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Read about all things Charleston
Videos: Watch our Summer Solo Jazz and Musical Routines
Watch the videos from our latest Summer Jazz and Musicals Routines taught in Brighton and Hove and Online
Watch the videos from our latest Solo Jazz and Musicals Routines taught in Brighton and Hove and Online.
When the saints ROUTINE
Intermediate Level
Musicals - America - West Side Story, Hove Group
Musicals - America - West Side Story, ONLINE Group
DO YOUR THING - JAZZ GROUP
Videos: Watch our 'Heebie Jeebies' Routines
Watch the videos from our Heebie Jeebies course. These routines have been taught across Brighton & Hove, Lewes, Eastbourne, Portsmouth and Online. See if you can spot yourself or a friend!
Watch the videos from our latest Open Level Charleston Course 'Heebie Jeebies. This routine was taught across Brighton & Hove, Lewes, Eastbourne, Portsmouth, and Online. Our teaching team have also been busy in Darlington, Devon, Cleethorpes, Italy and Holland! See if you can spot yourself or a friend!
Hove Morning GROUP
hOVE Evening GROUP
Brighton GROUP
Lewes gROUP
EASTBOURNE gROUP
PORTSMOUTH gROUP
Online gROUP
Videos: Watch our Spring Jazz and Musical Routines
Watch the videos from our latest Spring Jazz and Musicals Routines taught in Brighton and Hove and Online
Watch the videos from our latest Jazz and Musicals Routines taught in Brighton and Hove and Online.
The Charleston ROUTINE
Intermediate Level
Musicals - One, Singular Sensation, Hove Group
Musicals - One, Singular Sensation, ONLINE Group
DO YOUR THING - JAZZ GROUP
Videos: Watch our 'Let's Take The Maxwell' Routines
Watch the videos from our Let’s Take the Maxwell course. These routines have been taught across Brighton & Hove, Lewes, Eastbourne, Portsmouth, Worthing and Online. See if you can spot yourself or a friend!
Watch the videos from our latest Open Level Charleston Course 'Let’s Take the Maxwell’. This routine was taught across Brighton & Hove, Lewes, Eastbourne, Portsmouth, Worthing and Online. Our teaching team have also been busy in Darlington, Devon, Cleethorpes, Italy and Holland! See if you can spot yourself or a friend!
Hove Morning GROUP
hOVE Evening GROUP
Brighton GROUP
Lewes gROUP
EASTBOURNE gROUP
PORTSMOUTH gROUP
Worthing gROUP
Online gROUP
Videos: MyCharleston Speakeasy 2023
Thank you so much to everyone who came to our MyCharleston Speakeasy this month! Big thank to our dancers, The Moxie Dolls, Sam and the Jazz Cats and the wonderful crew at Brighton Spiegeltent. We’ve captured as much as the day as possible and here are performances from the Great Show
The MyCharleston Speakeasy is always a special event but this year we had the most fantastic and enthusiastic crowd ever. Without any encouragement people hit the dance floor the moment the doors opened and they were still dancing with gusto at the end.
Big thank to our dancers, The Moxie Dolls, Sam and the Jazz Cats but mostly to everyone came and danced their little socks off for three hours. We’ve captured as much as the day as possible and here are performances from the Great Show and the official promo video
Thrift Shop Performance
This Charleston routine combines classic moves with a modern twist. The group who performed were our students from our intermediate group who are based in Hove, UK. This routine was taught part of a 6 week course and all students were invited to perform the routine at the Speakeasy on 20th May.
The Charleston
An energetic and fun duet performed and choreographed by the founders of MyCharleston Elena and Fiona. We choreographed this routine earlier this year as we wanted to create a routine with included all the classic moves from the 1920s. The choreography includes Charleston variations, Windmills, Shoe Shines and plenty of swivel! This routine has also been taught at intermediate level too over the spring.
Be My Guest
A cute and quirky solo jazz and Charleston dance routine about welcoming someone into your house. This routine was performed by our teachers who are based across the UK, Europe and Africa. Teachers flew in from Holland and Malawi to join us for this special performance. The teachers are their locations included
Jess - Lewes
Debbie - Eastbourne
Serafine - Worthing
Eleanor - Nottingham
Ellie - Devon
Natalie - Holland
Rachel - Malawi, Africa
Morgan - Brighton
All teaching team also taught this routine to the their open level Charleston groups.
