Swing Dance Foundations

Swing Dance Foundations is designed to get students swing dancing quickly, but also to be flexible & accommodating of students’ availability. Each individual evening (class) will stand independently on its own, so if you missed the previous week, that’s ok. Of course the more classes you can attend, the more material you will learn and the more practice you will get.

Each Tuesday class will be 1.5 hours long. Students can take as much or little of the 1.5 hours as they like, but we recommend doing the entire hour and a half. Each week the approach and material will vary so regular students are getting new material all the time, but the first half hour will always focus on fundamentals of technique, the second half hour will always feature beginning level repertoire, and the last half hour will introduce slightly higher level (beg-int) concepts and material to challenge, expand, and inspire. We will always center these classes around Jitterbug, Lindy Hop, Charleston, Blues, Balboa & Vernacular Jazz - the core idioms of our Swing Dance program.

“Swing Dance” is a family of American social dances that includes many idioms. They vary aesthetically and stylistically by geography, cultural trends, and/or time periods. Created by African Americans, these dances became enormously popular and today are enjoyed by people all over the world. Although there are different idioms and styles, all swing dances also share many similarities and are frequently mixed together or influential upon each other. In these classes, we will focus on the swing dance idioms of the “Swing Era” of the 1920s, 30s, and 40s and most closely associated with Big Band Jazz and Jump Blues music: Jitterbug, Lindy Hop, Charleston, Blues, Balboa, & Vernacular Jazz Occasionally, other dances may work their way into classes as swing dance is a living, creative art form. Don’t say we didn’t warn you!

Adults: 18+

• Wear light shoes that don’t have excessive traction. Flats (as opposed to heels) are recommended as re closed toes and heels that hold onto your foot (i.e. not flip flops).
• Bring your phone or video recording device if you want to record class recaps or yourself dancing.
• Cincinnati’s Swing Dance Community has regular dance nights every Thursday in Northside and occasional dances on Tuesdays or Fridays. Try to get out and dance. It’s the best way to improve on what you learn in class. The instructors will let you know about these opportunities during class announcements each week.
• Bring friends, have dinner in Clifton before or after - add to the fun!
• If you have questions, you can reach Joel Domoe at 513-508-4676 (talk or text) or [email protected]
  

• Swing Dance Tuesdays are intended for adult students, but high school students are also welcome.
• All classes are open to students with any range of experience, from beginners learning for the first time to experienced dancers looking to solidify fundamentals or expand their knowledge base.
• Students are not required to bring a partner to class.
• In class, we use a partner rotation system where Leads dance with all the Follows and Follows dance with all the Leads. All students are expected to participate in the rotation unless there is an extenuating circumstance. Our classes are not designed for students to stay with the same partner.
• Students are allowed to choose their own role in class, Lead or Follow. Students may also switch roles as frequently as they like.
• It is highly likely in every class that students will dance with some partners of the same gender and some of different genders during the rotation. The expectation is that all students be respectful of all other students at all times.
  

Joel Domoe of SupermurgaNati

Joel Domoe coordinates the design, development, and teaching of Swing Dance Tuesdays in collaboration with CCAC and other swing dance luminaries in the Cincinnati Area.

Joel is the founder of SupermurgaNati, whose mission is: To amaze, enable, and empower Cincinnati's Jitterbugs and Lindy Hoppers creatively, technically, and socially by providing opportunities for elite instruction, generous mentoring, exciting collaboration, supportive connections, and amazing dance.

Joel has been teaching, performing, community building, and producing events in the Swing Dance community all over the Eastern United States for 25 years. He is a former Virginia State Open Jitterbug Champion and Southwestern Regional Lindy Hop Champion. He has served as Competition Coordinator and/or Head Judge for the American Lindy Hop Championships (Stamford, CT), Lindy Focus (Asheville, NC), and Beantown Dance Camp (Boston, MA) multiple times. Joel has taught classes at far too many events to name. He is a founding and honorary lifetime member of the Piedmont Swing Dance Society in Greensboro/Winston-Salem, North Carolina and was a founding member and first president of the Atlanta Swing Era Dance Association. He has founded and directed three different Swing Dance Troupes: Bums and Bombshells (Greensboro, NC), Heavens to Murgatroid! (Atlanta, GA), and The Cinci SnapShots (Cincinnati, OH). In Cincinnati, among other things Joel served as a co-producer of SwinGallery (Cincinnati’s longest running weekly swing dance event) from 2006-2016.