So you’ve considered taking a Beginner Dance lesson in Toronto, but you’re feeling intimidated?

It’s natural to feel a bit in awe of something unknown, and a few nervous jitters are common among first time students, but know that any anxiety will pass very quickly! There’s nothing to be afraid of, and the boisterous hoopla that is swing dancing will distract you in no time!

At Bees’ Knees Dance we create a fun atmosphere for complete beginner adults to learn to dance. We make it easy because we focus on what’s important – having fun! These classes are designed for complete amateurs. You’re not supposed to have any previous experience, and you don’t need a partner. These are novice dance lessons for people with absolutely no experience, and we rotate in the dance classes so there’s no partner required.

We understand that starting a new hobby like dancing which requires mind and body coordination can be a bit disconcerting. But you see, we don’t worry about whether or not you get the steps straight away because we know that you’ll get them eventually… The steps are not what’s important. We don’t lose sight of the enjoyment that dancing should bring. Fun is our top priority. If you don’t have an enjoyable experience in our dance classes then we haven’t done our job. By the end of the class we want to inspire you with the infectious joy of dancing.

Why you shouldn’t be afraid to take Beginner Swing Dance lessons with Bees’ Knees Dance

• These classes are completely recreational. There’s nothing regimented about what we do. Though there’s certainly nothing wrong with the approach that Ballroom or other disciplined dance forms take, swing dancing is part of a completely different culture and we don’t structure things in the same way. Most swing dancing moves are designed to make you laugh, not to look fancy or elegant. We don’t take ourselves too seriously and you shouldn’t either.  
• Swing dancing is a dance for real people. We’re not talking about ballet or Dancing with the Stars or any kind of disciplined, high athletic type of dancing… and no unnatural outfits either. Swing dancing is for real people of all shapes, sizes and ages and perfect for complete amateurs.
• Swing dancing is Toronto’s best kept secret. Don’t let all of the fun pass you by without checking it out and seeing what you’re missing!
• The Bees’ Knees school at Yonge & Bloor is more like a club house than a dance studio. No high pressure sales or expensive commitments. People come by even when they aren’t taking classes just to hang out and meet new friends. It’s really a unique place, come see for yourself!

What To Expect at your first Dance Class in Toronto

Before the lesson begins

Students are encouraged to arrive a few minutes before the start time of their first lesson. They can meet/chat with the instructor or the other students, hang up jackets and bags, get settled. The first class is always free, otherwise students may pay for the class either before or after the lesson begins.

Beginning of the lesson

Each lesson will vary but in general the classes are structured as follows; greetings & introductions, warm up, introduction to footwork or new concept, the lesson proper, review of material, lesson cool down. Either before or after a warm up the instructor will conduct a very short introductory ice breaker so that everyone can learn each others’ names before the actual lesson begins.

The warm up consists of everyone forming in a circle with the instructor in the middle doing very simple movements. The students follow along with the movements to start getting their blood flowing and the feeling of the material.

Then the actual class will begin at which time the material will vary depending on the type of dance class you are taking. For partnered dance classes the instructor would begin by teaching the basic footwork or with the solo classes they’d begin by slowly starting into the first dance move or concept. Everything is taught in a patient, welcoming, low-stress way so that all of the students are able to follow along comfortably.

At the end of the lesson the instructor will summarize the material covered that day. Also there is often another circle, similar to the warm up, where the teacher leads everyone through simple movements and everyone leaves the class on a high note.

And if you’re still not sure if taking Beginner Dance classes in Toronto is for you, just remember; the first class is completely FREE and no strings attached. So why not just try it out once and form your own opinion?

We welcome you! Try the first class for Free!

Let Me Off Uptown
Gene Krupa, Anita O’Day and Roy Eldridge in this great, classic swing song. Uptown is referring to Harlem in New York. So come on, get groovy!

Another Easter has come and gone and the 2nd annual toronto Vintage Easter Parade was a great success!

