Gaby Cook

Community & Public Events:

More information about NYC-based Lindy Hop classes can be found at www.nathanandgaby.com

Basic Swing Dance
Let’s learn swing! In this class, Gaby will teach the basic steps and rhythms of swing styles for beginners.
15 min – 2 hrs

Basic Charleston
This class is a basic introduction to charleston steps, and ways you can dance individually or with a partner.
15 min – 2 hrs

 

Lindy Hop Events:

Partnered Classes

(requires leads and followers)

Holy Grail: Find Your Perfect Swing Out
Let’s deconstruct the swing out and rebuild it again. We’ll talk about different types of swing outs and discuss best practices so you can find your perfect swing out.

Rhythm Riddles: Phrasing with the Music
Learn to make any beat important through this series of fun but challenging rhythm riddles.

The Creative Lindy Hopper
Explore all the ways in which individual movement and styling can be celebrated within the framework of a partnered dance.

Quality of Movement in Partnered Dance
This class will teach you how to optimize individual movement for partnered dancing. Whether you have been dancing for decades, or are new to the genre — this class can improve a dancer with any level of experience. Topics include posture, pulse, balance, tension and release, and targeting muscle groups that make lindy hop movement work the best.

Lindy Hop Flows: Connect The Dots
In this class, let’s understand the best ways to follow through swing vocabulary. This class will show dances how to plan a sequence of moves that flows.

Common Jazz Forms in Swing Music
Empower your following by understanding structural-musicality. In this class, we’ll pick apart common jazz song structures and hone in on the best times to swivel, shine or add solo movement. Key concepts will also be highly useful to aspiring jazz dance choreographers and team leaders. Please bring pen and notebook.

Slowing it down, and making it look good.
Dancing to slow tempos can prove just as challenging as dancing to fast tempos. In this class we’ll introduce moves and techniques that work for those slow, sinuous tunes which baffle the average lindy hopper. Vocabulary in this class will emphasize musicality, continuity of movement and connection.

Get Rhythm in your Feet (and Music in your soul)
In this class, we’ll spice up your basics moves with the integration of jazz steps. This class will show students how to combine solo movement with partner dancing.

Swing Out Variations
Getting tired of your plain ole’ one-two? Come by and learn ways to change up your swing out styling. In this class, we’ll give pointers on how to make the most of your swivel, and show alternate rhythms and step variations.

Broad Rhythm Variations for Partner Dancing
Intermediate to Advanced
Let’s adjust the fundamental footwork patterns that make up common lindy movements. In this class, we’ll talk about ways leaders and followers can maintain connection and momentum while also adding special styling and rhythms to enhance the dance.

Fast Dancing
Intermediate to Advanced
This class dives into swing out technique. Exercises and footwork patterns will show students how to improve their basic swing out. We’ll crank up the tempo and give tips for how to do a swing out at lightning speed.

Lindy Hop Choreography
Learn a fun and musical choreography for performance or practice. Topics covered within the combo include: new moves, partner-flow and musicality.

Move-Specific Rhythm Variations for Leads & Followers
Level up your favorite moves and basic swing vocabulary with variations! We’ll learn different rhythms and gestures that will push your artistry to the next level.

Swing Connection Deep Dive
This class gives dancers an opportunity to focus on the building blocks of swing connection. balance, change of weight, inertia and feeling connected through the floor will be explored In this class.

Following skills

(does not require leads and followers)

Follower Variations Part 1: Rhythm
In Follower Variations, we will be learning new way for followers to add style and decoration to their dancing without breaking the lead-follow. In this class, we’ll focus on specific ways followers can add new rhythmic ideas to their partner dancing in swing-outs, 6-count, 8-count moves and through turns. .

Follower Variations Part 2: Shapes
In Follower Variations, we will be learning new way for followers to add style and decoration to their dancing without breaking the lead-follow. In this class, we will focus on how different shapes, angular or relaxed can be added to your dancing. Whether they compliment or add to the leader’s momentum, students will try new ideas in body shapes as they follow basic patterns.

Swivels
Swivels are one of the most expressive components to following in swing dance. This workshop will address the specific physical skills that contribute to swivels, and explore different ways swivels can be expressed in context to a lead-follow dance.

