Happy New Year!

Well, maybe not as happy as we'd hoped, since the post-Christmas Omicron surge has really vexed our vibe. Sullied our suave. Grated our groove. After a long dance break we are thinking about the future and trying to make plans. These ever shifting sands have made it challenging to confidently determine how and when to proceed. We have been tracking the COVID-19 statistics very closely, and while we may already be past the peak of the current hump, it seems clear that we will be dealing with new COVID-19 variants for a long time to come. So at some point, we either have to restart classes with strong risk reduction strategies in place or we remain closed indefinitely. I don't know about you all, but we feel strongly that swing dancing has given too much to the experience and quality of too many people's lives for us to just quit.

We have been extremely fortunate to have been able to operate through the pandemic without having had one single case of COVID-19 transmission occurring in any of our classes or social dances. We recognise that with Omicron out there in the community, this is a record we are unlikely to be able to maintain in the future. However, we are going to proceed with COVID-Safe policies that are designed to try and do exactly that.

If you are sick do not come to dancing. Obvi...
Everyone in our classes and social dances must have proof of vaccination or a valid exemption as a condition of entry.
Everyone must wear masks while at dancing. *Especially* if you are huffing and puffing. Please step out if you need a breather.
Check-in using the “Check In Qld app” is still a requirement.
We still a have a venue capacity limit of 1 person per 2 sq. m of floor space that we must comply with. Therefore we ask that you continue to book classes in advance if possible.
Bring your own filled water bottle with your name on it.
While surface contact has only proven to be a rare vector of transmission for COVID-19, good hand hygiene is always a particularly good idea for partnered dancing.

With all of that in mind, our first swing classes of the year will be Monday night Lindy Hop on the 14th of February with Nick and Susie! Tuesday Balboa and Thursday Lindy Hop will recommence the following week on the 22nd and 24th. The start of the year is always a great time to get your friends and family into swing dancing, so let them know it's happening! See below for more details.

We have no social dance planned for February, but we are trying to line up a couple of dances with live bands for next month, including our Pocket Dance on the 18th of March!

In the last newsletter we mentioned an expected date for the return of the Sunday Hot Club. However, this not going ahead for the time being and we are keeping our eyes peeled for new opportunities for the Hot Club to be reborn again like the proverbial phoenix that it is.

Scrolling down, you will also see we have shared a few photos from our Christmas Pocket Dance. What a fabulous night we had with Andrew Garton and his Pantheon of Swing! The rest of the photos are shared on our Facebook page!

We are really looking forward to getting together again! Our nights haven't been the same without you.

The ever shifting sands of time have us doing a bit of navel gazing and thinking about how to do right by everyone in the Corner Pocket corner.
We are thinking about the What, When, and How, as we continue down the road. We are focused on keeping CPS as safe, accessible, inclusive, and fun as we can.
We also need input from you, our community, to help us shape CPS in 2022. We’ve made this survey to gather the information we need to ensure the longevity and awesomeness of Corner Pocket Swing. Please fill out the survey, and share it far and wide so we can get... ALL THE INFO!
Help us create the best swing school possible.

CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE SURVEY

INSPIRE MORE

Swing dancing can be a hobby that helps us get through the tough times, and times have been tough the past few years. For some people, cost may have presented an obstacle for attending the lessons and socials that could benefit their mental health. We never want that to be a reason to not attend dancing, so if you are ever in that position, or know someone else who is, please let us know so we can work something out.

We have had an incredibly generous offer to donate a couple of class passes in honour of someone very dear to them. Swing dancing means a lot to this person, and they would like to pass the gift of dancing on to others, and to inspire more kindness and happiness into this world. We would love to hear nominations from our students of anyone who you think would benefit from these passes.
Email us.

All of our regular weekly classes are 1 hour long and are taught in a drop-in format so you can start any week and it doesn’t matter if you have to miss one. First-timers are always most welcome in our Fundamental classes (Level 1). You don’t need to bring your own partner as we will be rotating partners in class.

We ask that you click here to book each class through our web store so that we can ensure a reasonable lead-follow ratio, avoid exceeding our venue capacity limits, and streamline the check-in process.

Prepaid 8-Class Passes are also available for purchase. To use your Class Pass when booking online, simply choose "Register to pay at door" from the pass type drop-down list. Don't forget to click on the cart icon and complete checkout or registration will not compete. You should receive an email confirmation.

Explorers classes (Level 2) will assume that you know the basics taught in Fundamentals (Level 1) and you must talk with your teacher before moving up.

MONDAY LINDY HOP

Monday Lindy Hop classes are relaunching in the new year, blasting off on the 14th of Feb!

Teachers: Nick and Susie!

6:30pm: Level 1 - Lindy Hop Fundamentals
7:45pm: Level 2 - Lindy Hop Explorers

Venue: Danish Club, 36 Austin St, Newstead
(arrive early to find a park and check-in)

Level 1 & 2 - $17 Adults ($15 concession card holders)

*Level 2 students may attend the Level 1 class on the same night at no additional cost.

