Lindy and Blues Roots Weekend

 
Photos: Tamara Pinco

21.-23. March 2025

with
Gas Fernández and Alba Mengual (Madrid)
Henry Motra (France / Togo)
Lidia Miguel Telega, Fernando Mateos, Stephen Kellett  und Maren Goettke (Freiburg)
The Swingtones
The sparkling BlueSwings

Join us in the beautiful town of Freiburg to delve into a weekend of African and Afro-American Dance Joy!

Straight to registration

Both Lindy Hop and Blues have strong roots on the African Continent. Both are dances strongly rooted in the music, culture and expression of African Americans – not in dance schools, but in social gatherings, live music and ball rooms. The separations of todays dance classes – „Lindy Hop“, „Solo Jazz“, „Slow Drag“, „Blues“, „Technique“, „Musicality“ – didn’t exist in the same way back then: Of course everyone would dance to slow and fast music, with a partner or by him/herself, using their body to express what they heard and felt.
Let’s get inspired by these roots together, supported and inspired by awsome teachers!

Gas and Alba have been dancing and teaching Lindy and Blues together since 2013 – in most major Swing and Blues dance events all over the world. Their dance is creative, expressive and deeply connected to the spirit of the original dancers.

Henry Motra studied traditional, classical and modern dance in his home country Togo. Today he works as a dancer, choreographer and teacher in the Alsace region. His classes bring together the joy and energy of traditional African Dance with an inspiring level of technical ability and elements of body work.


Photo: Henry Motra

The programm of the weekend

The programme has been designed to overcome todays „artificial“ separations between dancing to slow and fast music, between „technique“ and „expression“, between „roots“ and „today“.
That’s why it makes most sense to take part in all of it 🙂
If you don’t dance Blues yet, don’t worry: There is a beginners track with our awsome local teachers Lidia and Fernando.

FRIDAY

19 – 20:30

The Spirit of Swing
Open Level Class with Gas and Alba

20:30-0:00

Welcome Party
(DJs, Lindy and Blues)

SATURDAY

10-12:00

The Roots: African Dance
with Henry Motra
(Gruppe 1: Full Pass/Lindy Roots Pass)

13-15:00

The Roots: African Dance
with Henry Motra
(Gruppe 2: Blues Roots Pass)

13:30-15:00

Lindy Hop Intermediate
with Gas and Alba

15:15-16:15

Solo Jazz
(2 levels with Gas / Alba)

16:30-18:00

Lindy Hop Advanced
with Gas and Alba

19:30-20:30

Taster Workshop “Jazz Up your Lindy”
Bring more groove, rhythm and freedom in your dancing!
Scat to the music, break away from your partner and use Jazz Steps,
with our great local teachers Maren and Steve.

20:30-21:30

Taster Workshop “Slow Lindy”
You feel slightly lost when the music becomes too slow?
Get inspired by our Slow Dance experts Lidia and Fernando!

21:00-02:00

Big Saturday Night Party
with “The Swingtones” and DJs
(Lindy and Blues)

SUNDAY

11-12:30

Solo Blues
(2 levels with Gas / Alba)

13:30-15:00

Blues Beginners
wirh Fernando and Lidia

13:30-15:00

Blues Intermediate
with Gas and Alba

15:30-17:00

Blues Advanced
with Gas and Alba

17:00-21:00

Farewell Party
with “The Sparkling BlueSwings” and DJs
(Lindy and Blues)

Nevertheless we understand that some of you might wanna focuss on just one aspect.
We offer 4 different passes:

Full Pass

Lindy Roots Pass

Blues Roots Pass

Party Pass

11h of classes
3 partys
2 bands

8h of classes
3 partys
2 bands

5h of classes
3 partys
2 bands

2h taster workshops
3 partys
2 bands

195 Euro

150 Euro

110 Euro

55 Euro

Includes: Everything!
Open class (friday),
African Dance + Lindy Hop + Solo Jazz + Taster classes (Saturday),
Solo Blues + Partner Blues (Sunday)
all partys.
(If you don’t dance Blues yet, you can still do this: You take Solo Blues + Blues Beginners on Sunday.)

Includes:
Open class (friday),
African Dance + Lindy Hop + Solo Jazz + Taster classes (Saturday),
all partys.

Includes:
African Dance on Saturday, Solo Blues + Partner Blues (Sunday),
all partys.

Includes:
Taster Workshops (local teachers) on Saturday,
all partys.

1 week prior to the event, we will add the option to book tickets for specific classes, if there are spots left (e.g. „Lindy Advanced“).
There will also be evening tickets for the partys at the door.

Registration

 

Bands

The Swingtones (Freiburg)

Photos: Fabian Herbst

The Sparkling BlueSwings (Freiburg)

Photos: Monika Ecker