To join an upcoming course this June. Please take a look at our timetable below.
Find out more about our adult Charleston adult dances classes
Videos: What's on this Summer
Dance with us this spring and take a look at all the routines we will be teaching next term. Charleston to 'Take the Maxwell’ or dance to 'One, Singular Sensation' in our Chorus Line musicals course.
You can also learn our 'Do your Thing’ Street Jazz routine or ‘The Charleston' dance in our Intermediate Charleston course. Secure your spot here.
Dance with us this summer and take a look at all the routines we will be teaching next term. Charleston to 'Heebie Jeebies’ or dance to 'America' in our West Side Story musicals course.
You can also learn our new ‘When The Saints Go Marching in' dance in our Intermediate Charleston course. Plus, we have a brand new Street course on the way to Lizzo ‘Good as Hell‘. Secure your spot here.
CHARLESTON COURSE - Heebie Jeebies
we are happy to confirm this is a brand new routine and choreography to the 1920s tune ‘Heebie Jeebiesl‘
BRIGHTON & HOVE LEWES WORTHING PORTSMOUTH ONLINE Eastbourne
Course Dates:
Online via Zoom. Tuesday 12 June - 17 July, 6pm, BST
Brighton: Charleston Course. Wednesday 12 June - 17 July, 7:30-8:30pm
Hove PM: Charleston Course. Tuesday 13 June - 18 July, 6-7pm
Hove AM: Charleston Course. Thursday 15 June - 20 July, 10.30 - 11.30am
Lewes: Tuesday 13 June - 18 July, 6.30-7.30pm, The Body Workshop
Portsmouth: Tuesday 13 June - 18 July 7.30-8.30pm, CourtX
Eastbourne: Wednesday 14 June - 19 July 6:30-7:30pm, Leaf Hall
Worthing: Wednesday 14 June - 19 July 7-8pm, Dance House
Online: via Zoom. Monday 12 June - 17 July, 7pm, BST
Hove: Charleston Course. Tuesday 13 June - 18 July, 7-8pm
INTERMEDIATE CHARLESTON - The CHARLESTON
On our next Intermediate Charleston course will focus solely on all the classic 1920s steps which make up this genre. We will be focusing on Charleston variations, swivel and how to make your moves look effortless.
Hove: Thursday 15 June - 20 July 7-8pm Open Space Studio
BOOK NOW
STREET JAZZ - LIZZO ‘Feeling good as hell‘
A brand new track set to the tune ‘Feeling Good as Hell‘ by Lizzo will be available this spring and taught by Fiona at Open Space studios from 15 June - 20 July.
Hove: Thursday 15 June - 20 July. 6-7pm Open Space Studio
MyCharleston Speakeasy, 20th May
We are delighted to confirm the date of our the annual MyCharleston Speakeasy is 20th May 2023!
We are delighted to confirm the date of our the annual MyCharleston Speakeasy is 20th May 2023!
We love hosting Twenties themed events but our absolute favourite is The Speakeasy at the Spiegeltent, Brighton Fringe. What makes the event so magical is the venue itself. Built in the Twenties, from the outside it looks like a normal canvas tent but when you enter you will understand why Spiegeltent is the Dutch word for ‘Mirror Tent’
Built in the round with stain glass windows and velvet seating booths which surrounds the wooden dance floor, it is the perfect venue for social dancing. You don’t need any dance experience as we will teach you the Charleston and keep you on the dance floor with some simple dances and our six-piece jazz band.
This is a great people watching event too and you will see some fabulous vintage outfits swirling around the dance floor. So when you’re not dancing you can enjoy a cocktail and some entertainment from our Flapper dancers who will perform some classic Twenties routines.
Described as ‘The most inclusive dance event at Brighton Fringe’ we will create a space where anything goes. From glamourous dresses to dungarees, we have seen a full rage outfits over the years, we even once had spiderman! So don’t be shy when choosing your outfit for this event.
The Speakeasy is all about giving the people who come along a good time, it is not a show, you are the event. You will of course learn some dance moves, but you can also dance in any style you choose as we hand the dance floor over to you in the final DJ set.
