Do I need to bring a partner?
No, in classes we rotate partners every few minutes, which means you will dance with everyone in the room who is learning the opposite role.  We find this adds variety, speeds up learning, and will help you make some new friends!

What do you mean by 'role'?
Lindy Hop is a partner dance, meaning in the pair there is a 'lead' and a 'follow'. Traditionally this was dictated by gender but we encourage everyone to try leading and following and either maintain 'switching' (dancing both lead and follow roles) through their dancing or make an informed choice based on preference, having tried both.

What should I wear?
Wear something you feel comfortable moving in, such as jeans and a t-shirt. Restrictive or overly flowing clothing can impede your dancing. For footwear, we recommend something light and flat which will stay on your feet such as a pair of plimsolls or trainers without a heavy tread. 

Where and when are there classes?
Cheshire Swing Cats home is at the Hoole Community Centre, in Chester. We start classes at 7pm but please arrive 5min early not to miss the all important footwork recap for our beginners class! 7-8pm, beginners class- 8-9pm intermediate ! (we also tend to go to the pub after!)

Is there parking available?
Hoole Community Centre has it's own large car park, there is also parking available on the adjacent side streets. 

Do I need to book or can I just turn up?
Just turn up, no pressure. We cycle through our foundation class content over 7 weeks, and therefore any week can be your first week! You will always be surrounded by people with different level experience, that’s what makes learning so fun!

What are the costs involved? 
Only £5 for an entire evening of fun- card payment on the door - we have gone cash-free!

Do I need previous experience in dance?
No previous experience is needed!

Can I stay with my own partner?

This is a community oriented group- so, unfortunately: no! You will get to dance with everybody of the opposite role- including the person you may have come along with. We rotate partners in class every few minutes, this will help you learn faster, make new friends, and this allow us to offer these classes to everyone, with or without partners, as the numbers in each role do tend to balance out in the end.

Anything else I should know?
While dancing is very fun it is quite physical and as such it is important to stay hydrated.  Consequently we would advise you bring a bottle of water with you so you can dance the night away!

Can I give feedback?
Yes! We love feedback. At the bottom of any of the pages on the website you can find access to an anonymous feedback form. 

Can I hire dancers to perform at my event?
We are a community group, aimed at getting everyone dancing and having a good time. We are not able to provide a performance troupe for private events. We love to dance socially to live music and finding new opportunities to do so in the North West. If you would like us to teach at your event or tell us about your favourite jazz gig that we could dance at, please do get in touch through our contact page.

Where can I find you on social media?
We have a Facebook discussion group for people who come to our classes and events, a Facebook page where we share events and on Instagram.

What music should I practice to?
We have a spotify playlist full of swing music here. Repeating the basic rhythms in your kitchen by yourself is a great way of improving and developing your skills in leading/following.

I've got the dancing bug! How can I find out other opportunities to go dancing?
Brilliant!  Check out our social dancing page to find other local groups and events. You can also start planning future dance activities all over the world through Swing Plan It.