Book on our website to secure your place as we have a venue capacity limit and it makes check-in flow more easily.

Some of you may not be familiar with the super dynamic duo that is Nick and Susie so we have included some introduction here...

Susie Pembroke Wilson:- has always had a love of dance and performance. She has grown up practising ballet and jazz and studied theatre and dance at the University of Technology. Susie still loves to dabble in many dance styles as it gives her a greater appreciation for movement and musicality, and encourages thoughtful choices in her dancing.

Susie started her Lindy Hop journey in Brisbane in 2008. Since then she has travelled extensively to dance and learn more about this African American artform from the best Lindy Hop instructors the world over. From 2012 she taught lindy hop regularly in Brisbane. She has had the privilege of teaching at national dance camp Swing Camp Oz, and even won a couple of competitions. In 2017 Susie moved to London. There she taught regular lindy hop and solo jazz classes and got to work with incredible dances from the UK and Europe. Career highlights include working with London troupe the Brat Pack, teaching the social dance troupe the Skyliners, judging at London Swing Festival, performing at Royal Festival Hall, and even dancing in a big budget film.

Susie has recently moved back to Brisbane and is thrilled to return to Corner Pocket Swing, a school that she taught for since it’s very beginning. Susie believes that classes can be fun while still instilling strong foundations, and that there is no greater joy than really connecting with someone on the dance floor. In every class Susie strives to challenge and inspire her students whilst preserving the joyful spirit of lindy hop.

Nick Grant: Since starting Lindy Hop in 2009, swing dancing has taken Nick around the world, first as a student and then as a teacher. Nick’s classes are characterised by pure joy and excitement. His goal is to share so much more than just some steps; history, expression, inspiration, self-connection, musical connection and most importantly, a new way of connecting with others. There is so much magic to be found in swing dancing.

As a student Nick quickly became obsessed with Lindy Hop after doing two weeks of classes in Herräng Dance Camp in Sweden. After that life altering experience, he attended swing events regularly across Australia and Europe, always targeting events with inspiring and experienced instructors. Finding so much joy in movement Nick started experimenting with other styles including Swing Dancing’s grandchildren; locking, popping, hip-hop and more recently dancehall, waacking and house. Nick continues to be an avid student and always will.

Teaching for Nick began in Brisbane in 2012. From there he started learning about teaching from world renowned lindy hop instructors such as Michael Jagger, Evita Arce, Lennart Westerlund, Daniel Heedman and Asa Heedman to name a few. After teaching at Swing Camp Oz in Australia, Nick moved to London in 2018. Finding his feet in the European scene Nick won some competitions, joined the Brat Pack, started teaching Skyliners (Swing Patrol London’s social dance troupe), judged at London Swing Festival, taught at Herräng Dance Camp and joined a European collective of dancers. The rise of COVID spelled disaster for Nick's London dance life.

On the bright side Nick is back in Brisbane and excited to share dancing again! His current goal is to maximise how value can be added to someone’s life through swing dancing. This may sound a little pretentious but he believes it can create an environment for people to practise forming healthy relationships, to look inward without judgment, to find more intention and meaning in music and rhythm, and to prioritise giving in a relationship. Or at the very least are ideas worth working!

TUESDAY BALBOA

The first Tuesday Balboa class for 2022 will be Lolly Kicking off on the
22nd of FEB

Please note the new start time!

Teachers: Emma, Rob, Rylie, Michelle, & Rachel

6:30pm: Level 1 - Balboa Fundamentals
7:45pm: Level 2 - Balboa Explorers

Venue: Danish Club, 36 Austin St, Newstead
(arrive early to find a park and check-in)

Level 1 & 2 - $17 Adults ($15 concession card holders)

*Level 2 students may attend the Level 1 class on the same night at no additional cost.

Book on our website to secure your place as we have a venue capacity limit and it makes check-in flow more easily.

THURSDAY LINDY HOP

The first Thursday Lindy Hop class for 2022 will be on the 24th of FEB.

Teachers: Sarah, James, David, Magali

6:30pm: Level 1 - Lindy Hop Fundamentals
7:45pm: Level 2 - Lindy Hop Explorers

Venue: Danish Club, 36 Austin St, Newstead
(arrive early to find a park and check-in)

Level 1 & 2 - $17 Adults ($15 concession card holders)

*Level 2 students may attend the Level 1 class on the same night at no additional cost.

Book on our website to secure your place as Thursday has been our most popular night and the most likely to become full. It also alleviates a traffic jam at check-in time!

PRIVATE LESSONS

Rob and Emma have some availability for teaching private Lindy Hop or Balboa lessons at their home in Ferny Hills. If this is of interest to you then please email us to arrange a time that suits.