Lindy Focus

Lindy Focus is an all-encompassing celebration of Swing, featuring many of the world's best dance instructors and the best live music on the planet.
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Each year we bring you five nights of authentic big band music unparalleled in modern history, with classes and social dancing that can't be beat. There's so much more that can't be put in to words... join us to learn for yourself what all the hype is about. BASIC SCHEDULE

December 26th - Arrival day for most campers, and more casual welcome dance. December 27th - Daytime Add-on classes, mandator

y placement sessions for Camp Pass holders begin at 6pm. First night of Jonathan Stout and his Lindy Focus All Star Orchestra. December 28th-31st - Tracked classes, add-ons, evening dances, and more special activities TBA! January 1st - informal after-party. We take place in Asheville NC, USA, airport code AVL.

-->>Our Community Guidelines:

Hello and welcome to the Lindy Focus Community
This Community is here for dancers to share tips, learn or ask advice from other customers. This community is a space for dancers to seek advice, ask questions, share experiences, offer ideas, collaborate, meet like-minded people, and grow personally and professionally. Everyone’s welcome to drop by and get involved, but please note messaging Lindy Focus will give you the quickest response for

To ensure this remains a safe and fun place for everyone, we have a few Community Guidelines to follow. Please Do:

--Check the FAQ.
--Check to see if your question has been answered before starting a new topic. Chances are someone has had the same problem and there will be a solution on their existing topic.
--Be nice and respect other people’s opinions. Also recognise the fact these opinions may be different to your own. We encourage all members to be constructive and tactful when sharing their opinions. Everyone deserves to share their thoughts and ideas in our community, as long as they are respectful toward others.
--Use your initiative. If you’re going to follow someone’s advice, make sure it’s for your issue and isn’t going to make things worse.
--Share your knowledge. If you think you may be able to help another member then we’d love you to post it.
--If someone has helped you, feel free to thank them for their help. Please Don’t:

--Post personal information. It’s not just us that can see you posted your details - the entire internet can. This includes things like your own or anyone else’s phone numbers, addresses, bank details and email addresses.
--Openly discuss moderation actions that have been taken. If you have a question, then please get in touch via private message to the Community Manager.
--Advertise, post repetitive messages or links. This includes third party adverts, polls and petitions, junk mail, spam, chain letters or any other form of unauthorized solicitation.
--Use bad language or insulting/offensive behavior. Everyone is here either to ask questions or help answer them, so please don’t personally attack other members.
--Change the thread topic. If you want to discuss something different to the original post please start a new thread.

**If a member engages in behavior that violates this code of conduct, they may be given a warning or they may be asked to leave the community, depending on the severity of the behavior. If a member is asked to stop any harassing behavior, they are expected to comply immediately.**

Two quick notes:
While we don't intend to delete anyone's comments, if we ever see any cruel/offensive/harassing comments, trolling, graphic content or messages that feel like spam, these are circumstances that could possibly result in us deleting the post. If you have not-so-positive yet crucial feedback for someone, it might be more appropriate to share it privately, and in a supportive way. If you need any help with this, please feel free to ask a Lindy Focus Community admin member for advice.

11/12/2024

LOCALS NIGHT 12/27!
All Asheville area residents are invited to come join us for a night of Live music, Dancing, performances and more!

If you are from Madison, Bucombe, Haywood, Henderson or Transylvania County you are welcome to come join us from 8:00PM to Midnight as we celebrate the Big Band Music of the incredible Count Basie Orchestra.
There is no need to Pre-pregister, but please bring an ID for identification.

We lean on a lot of local Asheville artists, including local musicians, piano rentals, decorations, food, etc, and we are happy to include them in this years festivities.

11/10/2024

November 30th is QUICKLY approaching! We’ve got t-shirts, crop tops, and hoodies in various colors and, of course, this amazing Erskine Hawkins jacket! Order your merch before the deadline to ensure you get the piece you want at lindyfocus.com/register

The Hawkins jacket is also ONLY available for pre-order. We WILL NOT have it available for sale in person, so… 👀🏃

11/10/2024

Introducing our Community Activity Leaders! This is the team running the show behind all the extracurriculars and daytime hangs all week long:

Cindi Lyons (they/them) - Daytime Activities Director
Jamica Zion (they/she) - Dogwood Programming
Rachel Pitner (she/her) - Activity Leader
Madeline Webster-Perry (she/her) - Accessibility Advocate + Activity Leader
Tom Yi (he/him) - Activity Leader

These are your personal guides on a whirlwind journey of swing, jazz, and community magic. They'll ignite connections with workshops and activities designed to make you mingle, move, and make memories. Dive deep into our history's vibrant tapestry through their captivating discussions, then dream big for the future as you brainstorm and envision the next swingin' chapter with fellow enthusiasts.

