Neighbor News
Keeping Jitterbug Swing Dancing Alive And Well In Fremont and Union City
Fremont and Union City To Offer New Classes And A Workshop In This Uniquely American Dance Style.
Turns and twirls. Flashy footwork. A lift or two for the slightly more adventurous. Spins. And most importantly, a chance for people of all ages, young and old, to meet new people in a safe and welcoming environment while learning about a fascinating aspect of American culture. That is what the new swing dance classes at Fremont Adult and Continuing Education and the Beginner’s Swing Dance Workshop at Union City’s Joanne Brown Dancers are all about. As an added bonus swing dancing is a healthy activity to boot!
Bay Area lindy hop (‘40’s and ‘50’s style swing dancing) instructor Michael Quebec brings his 20 years of experience of teaching and performing to the service of those who wish to learn this fun enjoyable and unique style of partnered dancing.
“It’s ‘serious play.’ We want people to feel that they’ve gotten their money’s worth in the way of instruction and that they’re actually learning but most importantly we want them to enjoy themselves and have fun. Snobbery and elitism, which unfortunately, is sometimes evident in some dance scenes, is not what we are promoting. We are promoting healthy enjoyment for everyone who wants to have a good time learning.”
For the regular weekly series classes in Fremont, beginners with absolutely no experience are encouraged to join the Wednesday evening classes at 7:30 p.m. which will run for 6 weeks starting on June 10th. Experienced swing dancers have their class the day before on Tuesday nights at 7:30 p.m. which will also run for 6 weeks starting on June 9th.
Since the classes are run through the Fremont Unified School District by way of Fremont Adult and Continuing Education, the costs are kept low especially when compared to prices for similar classes offered at commercial dance studios. 6 week sessions cost $36 a person, which breaks down to six dollars an hour. In addition Michael Quebec will offer low cost discounted private instruction for regular students, as well as a free private lesson for those who bring in friends to sign up. There will also be a free one hour class in June, commencing with Fremont’s Smoking Pig Barbecue Restaurant’s hosting of Steve Lucky and the Rhumba Bums, a known and popular swing dance band here in the Bay Area.
Fremont Adult School is located at 4700 Calaveras Avenue, off of Blacow, near the Fremont Hub, in Fremont (94539) and their number is (510)-793-6465. Classes will be held in The Multi Purpose Room.
“Of course, folks who have never tried it before might be wondering if this is really for them. For those who would like to either try it out or learn but not have to commit the time for a weekly series, we do workshops from time to time.” Two previous workshops held at The Joanne Brown Dancers in Union City, one in February and the other in April, were successful and were even covered in the Tri City Voice. The next one, geared specifically for beginners, will actually be run in conjunction with the National Association of Teachers of Singing (“N.A.T.S.”), but still will be held at The Joanne Brown Dancers. “Molly Rosen, who is a member of NATS, asked me to do it with them and it sounds like a great way to introduce new folks to swing dancing.” That will be on July 18, 2015, a Saturday, from 1:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. and the cost, if registered no later than July 11, 2015, will be $30 per person and if paid on the day of at the door, $40 per person (so pre-registration is encouraged because of the discount and also because space is limited to 30 people.)
The Joanne Brown Dancers is located at 33535 Western Avenue, off of Alvarado-Niles, behind Domino’s Pizza, in Union City (94587).
For further information on either the ongoing class series at Fremont Adult or the upcoming workshop at Joanne Brown’s, contact Mike Quebec directly at (510)-240-2732 or at esperescano@gmail.com.
Visit the Facebook Pages, “Swing Dancing At Fremont Adult School” and “Swingin’ Saturday: A Fun Intro To “Jitterbug” Smooth Style Lindy Hop Swing Dancing for Beginners.”
To pre-register for July 18’s Beginner Workshop (“Swingin’ Saturday”), go to the link below (space is limited.):
