University of Swing 2020 is Canceled
Hi everyone, thank you for your patience with us over this past weekend. After much discussion, we’ve made the difficult decision to cancel the event. To continue with it as if nothing was wrong would be a disservice to the community we love and want to keep safe.
This isn’t a decision we make lightly. The event being so close at hand means that, regardless of our reasons for cancelling, we’re committed to paying the vast majority of the weekend’s expenses. We’re working tirelessly to recover any costs that we can but currently it looks as though EUSDS is set to take a massive financial blow from this decision. It’s with a heavy heart, therefore, that we ask you to consider whether you can absorb a portion of the cost of your ticket. If a number of you do this, it’ll ensure that we will not lose more money than we currently have.
Of course, this only applies if you are able to support this expense to yourself. A consequence of the coming shutdown will be financial hardship not only for organisations like ours but for individuals, particularly freelancers and those in the performing arts, such as our bands and teachers. They have all been very understanding of this situation and some of them have even agreed to take a pay cut in order to support us. We’re very grateful to them, and will be releasing more information over the coming days as to how you can support them and learn from them if you wish.
If you would like a refund for your ticket, please email us at eusds.workshops@gmail.com with your full name as well as your order number and the amount you would like to be refunded by. We will then email you to let you know when we have processed your refund. This process may take a couple of days, so we ask that you be patient with us. Unfortunately, we’re not in a position to reimburse attendees for their travel/accommodation.
For those of you who ordered a t-shirt, please let us know if you’d still like it! We’re happy to send it to you/pay for postage, although if you’re a student who’s returning to Edinburgh after the summer we will ask you to collect it then.
Thank you again for all of your support and patience. We’re bitterly disappointed that we’re having to make this decision but we feel that it’s for the best. We hope to see many of you on the dance floor soon. In the meantime, we’ve created a facebook group for local dancers to get us through the isolation period. Feel free to join it and fill it with ideas that will keep us all dancing: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1081585318879916/about/ . If you have any questions, please contact us via email and we will endeavour to get back to you soon.
Love, the UoS team
University of Swing is our largest annual swing weekend, with a variety of classes, tasters, live music and competitions, all set in the heart of historical Edinburgh. It is the biggest student-run swing weekend in all of Scotland, and it keeps getting bigger every year. Whether you are a swing veteran, or just getting started, this is not an event to miss!
Read on for information on dates, tickets, teachers, venues and our new scholarships!
Tickets
Ticket prices for University of Swing 2020 are:
£83 - Full Class Pass
£69 - Full Class Pass (Concession)
£29 - Social Pass
£25 - Social Pass (Concession)
Tickets can be bought on our DanceCloud. Concession prices are for students, EUSDS members, pensioners and low-wage workers.
We will have four streams available at University of Swing 2020:
Bachelors (BSwi) – Improvers
You have only just discovered the magic of swing. You have been dancing more or less regularly for a less than a year, and you are keen to know more! This is the perfect level for anyone who wants to work on their basics, tweak them and go beyond to deepen their understanding of musicality, partner connection and footwork.
Masters (MSwi) - Intermediates
No longer a fresher, you have been dancing regularly for more than 1 year, maybe even attended other weekend events or competed. You are comfortable mixing 6- and 8-count, and dancing Lindy Hop and Charleston socially. If you are comfortable learning at a faster pace without going over the basics, this is the right stream for you! You will learn variations of classic moves and footwork, jazz up your vocabulary and develop a deeper understanding of musicality at different speeds.
Doctors (DSwi) - Advanced
You are a well of swing wisdom, never tired of learning more, and reflecting on your dancing! In your time, you have seen and done it all – weekend workshops, competitions, maybe even teaching. You are comfortable dancing at a variety of speeds. This stream will built on your technical knowledge to tweak it, jazz it up and expand it further to deepen your understanding of partner connection, improvisation and musicality.
Masters of Solo Jazz (MSolo) - Intermediate+
You love being the master of your own body and creativity! Dancing as a couple is already fantastic but exploring the reigns of your own movement is what excites you most! This is the perfect stream for anyone interested in expanding their solo jazz vocabulary, understanding of musicality and improvisation. As an experienced dancer and solo jazz enthusiast, you are happy to work on your technique and incorporate new knowledge into your own style of dancing.
Teachers
This year we will be joined by 7 outstanding teachers, all dedicated to the joy of swing dancing.
Pontus Persson and Isabella Gregorio
A true child prodigy, Pontus started dancing when he was just five, competing when he was six and teaching professionally when he was 16. In 2008 he joined the famous Swedish dance company Harlem Hot Shots. Now many years later, Pontus is known for his mastery of Lindy Hop, Boogie Woogie and Tap.
