swing dance courses & parties in bAsel

Yes, if you want to exercise and have fun. And yes, if you are looking for a balance to stressful everyday life and want to enjoy life.

All swing dances are social dances without rigid rules of conduct. You can dance to slow and fast music, relaxed and calm or with fancy moves and aerials. Because the possibilities are so numerous, many people find their place in the swing dance community. We are proud of this diversity, from young to old and without stereotypical gender roles. If you are still unsure, just give it a try at our free crash course at our parties, an In a Day workshop or in the Beginner 1 course.

Incidentally, swing dancing can have extremely positive effects on your everyday life. It brings momentum into your life, has a relaxing effect and at the same time gives you energy and you get to meet lots of new people. But hear directly from our dancershow swing dancing enriches their lives.

No, everyone is welcome.

All swing dances are social dances and the aim is to be able to dance with everyone. It is therefore common practice to change dance partners in the courses.

We know that the idea of changing partners can be unfamiliar for some - especially if you come with a regular dance partner. Experience shows that changing partners speeds up the learning curve and is often more fun.

Of course you can also practise and dance with your regular dance partner during and outside the course.

You can try out swing dancing in a free crash course at our parties.

Or you can attend one of our In a Day workshops. In two and a half hours you will get a good impression of the respective swing dance and know whether a weekly course is right for you.

If you notice during the course that a course does not meet your expectations, write to us or contact us directly. We welcome your feedback and are happy to look for ways to improve your learning experience.

We do everything we can to make you feel comfortable with us and there is no risk, because the Jitterbugs money-back guarantee applies to newcomers:

If you are new to us and realize after the first three lessons of a course that it is not right for you, we will refund you the amount for the remaining lessons. You simply need to let us know by e-mail before the 4th lesson at the latest.

The only condition is that you have attended all three lessons - quite simply: we are sure that everyone can learn to dance and that Lindy Hop will bring joy into your life.

As a beginner, it is possible to join a Beginner 1 course up to 3 weeks after the start of the course. To do this, book half an introductory private lesson and let us know which course you would like to join. In the private lesson, we will bring you up to speed with the group and give you valuable tips for a good start.

If you already dance Swing, you can join at any time. No matter whether you come from another dance school, have had a longer break or want to join a higher level course straight away. Find your desired course using the course description in the overview and book half a private introductory lesson. Our aim is to find the right course for you and get you off to a good start. So you'll feel comfortable right from the start!

Introductory private lessons are free of charge when you join a course.

The total price for courses and workshops can be found in the respective course description. Because we love swing dancing and want you to become a real jitterbug, you will receive a discount if you attend more than one course. 

So you can concentrate fully on dancing and discover the whole world of swing dancing! Below you will find the basic price and the discount for additional lessons.

• 1 course per week: 25/23* CHF

• 2nd course per week: -16%

• 3rd course per week: -32%

Each lesson contains 70 minutes of dance instruction and a video summary (recap). Registration is possible with or without a partner and is usually 8-10 lessons per course. Payment in installments is possible, see FAQ "How to pay".

*Reducedprice for students, trainees and holders of a Kultur-Legi. We offer reduced prices for those who cannot afford the full amount - no declaration is required. If the reduced price is still not affordable for you, please contact us at info@baseljitterbugs.ch. Together we will find a solution.

To register, fill out the form for the relevant course. Please make sure that your e-mail address is correct. You will receive an automatic registration confirmation. Please check your inbox and spam folder if necessary. It is best to add info@baseljitterbugs to your address book. As soon as we can confirm your place, you will receive a course confirmation and invoice. If you have any questions, just write to us.

Our courses are continuous and build on each other. At the end of a course series, you are therefore automatically registered for the next course. This means you don't have to worry about registration deadlines or fill out the form again. You will receive an e-mail with the automatic registration. If you do not wish to continue, you can simply unsubscribe by e-mail within the specified period. You can find out more in ourterms and conditions.

To pay, you will receive a QR-bill in CHF, which you can pay via online banking. Simply scan the barcode with your bank's app to transfer all the data directly. Please use and check the reference number and note the payment term.

