FAQ
I'm new to this- where do I start? First off, welcome! The best thing to do is to pick either a series with 'Novice' in the title, or a crash course- or both, of course! The crash courses and series will cover complimentary sets of information, but both are appropriate for someone who has never danced before. If you're ready to get started, check out our Classes Page!
Do I need to have a partner? Nope! We promote social dancing, so we like everyone to dance with everyone! Feel free to bring all your friends, but you certainly don't need a dedicated dance partner.
What kinds of dance do you offer? At their core, all our dances are street dances from the 20th century, that still have communities dancing them today. Our current repertoire includes Lindy Hop, Blues, Charleston, and Balboa- but we may add more, as our team of teachers expands. To learn more about each dance, check out its page, under The Dances.
What age group typically takes the classes? While most of our students are college students or young professionals, we've had students ranging from high-schoolers to retirees.
What should I wear/bring? We wear comfortable, casual clothes to classes, and might look a little nicer to go to a dance. If you'll be dancing for multiple hours, you might want to bring a bottle of water, and perhaps an extra shirt.
What about shoes? For footwear, something with lower traction will take some of the strain off of your knees. I wear Aris Allen dance shoes, since they have suede or leather on them- they've offered to give our students a discount of $5 off any order of $50 or more, if you enter the code FFGrlMke (not case sensitive). The most important thing is just that it's comfortable- heels or flats are equally appropriate for most of our dances.
How physically demanding is this sort of dance? For novice blues or balboa dancers, the activity level is similar to a brisk walk. For novice lindy or charleston dancers, the activity level is similar to a light jog.
When I see videos of these dances, there are all sorts of dips, tricks, and flips- will we be doing those? In choreography and competitions, advanced or professional dancers will often do complicated air-steps, or intricate dips. They've practiced for a long time, with proper safety technique. We think that's the proper time to learn air-steps, so never fear- your feet can stay safely on land!
My partner and I want to work together- do we have to rotate partners? While we don't require you to rotate, we think that you'll get the most out of the class by dancing with as many people as possible. It helps you learn the dance faster, and helps you meet the other people in the class. We suggest that you try one lesson rotating with other partners, and if you still want to work with only your partner, be our guest!
How long does it take to get good at these dances? That depends entirely on you! There are a lot of goals in dancing, and you may find that your goals increase over time. You can enjoy a night of social dancing after your first novice lesson- and you may also pursue mastery over the dances for your entire life. Time and effort put in, natural talent, and the quality of instruction all affect your rate of progress- but we feel sure that you can be having a good time in no time!
I don't want to pay online. Can I still pre-register? Yes, you can! However, due to limited space we can't guarantee your spot until we receive payment. Send an e-mail to info@livinghistorydance.com with your name, phone number, and if you are a "lead" or a "follow". Please bring your payment at the start of the crash course, or class series. Checks should be made out to "Daniel Rosenthal".
Not sure if you're a "lead" or a "follow"? Historically men would "lead" and women would "follow", though we encourage everyone to do both!
What's your refund policy? If you notify us more than 48hrs ahead of time, we're happy to give you a full refund (minus any processing charges that we've incurred), or you can use your payment as store credit towards future purchases. Cancellations less than 48 hours before the start of the event are subject to a 25% cancellation fee, barring extenuating circumstances (at our discretion). Cancellations without notice are not eligable for refunds. The reason for this is that we make booking decisions that affect our cost, based on attendance.
Whatever the case may be, e-mail us at info@livinghistorydance.com.
Do I need to have a partner? Nope! We promote social dancing, so we like everyone to dance with everyone! Feel free to bring all your friends, but you certainly don't need a dedicated dance partner.
What kinds of dance do you offer? At their core, all our dances are street dances from the 20th century, that still have communities dancing them today. Our current repertoire includes Lindy Hop, Blues, Charleston, and Balboa- but we may add more, as our team of teachers expands. To learn more about each dance, check out its page, under The Dances.
What age group typically takes the classes? While most of our students are college students or young professionals, we've had students ranging from high-schoolers to retirees.
What should I wear/bring? We wear comfortable, casual clothes to classes, and might look a little nicer to go to a dance. If you'll be dancing for multiple hours, you might want to bring a bottle of water, and perhaps an extra shirt.
What about shoes? For footwear, something with lower traction will take some of the strain off of your knees. I wear Aris Allen dance shoes, since they have suede or leather on them- they've offered to give our students a discount of $5 off any order of $50 or more, if you enter the code FFGrlMke (not case sensitive). The most important thing is just that it's comfortable- heels or flats are equally appropriate for most of our dances.
How physically demanding is this sort of dance? For novice blues or balboa dancers, the activity level is similar to a brisk walk. For novice lindy or charleston dancers, the activity level is similar to a light jog.
When I see videos of these dances, there are all sorts of dips, tricks, and flips- will we be doing those? In choreography and competitions, advanced or professional dancers will often do complicated air-steps, or intricate dips. They've practiced for a long time, with proper safety technique. We think that's the proper time to learn air-steps, so never fear- your feet can stay safely on land!
My partner and I want to work together- do we have to rotate partners? While we don't require you to rotate, we think that you'll get the most out of the class by dancing with as many people as possible. It helps you learn the dance faster, and helps you meet the other people in the class. We suggest that you try one lesson rotating with other partners, and if you still want to work with only your partner, be our guest!
How long does it take to get good at these dances? That depends entirely on you! There are a lot of goals in dancing, and you may find that your goals increase over time. You can enjoy a night of social dancing after your first novice lesson- and you may also pursue mastery over the dances for your entire life. Time and effort put in, natural talent, and the quality of instruction all affect your rate of progress- but we feel sure that you can be having a good time in no time!
I don't want to pay online. Can I still pre-register? Yes, you can! However, due to limited space we can't guarantee your spot until we receive payment. Send an e-mail to info@livinghistorydance.com with your name, phone number, and if you are a "lead" or a "follow". Please bring your payment at the start of the crash course, or class series. Checks should be made out to "Daniel Rosenthal".
Not sure if you're a "lead" or a "follow"? Historically men would "lead" and women would "follow", though we encourage everyone to do both!
What's your refund policy? If you notify us more than 48hrs ahead of time, we're happy to give you a full refund (minus any processing charges that we've incurred), or you can use your payment as store credit towards future purchases. Cancellations less than 48 hours before the start of the event are subject to a 25% cancellation fee, barring extenuating circumstances (at our discretion). Cancellations without notice are not eligable for refunds. The reason for this is that we make booking decisions that affect our cost, based on attendance.
Whatever the case may be, e-mail us at info@livinghistorydance.com.