From Italy, Isabella also started her fascination with dance as a child. She has been dancing and teaching swing professionally since 2002 and won many international prizes. When she is not performing or teaching, Isabella co-directs the Swing Crash Festival in Italy. As a dancer, Isabella is well-loved for her funny and unpredictable style.
Together, Pontus and Isabella are an iconic swing duo who have been dancing and teaching together since 2011, winning numerous international prizes along the way.
Katie Cobalt and Areski Stichweh
Katie originally comes from Hong Kong, and she is now a full time instructor in Europe. She holds first place titles at The Savoy Cup, Balkan Lindy Hop Championships and Dragon Swing. After teaching locally with Swing Patrol in London for 3 years she is now branching out. Her students value her focus on helping each student on their own dance journeys and all the joy she brings into her classes.
Areski started taking classes with SwingStep in 2014, and became a full-time teacher with SwingStep in 2016. As a dancer Areski is a polymath, with experience in ballet, modern, jazz, hip hop and tap. Through teaching, Areski hopes to inspire others in the same way the dance inspires him.
Katie and Areski met for the first time at Chase Festival 2017 in Heidelberg, Germany. After teaching together at multiple events, they're ready for University of Swing; be prepared for energy, structure, fun and sweat!
Tatiana Udry
Our Solo Jazz teacher is Tatiana Udry! From France, Tatiana has studied classical and modern jazz for 12 years, finally specializing in Lindy Hop, Charleston and Solo Jazz Roots. She is well known for her ease of movement, technical maturity despite her young age and her craziness!
Tatiana has won many competitions in multiple categories including Solo Blues, Jazz and Roots Charleston, Jack and Jill, Strictly, and Team, in prestigious events like European Swing Dance Championships (2015, 2013, 2011) International Lindy Hop Championships (2013, 2012), Lindy Shock, Paris Jazz Roots and more.
Get ready to take your Solo Jazz to the next level with form, funk and fun!
Stephen Atemie and Kathleen Murphy
Kathleen began swing dancing after watching dancers through the window of a pub in North London. Having originally trained in contemporary dance, Kathleen picked up Lindy Hop quickly, and became addicted to the joy of swing.
Stephen has always been a mover, training in Parkour and Wing Chin Kung Fu for several years before finding swing dance and becoming a teacher in Blues and Lindy Hop.
Not shy of performing, Stephen and Kathleen have danced with The Dinahs, Jazz MAD, The Skyliners, The Brat Pack and The Down and Outs, representing London whole-heartedly. Individually they have performed and competed at festivals in London, Brighton, Hamburg, Valencia, Montpellier, Seoul, and U.S.A. They have been teaching for Swing Patrol London for several years and have travelled to work with charities including Epic Arts in Cambodia and Sing Inchanga in South Africa to work with local children & young people across their own dance styles and Lindy Hop.
Known for having the biggest smiles in London, these two take pride in their passion for allowing people to believe in themselves when they dance. With an emphasis on creative and fun ways of embracing the dance and finding your groove, they are both super excited to be part of UoS 2020!
Bands
We've got three brilliant socials planned, including some live music by our wonderful visiting bands.
Friday: Ali Affleck and the Copper Cats
For our Friday Social in Lauriston Hall we're excited to dance to the unforgettable tunes of Ali Affleck and The Copper Cats featuring two special guests. The Copper Cats with their feisty, classic front line brass section perform traditional New Orleans Jazz and blues in a sizzling celebration of the birthplace of Jazz. And who can forget Edinburgh's own Ali Affleck, singing several French and Creole songs in her heartfelt and authentic, juicy swinging New Orleans trad vibe. This will be a night to remember!
Saturday: Tessa and the Applejacks
You can look forward to our Saturday social in the magical Assembly Rooms where Tessa Smith and the Applejacks will be playing a lovely set of swing tunes. This talented band has played with us before, as well as many other swing events, including Edinburgh Lindy Exchange, Swing Revolution and Hullzapoppin'. We are super excited to once again invite this wonderful band to University of Swing.
Scholarships
This year we’re introducing a Scholarship Scheme for the first time!
We are offering the following scholarships to dancers who without financial assistance would not be able to afford to attend the event due to restraints beyond their control.
• 30% discount on full pass with concession (4 available)
• 30% discount on social pass with concession (1 available)
Scholarship applications are now closed! If you have applied, please watch your email for further instructions.
Scholarships will be given on a first come first served basis. Applications will will close when all funds have been allocated or by Sunday 19 January 2020 at midnight based on whichever occurs first.
Scholarships are open to all dancers who may benefit from access to funding regardless of where they dance regularly.
We have chosen these guidelines to ensure privacy for applicants and make the scheme as fair as possible. This is our first year running a scholarship scheme and therefore any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Pictures from UoS 2019
Check out these amazing pictures from last year's University of Swing!
Photographers: Jacob Forsyth-Davies (Friday and Sunday) and Andrew Perry (Saturday).
