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We’re going to slide, float and sway on Saturday December 2, 2023! This special edition of Slow Swing Saturday is all about flashy moves. Mike and Natalia and Deirdre and Joost will be teaching cool, flashy and showy moves for Slow Bal. Of course these moves are also super useful in your Blues and slow Lindy Hop!
You can do Flashy Slow Bal moves at any dance level. In the first workshop, Deirdre and Joost will teach you beginner-friendly moves that look fancy and require only a good dose of attitude.
In the two workshops that follow, Natalia and Mike teach you everything you need to perform flashy and fancy dance moves in a comfortable and safe way. They discuss different techniques that also require a different degree of strength that you need to perform the moves. Also useful if you want to add even more floating and swirling moves to your dance repertoire in the future!
For anyone who has never danced Slow Ball before, there is an absolute beginner workshop of 1.5 hours in the evening before the masked ball in which you will be explained the basics, with of course some nice moves to shine with on the dance floor.
For very experienced Slow Ball dancers there is an invitational workshop on Sunday 3 December.
Workshop 1: Show time
On Saturday 2 December with Deirdre and Joost.
Turn on the spotlights, because in this workshop we will add some Umpf to your Slow Bal. You learn moves that are not too complicated but look very flashy.
Level: Slow Bal Foundation/Explorers, Beginner/Intermediate
Register with or without your own partner. During the lessons we change dance partners.
Workshop 2: It’s All About Them Legs
On Saturday 2 December with Mike and Natalia.
You get started with Slow Bal Flash moves with a minimum of weight support:
– Scorpion Kicks
– The Butterfly
In this workshop we work with a base and a flyer. Leaders and followers can both be base and flyer.
Level: Slow Bal Explorers/Adventurers, Intermediate
Sign up with a fixed dance partner. It is possible to form a group of 3 people with 2 base and 1 flyer, or 2 flyers and 1 base.
Workshop 3: Lean On Me
On Saturday 2 December with Mike and Natalia.
In this class you will learn Slow Bal Flash moves with medium to full weight support
– The Windmill
– The Swirl
In this workshop we work with a base and a flyer. Leaders and followers can both be base and flyer.
Level: Slow Bal Explorers/Adventurers, Intermediate
Sign up with a fixed dance partner. It is possible to form a group of 3 people with 2 base and 1 flyer, or 2 flyers and 1 base.
Absolute Beginner’s Workshop
On Saturday 2 December with Deirdre and Joost
Never danced Slow Bal before? Then this workshop is perfect for you. In 1.5 hours we teach you the basics of this elegant Swing dance to slow jazz music. Of course we also teach you a few fancy moves with which you can shine on the dance floor during the masquerade ball.
Level: Absolute beginners
Register with or without your own partner. During the lessons we change dance partners.
Slow Bal Invitational
On Sunday 3 December with Deirdre and Joost.
Especially for the very experienced Slow Ball dancers we have an extra workshop in which we inspire each other with our creativity and learn from each other.
Level: Advanced / Professional
We will invite the Slow Ball dancers we know and find suitable for this level. But, of course we don’t know everyone and we may inadvertently overlook someone. Do you want to participate in this workshop? Then register via the registration form. After registration we will contact you. We may ask you to submit a video.
Register with or without your own partner. During the lessons we change dance partners.
It’s our new annual tradition, the masquerade ball! This year even fancier than before. Pull out your most beautiful dress and bow tie, and above all: make sure you have a mask!
We are still busy with the organization, but soon you can read more about the masked ball here.
“A stage, the smell of beer, whiskey and expensive perfume, an ecstatically dancing crowd, four gentlemen giving every little bit they’ve got:
Linus Eppinger on guitar and Samuele Ghezzi on vocals are an inseparable binomial, together with Ties Laarraker and Giacomo Camilletti they all become phenomenal. Swing is a must. Get ready for an incredible quartet that will make you jump, shout and dream away.”
During the Masked Ball we dance to the live music of Sam Ghezzi and his band. A joy to listen to, whether you’re dancing or not!
Mike has taught dance in over 20 countries. At the moment he teaches Lindy Hop, solo Jazz and different styles of Blues.
