Collegiate Shag class · Bethnal Green

Shag Pile (Collegiate Shag)

Every Friday, 19:00–21:00 at The Mulberry Hall, St Margaret's House, Bethnal Green – run by Shag Pile.

Confirmed on the organiser's pageFrom £5

When: Every Friday
Fridays
Time: 19:00–21:00
Where: The Mulberry Hall, St Margaret's House, 21 Old Ford Road, Bethnal Green, London, E2 9PL
Level: Starts from the basics each week; beginners welcome
Price: From £5
Booking: Tickets via shagpile.dancecloud.com

Listings desk note: Doors about 18:45. Dancecloud text gives a slightly different street number/postcode (15 Old Ford Rd, E2 9PJ); St Margaret's House page says 21 Old Ford Road, E2 9PL. Page says weekly since 2013; one 11 Dec listing shows a 19:45 start that conflicts.

See it on shagpile.dancecloud.com More from Shag Pile

What to expect

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.

About Shag Pile

Weekly Friday Collegiate Shag class in Bethnal Green plus a regular DJ-led social swing night in Finsbury Park. We list 3 of their sessions, running on Fridays. See everything from Shag Pile.