You can pay in EUR or cash on request.

For weekly courses and from CHF 180, payment in installments is possible: 50% on the due date, 50% within 30 days thereafter. Please use the same barcode/reference and let us know in advance by e-mail.

We summarize the course in a recap (short video) at the end of each lesson. If you are unable to attend, you can stay on the ball with the help of the video and catch up on the material yourself.

What's more, you can simply catch up on missed lessons in a parallel course or at a lower level in the same week. This will keep you going!

For longer absences of 3 weeks or more or 4 lessons in a row, e.g. due to vacation or business trips, part of the course fee can be waived, transferred to future courses in the form of a credit note or compensated with private lessons. The condition is that we have been informed of the absence by e-mail before the start of the course. We recommend compensating for longer absences with a private lesson to make up for any gaps.

Experience in recent years has shown us that our dance students dance better when they learn both roles.

Learning both roles means: more freedom, more empathy, more togetherness - and the positive feedback from our dance students encourages us again and again! We show you both roles alternately and step by step in a relaxed atmosphere.

Understanding both roles will make you a more versatile and confident dancer. It improves your technique, strengthens your connection to your dance partners and deepens your understanding of the dance and your partner. Plus, you get to dance with twice as many great people! :)

If you realize that you would rather concentrate on one role, that's completely ok. We are flexible and support you in learning at your own pace and in your own way. It is important to us that you always have a really good learning experience and enjoy dancing.

If you have only danced in one role so far, that's no problem - just write to us and together we will find the right course for you.

You can get started in the world of swing dancing in our "in a day" workshops or beginners' courses. These are usually continued. Up to Intermediate level, you will learn the most important techniques, moves and concepts of the respective dance. At Intensive level, we focus more on specific topics and individual aspects so that you can make constant progress and keep discovering new things. 

Here you will find a rough overview of the experience of the individual levels:

• Beginner 1-3: up to 6 months

• Beginner/Intermediate 1-3: 6-12 months

• Intermediate 1-3: 12-18 months

• Intermediate+: 18-36 months

• Intermediate/Advanced: from 36 months

• Intensive: from 48 months

We recommend clothing in which you feel comfortable and can move well. We like to dress in the style of the 20-50s, but this is not compulsory.

With faster music you can work up a sweat, so it's a good idea to take a change of clothes with you, at least a change of shirt. 

Sneakers with smooth soles or shoes with leather soles are suitable for all dances.

It is important that you do not wear street shoes or shoes with black soles to dance in our classes and workshops so as not to damage the beautiful wooden floors.

For Balboa, we recommend shoes that slide well and shoes with heels for those who want to. The heel should not be too high (3-4 cm) and offer good stability.

If you have comfortable shoes but they don't have a smooth sole, you can have a shoemaker glue on a chrome leather sole - just ask, many people know how to do this.

If you want to buy shoes for swing dancing, here are a few good addresses: Remix Vintage Shoes, Saint Savoy, Madame Dynamite or Swingin Shoes. If you have any questions, please contact our teachers, they will be happy to help you.

Yes, absolutely! You can learn your first steps on the crash course at our parties. Swing music is played by a DJ or a band. You dance to the music without fixed routines and strict rules. You can change dance partners after each song and everyone is encouraged to dance. Just give it a try!

We attach great importance to respectful interaction. People ask for a dance in a friendly manner and then say thank you. You will notice that there is a lot of laughter and the atmosphere is very informal. Check us out on Facebook or Instagram, where you'll find lots of pictures and videos. Everyone is welcome, from absolute beginners to dance cracks.

It is very important to us that everyone feels comfortable and is treated with respect. Please read and follow at least the code of conduct and treat others with care. We are proud to have a swing dance community where no one is excluded and everyone is welcome. Misogynistic, homophobic, transphobic or racist comments will not be tolerated.

We don't recognize classic role models and invite you to try out both roles. If you still don't feel comfortable, just talk to us or write to us, we'll support you!

Write us an e-mail. We usually reply within 24 hours. You can also hear directly from our dance students how swing dancing enriches their lives.