If you have never been to the Spiegeltent before then take this opportunity to join us for a dance on Saturday 20th May
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Choreographing a Couple of Swells
When Theatre Company ‘Lemon Squeeze’ contacted us about working on the choreography for the latest performance ‘A Couple of Swells’ MyCharleston were delighted to take part. The show is about the lives of two music hall rivals Vesta Tilley & Hetty King who became global superstars as male impersonators in the early 1900s. Vesta was in her day England’s highest earning women, whilst Hetty was reputedly the highest-paid music hall star in the world.
When Theatre Company ‘Lemon Squeeze’ contacted us about working on the choreography for the latest performance ‘A Couple of Swells’ MyCharleston were delighted to take part. The show is about the lives of two music hall rivals Vesta Tilley & Hetty King who became global superstars as male impersonators in the early 1900s. Vesta was in her day England’s highest earning women, whilst Hetty was reputedly the highest-paid music hall star in the world.
Vesta Tilley & Hetty King - Male Impersonators.
Whilst some archive can be found of these two legends the main inspiration came from July Andrews performance of ‘Burlington Bertie from Bow’ but what appears to be a fairly simple dance routine was in fact a big challenge.
“The time signature is in 3/4 which is a waltz” says Fiona “So at first just locking into that rhythm was a challenge, the next was finding movements which reflected the words of the song but wasn’t relentlessly acting like interpretive dance. I have to say compared to choreographing a Charleston dance, this piece took a lot longer to create which is surprising when you see it as it looks so simple. As a choreographer simplicity is the Holy Grail, my greatest inspiration is Bob Fosse because he keeps the movements so crisp and stark. So throughout the creative process my mantra was pair it down and don’t be too literal”
In this performance of Burlington Bertie, Vesta and Hetty have been thrown together as performers, so the piece needed to show them working collaboratively whilst suggesting the sense of rivalry that existed between them.
Emma and Sarah in rehearsals
“I really enjoyed working with Emma and Sarah on the rivalry factor withing this piece” Says Fiona “As performers they were quite intimidated by the taking on the challenge of a ‘dance piece’ but as we worked together we were able to be playful with the situation between them, using their difference in height to add to the comedy. The fact that Emma and Sarah had an established relationship as performers really helped in the creative process. They were willing to take risks and play with giving their weight to one another and we even created a comedy fall at the end of the piece”
As creating Burlington Bertie was taking so long, Emma and Sarah signed up for our regular Charleston class in Worthing and were able to use that to create moves for the other musical numbers in the show including “Following in Father’s Footsteps. We then looked at these in rehearsal but very little needed to be tweaked as they had done a fantastic job.
“I’ve not read the script so I am really looking forward to seeing them perform it in the festival to see how the musical numbers link together. I think the performance will be a fascinating insight into the world of male impersonators” said Fiona.
If you would like to see the show there are two performances happening in May see below for full details. If you would like choreograph for your next show, MyCharleston have worked with Theatre companies and on films creating movement and dance in a full range of styles.
Full Details:
The Walrus, (Basement), 10 Ship Street, Brighton, BN1 1AD
5th and 12th May 2023, duration 55 minutes (no interval)
Pay what you can tickets, from £5
Ticket Link - https://www.brightonfringe.org/events/a-couple-of-swells/
For a extra giggle, here is an outtake of me and Elena in rehearsals, practising Burlington Bertie:
Videos: Watch our Jazz and Musical Routines
Watch the videos from our latest Jazz and Musicals Routines taught in Brighton and Hove and Online.
Watch the videos from our latest Jazz and Musicals Routines taught in Brighton and Hove and Online.
Thrift Shop ROUTINE
Intermediate Level
Musicals - Rich Man’s Frug, Hove Group
Musicals - Rich Man’s Frug, ONLINE Group
LADY MARMALADE - JAZZ GROUP
Videos: Watch our 'Be My Guest' Charleston Routine
Watch the videos from our Be My Guest course. These routines have been taught across Brighton & Hove, Lewes, Eastbourne, Portsmouth, Worthing and Online. See if you can spot yourself or a friend!
Watch the videos from our latest Open Level Charleston Course 'Be My Guest'. This routine was taught across Brighton & Hove, Lewes, Eastbourne, Portsmouth, Worthing and Online. Our teaching team have also been busy in Darlington, Devon, Cleethorpes, Italy and Holland! See if you can spot yourself or a friend!
We are just finishing off the edits of Intermediate, Musicals and Street which will be live asap so stay tuned for the remaining videos for last term.