The Lindy Loft is a boutique dance studio in Downtown Los Angeles that is dedicated to dances from the swing era, especially the Lindy Hop. The studio is run by world renowned experts Dax Hock and Sarah Breck and their classes are known for making high level technique fun and accessible. The atmosphere is intimate and their dance floor is known for being the best dance floor in Los Angeles.
BDancewear interviewed Sarah Breck for this article. In addition to the obvious difference being that they focus on dances from the swing era, Sarah believes the first reason their dance studio is separated from other dance studios is the level of instruction. She says the Lindy Loft gives you weekly access to the international touring level instruction which you would usually only find in large scale, specialized events. Dax and Sarah have spent the last 15 years being international guest teachers and have now decided to “settle down” so their experience and the way they view the dance is much different.
The Lindy Loft’s location is also really unique. Instead of a storefront business, they have a “secret spot” location sitting on the top floor of a loft building overlooking the city of Los Angeles. The atmosphere at the Lindy Loft is really unique, and they have a great crowd there.
Sarah says that her proudest moment coaching has been the receipt of emails and letters from students thanking them and explaining how The Lindy Loft’s teaching completely improved their dancing. Hearing comments like, “After working with you guys, I have now started getting tons of compliments on my dancing,” even from other pro dancers and others saying they had “the best dance of the night” makes her feel great! She says hearing that joy in a student’s voice and seeing their students compete in their team routines are both amazing!
In Sarah’s opinion, the biggest mistake she sees some beginning dancers make is expecting to learn how to partner dance before they can even dance alone. She believes that learning to move your own body is the first logical step for learning how to move somebody else. Therefore, they focus a lot on solo movement even for a partnered dance. As far as the intermediate dancer, she says they see them get caught up in trying to learn too many figures, sacrificing quality for quantity. It is like eating junk food. They are never satisfied and then they end up looking like a mess after a while.
Advanced dancers get so focused on just the lead/follow feeling and connection that they forget to work on the body movement needed to create those things. Sarah often says, “A great tasting wine comes from great grapes!”
According to Sarah, their personal goal for this year is to buy a house! As far as the studio’s goals, they are trying to create a solid group of dancers proficient in social dancing who are coming to the Loft regularly to dance, learn and socialize. They are launching a new learning system combining private, group and social sessions that they believe will get them there.
Sarah and Dax started this studio after getting married and having a baby on the way got them thinking. They realized there was no way to sustain traveling 30+ weekends a year. So, they decided to try opening a studio. But, they really wanted to create something unique and heavily focused on just Swing.
There are several things that The Lindy Loft wants known. For instance, The Lindy Loft is always looking for newly engaged couples who want to put together a fun first dance! Also, they have beginner/intermediate and intermediate/advanced dance teams that compete and perform annually.
The Lindy Loft hosts a killer party once a month called Vintage Rhythm, where they bring in a live band and cram 80+ people into their studio. It is unlike anything you will see in Los Angeles. Think Great Gatsby meets penthouse loft and live swing music. Check out their website for details. They invite everyone to come and join them for a fantastic night of some of the best dance music Los Angeles has to offer! Also, they offer free parking to their private lesson students!
They also put on a fun monthly workshop called Dance in a Day where you come for four hours on Sunday and learn a full set of basics and enjoy lunch in Downtown Los Angeles. Learn to swing dance in one day! If you are a total beginner, this workshop will be a perfect opportunity to get your feet wet. They cover the basics of Lindy Hop and Charleston and get you dancing in a single day. Make Sunday a Funday and enjoy free parking in downtown to top it off. If interested, you need to check their website for more information.
Most importantly, they offer a Money Back Guarantee on their services and hope that anyone looking to learn how to swing dance will come by!
If you would like more information about The Lindy Loft, visit their website at www.lindyloft.com, call them at (213) 537-0399 or email them at lindyloft.la@gmail.com.
Please post a comment if you have had any experience with Sarah Breck of The Lindy Loft.
Written By Cyndi Marziani
Owner
BDancewear.com