Check out our schedule of activities at lindyfocus.com/full-schedule

11/05/2024

Have some great Lindy Focus memories? Share them with us and make sure to not miss out on new ones! Registration is still open for dance passes and classes at lindyfocus.com/register

11/03/2024

You Should Be DJing: Erskine Hawkins!

Check out our Spotify playlists to get familiar with catalog of The 20th Century Gabriel, which we are bringing a second life to through this year's transcription project and playling live for the first time on December 30th.

As a gentle reminder, our many Spotify playlists are to be used for educational purposes and as a reference as DJs grow their libraries. Please support these catalogs and living artists by purchasing your music!

https://bit.ly/3UwXpQj

11/02/2024

What this conversation probably was:

“Have you registered for classes or bought merch yet?”
“Of course! Plus, merch pre-orders close on November 30th and the jackets won’t be available in person”

But who’s to say 🤷

Register and get your merch at lindyfocus.com/register

📸: American Vernacular

11/01/2024

LINDY FOCUS IS ON!

We are thrilled to say that we have dotted the Is, crossed the Ts, and are full steam ahead toward Lindy Focus '24 in Asheville NC. The Crowne Plaza is good to go and you can make your reservation right now at lindyfocus.com/hotel.

The Crowne Plaza has been a great host to us for nearly 20 years and we are thrilled to be coming back. We know this storm has been tough on everyone. The hospitality industry is not excluded. The more rooms we fill, the better it is for the employees working so hard to make sure we can still celebrate together.

We also want to announce that DECEMBER 27 is "LOCALS NIGHT"! Residents of Asheville and the surrounding areas are invited to join Lindy Focus free of charge as a thank you to the entire arts community in Asheville which has helped foster an atmosphere where something like Lindy Focus could thrive. We have so much more to tell you about Lindy Focus, but for now: the most important message is that IT. IS. ON.

The dancing, the classes, the wholesome shenanigans, the breakfast club, buff deer, endless jam circles, the best week of swing music known to humanity, and whatever else you want it to be. It’s all on. LET'S FOCUSSSING GOOOOOO!

📸: American Vernacular

10/12/2024

As we continue to check in with the hotel and our friends in Asheville affected by the hurricane, we feel confident Lindy Focus is still set to happen this year and we are working as hard as ever to make sure that this year's event is one of the best we've ever had.

However, Asheville was greatly affected, leaving many without homes or resources and we encourage visiting the link below if you’re able to support or are seeking support.

We hope to still see you all to celebrate the holidays together ❤️

https://bit.ly/wncheleneguide

📸: AAmerican Vernacular

10/01/2024

Hey friends,
We are continuing to check with friends and family in the aftermath of the storm.

Lots of folks have been sending us questions about what this means for Lindy Focus and the bottom line is that it's too early to tell.

The Crowne Plaza seems to have been mostly unaffected is taking in locals who have lost their housing.

We are looking into a number of support efforts to help the people of Asheville rebuild, we will keep folks updated here.

In the meantime, we're keeping our hearts and our minds with the people of Asheville and anyone who's been affected by this disaster.

Thanks for your patience and care.

09/27/2024

We are officially THREE MONTHS away from Lindy Focus '24! If you have not yet registered… 👀 have you heard we have a payment plan? If you have already registered/will register with our payment plan, please note that if you have not paid your balance in full by December 1st, it will be paid automatically.

November 30th is also our merch pre-order deadline. Mark your calendars!

📸: American Vernacular

09/23/2024

🤩 CHECK OUT THIS JACKET! 🤩

Here at Lindy Focus, we love celebrating incredible swing music (it's kind of our whole thing). This year, we're so excited to present the music of Erskine Hawkins, and we're releasing a limited-edition, commemorative letter jacket inspired by this incredible bandleader.

Hawkins's first gig as a bandleader was leading the 'Bama State Collegians, one of three traveling college bands that toured the country on behalf of Hawkins' alma mater, Alabama State Teachers College. They debuted in New York at the Harlem Opera House in 1934, and the band was invited to stay in New York. Hawkins and most of his bandmates leapt at the chance, reorganizing themselves as Erskine Hawkins & His Orchestra, and becoming a mainstay of the New York City swing scene for the next two decades.

This jacket is only available for pre-order, and there will NOT be extras at the door. If you want one, (and you should, I mean they're pretty swanky) get it before pre-orders close on NOVEMBER 30th. See all of this year's merch at lindyfocus.com/merch and get yours through your registration form.

09/22/2024

Class registration is open and scholarships are now available for Lindy Focus '24!

Our team of instructors have put together an amazing schedule of classes in Lindy Hop, Balboa, Blues, Solo Jazz, Tap, and music, available a la carte or with an All Class Pass. See our class schedule at lindyfocus.com/classes.

We are also now accepting scholarship applications and donations! For more information visit lindyfocus.com/scholarship-fund. Thank you to both our applicants and donors for supporting our community!

