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    Camps & Exchanges

    Bristol Camps and Exchanges

    Bristol's first ever exchange took place over 5 days at the end of July 2010 and was a huge success. Click on the gallery link here to find pics of yourself or to see what you missed!          Thank you again to everyone involved for making it possible.

    Bristol's first international level swing dance camp takes place from 8-10th April, see here for details of the Bristol Swing Festival 2011 and don't miss out!

     

    The rise of dance camps and exchanges

    When you started swing dancing you not only inherited a rich dance & music tradition you  also got yourself another passport!

    Dance camps and exchanges take place all over the world every week of the year. They started because people wanted to improve their dancing and to give others the chance to discover and learn the dance. Organisers take pride in attracting people from as many parts of the world as they can, and usually pull out all the stops to make international visitors welcome.

    What's the difference between a camp and an exchange

    A camp exists for people to learn and then to dance as many hours as they can manage. They have classes during the day and then social dances in the evening, usually until very late. They are run on a commercial basis (you pay for a 'product'), although there are several that have a not-for-profit structure.

    Exchanges developed as an 'invitation' from the dancers in one city to dancers from other cities and countries to come and join them for a weekend, and it is normal for the hosts to provide places to stay in their homes for free for the visitors (this also happens at some dance camps). There are not usually any classes, but instead there will be sightseeing or activities and so there is a lot more time for socialising and getting to know each other. The cost usually doesn't include any sort of fee, but is simply a contribution to what it has cost the organisers to arrange it.

    There are camps and exchanges all over Europe and worldwide, from Argentina to Korea, New York to Iceland (dancing on a glacier is a challenge! see the gallery - coming soon). Some are 'general' lindyhop events while others have a specific theme or area of interest, such as: vintage styles, solo jazz, balboa, shag, blues, or 'fusion' events which mix dance styles.

    Why you should go

    • Your dancing will develop much faster and to a higher level because they are intensive.
    • You'll get to see and dance with some of the best dancers in the world.
    • You get to discover other parts of the world, often more cheaply than you could do otherwise, and with all the benefits of local contacts and friends.
    • The atmosphere is usually fantastic!

     

    Which one should i go to and how do i find out?

    See links section for both specific camps & exchanges and listings (coming soon).
    We'll sometimes arrange a Swing Dance Bristol group to go – that way you can be sure of having people you know there, and in some cases we'll get a discount for booking as a group.