What's on 2020: Course Previews

Our first term of 2020 is coming up and with that in mind we have put together 3 quick snapshots of what’s coming up on each course.

Charleston Course - The Charleston 2020

This is our main Charleston course for beginners and improvers being taught in our locations including: Brighton & Hove, Eastbourne, Lewes, Shoreham Worthing & Portsmouth.

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Musicals Course - Bugsy Malone

In our next musicals course we will be teaching the iconic routine from Bugsy Malone - Fat Sam’s Grand Slam in Hove, Eastbourne and Worthing.

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Intermediate Jazz & Charleston Routine

In our next Intermediate Jazz course, Elena will be teaching this dynamic routine focused on Jazz Roots steps and rhythmic variations. This course is available in Hove only.

7 skills you will learn at our Partner Charleston workshop

On 26th October, Fiona will be teaching our Partner Charleston workshop where you will learn all the key moves that make up this style. Whether you’re coming on your own or with a friend you’ll walk away having learnt the following seven new skills:

1. The fundamentals - During the workshop there will be some key steps that you will master. These will include Charleston in hold with two types of frame, turns and spins for both Leads and Follows and how to travel together. We will teach you Call and Response moves as well as a short routine to bust out next time you hit the dancefloor.

2. How to lead and follow - Partner dancing requires awareness and clear communication; this is essential for the overall success of the dance. We will guide you through some simple techniques for the Lead and Follow including how to be ready for cues both visually and physically. 

3. How to use your frame - Frame is vital when you dance together. It’s how the dancers are connected and move as one. We will work on how to use it to signal to each other and the importance of your arms within your steps.

4. Picking and choosing your next step - If you are the Lead and commit to a turn, a walk or change of direction, you must be clear in your move so the Follow understands your decision. We will teach which steps connect well together and help you remember simple patterns for social dancing.

5. Dancing to various tempos - Finding your groove with the song and dancing to the beat of the track can be tricky when Charlestoning together. We will practice the footwork to different tempos and BPMs so you know what tempos suit your style. 

6. Improving your confidence on the dancefloor - Making an error, misreading a cue or improving your frame are as crucial as the steps themselves. We’ll cover how to make decisive steps so you feel confident in both a social setting and in a choreographed routine.

7. Using your Face - If you watch any duet on Strictly Come Dancing, the couples are always using their faces to communicate their next steps, even if it’s as subtle as just using their eyes. In the workshop, you will learn how to use expressions when moving across the dance floor. The Charleston is a playful dance so being able to pull silly faces at your partner is equally as important to what your feet are doing.

If you want to learn a new skill, master a fun dance or just fancy a different type of exercise you can book onto the workshop for 26th October, 2:30-5:30pm at Open Space Studios here. Best of all if you book as a pair you save 15%. £30 per person or £50 per pair.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Everything you need to know about our courses

MyCharleston specialise in teaching 20s Charleston, it is a playful dance full of character and you don’t need a partner. Learning through fun is key and you will be dancing the Charleston by the end of you first class. We run six week courses so you can develop your style, swivel and learn a dance routine. 

Class Structure

Each class starts with a simple warm-up, this is just to get you moving, stretch out and get you in the mood to dance.  Week one is all about learning the basic Charleston, over the coming weeks we will introduce short exercises that will teach you the moves coming up in the routine. Charleston has a wide vocabulary of dance moves each with a name and a character which making them easy to remember. Even when these exercises go a bit wrong, the room is full of laughter and having fun is definitely more important than always getting it right.

The final half of the class is dedicated to learning the routine, this is often people’s favourite part.  If you’ve not learnt choreography before then this will challenge you in a good way. Musicians and dancers have highly developed frontal lobes, this comes from exercising the part of the brain which aids memory recall.

Benefits of Dance

Dance requires concentration and anchors your brain into the ‘here and now’.  A lot of research shows how dancing can maintain and even boast your ability to think as you age. To me the greatest benefit of dance is that it gives you some distance from your worries and improves your mood.

As you get into the routine of coming to a regular class you will develop your skills and discover great music. The fitness benefits of dancing are an added bonus. You get a great cardio workout - Charleston is famous for being fast and furious. Charleston dance incorporates movement on all planes of motion from all directions, this variety of movement means no muscle if left behind as you exercise. In our dance classes you will burn over 400 calories an hour.

