Frequently Asked Questions

We dance every Thursday from 8-11pm at 1336 Spring Garden St, Philadelphia, PA 19123. We strongly request that dancers get tickets ahead of time through our ticket system to guarantee their spot. Any remaining tickets are sold at the door.

From 8-9pm amazing instructors from our community teach Lindy 101 lessons (beginners & first-timers welcome! Drop-in friendly every week), Monthly Series (for dancers advancing their skills. Sign up for a full month at once.), and Topics lessons (for dancers with more experience. Drop in any week, significant experience required). Check the schedule blog for instructors/class themes and the classes tab for level details! Lindy 101 lessons are included with admission, Topics lessons are an extra $5, and monthly series vary by the length of the month. Please note that lessons start promptly at 8pm -- NO admittance to lessons after 8:15.

From 9-11pm, we social dance to a DJ or live music. Check our schedule blog for weekly event details including instructors, DJs, and live bands. Our band nights are *usually* the second Thursday of the month.

We recommend wearing clothes you're comfortable moving in. Casual attire is perfectly fine, although sometimes people like to dress up for band nights and other special events. Close-toed shoes are highly recommended, especially those with low traction for spins & turns (i.e. Keds). Basically -- wear something you'll feel comfortable, confident, and ready to have some fun in! No sharp heels, please.

Do keep in mind that this is an active dance, so if you're someone that sweats a lot you might want to bring a backup shirt as well.

"Swing Dance" is an umbrella term for Lindy Hop, Charleston, Balboa, Shag, and more, many of which are danced weekly at Jazz Attack! Lindy Hop, the primary style of dancing at Jazz Attack, has its roots in 1920s in Harlem, NYC among primarily Black communities. It evolved with jazz music and became popular across the country through radio broadcasts, film, and live performance. Lindy hop history, jazz history, and African-American history are inseparable topics, and all Jazz Attack attendees are encouraged to engage deeply with these subjects to gain a fuller understanding of this tradition that is still kicking 100 years later! You can learn more on our History & Culture page.

Our 3 Levels of Classes

Lindy 101: Learn the basic steps of Lindy Hop from the ground up! Here we’ll cover the origins of the dance, its fundamental movements, and some basic turns. This lesson is meant for those with little to no experience with partner dancing and/or Lindy Hop. It’s recommended that this level be taken until you feel comfortable implementing these skills on the social dance floor, generally 3-5 times. Classes start promptly at 8:00pm, run until 9:00pm, and are included with general admission. Attendees are asked to arrive a few minutes early to stretch and get ready -- no admittance after 8:15. Let's dance!

*Drop in any week! No partner or experience necessary.

Monthly Series are for our students who are ready to dig into their fundamentals. Our monthly series will help you develop your dancing values, vocabulary, and style. The monthly series cycle, which may be taken in any order, will have "the core four" months: (1) Solo, (2) Rhythm & Groove, (3) Connection, and (4) Call & Response, plus at least two "wildcard" months, which will vary based on what the community needs or is asking for (i.e. swingouts). Most Jazz Attack students fall into this level, and can expect to spend at least 8-12+ months of consistent classes & practice here to hone these skills & values. Series come with admission to all social dances, detailed recap videos, pre-lesson practice space, a consistent set of teachers and peers for rapid progress, and a discord chat for your cohort. Limited to just 30 students, so get your tickets in advance!

*Students must register for the whole month. Recap videos are provided even if you miss a week. No partner necessary, Lindy 101 skills required (see below) Extended Topics: Our highest level of classes, most Jazz Attack students will not be at this level. These lessons will hit a multitude of areas to help improve your dancing, building off of the topics in the monthly series and will requiring a mastery of these subjects. There will be auditions for this level on the last Thursday of every month during the 7:30-8:00pm practice. Once you pass an audition, you can attend all classes thereafter. These classes are limited to just 14 students / class, and are an additional +$10 / +$7 students on top of admission. Classes start promptly at 8:00pm, run until 9:00pm. Be sure to check the Jazz Attack schedule to see the instructors and topics! *Drop in any week! No partner necessary, audition or instructor approval required

Band Night Balboa is a special topics class that is open to all -- no audition required! Offered every band night, learn one of Lindy's sister styles that's great for fast tempos & packed floors. +$5 / +$3 students on top of admission.

Yes! You can transfer your pass to the next week's dance (i.e. from the 7th to the 14th). Just email our treasurer, steve@jazzattackswings.com . Unfortunately, we don't have the capacity to track switches longer than one week, but remember, if admission costs ever become an issue, just use a Pay it Forward pass (see above)! Transfers must be done in advance -- not at the door. Tickets are not transferrable to other dancers, and resale or same/next week transfer to a different dancer is prohibited.

