Swing
Ella Fitzgerald big bands
Lindy Hop and the swing family — bouncy, conversational, endlessly playful. If you've seen people dancing to a big band and thought I'd love to be able to do that, this is the one.
Hello, we're Mel and Marc
The short version
We dance swing, rock'n'roll and blues, and we teach because there's a moment when a complete beginner realises they're actually dancing, and that's just magic.
Marc came to dance late in life. He saw a swing dance performance at a cabaret show, loved the high-energy connection and aerials, and fell in love with the art form. With no experience or any sense of rhythm, it took a very patient instructor only three private lessons to get Marc out and social dancing.
Mel started dancing very young, did years of it, then stopped for a very long time. She came back after spotting an ad for a swing class out at Baulkham Hills, and turned up on her own.
We both know what it feels like to be in class on your first night, and can help anyone learn to dance.
We teach regularly in Australia, plus a guest workshop in Bali. Most weeks you'll find us on the floor at The Jitterbug Club here in Sydney.
Three dances, one big family
All of it danced socially all of it danced slow or upbeat
Rock'n'Roll
Elvis jive jukebox
Faster, cheekier, and enormous fun. Rock'n'roll is often where the nervous ones find their feet first, because the beat does half the work for you.
Blues
Jump blues the slow traditional stuff
From jump blues you can barely stand still to, through to slow, close, unhurried dancing. It's where you learn to really listen to a song rather than count it.
We'll admit a bias: we like it upbeat. Given the choice between a slow burn and something that makes the floor bounce, we'll take the bounce nearly every time.
Never danced before?
Perfect — that's our favourite place to start
You don't need a partner. You don't need experience, special shoes, or any rhythm you're currently aware of. Beginners are not a problem to be managed; they're the best part of the job.
When you're ready, the easiest first step is a beginner class at The Jitterbug Club — rock'n'roll on Tuesdays, swing on Wednesdays. We teach there, so you'll know two friendly faces before the music starts. Come dance with us — your first class is free.
Too nervous for a whole room of people? That's very normal. Email us and we'll sort out something quieter to start with.
What a social night actually looks like
Not a performance. Not a competition. A room full of people of wildly different ages and abilities, dancing with each other for a few hours because it's a lovely way to spend an evening.
That's the thing we're really trying to share. The classes are just the doorway.
What else we do
Beyond the beginner classes
- Private lessons — one couple or one person, at your pace. Often the gentlest way in if a group class feels like a lot.
-
Aerials — lifts, dips and the occasional flip, taught slowly and safely,
in a sensible order. We promise not to drop you.
- Performances & events — we perform with The Jitterbug Club, and we love a themed night. It's just not what this is mainly about.
- Wedding first dances — a dance that feels like you two, rather than a routine you're bracing yourselves through. Almost everyone who asks us is a complete beginner.
We also DJ
Fun upbeat swing · classic 50s rock'n'roll · dirty, sultry blues
Somewhere along the way we started collecting the songs we most loved dancing to, and eventually people started handing us the decks. These days we DJ regularly at The Jitterbug Jump — the club's big monthly social — and the occasional private party: an eclectic mix of fun, upbeat swing, classic rock'n'roll and dirty, sultry blues.
We pick music the way dancers do, because we're on the floor for the rest of the night. The test for every song is simple: does it make the floor bounce and people smile?
Say hello
We'd genuinely love to hear from you
Whether you want to try a class, book a first dance, ask about privates, or invite us to teach at your event — email is the best way to reach us, and a real human answers.