Come Dancing
The Come Dancing arena at Camp Bestival will be housed within a Spiegeltent - for the uninitiated this is a travelling Belgian "mirror tent" which originates from the late 19th century and is made from wood, mirrors, canvas and leaded glass... looks amazing!
It's without a doubt one of the highlights of the Isle of Wight’s Bestival and it's coming to Lulworth to host daytime dance classes from the Lindy Hop to Salsa, Hip Hop to the Quickstep, and many more besides. Join in, learn a dance and then test our your fancy footwork at the free for all danceathon! See below for the dance class timings and descriptions...
Then, come evening time, the spiegeltent transforms for a couple of hours into Karaoke land... with a twist! We're talking Folkaoke, Karauke (Ukulele Karaoke!) and Hip Hop Karaoke. More info on this elsewhere in this section of the website.
And when night time comes, prepare yourselves for some proper old sweaty rock n roll sessions, rockabilly, R n' B (in the old sense of the word) from Andrew Weatherall digging out his old 7 inches, Greg’s Greats and his amazing collection of 78s, Gaz Mayhall and his rockin' blues and teenage sensations Kitty Daisy and Lewis winding up the gramophone.
Dance Class Timetable:
Friday:
1.00pm - 2.00pm - Lindy Hop
2.30pm - 3.30pm - Salsa
4.00pm - 5.00pm - Hip Hop
5.30pm – 6.30pm - Quickstep
6.30pm - 8.00pm - Finale with The Magic Number Swing Band and celebrity judges
8.15pm - 9pm - The Fabulous Lounge Swingers - Sing and Dance Along!
Saturday:
12.00pm - 1.00pm - Waltz
1.30pm – 2.30pm - Mambo
3.00pm – 4.00pm - Hip Hop
4.15pm – 5.15pm - Lindy Hop
5.30pm – 6.30pm - Ballroom Tango
6.30pm - 8.00pm - Finale with The Magic Number Swing Band and celebrity judges
8.15pm - 9pm - The Fabulous Lounge Swingers - Sing and Dance Along!
Sunday:
12.00pm - 1.00pm - Charleston
1.30pm – 2.30pm - Lindy Hop
3.00pm – 4.00pm - Hip Hop
4.15pm – 5.15pm - Cha Cha
5.30pm – 6.30pm - Samba
6.30pm - 8.00pm - Finale with The Magic Number Swing Band and celebrity judges
8.15pm - 9pm - The Fabulous Lounge Swingers - Sing and Dance Along!
Charleston
When the mass migration of Southern African-Americans, who were looking for a better life in the North, started moving just before the First World War, they brought with them a treasure trove of dance forms including this gem which has been traced back to the Ashanti culture of what is now Ghana. Whilst it set the whole world dancing it also laid the basis for the Lindy Hop to emerge.
Lindy Hop
In the late 1920's in Harlem Lindy Hop was breaking out wherever people were partying. But it wasn't until the opening of the Savoy Ballroom that Lindy Hop got its name and a home. At the Savoy the Lindy Hop got hotter and hotter, as people danced to the top Big Bands in the land. And it got better and better, as the popular Saturday night competitions pushed good dancers to greatness. New steps were born every day. The styling got refined and was executed so well that the dance was a joy to watch as well as do. When it looked like it couldn't get any better, a young dancer named Frankie "Musclehead" Manning created the first airsteps in 1935, and the Lindy Hop soared.
Mambo
When Lou Bega re-released 'Mambo Number Five', dance floors in the UK were once again alive with Mambo madness. A forerunner of Salsa, Mambo is defined by 1950s Cuban Jazz and accompanied by fast and fun moves. The dance makes a memorable appearance in the hit film 'Dirty Dancing'.
Samba
The Samba leapt from the street of Rio, Brazil. However, the Samba danced in the International competition style Latin American is very different to the original Brazilian party dance.
Salsa
Salsa is a fun and flirtatious Latin American dance, fuelled by Afro-Caribbean rhythms and all-night partying. The dance fuses Cuban, Puerto Rican and Columbian styles into simple and lively movements.
Quickstep
The first dancers to take the Foxtrot to a faster tempo introduced the Quickstep. There are echoes of Charleston in the Quickstep with the dance's nimble hops and kicks, making it a lively and energetic expedition to the dancefloor.
Cha Cha
The Cha Cha is another fun and versatile Latin dance and ranks amongst the five dances competed at international level. The dance draws its name from the rhythm of the feet on the dancefloor - 'cha cha cha' - and today's version resembles the original Cuban Cha Cha.