Yes, if you want to exercise and have fun. And yes, if you are looking for a balance to your stressful everyday life and want to enjoy life. All swing dances are social dances without rigid rules of behaviour. You can dance to slow and fast music, relaxed and calm or with fancy moves and aerials. Because the possibilities are so many, 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 try it out, at the free crash course at our parties, an In a Day workshop or in the Beginner 1 course. 

Swing dancing can have a very positive effect on your everyday life. It brings a zest to your life, is relaxing and energizing at the same time, and you meet a lot of new people. But hear directly from our dancers how swing dancing enriches their lives.

In the couple dances Lindy Hop, Balboa and Shag, success is achieved through two separate but equally important roles: Leaders, who initiate shapes and patterns, and Followers, who respond to the signals, embellish them and also determine how the dance continues. There are no gender or other guidelines - everyone dances what he or she prefers.

We encourage you to sign up for the role you are initially more interested in and to try the other role when you have the opportunity to increase your understanding of the dance and expand your repertoire. Always ask at the social dance which role someone would like to dance in.

No, in all courses and workshops we change so that you learn to dance with everyone. Therefore, you can also register on your own. We pay attention to a balanced ratio of leaders to followers and keep a waiting list in case of a strong imbalance. 

Since all swing dances are social dances, we recommend that everyone change partners. This is the best way to learn to follow and lead and to be able to adapt to different partners at parties.

In times of Corona or we leave it up to you whether you want to change or not. If official restrictions apply, you will be informed by email and in our protection concept.

To register, please fill in the registration form. Please make sure that your email address is correct. You will receive an automatic registration confirmation. Please check your inbox and spam folder. 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 automatically registered for the next course. So you don't have to worry about registration deadlines and you don't have to fill out the form again. You will receive an email with the automatic registration. If you don't want to continue, you can simply unsubscribe by e-mail within the specified period. You can find more information about this in ourterms and conditions.

As a beginner, you can join a Beginner 1 course up to 3 weeks after the start of the course. To do so, book half a private introductory course lesson (at the reduced price of 30 CHF) and let us know which course you would like to join. In the introductory private lesson we will bring you up to speed with the group and give you valuable tips for a good start. New courses start every 8-10 weeks.

If you already dance swing, you can join at any time. It doesn't matter if you come from another dance school, had a longer break or want to start directly in a higher course. Find the course you want by looking at the course description in the overview and book half a private introductory lesson (at the reduced price of 30 CHF). Our aim is to find the right course for you and to guarantee you a good start. So you feel comfortable right from the start!

The total price for courses and workshops can be found in the course description. Because we love swing dancing and we want you to become a real jitterbug, you get a discount if you attend more than one course. This way you can concentrate 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 (*with Legi)

• 2 courses per week: -8%

• 3 courses per week: -16%

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

Example course fee: A course participant attends Lindy Hop, Balboa and Shag at the same time, i.e. three courses, and is a student. Therefore he pays 23 CHF (8% student discount) and receives an additional discount of 16%, i.e. he pays 19 CHF/lesson instead of 25 CHF. This corresponds to a discount of 24%! 

Basel Jitterbugs is a member of the Swiss Dance Association TVS. As a dance student with us, you can therefore benefit from sport subsidies of up to 600 CHF/year. Just ask your insurance company whether dance courses are subsidised. You can find more information about the dance association and sponsorship here.

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

On request you can pay in EUR or cash.

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

If you know in advance that you will miss an appointment, please let us know so that we can keep an eye on the leader/follower ratio. We can only guarantee good and consistent progress if you attend the course regularly and on time.

To support you, we summarise the content in a recap (short video) after each lesson. Should you not be able to attend, you can stay on the ball with the help of the video and catch up on the material on your own.

Cancellations for courses are free of charge up to 7 days before the course starts. From 7 days before, the full invoice amount will be charged. Registrations for workshops are binding. In case of cancellation, the full amount will be charged. There is no right to a refund or compensation for missed lessons or workshops, even in the case of illness or accident. On presentation of a doctor's certificate, part of the course fee can be transferred to future courses/workshops in the form of a credit note. Our GTC apply.

In case of longer absences of 3 weeks or 4 lessons in a row, e.g. due to holidays 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 course starts. We recommend compensating for longer absences with a half course hour make-up private lesson so that no gaps occur.

You can try swing dancing at our 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 swing dance and know whether a weekly course is right for you.

If you find that a course does not meet your expectations, please write to us or contact us directly. We welcome your feedback and will look for ways to improve your learning experience.

We recommend clothing that you feel comfortable in and can move well in. Please note that the dance floor is not a gym, especially at dance parties. We like to dress in 20-50s style, but this is not a requirement. With faster music, you can get sweaty, so it's a good idea to bring a change of clothes, at least a change of shirt. 

It is important that you do not wear street shoes to dance in our classes and workshops so as not to damage the great wooden floors. Otherwise, sneakers with smooth soles or shoes with leather soles are suitable for all dances.

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

If you have comfortable shoes that 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 some good addresses: Remix Vintage Shoes, Madame Dynamite or Swingin Shoes. If you have any questions, please contact our teachers, they will be happy to help 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 the Intermediate Level you will learn the most important techniques, moves and concepts of the respective dance. In the Intensive Level, we offer more thematic courses and focus on individual aspects, so that you can make constant progress and constantly discover something new. Here you will find a rough overview of the experience of the individual levels:

• Beginner 1-3: <6 Monate

• Beg/Int 1-3: 6-12 months

• Intermediate 1-3: 12-18 months

• Intermediate+: 18-36 months

• Intermediate/Advanced: >36 months (Intensive)

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, leaders call on followers and vice versa. Just try it out!

We value respectful interaction. You ask nicely for a dance and thank them afterwards. 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. At the very least, please read and follow the Code of Conduct and treat your fellow members with care. We are proud to be 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 know any classic role models and encourage everyone to change roles sometimes. If you still don't feel comfortable, just talk to us or write to us, we will support you!

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