The Task of Following
This class is a technical investigation into the task of following. In the first part of class, we narrow down the most critical skills any follower needs to dance with a lead of any level. This includes turning down a line, balance, and practicing the kinetic-absorb-y-bounce-off-the-walls experience that makes lindy hop feel awesome.

The Pleasure of Following 
This class focuses on how we perceive partner dance from the follower’s perspective. We focus our awareness on music and our leader choices in order to see how followers can be (and remain!) present. Building skills of perception, patience, and awareness will allow follows to see clearly what artistic contributions to make and when.

SOLO Jazz

(access to a mirror would improve the quality of these classes) 

Solo Jazz Choreography Workshop (2 part series)
Ever wanted to go your own solo jazz choreography, but never knew how to start? Well take out the notebook, because we’re learning today. The first hour of this class discusses musical structure, team numerology, and simple associations between movement and music. The second hour delves into formations, sequences and off-set motion. This class is a great way to get you started on creating your own performance pieces.

Fast Solo Choreography
Time to snap on the sweatband…we’re going for it. Scorch the floor with this fast-paced choreography. Learn to make your basic charleston bigger and better. This piece incorporates turns, jumps and twists for a rhythm-based routine.

Spins and Turns
Learn techniques for making your turns seamless and balanced. This class focuses on fundamental dance principle of balance, tone and momentum. In this class, we will cover several turn variations and apply them to a solo jazz context.

CANON & RE-CREATION

(access to a mirror would improve the quality of these classes) 

Solo Jazz: Canonical Material
* Trickeration, 1.5-3 hrs
* Shim Sham, 1-1.5 hrs
* The Tranky Do, 2-3 hrs
* Big Apple, 4-6 hrs
* Al & Leon Shim Shim, 1.5 hrs
* Dean Collins Shim Sham, 1.5 hrs

King of Jazz, “I Like To Do Things For You” (Historical Recreation)
In this class, students will learn the precision choreography from the movie, “King of Jazz”

Singin’ in the Rain, “All I Do” (Historical Recreation)
Learn the chorusgirl classic “All I Do (is dream of you)” from the MGM classic movie musical, “Singin’ in the Rain”

Mable Lee , “Sizzle with Sissle” (Historical Recreation)
Learn Mabel Lee‘s fun, fast and rhythmic performance from the soundie “Sizzle with Sissle” (1946).

 

CRASH COURSES:

Lindy Hop Connection
All-Levels
Connection is a social-dance buzz word that has many, technical interpretations. This workshop is about the root experience of connection; how we feel, see, communicate with, and enjoy dancing with our partner. We will learn leading and following “from the ground up.” We will play games, learn moves, and practice together, in a process that is sure to enhance your dance (and your life)!

Follower Skills
All-Levels
This workshop will address a wide range of topics from individual movement, to frame and connection, to creativity and variations. If you want to improve your dancing, or feel like you’ve plateaued — this workshop is engineered to push your dancing to the next level.

Chorusgirl Camp
All-Levels
Do you want to start, or participate in an all-female solo jazz based dance ensemble? Do you have choreography but don’t know where to start with costumes. Do you have costumes but don’t know where to start with choreography? Gaby has extensive experience in community development, choreography and community based show production in this extremely unique field. If this is something you’d like to prioritize for a half or whole weekend event, please reach out to her to discuss ideas.

6-Count Crash Course (2-4 hour-long classes)
Beginner
Go from zero to 60! In this series, we take new students through the fundamentals of 6 count swing. By the end, students will understand key principles in swing dance technique, posture, momentum and a ton of moves to try out on the floor.

8-Count Crash Course (2-4 hour-long classes)
Beginner
Swing out! In this class, students familiar with 6-count swing will be introduced to the swing out and other fundamental 8-count moves. Focusing on footwork and connection, this class will give students the moves they need to have a successful evening out dancing.

Lindy Charleston Crash Course (2-4 hour-long classes)
Beginner
In the context of lindy hop, Charleston is an energetic upbeat dance suitable to faster rhythms. Suitable to any beginner, the charleston crash course is the first step to understanding partnered and solo charleston.

1920’s Charleston Crash Course (2-4 hour-long classes)
Beginner
Charleston is unique style of movement and dance that pre-dates lindy hop and its cohorts (balboa, collegiate shag, vernacular jazz). This crash course is suited to an audience who would like to learn the partnered dance cultivated around Charleston rhythm and musical styles of the early 20th century.