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Lindy Hop is a joyful and sociable partner dance with deep roots in the African American communities of New York in the first half of the 20th century.
Lindy Hop spread across the world during the Swing Era of the 1930s and 40s but lost popularity when musical tastes changed and Big Band Swing waned after the war. The 1990s “Swing Revival” made Lindy popular again and it has now become global phenomenon, with thriving swing schools teaching from Stockholm to Seoul (and Oxford, of course!).
Check out the video from Oxford Swing Festival 2017 for an example of what Lindy Hop is about.
We’re a non-profit community-based swing dance group founded in 2008 with a mission to get the people of Oxford swing dancing as much as possible! We run regular classes and social events in Oxford and also organise the internationally attended Oxford Lindy Exchange and Oxford Swing Festival.
Oxford Lindy Hoppers offer regular fun and friendly classes in Oxford. We teach Lindy Hop and Blues, and also offer frequent Collegiate Shag courses. We will also run occasional classes and events in other Swing Era dances like Charleston, Boogie Woogie and Balboa. Our class nights are suitable for absolute beginners (yes, even you!) We assume absolutely no dance experience, and build things up gradually so you can get out on the dance floor after your first lesson.
To start dancing with us, just come to one of our regular class nights or social dances:
Cowley Cotton Club – Thursday from 19:30 during term time at the East Oxford Community Centre. Check out our events calendar for term dates. Lindy Hop classes and social dancing.
Swing Fix – Every Tuesday from 19:30 unless otherwise stated (keep an eye on our social media feeds) at the Oxford Retreat pub. Lindy Hop class followed by social dancing.
Blues Fix – Every Monday from 20:30 unless otherwise stated (keep an eye on our social media feeds) at the Oxford Retreat pub – Blues class followed by social dancing.
Hop the Hall – First Friday of every month from 20:30 at St Margaret’s Institute in Jericho – Monthly social dance.
Yes! Oxford Lindy Hoppers also teaches Blues idiom dances at Blues Fix, and we run frequent courses in Collegiate Shag.
We sometimes also teach or run events for other dances under the jazz umbrella, like Charleston, Boogie Woogie, and Balboa. Keep an eye on our social media for any news about these one-offs.
Oxford Lindy Hoppers have decided to go on hiatus for a little while. Social distancing is what we can all do to help flatten the curve of the pandemic and not overwork our health services, so we’re not running our regular classes & socials for the foreseeable future. For further details please click here.