EVENTS
ESDS run a wide range of events during the year in addition to our regular Thursday classes. Each upcoming event is represented by a different page on our website, accessible via the menu above, and will appear on our calendar.
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Types of Event
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Band Nights take place on Thursdays or Saturdays, and feature an extended social with live music from one of our talented local Jazz bands.
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Tea Dances take place on Sunday afternoons. They also feature live music, but start and finish earlier than a band night, and include community-furnished cakes, tea and coffee.
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​Weekenders are a combination of classes, tasters and socials typically running from Friday evening to Sunday evening inclusive. They deliver an entire term's worth of teaching and social dancing in a single weekend.
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​Workshops typically take place on Saturday or Sunday. They usually run for longer than an hour, and give teachers and dancers an opportunity to go more in depth than regular weekly classes. Topics include strolls (solo jazz routines), teaching, tasters for other dance styles, musicality and technique.
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Consolidation Classes take place at the end of a term, either on Thursday, Saturday or Sunday, and contain a rapid revision of the content taught within a term.
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What is a social dance?
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A social dance is an opportunity to express yourself and connect with others through dance! Band Nights, Tea Dances and socials within Weekenders are examples of Social Dances.
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What should I wear to an event?​
We recommend prioritising comfort (for both you and your dance partner) over style. A few people in Edinburgh like to dress in the style of the 1920s-40s, but this is rare in our scene. People are more likely to dress up for events described as "Balls", but there will still be plenty of casual wear on the dancefloor.
It’s a good idea to bring deodorant and at least one change of clothes with you as you can get hot and sweaty when dancing.
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Do I need to achieve a certain level of skill before I can go to an event?
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Social dances are open to all regardless of skill. No matter how new you are to swing dance, you'll find a partner willing to dance with you.
Classes and events that feature tuition will describe the level (or levels) of that tuition so that you can choose where best to learn. ESDS never requires dancers to pass auditions to enter our events.
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Do I have to book with a partner?
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You don't need to book with a partner. Events in our scene tend to have even ratios of leads to follows, and it is customary to dance with many different partners in a single night.