Practice and achievement

There are many benefits to dance, by committing to a regular class you are more likely to attend. The key thing about the six week course is there is a progressive learning path therefore you can build up your knowledge week by week. There is a clear outcome because people are committed to learning the routine. For those who want to practice at home, MyCharleston give you a free video of the dance routine when you sign up for a course. 

By week six you will know the choreography and we celebrate this by dressing-up and dancing the full routine (this is sometime followed by a cheeky drink after class.) For those who wish to show their friends and family, we regularly offer opportunities to take part in video and performance projects. 

Dancing is both a personal thing and something to celebrate and share. I often say there is a dance out there for everyone, so if you like to have a little bop around your kitchen, then have a look to see what dance classes there are in your area. Take a risk and you will soon be feeling the benefits of a dance.

Take a look at our latest timetable below:

5 and half tips on how to Charleston Partner Dance

When I first started to learn how to partner dance I thought it wasn’t for me. I found it very hard to adjust to being led, where traditionally the male dancer leads his female partner around the floor and he dictates the steps that the pair will do. Having danced my whole life by myself, it felt quite alien to have to hold onto to someone, let know being told what to do! However, over time I have fallen in love with this style and now regularly teach private partner Charleston lessons.

Over the past few months, I have been working with a few different couples. Some have focused on traditional 1920s Charleston where we cover each week different steps and techniques. With another couple, I have been working on their first dance for their wedding. A romantic ballad with simple partner steps.

Having worked with many couples, you begin to spot common things that people find tricky. If you are wanting to start to partner dance or you have just started, here are my 5 (and a half) tips which you can add to your personal practice.

1. Have a strong frame - Frame is vital, not only in partner Charleston dancing but, in any genre. It’s how the dancers are connected and move as one. If you have a weak frame it becomes impossible for the two dancers to know what is coming next as partner dancing is all about responding to each other’s signals.

2. Keep eye contact - Eye contact is everything in partner dancing, if you can’t look your partner in the face how are you going to be able to read what is going to be next. Sometimes it does feel a bit weird staring at someone you have just met in a social situation but don’t let it put you off and enjoy being in the moment. 

3. Take decisive steps - If you are the lead and commit to a turn, a walk or change of direction, you must be clear in your move so the follow understands your decision. If you are too timid the follow cannot guess what move you are trying to do. Equally, the follow must respond with a decisive move too. 

4. Practicing switching roles - If you have a regular dance partner, try switching roles to see what it is like for other dancer. This technique will also help you work on your frame and the signals you give to each other for each move.

5. Listen to the music - Find your groove with the song and try your best to dance to the beat of the track. When you lock in with the music, the dance becomes a lot easier and more enjoyable for the both of you.

Oh and my final piece of advice, is to remember to laugh and embrace mistakes! Learning to partner dance is all about the enjoyment of learning to dance with someone special, so if things go wrong it doesn’t matter as practice makes perfect.

If you would like to find out more about booking private lessons or need help with your first dance just fill in the enquiry form below.

Elena :)

Private Lesson Enquiry Form

Everything you need to know about The Black Bottom

The next course routine Black Bottom, has a fascinating history so before you learn the MyCharleston version, here is some background on the dance and a great selection of video clips for you to enjoy along with a sneak peek of the next course routine.  

The Black Bottom was the next dance fad to hit America after the Charleston became popular in the 1920s.  The dance itself consists of a number of moves the most iconic being the one where you slap the floor and then slap both bum cheeks. You would be forgiven for thinking this cheeky bit of choreography is how the dance got it’s name but it was in fact named after a district in Detroit. 

MyCharleston have been dancing the Black Bottom for many years the routine we originally learnt was by The Dance Jubilee Troupe and was filmed in the 1950s. I suspect the original dance was nothing like this, in fact it’s more of a foot shuffle. However in this routine you see a move where you jump between four contrasting postures, it’s like an exaggerated version of “Itches” and has become iconic within the Black Bottom catalogue of moves. 

