Join us for an EPIC afternoon of classic steps and moves from the history of swing dancing!

The SHIM SHAM started out as a tap routine in vaudeville and became so popular that it is now known as the “National Anthem” of Tap. It was adopted and adapted by the swing community in the 1930s and is now a common and widely known routine that is done all over the world.

The Shim Sham is VERY FREQUENTLY done at swing dances as a chance for EVERYONE to get on the floor and be a part of this legendary performance routine. It was known by everyone from tap dancers like The Nicholas Brothers, Fred Astaire and Bill Robinson, to Lindy Legends like Frankie Manning, Norma Miller, Al Minns & Leon James. Learn this routine, and you join a long-standing continuum of dancers that stretches all the way back to the early days of vaudeville! It’s considered a classic, standard routine for all swing dancers to learn, and this is YOUR chance!

Come and learn the routine and some of the fascinating stories that surround it! Peter Flahiff spent a lot of time with the originator of the first, original Tap Shim Sham, Mr. Leonard Reed, so you’ll benefit from some first-hand anecdotes. It’s also a routine that Peter has taught regularly for well over ten years, so he can REALLY break it down for you.

SO, we’ll cover the traditional Shim Sham, The Freeze Chorus and The Boogie Chorus, AND THEN we’ll move on and learn another classic routine called THE JITTERBUG STROLL!

The Jitterbug Stroll is a more recent jazz routine created by Lindy Hop legend Ryan Francois, a man who Frankie Manning once described as the dancer who most reminded Frankie of himself! It’s a great routine with more great classic steps, suitable for 12-bar blues structure songs (a lot of Woody Herman’s music, practically everything Basie ever did, etc…!) The cost for the whole shmear is just $25, so make sure to come out and get these routines NAILED.

SHIM SHAM & JITTERBUG STROLL WORKSHOP!
Saturday, July 17th
1:30pm - 4:30pm
$25 per person
Kirkland Dance Center
835 7th Ave. Kirkland, WA 98035

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We couldn’t dance in freedom without you!

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