Mike combines his knowledge of music, functional anatomy, life and a variety of dance forms to create classes that uniquely enlighten, inspire and challenge. Mike tries to put himself in the shoes of his students so that he can teach intuitively. Seeing his students’ eyes light up when they understand a concept or a certain movement falls into place is what makes him happy.
Natalia started teaching swing dancing in 2005 at the Ottawa Swing Dance Society in Canada. Soon after, she co-founded Ottawa’s first dedicated Swing school, Swing Dynamite, where she taught and mentored students and faculty for 8 years. Since then, Natalia has been a senior instructor at dance schools in Montreal and Vancouver (Canada); in Phoenix (US); and also in Amsterdam, Nijmegen, Rotterdam and Utrecht (Netherlands).
She specializes in teaching Balboa, Slow Bal, Lindy Hop, Charleston and solo Jazz. She also has expertise in a variety of dance styles including Blues, Collegiate Shag and West Coast Swing.
From the moment Joost showed Deirdre a video of Slow Bal, she was hooked. After years of teaching Lindy Hop, they made the switch to Slow Bal.
In 2019 Deirdre started her own dance school, Slowfeet Studio, which is completely dedicated to this slow Swing dance. But Deirdre and Joost don’t just teach in Rotterdam. Throughout The Netherlands they have challenged Swing dancers and given them the pleasure of dancing to slow jazz music.
Deirdre and Joost can also be found abroad on a regular basis. For example, they gave Slow Bal workshops at O’Slow in Oslo and at the Valencia Balboa Festival. Do you want to know where they can be found in the near future? Then click here.
One thing is for sure, you won’t easily find bigger Slow Bal fans. So let yourself be carried away by their enthusiasm and be inspired by this beautiful and elegant swing dance.
Below you will find an overview of the prices per workshop. After we have received your registration, you will receive a confirmation email stating the total amount. You then have 14 days to pay.
Workshop 1 | Show Time | 1,5 hr: 27 euro
Workshop 2 | It’s all about them legs | 2 hr: 35 euro
Workshop 3 | Lean on Me | 2 hr: 35 euro
Absolute Beginner Workshop + Party Ticket : 37,50 euro
Invitational Workshop | 2 hr: 35 euro
Masquerade Ball Party Ticket: 25 euro
Workshop 1 with Deirdre and Joost is for Slow Bal dancers who have completed at least the Foundation course (Beginner – Intermediate level). You know the Slow Bal Basic, the Promenade and moves like the Slow Out.
Workshop 2 and 3 with Mike and Natalia are made for Slow Bal / Slow Jazz dancers, but you don’t necessarily have to be able to dance Slow Bal to participate in these workshops. You can also participate with dance experience in other Swing dances, such as Lindy Hop, Blues and Balboa. It is necessary to have at least 6 months of swing dance experience. The flash moves workshops are not suitable for absolute beginners. In these workshops we work with a ‘base’ and a ‘flyer’. Both leader and follower can be a base or flyer.
The Absolute beginners workshop is suitable for anyone who has never danced Swing or Slow Bal before, or who has only followed a single workshop.
The Invitational level is for Slow Bal dancers who have been dancing Slow Bal for a long time and have great body awareness. These dancers are looking for new ways to improvise and express themselves on the music, together with their partner.
The times are still subject to change.
Saturday December 2:
11.00 – 12.30 hr: Workshop 1 | show time
13.30 – 15.30 hr: Workshop 2 | It’s All About Them Legs
16.00 – 18.00 hr: Workshop 3 | Lean On Me
19.00 – 20.30 hr: Slow Bal Absolute Beginners Workshop
20.30 – 01.00 hr: Masquerade Ball
Sunday December 3:
11.00 – 13.00 hr: Slow Bal Invitational
The workshops on Saturday 2 December will take place in:
De Toneelgarage
Dunantstraat 14 C, Rotterdam
The Masquerade Ball on Saturday 2 December will take place in:
De Machinist
Willem Buytewechstraat 45, Rotterdam
The invitational workshop on Sunday 3 December will take place in:
Studio Swing in Rhythm
Willem Buytewechstraat 34, Rotterdam
Registration is CLOSED
Oh Oh, we have closed registration as we will be busy at the event. But, no worries, you can still join the workshops and/or the party, as it is possible to buy a ticket at the door. So we hope to see you soon!