Our event takes place in Oakland next to the beautiful Lake Merritt.
Omni Commons is a short drive from Lake Merritt Dance.
| Title | Description |
|---|---|
 Lake Merritt Dance + |
Classes & Evening Dances 200 Grand Ave, Oakland CA |
Omni Commons | Late Night |
This event is produced by The Breakaway.
© 2023 – 2024 The Breakaway Swing LLC
This event is produced by The Breakaway.
© 2023 – 2024 The Breakaway Swing LLC | 2013-2022 Silicon Valley Swing Dance LLC
Here are the Special Topics classes to choose from on the selected day(s). You do not have to sign up for a particular option.
Saturday – 11am to 12noon
Option 1: First Stops Routine with Sugar & Barbara – LMD, Grand Ballroom
Saturday – 10:30am to 12noon
Option 2: Jams with AJ – LMD, Dance Lounge
Option 3: Here Comes the Jazz Stepper with Laurel & Kevin – LMD, Hall 1
Option 4: Follower Skillz: Flow and Creativity with Gaby – LMD, Hall 2
Sunday – 11am to 12noon
Option 1: Second Stops Routine with Sugar & Barbara – LMD, Grand Ballroom
Sunday – 10:30am to 12noon
Option 2: Balboa Int+ Variations on a Theme with Irina and Anthony – LMD, Dance Lounge
Option 3: Shim Sham to the motherland with Traci & Latanya – LMD, Hall 1
You can email us to ask to be waitlisted.
Other alternatives to consider: Sign up for a weekend dance pass and the à la carte morning classes (when available). It’s a great opportunity to learn from the same teachers you would get in the track classes.
You can email us to ask to be waitlisted. We may have weekend and evening dance passes available at the door.
Clint Baker’s Golden Gate Swing Band has it roots in the swing revival of the 1990s when the band was a regular fixture and venues such as the High Ball Lounge and the Club Deluxe. Thanks to recent interest from the Bay Area Lindy hop/ swing dance community, the band is back and better than ever.
The musical concept for the Golden Gate Swing Band is to combine the best elements of traditional New Orleans jazz with Kansas City style swing, thus creating a both tight and loose ensemble sound all at once. The rhythm section is the centerpiece of the sound always solid and swinging…
The band does not use written arrangements and thus is capable of adapting to the surrounds, much like the musicians of the old days of New Orleans, so every performance is a unique experience.
The musicians for Swingin’ at the Savoy are: Clint Baker, cornet – Paul Cosentino, sax / clarinet – Jeff Bush, trombone – Steve Apple, drums – Sam Rocha, Bass, vocals – Bill Reinhart, guitar – Jeff Hamilton, piano – With Special guests: Jessica King, vocals – Ryan Calloway, clarinet
Our Motto is Swing or Die!
Paul Cosentino has been performing for Lindy Hoppers for over 30 years. He will be joined by two great musicians from the East Coast: Brendan Lanighan from New York City on trombone and Taryn Newborne from Atlanta on Vocal. They will join forces with some of the best musicians in the Bay Area including: Sam Rocha on bass, Jeff Hamilton on piano, Clint Baker on drums and Nick Rossi on guitar. The selections will include swing favorites made famous by Goodman, Shaw, Ellington, Hodges, Teagarden and more – done in their own unique style.
Jeff has been lead trombonist with the Harry Connick Jr. Big Band and also toured with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra under Buddy Morrow. Jennifer will thrill you with standards and rarities from the likes of Helen Forrest, Ivie Anderson, and Billie Holiday. Expect to hear some great swinging riffs and melodies to keep you on the dance floor all night!
One of 4 Special Topics classes to choose from on the selected day(s). You do not have to sign up for a particular option.
Saturday – 10:30am to 12noon
Option 1: First Stops Routine with Sugar & Barbara – LMD, Grand Ballroom
Option 2: Rhythm with Chester & Nathan – LMD, Dance Lounge
Option 3: Shim-Sham to the Motherland with Traci & Latanya – LMD, Hall 1
Option 4: Balboa for Lindy Hoppers with Sylvia – Humanist Hall
Sunday – 10:30am to 12noon
Option 1: Second Stops Routine with Sugar & Barbara – LMD, Grand Ballroom
Option 2: Historic partner dances with Chester – LMD, Dance Lounge
Option 3: Beginner Solo Jazz with Skye – LMD, Hall 1
Option 4: Int/Adv Solo Movement with Ramona & Evita – Humanist Hall
Unfortunately at this point, our wait list is already long and we won’t be able to find you a spot.
Other alternatives to consider: Sign up for another track if space exists there, or a weekend dance pass and the à la carte morning classes (when available). It’s a great opportunity to learn from the same teachers you would get in the track classes. Another option could be to sign up as a follower in our Newcomers track if you wanted to start learning the other role.
Unfortunately at this point, our wait list is already long and we won’t be able to find you a spot.
Other alternatives to consider: Sign up for another track if space exists there, or a weekend dance pass and the à la carte morning classes (when available). It’s a great opportunity to learn from the same teachers you would get in the track classes. Another option could be to sign up as a leader in our Newcomers track if you wanted to start learning the other role.
Leaving aside the Newcomers Special track, we have 5 full weekend tracks, four teaching couples, and four large spaces (the multi-purpose room [MPR] is a small room). This means we cannot have all tracks in classes at the same time, and each track will have an empty slot in their schedule.
We do our best to:
All non-newcomer track groups are folded into a single pool for registration called Full Weekend. Once registered, you have to fill out our Level Check Questionnaire.
Track group descriptions are available here.
As a non-beginner dancer, you should have a good idea what the dance roles are. You can decide to take the workshop in either role, to get better in that role in your dancing or start learning a new role. Make sure you fill out the level check questionnaire based on the role you pick.
This track is for you if…
You are new to Swing dancing and Lindy Hop, or have only taken a handful of classes. You’re looking to learn a lot and have a lot of fun. This track will provide just the right amount of classes.
It is a more affordable track perfect for new dancers. The track will be taught by instructors Sam Nguyen & Calvin Lu.
Partnered dancing takes two people with two different roles, commonly referred to as leader and follower. Both partners contribute equally to the dance, but in different ways. The leader is the one usually initiating movement and thinking about the dance in terms of shapes. The follower interprets the lead and moves accordingly, adding their own contributions to the dance. The dancers send each other cues about their movements and intentions through their connection as well as visually. The dance becomes an unspoken conversation between the dancers.
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