Like the Charleston this is a dance which originates from African Americans and was then adopted by mainstream American Culture. The dance is so steeped in history that I could write a whole thesis on it but I won’t. Let me finish by saying there are many versions of the dance and the tune Black Bottom. For the next course we’ve selected the Spike Jones version. So pour yourself a cuppa and enjoy these clips of dancers, musicians and singers all performing the Black Bottom …

Black Bottom from the film The Best Things in Life Are Free

Singing Black Bottom - Judy Garland in A Star is Born

To book your spot on the MyCharleston courses, head over to our classes page

Original photos from 1920s

Original posters from 1920s

Sneak Preview: Litte Bird Charleston Course

Each term we make each course as unique as possible with new moves and music to match. This spring, we taken inspiration from Rose Murphy’s song ‘A Little Bird Told Me’ originally recorded in 1947. The theme is inspired by ‘bird like movement’ which provides much of the character for the dance. The song itself is very soft and lyrical, with Rose Murphy distinctive voice which is both quirky and beguiling.

For a glimpse of what’s coming up Elena and I went to the studio to show you the steps…

As you can see in the video, there are a number of classic ‘bird’ moves in Charleston that we explore in this terms dance including: Pecking step, Chicken Walks and the Birdie Flap, a move made famous by Charleston dancing superstar Josephine Baker in the 1920s. 

The course also provides you with the opportunity to perform on a large stage at this years Take Part in Preston Park Brighton on the 23 June. I have already been asked if we will be dressing like birds and I think it’s safe to say that might be taking the theme a bit too far, hopefully the moves will speak for themselves.

Take Part 2018

The other theme we are exploring in this routine is circles, which I have to say are surprisingly challenging! I tested out the Ceilidh inspired weave around the circle exercise at my sister St Patrick’s Day party and they soon had it down.  It was great to see it working and I think we will have a lot of fun mastering the circle. 

As always, we have also pulled out some great tracks inspired by birds and flying for this course from classic tunes like Flying Home to Bird of Prey Blues by Coleman Hawkin. 

Fiona x



The history of the musical Chicago

Over our six week autumn courses we taught “Hot Honey Rag” from the musical Chicago at part our Vintage musicals course, an iconic musical number and a Broadway standard. But, did you know that this musical is actually based on a true story that happened in the 1920s?

In the 1920s several cases arose, which involved women killing their lovers or husbands. The press came really intrigued with these cases, because it seemed that, in Chicago, after a long string of acquittals by Cook County juries of women murderesses, feminine or attractive women could not be convicted. In 1924 Maurine Dallas Watkins was assigned to cover the trials of accused murderers Beulah Annan and Belva Gaertner for the Chicago Tribune, which took a pro-prosecution “hang-them-high” stance, while still presenting the details of these women’s lives.

The Hearst papers, the rival of the Chicago Tribune, were more pro-defendant and employed what were derisively called “sob-sisters”, which were women reporters who focused on the plight attractiveness, redemption, or grace of the women defendants.

But regardless of stance, the press covered several of the women as celebrities.

Watkins columns documenting the trials of Annan and Gaertner were so popular that she decided to write a play about them, which was the model of the musical adaptation.

Beulah Annan was the model for Roxie Hart.
She was only 23 years old when she was accused of the murder of Harry Kalstedt in April 1924. The Tribune wrote that she played the song “Hula Lou” for two hours before calling her husband to say she killed a man who "tried to make love to her". She was found not guilty in May 1924.

Belva Gaertner was Watkins inspiration for Velma Kelly.
In 1924 the body of Walter Law was discovered slumped over the steering wheel of Gaertner’s abandoned car and two police officers testified that they had seen a woman getting into the car and shortly after that they had heard a gunshot. She was also acquitted in 1924.

Even the lawyers William Scott Stewart and W. W. O’Brien were models for the composite character in Chicago “Billy Flynn”.

Bob Fosse

In the 1960s, Gwen Verdon read the play and asked her husband, Bob Fosse, about the possibility of creating a musical adaptation. In 1969 the rights were sold to producer Richard Fryer, Verdon, and Fosse. Fosse directed the musical and choreographed it as well.

Bob Fosse was born in Chicago as a son of vaudevillian, which led to his early start as a dancer and in theatre.
After growing up in cabaret night clubs, the nature of Fosse’s signature dance style was sexually suggestive; this also influenced the choreography for the musical Chicago. Three of his dance trademarks included the turned-in knees, sideways shuffling and the jazz hands.

The whole Chicago revival features new choreography “in the style of Bob Fosse”.

The song “Hot Honey Rag” is a recreation of Fosse’s original dance, originally called “Keep it Hot”. He made the performance a compendium of all the steps he learned as a young man working in vaudeville and burlesque.

