Saturday, August 23rd
5:00 PM - 9:30 PM
ABOUT THE WORKSHOP
The best part about knowing how to lead AND follow is that you can dance with everyone! You double the number of dance partners at every social dance, and you gain a better understanding of how the dance works. Jason Hsu is an instructor traveling here from Taiwan, and he's an incredible switch dancer, so we're lucky to have him teach with Calvin Lu for this workshop!
This workshop is broken up into two classes, with a dance / practice in between. The dance practice is open to anyone with a ticket to either or both classes!
Class 1 - Learn to Dance the Other Role
5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
This class is a crash course in dancing the other role! You should already be at an intermediate level in one role, because we'll use your existing skills to help you learn this new role at a faster pace!
Switch Social Dance and Practice
6:30 PM - 7:30 PM
Use this time to eat a snack, but also practice and warm up your dance skills in your non-dominant role for the second class!
Class 2 - Switch Dancing 101
7:30 PM - 9:30 PM
Learn how to switch roles seamlessly in one dance! You should already know how to dance both roles OR you should have taken Class 1 and did some practicing during the dance in between.
ABOUT JASON
"Be sassy and be jazzy!" Freedom of expression characterizes Jason's teaching and dancing! Jason will show you not only the ways you can connect to the music and express yourself through improvisation but also how to feel free to do it. That's the main value you will get from Jason! With a background in second-language and cross-cultural pedagogy and theatre training, you will be immersed into an inclusive, safe, and playful journey into learning, not from, but along with him!
Apart from dancing around the world, Jason is bridging the dance experience to the academic field, too. With his recently-acquired Master's degree in Anthropology of Dance, Jason is working on re-learning Lindy Hop through the lens of queer study and bringing queer perspectives to your class!
Workshop Teacher: Jason Hsu
Shantay, I Swing!
"Be sassy and be jazzy!" I'm Jason, a vernacular jazz dance practitioner, a male FOLLOWER, and the founder of Switch Taipei. Moving from a local organizer and gender equity activist in the Lindy Hop community in Taipei, Jason was relocated to Europe from 2022 to 2024 to pursue a research study in Choreomundus - International Master in Dance Knowledge, Practice and Heritage. My research focus is
Queer dancers’ lived experiences and their perception of queer lifeworld
Re-conceptualization of safe space in the context of partnered social dance (Lindy Hop)
Dialectic relationship of body and space
Besides academic life, Jason is still actively engaged with Lindy Hop communities through participating, competing, also teaching internationally across Taiwan and major European cities, such as Amsterdam, London, Oslo, and Dublin. This rich experience motivates Jason to learn more about the culture and history of the dance, bringing out deeper conversations between my own queer identity and the dance itself.
Workshop Teacher: Calvin Lu
Calvin, also sometimes known as "that guy who follows a lot," fell in love with Lindy Hop for its joyful expression, creative improvisation, and deep connection between partners. Since then, he has been actively involved in the community as an instructor, event organizer, competitor, and frequent up-past-3-am dancer. A lifelong student, and a Game Designer by trade, Calvin strives to make his classes engaging and help students fall in love with learning and practice as part of the fun of being a dancer. In his teaching and curriculum planning, he highly values offering students multiple perspectives, supporting a variety of learning styles, and fostering good dancers who are also good community members.