Frequently Asked Questions
1. First things first: What should I wear?
Comfortable clothes you can move in. Partner dancing (especially vintage Swing) can be more athletic than think, so prioritize movement over style. If you can do a jumping jack in it, you can dance in it.
2. What about shoes?
For your first few classes, avoid high heels, sandals, heavy boots, or anything with a lot of grip on the soles. Beyond that, comfort and support are your best guides. Over time you'll likely develop a strong opinion about dance footwear.. For now, just don't wear flip flops.
3. I have never danced before. Will I be okay?
Yes. Unequivocally, yes.
Taking that first step onto a dance floor is nerve-wracking. But when you do, you're joining a room full of people who took that same nerve-wracking first step, including the instructors. Nobody arrived knowing how to do this.
Classes at Professor Jitterbug's School of Dance are leveled deliberately. If a class is labeled Level 1 or All Levels, that's not a suggestion! It means the floor belongs to you just as much as anyone else in the room.
4. Do I need a partner to take classes?
No. Full stop.
Most people who walk through that door come alone. The class rotates partners throughout, which means you'll dance with everyone in the room before the hour is up. Bringing a partner is welcome — but it is never a requirement.
5. Do I need to register or pay before class?
Nope.
Whether you decided to come out five minutes ago or you've been working up the nerve for a year, the only thing you have to do is show up. All payments are taken at the end of class — so if you get halfway through and decide tonight wasn't the right night, you're free to walk off the floor without a word. No pressure, no invoice, no hard feelings.
When you are ready to pay, we make it easy: cash, Venmo, Cash App, Zelle, and debit/credit card are all accepted.
Have a question before you come out? Drop us a line at info@profjitterbug.com.
6. So...exactly what kind of swing dancing are we doing?
Excellent question.
We teach Lindy Hop, Jitterbug, East Coast Swing, West Coast Swing, Charleston, Collegiate Shag, Balboa, Carolina Shag, and Jive — plus a handful of classic solo and group dances like the Shim Sham, the Madison, the Nitty Gritty, and the Jitterbug Stroll. All the dances that stem from African-American cultural innovations in music & movement.
If a class title names a specific style, that's what you're getting. If it just says "Swing Dance," consider it an adventure.
That said, every class — regardless of style — comes back to the same two things: Rhythm and Lead & Follow. The ability to move to music and the ability to dance with another person. Master those, and the style almost takes care of itself. New to counting music? Start with our Counting Music 101 lesson.
So when your friends ask what you're learning, tell them Swing. And if they push you on which kind, give them the answer that famed swing dancer Dean Collins gave a reporter in the late 1970s:
"There is no style, there is only Swing."
7. I've taken dance classes before but they didn't stick. What's different here?
Probably the approach.
A lot of dance instruction focuses on choreography — learn this sequence, repeat this pattern, perform this routine. That works for performance. It doesn't work particularly well for social dancing, where the music is always different, the partner is always different, and nothing is scripted.
At Professor Jitterbug's School of Dance, the goal isn't to teach you a dance. It's to teach you how to dance.
8. How long will it take before I actually feel like I know what I'm doing?
Honest answer: you'll feel it in your first class. Not mastery — but the genuine sensation of dancing with another person to music you've never heard before. That feeling arrives early.
The rest takes time. Lead and follow is a conversation that gets richer the longer you have it. Rhythm is a skill that compounds. Style develops on its own once the fundamentals are solid.
Most students start feeling genuinely comfortable on the floor within four to six weeks of consistent attendance. Most students also stop keeping track of time fairly quickly — because by then they're just dancing.
9. What's the difference between Swing Dance 101 on Tuesday and West Coast Swing 101 on Wednesdays?
Good question!
On Tuesdays, we teach the original or "vintage" forms of Swing dancing. The basics, rhythms, patterns, and moves that were popular in the era of Jazz & Swing music are the focus of Swing Dance 101 & Swing Dance 102. Lindy Hop, Charleston, Balboa, Collegiate Shag, and the Jitterbug are the inspirations for Tuesday.
On Wednesday, we modernize our Swing with West Coast Swing 101. Unlike the various forms of vintage Swing (almost all of which were born on the East Coast, hence the ballroom-centric term "East Coast Swing"), West Coast Swing came to prominence after the Swing era and evolved alongside the sounds of American popular music. Now, West Coast Swing is danced to everything from old school blues to modern pop hits, with a sprinkling of today's country and hip-hop and yesterday's rock & r&b.
So, if you want to explore the dances of the Swing era, join us every Tuesday! If you want to dance to the music on your favorite playlist, join us every Wednesday. If you want to learn how the East Coast Swing dances of the vintage Swing era influenced the modern West Coast Swing, well, you know what to do!
10. What is the Dean's List?
The Dean's List is Professor Jitterbug's full access membership — unlimited Tuesday and Wednesday classes for a flat monthly price and an exclusive private lesson add-on rate.
It's designed for students who've decided that one night a week isn't enough.
Single: $125/month · Couple: $200/month
11. I have a question that isn't answered here.
That's what info@profjitterbug.com is for. Send it over and you'll hear back soon..