Charleston Fitness - Nailsworth

A typical class starts with a warm-up and a recap, then the teachers show a move or concept a piece at a time. Leads and follows usually swap partners every few minutes, so you dance with everyone and nobody needs to bring a partner. Expect to laugh, to get it wrong a few times, and to leave with something you can use straight away on a social floor.

Collegiate Shag is a fast, bouncy swing dance from 1930s American colleges, with quick hopping steps that keep up with the speediest swing tunes. It is light and playful and a favourite at fast-music competitions and late-night jams. Read our full guide.

Lindy Hop is the original swing dance, created by African-American dancers in Harlem in the late 1920s and 1930s and danced to big-band swing jazz. It is a partner dance built on an eight-count swingout, mixed with six-count moves, and it is famously improvised – lead and follow play with the music rather than repeating a routine. It suits any age, and most classes rotate partners. Read our full guide.

Cotswold Shag and Charleston fitness teacher with Monday classes near Gloucester and Nailsworth, and Swingtime at the Brewery dances in Stroud. We list 12 of their sessions, running on Mondays. See everything from Swingbytes Dance.