We’ll see you very soon, in Asheville, NC to ring in the new year! 🥳🎉🎶

📸: Jeff Liu-Leyco Dance & Photography

09/20/2024

🎉 CLASS DESCRIPTIONS ARE LIVE! 🎉 Check out the amazing things this year’s instructors have planned for you at lindyfocus.com/classes

📸: American Vernacular

09/20/2024

This is how we're feeling because class registration for Lindy Focus '24 opens at midnight! See our schedule at lindyfocus.com/classes and choose your own class adventure!

Classes are included with All Access Passes; classes must be purchased a la carte for all other pass types.

📸: American Vernacular

09/19/2024

✨ Meet Tim Christopher! ✨

Timothy Christopher was first a musician! His journey with jazz starts with self taught piano from youtube and old recordings. He stumbled into dance years later while looking for a jazz jam when he got back to his home town from college.

He found himself in a room full of people moving their bodies around to swing music, but there was one couple that was dancing! The next day he found himself in the couples house learning this lovely dance called the Lindy Hop!

Clearly he got obsessed with this dance and the culture surrounding the dance and now he is competing, dancing, and teaching internationally! He was in the most recent installment of SW!NG OUT in New York 2023 and has performed at the Lincoln Center in New York.

09/18/2024

✨ Meet Sara-Sofia Rentas ✨

Sara-Sofia Rentas (she/her) first discovered swing dancing in 2015 and has been dedicated to the art ever since. While spending her college years learning Lindy Hop and Balboa in Orlando, FL and at events across the country, she would become an organizer, performer, and instructor for the community through Swing Knights at UCF and Orlando Swing Dance. With limited resources for learning Balboa early in her dance journey, she adopted social dancing as her classroom, and never looked back.

On the dance floor she would experiment with mechanics, musicality, and the relationship between leader and follower with each opportunity to travel. This learning process also shaped her approach to teaching. In her classes you’ll find a unique blend of excitement for efficient technique and playful improvisation that honors the greatness of swing music and each student’s personal expression and abilities.

Sara is based in New York City and spreads the joy of Balboa in weekly classes at You Should Be Dancing Studios.

09/17/2024

✨ Meet Natalia Eristavi! ✨

My name is Natalia (she/her) and I am a jazz dancer, teacher and performer from Southern California and based in St. Louis, Missouri. I have been dancing most of my life but discovered Swing dance in Southern California in 2010 when I was 17 years old, falling in love first with Balboa and Lindy Hop and soon after venturing out into Solo Jazz, Collegiate S**g and Carolina S**g. What I love most about Swing dance is Jazz Music and the freedom to improvise through movement, both solo and with a partner. Building community and creating together in class, social dances or jam setting is a beautiful and vulnerable experience that I feel privileged to be a part of.

Address

Asheville, NC
28806

Website

http://www.lindyfocus.com/

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Videos

Have something to share?! Performances are a huge part of what makes Lindy Focus, well…Lindy Focus! Those interested in performing this year should reach out to our performance coordinator Viktor Lillard through direct message on Facebook, Instagram @vik.vision, or email at [email protected]

Newcomer Mix and Match Finals! These dancers have never made finals at a contest before and put on a helluva show on New Years Eve! Congratulations to all the competitors for throwing down; it's a scary thing to do and you all were amazing!

Irina and Anthony's Performance Class, Lindy Focus '23

Over the course of the week, these students learned this routine from Irina Amzashvili and Anthony Chen and performed for the whole camp. 🔥🔥🔥🔥

Lindy Hop Finals, Lindy Focus '23

This year's late night Lindy Hop contest was absolutely wild! Congrats to Kyra and Daniel for their hard fought win.

The Harvest Moon Hoppers come every year Bring. The. Heat. They've been working with Michael Gamble and the Rhythm Serenaders for years and this level of performer's comfort with performing to live music is pretty unmatched. They know what they are doing and they do it well.

Harvest Moon Hoppers!

All the way from NYC: The Harvest Moon Hoppers! Live to the music of Michael Gamble and the Rhythm Serenaders!

OH NO, MAN!, Lindy Focus '23

Lindy Focus has been metaphoriccally building the bridge between musicians and dancers for many years, but this took it to the next level. Join Viktor, Tim, Felix and Shane on an.... adventure.

SOLO JAZZ FINALS, Lindy Focus '23

We've never had a contest happen like this. These three dancers were absolutely destroying the floor in the earlier rounds, completely inseperable. Then something switched on in Rachel Brown. This became less of a contest final and more of a moment between Rachel and Michael Gamble's band that we were ALL priveleged to witness. This one was very special.

Happy Honeysuckles! Marie N'diaye, Jamica Zion, Hannah Lane, Chisomo Selemani, Ana Lisa Sutherland, Breonna Jordan, Rachel Brown, Andrea Gordon, Laurel Ryan, and Alyssa Beard!