Here you can see our Vintage Musical Group performing our version to the song “Hot Honey Rag”.

What’s on this September

Our brand new Charleston courses are just around the corner and we have put together a brief for both our level one and level two courses so you know what to expect.  

Level one - Everybody loves my baby  

Everybody loves my baby is a simple mid-tempo routine with classic moves such as The Charleston, Black-Bottom and Knocky-Knees. The tune is taken from the TV series Broadwalk Empire. It uses simple chorus-line patterning at the start then breaks into lines for the body of the dance. The routine includes a Charleston variation sequence and a line switch before it repeats. If your class needs more of a challenge there are other variations from the Level 1.5 course you can make use of. 

Level one in Portsmouth - Shimmy like my sister Kate

For those who have not already taken part in Shimmy like my sister Kate, Mel will be teaching this great little routine to our Portsmouth Beginners on Wednesday at 6.30pm and we love this version of the song also from Boardwalk Empire. 

Level two - Tailspin

Tailspin is a fast tempo tune, although it was written in 1934 it has all the traits of a classic twenties Charleston tune. The choreography is fast, dense and twenties inspired riffing on classic moves. The Charleston is the foundation of the choreography with embellishments such as helicopters, kicks, side shuffles and side to side Charlestons. The choreography uses simple, strong patterning to create lines which travel forward and to the side so the dancers weave around one another. There is lots of cross phrasing, repeating segments and some quirky character moves making this a funandfast routine. 

Vintage Musicals - Hot Honey Rag

Get your tommy gun at the ready as we take on Hot Honey Rag, the iconic closing scene of the epic musical Chicago.  

Using props and patterning you will oozing your inner Velma and Roxie by the end of the course learning some fierce footwork that Bob Fosse would be proud of. Music for the course will be inspiredfrom the filmand at the end of the course we will complete the full routine.  

Charleston dancing swivels its way over to Ryde

Our Charleston dance school which was recently accepted onto the UK’s largest free accelerator hub, Entrepreneurial Sparks, will be swivelling it’s way to Ryde from 19 Feb.

MyCharleston, led by myself Elena Collins and Fiona Ring, was set up as a passion project after we became hooked on Charleston dancing. After teaching sellout classes back in our hometown Brighton, we realised the demand for the dance was bigger than we initially thought. 

In just under 6 months, we have launched our business in 5 new cities focusing on getting all age groups kicking and flicking across the dance floor.  

“When we set this up we had no idea we’d be expanding over seas” laughs Fiona. “Things have been moving at a giddy pace since we joined the Entrepreneurial Sparks programme.  Elena now works full time on the business and we have expanded along the South Coast recently launching in my hometown of Portsmouth”.

Since then the classes have gone from strength to strength and the latest expansion for MyCharleston is to the Isle of White. ’’Its not international but it is a leap from the mainland and we think Charleston will be a big hit on the Island as the dance offers so much: It’s great fitness, very sociable and chance to have a lot of fun’’

Classes start on 19th Feb at the Ryde Academy at 8pm. to find out more about classes near you and other events run by MyCharleston go to www.mycharlestondance.com

Brand new Courses this September

Hope you’re well. I wanted to let you know that I Charleston Brighton is now having a summer break but after many requests we are launching 5 new courses in September in Brighton, Hove and Worthing! Our timetable is:

Mondays
• Brighton Marina: 6 Week Charleston course from Monday 11 Sept at 6.30pm at Marina Studios https://marinastudios.eventbrite.co.uk

Tuesdays
• Hove: 6 Week Charleston Course from Tuesday 12 Sept at 6pm at Open Space Studios https://openspacestudios.eventbrite.co.uk

• Hove: 6 week Improvers Charleston Course from Tuesday 12 Sept at 7pm at Open Space Studioshttps://improvers.eventbrite.co.uk

Wednesdays
• Worthing: 6 Week Charleston course from Wednesday13 Sept at 7pm at DanceHouse Studios https://worthing.eventbrite.co.uk

Thursdays
• Seven Dials, Brighton: Thursday Morning Charleston Course from Thursday 14 Sept at 10AM at Wendy Whatling School of Dance https://sevendials.eventbrite.co.uk

I very much hope you can join us on one of these courses!

Elena