About the Teachers
Chester and Linda Freeman
have taught in Europe, on
Martha's Vineyard, on cruises
and at Saratoga's famous Dance
Flurry Festival, but their home
base is the Hudson Valley where
they run swing dance
workshops, group classes and
monthly dances.
They have been guests on
WHVW 950 AM the Curt
Roberts show, Q92.1 liteFM
Joe Daily in the Morning and
featured in the Poughkeepsie
Journal, Southern Ulster
Times, Ulster Publishing’s
Chester and Linda Freeman
have taught in Europe, on
Martha's Vineyard, on cruises
and at Saratoga's famous Dance
Flurry Festival, but their home
base is the Hudson Valley where
they run swing dance
workshops, group classes and
monthly dances.
They have been guests on
WHVW 950 AM the Curt
Roberts show, Q92.1 liteFM
Joe Daily in the Morning and
featured in the Poughkeepsie
Journal, Southern Ulster
Times, Ulster Publishing’s
Almanac, The Woodstock Times, Post Pioneer, Hyde Park Townsman, The Weekly
Beat and were the cover story of Hudson Valley Life magazine.
Chester is a member and assistant director of the Big Apple Lindy Hoppers
performance troupe and winner of a silver medal at the Canadian Lindy Hop
Championships. Linda helped edit the original manuscript for Frankie Manning's
autobiography, "The Ambassador of Lindy Hop." They are the directors of the Hudson
Valley Swing Kids.
Our Mission
To spread the joy of swing dancing throughout the Hudson Valley.
Beat and were the cover story of Hudson Valley Life magazine.
Chester is a member and assistant director of the Big Apple Lindy Hoppers
performance troupe and winner of a silver medal at the Canadian Lindy Hop
Championships. Linda helped edit the original manuscript for Frankie Manning's
autobiography, "The Ambassador of Lindy Hop." They are the directors of the Hudson
Valley Swing Kids.
Our Mission
To spread the joy of swing dancing throughout the Hudson Valley.
Our Philosophy
We believe that dance is the best thing you can do for yourself: physically, emotionally,
mentally and socially. Many of our students started dancing as a result of life changes such
as marriage, divorce or job loss. We frequently hear "Dancing saved my life." It's true.
Dancing is an opportunity to connect with others in a supportive environment. When you
learn to dance you discover rhythms of your body and your heart that you may not have
known were there. Our mission is to spread the joy of swing dancing as we teach people the
skills to do it! We love teaching, each other, and our students...so we all always have a good
time!
Our Approach
Every move we teach is grounded in principles of lead and follow connection. With a
fundamental understanding of how to lead and follow, and being well-connected, our
students can dance practically any dance with anybody.
Rather than load you down with moves you can't remember, we review weekly to ensure
that you have the confidence and ability to execute the moves on the dance floor.
We've created five commandments for a safe and fun-loving environment on the dance floor.
Chester and Linda's Dance Class Commandments:
1. Thou shalt not blame or cast stones at thy partner or thyself. Give yourself
permission to learn. You are learning a partner dance that requires two people to do
something that neither knows how to do yet. Don't be too hard on yourself or your partner.
you, she, or he will certainly do something "wrong." That's how you learn to do it right. The
only "fault" is inexperience.
2. Thou shalt not attempt to "teach" your partner. Concentrate on improving your own
ability, not fixing your partner's. Everyone comes to class with different levels of experience.
If you try to help by teaching or doing moves that aren't part of the repertoire being taught, it
will be distracting to your partner and to those around you. Remember you are in the class to
learn. Let the teachers do the teaching.
3. Thou shalt not look at your feet unless we tell you to. This dance is not about where
you put your feet but how you move your body. Move your body and your feet will follow.
They are attached.
4. Thou shalt smile and laugh at yourself. Swing dancing is all about having fun. Learning
to move your body in new ways may feel awkward at first. You may feel silly or not "in
control." That's okay, lose control, lighten up, and enjoy yourself.
5. Thou shalt practice and go out and dance. You learn by repetition, so you must practice.
Don't wait until you think you are "good enough" to go out dancing. The more social
dancing you do, the better you get. Swing dancing is the most social dance there is.
Everyone dances with everyone. Don't be afraid to ask dancers who you think are "better
than you" to dance.
We believe that dance is the best thing you can do for yourself: physically, emotionally,
mentally and socially. Many of our students started dancing as a result of life changes such
as marriage, divorce or job loss. We frequently hear "Dancing saved my life." It's true.
Dancing is an opportunity to connect with others in a supportive environment. When you
learn to dance you discover rhythms of your body and your heart that you may not have
known were there. Our mission is to spread the joy of swing dancing as we teach people the
skills to do it! We love teaching, each other, and our students...so we all always have a good
time!
Our Approach
Every move we teach is grounded in principles of lead and follow connection. With a
fundamental understanding of how to lead and follow, and being well-connected, our
students can dance practically any dance with anybody.
Rather than load you down with moves you can't remember, we review weekly to ensure
that you have the confidence and ability to execute the moves on the dance floor.
We've created five commandments for a safe and fun-loving environment on the dance floor.
Chester and Linda's Dance Class Commandments:
1. Thou shalt not blame or cast stones at thy partner or thyself. Give yourself
permission to learn. You are learning a partner dance that requires two people to do
something that neither knows how to do yet. Don't be too hard on yourself or your partner.
you, she, or he will certainly do something "wrong." That's how you learn to do it right. The
only "fault" is inexperience.
2. Thou shalt not attempt to "teach" your partner. Concentrate on improving your own
ability, not fixing your partner's. Everyone comes to class with different levels of experience.
If you try to help by teaching or doing moves that aren't part of the repertoire being taught, it
will be distracting to your partner and to those around you. Remember you are in the class to
learn. Let the teachers do the teaching.
3. Thou shalt not look at your feet unless we tell you to. This dance is not about where
you put your feet but how you move your body. Move your body and your feet will follow.
They are attached.
4. Thou shalt smile and laugh at yourself. Swing dancing is all about having fun. Learning
to move your body in new ways may feel awkward at first. You may feel silly or not "in
control." That's okay, lose control, lighten up, and enjoy yourself.
5. Thou shalt practice and go out and dance. You learn by repetition, so you must practice.
Don't wait until you think you are "good enough" to go out dancing. The more social
dancing you do, the better you get. Swing dancing is the most social dance there is.
Everyone dances with everyone. Don't be afraid to ask dancers who you think are "better
than you" to dance.
About Us...Come Dance with Us!
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