This year’s event was an interesting one. Because we get good search engine optimization, we started to get a lot of publicity for the event but many people obviously didn’t read the details clearly so they didn’t:

a) understand what the event actually (thinking it would be a big parade with road closures, floats, etc.)

b) didn’t read the details about where exactly we would be meeting and what the Good Weather route was vs. the BAD WEATHER route, not to mention the start time.

As clearly listed, we convened at the Bees’ Knees Dance studio at 1:30pm at 750 Yonge St. right above the Shoe Company. The parade left just before 2pm, giving people a few extra minutes since we said we’d be leaving at 1:45pm. We know people run behind schedule, so this was clearly stated and allowed for some wiggle room.

A few days before the event, cp24 started to announce us along with other Easter activities! Obviously people heard the word “parade” and made assumptions. Isn’t it ashamed that so few people associate the word “parade” with the traditional pedestrian parades like the original Easter Bonnet Parade in New York City? Hopefully in the next few years, we can help to change that.

When we left the studio at 2pm, there were tons of people waiting outside at Yonge & Bloor, looking toward the road expectantly. What a bizarre experience! We were going to head straight for the subway but instead they all turned to take photos of us so we did a walk down to Charles, across to the other side of Yonge and then up Yonge St. The number of cameras snapping photos of us was hilarious! That was really one of the most out of body experiences that I’ve had in a while.

Along with the photos and videos that are coming, we were asked by the swing dancers in Sau Paulo to make a happy birthday video for a children’s Lindy Hop group called The Golden Chestnuts. What a fun opportunity to put something together! Here we are on the subway.

There was both a Good Weather and a Poor Weather plan outlined clearly on the website and on Facebook. They were listed as follows:

Poor Weather Plan – the weather wasn’t great so this worked out perfectly

In case of poor weather: 

• If the weather is bad, we’ll meet and ride the subway, then South again to walk around the Eaton Centre. The event is on, rain or shine! We originally thought that we could also go to Yorkdale Mall but it was closed. The Eaton Centre worked out perfectly though. We also made stops at Eglinton subway, Union, the Royal York Hotel, throughout the PATH and then rounded things up at the Eaton Centre including a Shim Sham and dance before security asked us to leave. 🙂

Good Weather Plan (the weather wasn’t good so we ditched this)

The “good weather” route will be 2.5 km. Please wear comfortable walking shoes. We will walk at a leisurely rate, the route with some breaks along the way, wrapping at approximately 4pm.

Schedule:

• 1:30pm Convene at 750 Yonge St. (A)
• 1:45pm Walking route begins.
• 2:30pm Dundas Square – photos & dancing (B)
• 3:00pm Walk through the Eaton Centre (C)
• 3:30pm City Hall – photos & dancing (D)
• 4pm Parade wraps

All in all it was a great day! Photos and videos will be added to the main Toronto Vintage Easter Parade page very soon!

This week’s song is from Phil Kim!

But first, it just wouldn’t be write on Good Friday of the Easter Weekend not to include Judy Garland and Fred Astaire’s Easter Parade.

The Grabtown Grapple, Artie Shaw

This song is really fun to dance to and was used recently in a Lindy Hop competition.

This week’s song is from Sam Dobbie!

 

Yacht Club Swing

Fats Waller and His Rhythm

 

Good-bye Winter!  A cheery tune for a sunny Spring day! (Great for Charleston practice too!)

Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive, Paul McCartney

Can’t get enough of our 1.5 warm up? Neither can we! This is such a catchy little song and the fact that it’s performed by Sir Paul McCartney does add to its charm. Dance along if you know it!

Tea for Two!

Yes, this song needs an exclamation mark because it’s such a terrific standard but we just don’t hear it often enough. Here’s a classic version performed by Ella Fitzgerald with Count Basie on their very classic album, On The Sunny Side of the Street.

 

Mandi is on vacation this week… in Disney World! There is actually a great history of swing music in Disney films. Here’s Louis Prima as King Louis in the Jungle Book, Wanna Be Like You.

I had a good time dancing with Kevin to this song at the Hive Social a couple of weeks ago. I was reminded of it this morning when Moulin Rouge was on television. Here’s a slightly more contemporary swinging version of Nature Boy, this one by Johnny Hartman.