Edinburgh Queer Lindy Mini-Festival 2020

Welcome to the second edition of Edinburgh Queer Lindy Mini-Festival! Join us on Saturday 7th March for a day of workshops, discussions and social dancing || Registrations are open: https://edinburghqueerlindy.dancecloud.com/dance/25582 || Here's our info booklet: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SCxwfRIAJVhCiVcByEokr_4OoLYps_MyMn--CihAJzY/edit?usp=sharing https://edinburghqueerlind.wixsite.com/mini-festival If you're joining us for the social dance you'll be able to buy tickets on the door -------------------------------------------------------------------- *What makes this a queer dance event?* We - Lise, Marlies and Rob - have danced in lots of different cities and at lots of different events across Europe, and we’ve consistently found that we enjoy ourselves the most when we don’t feel any pressure to conform to any one dance role or social identity. The times we’ve felt the most ourselves have been when we were surrounded by queer dancers, in an environment where everyone was allowed and encouraged to take part in this dance in a way that fits who they really are - no judgement of one another, simply being able to express yourself and appreciate others. The joy and positive energy we’ve experienced in these places has been exceptionally freeing, and in running this event we want to share that feeling of freedom and expression with you. *How are we working to achieve this?* We want to challenge the implicit idea that dancers are either men or women, and that there is a single dance role that best fits that identity. We are happy to see that in many communities it is becoming more common for women to lead and men to follow, and for non-heteronormative couples to be seen dancing together. However, we all too often see that the binary is still upheld – both in terms of gender as well as dance roles. To us, Queer Lindy means to not be limited in your choice of role, style of dancing, and who you dance with. After attending Gothenburg Queer Lindy Festival we were inspired to create a space in Edinburgh where anyone can explore different roles and switch dancing, regardless of their gender, presentation, amount of experience, etc. Taking further cues from the wonderful folk at GQLF (who very generously gave us their blessing to use a similar name for our event), we also want to provide a platform the LBGTQ+ community to be more visible within the Scottish swing dance scene. In short, Edinburgh Queer Lindy Mini-Festival is a space for anyone who doesn’t feel entirely comfortable in heteronormative dancing environments and wants to dance where they are welcome and accepted for who they are. Want to know a bit more about why the term queer is being used? GQLF have put together a handy explanation: https://www.gothenburgqueerlindyfestival.com/queer-lindy -------------------------------------------------------------------- In terms of classes, this means we will spend some time thinking about what it means to lead and follow and how these roles react to each other, as well as the challenges you might run into when learning a new role. The classes will be in a choose-your-own-adventure format. You get to decide which classes to attend depending on what you'd like to work on. There will be options to focus on one role, work on both roles, and work on switching between them. We have two registration options to choose from: || Dance in One Role || This is recommended if: - You're fairly new to dancing (started within the last 6-12 months) *OR* - You have just started or want to start learning a new role. Our classes will be a great opportunity to get comfortable in a new role in a chill, supportive environment || Dance in Both Roles || This is recommended if: - You've been dancing Lindy Hop for at least 12 months and you're comfortable social dancing in at least one role - You would like to spend more time in your non-dominant role, and would like the option to work on switching roles within a dance *Please be warned: We do NOT have absolute beginner classes! You'll need to at least be comfortable with basic footwork -------------------------------------------------------------------- *Class Choices* You will be able to freely choose between all the classes on offer, depending on whether you want to work on on one role or both roles or switching moves, and the appropriate difficulty level for you on a scale of 1-3. ----- 10:00-12:00 Morning Class A - Ellen & Ieva - Difficulty: 2 - Content: Fundamental moves and concepts where you'll work on the role you aren't as familiar with. There can be some switching of roles for those who want it. - Switch moves: No Morning Class B - Marlies & Rob - Difficulty: 3 - Content: Higher level moves and concepts where you'll work on the role you aren't as familiar with. There can be some switching of roles for those who want it. - Switch moves: No ----- 14:00-16:00 Afternoon Class A - Ellen & Rob - Difficulty: 2 - Content: A mix of useful things for your dancing - changing between Lindy Hop and Charleston, changing between 6-count and 8-count Lindy Hop, dancing at different tempos. There won't be any switching moves but those who want to work on both roles will get lots of opportunities to do so. Those who want to work on one role can stay in that role. - Switch moves: No Afternoon Class B - Marlies & Lineke - Difficulty: 2/3 - Content: Fancy and creative switch moves. You'll spend around an even amount of time in each role. - Switch moves: Yes ----- 16:30-17:15 Bonus Afternoon Class - A mix of teachers - Difficulty: 1/2 - Content: Simple switch moves; a class that everyone will be able to join in with. - Switch moves: Yes ----- You'll be able to choose which classes you'd like to attend once you have registered. -------------------------------------------------------------------- *Panel/Discussion* We think it’s important to have an ongoing conversation about the swing dance community and how we can make it more open and welcoming to as many people as possible. We'll have a dedicated space for sharing ideas and experiences with each other. -------------------------------------------------------------------- *Social Dance* Of course we’ll have a fabulous social dance too! Take to the floor with the openness of being able to genuinely dance with every person in the room. Lead, follow or switch, it’s entirely your choice. -------------------------------------------------------------------- *Hosting* If you would like to request hosting or you live in Edinburgh and can offer hosting, please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/NsEhpxRRduumkgLw7 We'll do our best to offer hosting, however we can't guarantee it. We'll starting matching hosts and hostees together in January so if you'd like to make sure you have a place to stay before that it may be worth asking someone you know directly or looking at Airbnb or similar. The venue is on the south side of the city centre so anywhere south of Waverley Rail Station or close to King's Buildings would be suitable. -------------------------------------------------------------------- *Schedule* Our venue for the whole day is Inch House Community Centre Here's how the day is going to run: 09:15-10:00 -- [Registration] 10:00-12:00 -- Class 1 12:00-12:30 -- [Lunch] 12:30-13:45 -- Panel/Discussion (Feel free to bring your lunch) 14:00-16:00 -- Class 2 16:00-16:30 -- [Break] 16:30-17:15 -- Optional Class 3: Joint class - simple switch moves ------- 19:30-23:30 -- Social Dance ------- Sunday Tea Dance -- 11:00-14:00: If you're still in Edinburgh on Sunday then join us at CC Blooms for some chats, brunch, tea and coffee, and those last few dances before the weekend is over. One of our favourite parts of our first edition was spending time with you all on Sunday afternoon, and this time around we have dancing as an option as well! CC Blooms is one of the most well-known gay bars in Edinburgh and regularly hosts queer events all year round. https://ccblooms.co.uk/ -------------------------------------------------------------------- *Passes* Full day pass - including 4+ hours of workshops, the panel, and the Saturday night social dance £35 Standard £30 Concessions Social pass - including the Saturday night social dance and the panel £7 Standard £5 Concessions* *If you are a concession and would like to take part in the panel then please select the £7 Standard option to contribute to the cost of the running the daytime portion of the event. Thank you! || Registrations are open: https://edinburghqueerlindy.dancecloud.com/dance/25582 || For updates, keep an eye on the event and like our page and our website: https://www.facebook.com/EdinburghQueerLindy/ https://edinburghqueerlind.wixsite.com/mini-festival