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Classes offered by the AZLS: 
Lindy Sunday School - Five Week Course
with Steve Conrad and Heather Hill
Every Sunday afternoon - Starts March 14 (Join by March 28)
Now you can learn the dance that started it all!  Lindy Hop is the original swing dance that started in Harlem ballrooms in the early 1920's.  The dance spread across the Country through the 30's and 40's and became known as America's first national dance.  Also known as the Jitterbug, this dance is fun and exciting (and not to mention great exercise).   Join us for a five week course that will have you comfortably and confidently on the dance floor.  NO PARTNER NEEDED.
2:00 pm: Balboa
3:00 pm: Lindy Hop Intermediate (yes, intermediate is before beginning)
4:00 pm: Lindy Hop Beginning
5:00 pm: East Coast Swing - Intermediate/Advanced

Prices and Registration 
You may pay at the door on the first day of class. 
Choose from following options:  

Price: $10 per class OR all five classes and a CD for practicing for $45

Location: Fatcat Ballroom - 3131 E. Thunderbird Rd., Phoenix, AZ  85032
(SW Corner of 32nd Street and Thunderbird Rd.)

Why is the intermediate class before the beginning class?
Two reasons 1) If we are short on leads or follows in the beginning class we ask someone from intermediate to join us. and 2) We like the beginning class to see what they can do with lindy hop down the road if they keep at it.

Private lessons:
You Private lessons are the best way to learn how to dance. With individual, focused attention you are more likely to:
     * Learn more and at a faster rate
     * Avoid bad habits in dancing which can be difficult to correct
     * Learn at your pace and learn what you want/need to learn

Remember, if it is worth doing, it is worth doing right.

Fees: 
Private lessons are $60 an hour any day of the week, on your schedule.  
One Private - $60.00
Package of 5 lessons - 15% off - $50 per lesson
Package of 10 lessons - more than 30% off - $40 per lesson (Best Value)

E-mail steveconrad@cox.net  to set up group lessons, private lessons, or for more information.  

About the instructors:  

 


AZ Lindy Hop Society Dances:

TUESDAYS:
Fatcat Ballroom - Phoenix
3131 E. Thunderbird Rd., Phoenix, AZ
7:30 pm: Swing Dance Lesson with Steve
8:30pm - 11:00 pm: Dance to DJ or live band
$7 includes dance lesson and dance. 
ALL AGES


THURSDAYS: 
Paragon Dance Center
931 E Elliot Rd., Tempe, AZ 85284
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm: Swing Dance lesson
8:00 pm - 10:30 pm: DJ or Live Band 
$7. ALL AGES WELCOME


For more visit the Calendar

 

Steve Conrad started swing dancing in 1995 and had his first lindy hop lesson with Frankie Manning in 1996 at Swing Camp Catalina (he walked into the class by accident). He was hooked and soon became a founder of the AZ Lindy Hop Society that same year.  He has been teaching/performing Lindy hop and East Coast Swing for over 13 years. He has taught on four Lindy Cruises, at the Desert Dance camp in Las Vegas and Laughlin, Carnage Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA, at Lindy Groove in Pasadena, and throughout Europe. He worked with the Mercury hip hop squad, the Phoenix Suns dancers, and the Arizona Sidewinders, teaching or performing at half time.  He also performed with the Judds for the Millennium New Years Eve reunion and taught Ashley Judd aerials. Steve has also taught more than 15,000 people how to swing dance through workshops, school districts, classes at Borders Books, and over 13 years of lindy hop classes in Arizona. He founded the Phoenix Lindy Exchange in 2001 and he was also the promoter/DJ/instructor for the Bash on Ash for 5 years. Currently Steve runs the swing nights at FatCat Ballroom on Tuesdays, and at the Wrigley Mansion on Thursdays and some Fridays.
Currently Steve is teaching dance in schools and is working with a non-profit organization to help bring social dance into the school system of Arizona.  He is also working with the Lodestar Day Resource Center and Pierre DuLane (Mad Hot Ballroom) to help develop and pilot dance program to rehabilitate homeless people in Maricopa County.
As Producer:
In the past 13 years Steve has produced over 150 concerts including Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, The Jive Aces with Keely Smith and Toni Prima, Sam Butera, Royal Crown Revue, the Count Basie Tribute at the Biltmore Resort, Indigo Swing, The Juke Joint All-Stars, Margo Reed, Barbara Morrison, Johnny Boyd, Steve Lucky and the Rhumba Bums, Lavay Smith and her Red Hot Skillet Lickers, and more.  For 12 years he has presented the "Arizona Swing Jam" with Frankie Manning.  
On the Radio:
Steve has been an on-air jazz host on KJZZ 91.5 FM (NPR and Jazz) for over 7 years where he and Blaise Lantana created and hosted "In the Groove", a two hour program dedicated to great swing music.
As DJ:
Steve has DJ'd all over the world including four Lindy Cruises; Lindy Groove in Pasadena; Swing 46 in New York; Apollo Jazz Cafe in Montpellier, France; The Hep Cat Club in Dublin, Ireland; Lindy and Party Weekend in Phoenix, the Phoenix Lindy Exchange; Lindy on the Rocks in Denver, CO; Minneapolis, MN; Herrang Dance Camp in Sweden; and much more.  He has his own DJ business and loves to travel and share music.

Outside of dance:
Steve has had what would seem to be a random life.  Getting his first degree in Pre-Veterinary medicine from Northern Arizona University, working as a veterinary technician for over five years before changing his mind. He soon went into acting (a natural transition) and was in commercials (Colt 45, Kit Kat, Ping) and a few films (Robin Cook's Terminal - 1995, No One Would Tell with Fred Savage and Candace Cameron - 1996). He had a short stint in stand-up comedy (very short) and then found dance.  On a teaching and dancing tour of Europe in 2000 he realized one of his other passions: the study of religion.  He returned and enrolled at Arizona State University, receiving a bachelors of Arts in Religious Studies in two years. He went into the Master's program with the goal of become a university professor but instead decided to start a family, having two boys, who have become the center of his life. 
Steve has spent much of his life supporting non-profit organizations through fundraising efforts and organizing events for the Arthritis Foundation, KJZZ 91.5, MDA, and many more. In 2005, he went to work as Director of Development for the New Foundation, a treatment center for abused and drug addicted teens.  He developed a signature gala event, the Arizona Celebrity Dance Challenge, a live local version of Dancing with the Stars, that featured local celebrities in a dance competition.  Currently he is Director of Development for the Lodestar Day Resource Center, a non-profit based in Phoenix that empowers homeless people to lift themselves out of homelessness and gives them the tools to stay off the streets. He is working hard to help END HOMELESSNESS for all Americans.

Heather Hill: Heather has been dancing swing for over 11 years and has taught many classes in Lindy Hop, East Coast Swing and Balboa in both Indiana and Arizona. She currently teaches classes regularly with Steve Conrad in Phoenix at Fatcat Ballroom, and the Wrigley Mansion during the summer.  She is a great dancer and an articulate teacher with a lot of finesse.  Follows like Heather because she always has something to offer in terms of style and following. And if you have danced with her, you've already had a little slice of heaven.
Heather is a professional photographer whose works can be seen in Magazines and newspapers.  Her website is www.heatherhillphoto.com