Advancing from Lindy 101 to Monthly Series

Taken a few Lindy 101 classes and thinking about leveling up? Here's what you need to be able to do with confidence & clarity:

6 Count Rhythms (Rock step, triple step, triple step)
Triple stepping in any direction
Groove / Pulse on time and matching the energy of the song
Dance and step on the beat, and recover if you lose time
Comfortable turning (when leading) or being turned (when following)
Doing all of the above on the social dance floor
Bonus: Take at least one Lindy 101 class in the opposite role, or try the opposite role on the social dance floor
Practice before you advance: Check out the Rhythm Practice for Lindy Hop video from Laura Glaess (below) which will help you practice the basic 6 & 8-count rhythms, and mixing them together. This will happen all the time in our topics classes.

Dancers that meet all of the above requirements can try a monthly series. Heads up! It'll likely be a challenge at first, but give it your best shot and don't hesitate to ask your classmates & community members for help -- we're all in this together!

How do I advance from Monthly Series to Extended Topics?

These classes are for our highest level of Jazz Attack dancers. We expect students to:

Have ownership over their own learning
Have a willingness to try new skills and fail, and react / adapt to adversity and critique
Already practice outside of Jazz Attack, and social dance regularly
Have an understanding of and respect for the history & culture of the dance and music
Have a mastery of the basic vocabulary & skills presented in the monthly series, including: dancing in different rhythms, turning at different speeds / orientations, dancing at various tempos, solid understanding of musical structure & how to follow a rhythm, solid & comfortable partner connection, swingouts, basic solo & partnered charleston, classic solo vocabulary
Pass an audition based on these topics (see below)

Again, extended topics classes are for our highest level of dancer, and are not a substitute for being unable to attend a full monthly series. If at the audition, the instructor recommends that you continue with monthly series it just means that we feel you will get the best learning and classroom experience there. If you've read these expectations and still aren't sure whether to audition or not, shoot our teacher coordinator Mike an email (mike@jazzattackswings.com) or ask him in-person. We're in this together!

What should I expect for extended topics auditions?

Anyone who wants to audition has the opportunity to do so during the 7:30-8pm practice session last Thursday of the month. Please let an instructor know at least a week before if you plan to attend. Here's what you can expect at auditions:

Present the First Stops Routine at 180bpm, not including the A-Frame jump (routine only | full lesson): make some time to learn this routine yourself or with a partner. We won't be teaching this at auditions; this is your chance to show us that you're learning & practicing on your own outside of class
Social dance with an instructor: you'll have an opportunity to show us your mastery of the monthly series topics (solo dancing, rhythm & groove, connection, call & response, and relevant solo & partnered vocabulary)
Discussion with an instructor: you'll be asked to share what you're inspired by & working on in your dancing, as well as your understanding of Lindy Hop & Jazz history and culture
Review: an instructor will let you know if you're a good fit for the extended topics class, or if you'd thrive more in the monthly series classes. Once you're approved for extended topics you're good to go -- you won't need to audition again in the future!

There are many different ways that we can express how leveling is complicated and Lindy Hop is an art form, but we think Michael Seguin, owner of Mobtown Ballroom, said it best. Please read his words and know that which class you're taking does not change how much we value and appreciate you as a member of the Jazz Attack community. You are a dancer and we are so excited to have you around. Email our teacher coordinator Mike an email (mike@jazzattackswings.com) with any questions

Yes! Option 1: Volunteer! (You can get in for free!) Feel free to reach out to our volunteer coordinator for more info -- details on our meet the team page!

Option 2: Jazz Attack runs a Pay It Forward program where members of the community contribute towards free passes for dancers to use. If you're short on cash you can pick up a "pay it forward" slip from the table or say "pay it foward" to the door volunteer and you'll get in for free, no questions asked. Got a little extra change in your pocket? Consider contributing!

Option 3: All Jazz Attack events have a student discount (usually ~30% off) that can be applied when you pre-purchase your ticket!

If someone is making you uncomfortable on the dance floor, please let an organizer know right away. Ericka Skirpan is our Safer Spaces lead, and Kate Holden assists. Jazz Attack strives to be as inclusive a space as possible, and we have a strict no-harassment policy. Refer to our Safe Spaces page for a look at our Code of Conduct.

If you don't feel comfortable discussing in person or want to bring up a concern after an event, please submit an anonymous report via our online form.