Workshop weekend with Jo Hoffberg – Lindy Hop and Solo Jazz

We are incredibly excited to announce that superstar swing dance instructor Jo Hoffberg is visiting Malmö on October 21-22 2023! Don’t miss this unique opportunity to work on your dancing for 10 full hours with one of the very best!

Jo will teach a solo dance workshop on Saturday and a partnered Lindy Hop workshop on Sunday, both in the beautiful ballroom at Ungdomens Hus (Norra Skolgatan 10B). The workshops are open to all levels. Do note that there will truly be something for everyone – what you get out of these workshops depends entirely on what you bring into them! Jo personally promises that even top dancers will be challenged.

The Saturday and Sunday workshops have a lot of synergy with one another, so it is highly recommended to sign up for both (you’ll even get a discount!), but it is also possible to sign up individually for Saturday or Sunday.

Registration is now open! Welcome to an amazing weekend, everyone!

Solo Saturday
https://www.dans.se/catscorner/shop/new?event=197106

Lindy Sunday
https://www.dans.se/catscorner/shop/new?event=197105

Remember to sign up for both days for a discount!

PRICING
FULL WEEKEND (Saturday + Sunday) – 1400 kr (discounted rate)
Solo Saturday – 760 kr
Lindy Sunday – 760 kr

LOCATION
Ungdomens Hus
Norra Skolgatan 10B, Malmö

WORKSHOP SCHEDULE AND INFO

Saturday (Solo):

10.00-12.30: Foundations of Improvisation (2h30min) – This class is all about getting comfortable moving your body using a few simple ideas as inspiration. By the end of this class, you’ll be comfortable playing with a number of classic jazz steps by using isolations, rhythms, and accents.

12.30-13.30: Lunch break (60 min)

13.30-16.00: From Drills to Improv (2h30min) – Now that you’re comfortable moving your body, we’ll talk about what it means to be connected to the music, how to practice being present, and how this creates space for an amazing conversation! We’ll start with solo drills and then explore how to dance with these ideas. This class will be as challenging as you make it 😀

Sunday (Partnered):

11.00-13.30: Lindy Hop – Partnered (2h30min) – One Rhythm – Using common rhythms, this class will focus on connection and quality of movement. It’s about the individual within the partnership. This class is “simple” in concept and is as challenging (and as fun) as you make it. Let’s dance!!

13.30-14.30: Lunch break (60 min)

14.30-17.00: Lindy Hop – Partnered (2h30min) – Trading Eights – this super fun class will take your partner connection to a new level through a more open communication. Both Leaders and Followers will recalibrate how they are “listening” and “speaking.” This class with cover partner dynamics, frame, and musicality.
REQUIREMENTS: Dancers need to be comfortable with Swing outs, circles, tuck turns, and passbys.

JO’S BIO

Jo Hoffberg is a force of nature. She is an international choreographer, a highly decorated competitor, a thoughtful mentor, a wearer of high-waist pants, and is best known for her teaching. She has taught Lindy Hop, Charleston, Vernacular Jazz, Aerials, Competition Prep, and Weekend Intensives both nationally and abroad since 2007. Her love and appreciation for various Black American art forms allows her to bring innovative versatility to the dance floor while simultaneously respecting the roots.

Her demand as an instructor, performer, and competitor has taken her to hundreds of festivals spanning 35 countries and five continents. After having spent many years prioritizing Lead & Follow, Jo now enjoys exploring improvisation, musicality, body awareness, and self-expression, which is apparent every time she steps on the dance floor (or posts videos of herself dancing in her living room). Incredibly passionate about teaching the solo side of partner dancing, Jo is super-freaking excited about helping students find their voice in this dance!

Her motto: possibilities over perfection.
She has been honored for her contributions by being inducted into the 2012 Rising Star California Swing Dance Hall of Fame, 2014 Camp Hollywood Hall of Fame, and 2022 Shining Star California Swing Dance Hall. She holds countless titles from such prominent competitions as: The American Lindy Hop Championships, European Swing Dance Championships, International Lindy Hop Championships, National Jitterbug Championships, U.S. Open Swing Dance Championships, Ultimate Lindy Hop Showdown, and Lone Star Championships – to name a few. Lady Hoffberg has been interviewed for Swing Dancer Magazine, “The Track” podcast, cover of Swing Magasinet om Swingdans, and guest-starred in Yehoodi broadcast of ILHC.

As a community leader, she is shining the spotlight on the next generation by consistently competing in Pro/Ams at ILHC, mentoring the next generation of instructors, and supporting deeper structural changes in the community – check out her online dance school to see this in action!! She is continuing to invest in her personal dance education by regularly challenging herself in other genres of dance, and believes to be a good teacher you must also be a good student.