturday night social:
Torrens Rowing Club
Address: Victoria Drive, Adelaide
Parking is free on Victoria Dr/Kintore Ave in the night, but may be limited depending on other events happening in the city.

Sunday workshops/private lessons:
Kensington Gardens RSL
Address: Kensington Gardens RSL, 339 The Parade, Kensington Park SA 5068.
There is free on-site car parking, and bus stops for busses H20, H21, H22, H24 and N22 across the road. There are some small cafes and takeaway spots within a 5-min walk from the venue, with more food options are a short drive (or slightly longer walk) down the Parade.

Sunday social:
Ern Malley, 137 Magill Rd, Stepney

Schedule

Note: all times are listed in Adelaide, ACST time.

Saturday

10:30 am  – 11:45 am: Workshop A
12:00pm  – 01:15 pm: Workshop B
2:30 pm – 3:45 pm: Workshop C
7:30 pm – 11:30 pm: Social dance w/ live jazz band

Sunday

11am – 12:30pm: Challenge Class – upper intermediate balboa
1pm – 3pm: Private lessons available with John & Julia 
4pm – 8pm: Sunday Swing at Ern Malley – social dance

Workshops

Workshop A: “Rhythm is a dancer”
Challenging assumptions and common patterns is a great way to extend your rhythmic repertoire. In this class we will be taking the simple notion of up-hold and down-hold basics for a big ride.

Workshop B: “Gettin’ jiggy with it”
Sometimes learning footwork has unexpected payoffs apart from the variation itself. We will explore how jig and dig steps can also lead to beautiful axis control which will benefit all of your pure Balboa and Bal-swing.

Workshop C: “A little less MORE conversation”
What makes a great dance is in the partnership, so how do we learn to listen and contribute while working within the conventional structure? We will explore opportunities to play in social dance, via leading and following channels.

Challenge Class: “My Way (the remix)” – upper intermediate balboa
What do YOU bring to the dance when you’re really trying and not just cruising along? If it’s executing the move/variation of the week, big secret, it’ll only get you so far. We’re peeling open the dance brain to see how advanced dancers build and maintain currency and shine.

Code of Conduct

This event will adhere to the Swing Dance Adelaide Code of Conduct. You can read more about it here.

Introducing Noni & Evan

If you joined the Melbourne Masterclass Series in 2023, you’ve already had the delight of learning Lindy Hop from the world-renowned Noni Healy! We’re thrilled to welcome the talented Evan Hughes to the 2024 Masterclass Series. Between them, Noni and Evan boast a whopping 7 wins of the Australian Hellzapoppin’ Prize! Both members of the Rhythm Revellers (along with Shob & Andy!), one of Melbourne’s premier swing dance troupes, and with over two decades (each!) of swing dance expertise to draw from, we’re so lucky to have Noni and Evan bringing their passion for Lindy Hop to us in October.
 

About the weekend

The weekend will contain a full day of workshops in Lindy Hop and an evening social dance with live music and DJs, followed by a surprise event/s on the Sunday (stay tuned!). These workshops are intended for dancers who are at an intermediate level and are able to do three swing outs in a row. If you have any questions about your experience, please get in touch.

Venues

Saturday workshops and evening social:
Unley Town Hall

Address: Unley Town Hall, Oxford Terrace, Unley SA 5061.

There is street parking on Oxford Terrace and car parking at the Unley Shopping Centre and Target across Unley Road. Busses 190, 194 & 196 stop on Unley road in front of the Town Hall. There is a shopping centre across Unley Road. There are also a number of food and beverage spots along Unley Road.

Schedule

Note: all times are listed in Adelaide, ACST time.

Saturday

10:30 am  – 11:45 am: Workshop #1
12:00pm  – 01:15 pm: Workshop #2
2:30 pm – 3:45 pm: Workshop #3
7:30 pm – 11:30 pm: Social dance to live music

Sunday

11am – 12:30 pm: Challenge Class – upper intermediate/advanced Lindy Hop
TBA: Sunday afternoon social

Code of Conduct

This event will adhere to the Swing Dance Adelaide Code of Conduct. You can read more about it here.