Tartu Summer Swing 2022. Camp in Alatskivi

Eestikeelse lehe jaoks külasta: https://tartuswing.ee/summer2022

Time and Place

When? Tartu Summer Swing 2022 will take place on the 29th – 31st July 2022.

Where? In Alatskivi: a small town, located 40 km from Tartu. It’s possible to travel there using public transport. Note that our final event on the Sunday evening will take place in Tartu itself.

By the way: this is the 6th time that Tartu Summer Swing has taken place. To see more about what’s come before, take a look here: https://tartuswing.ee/klubist/tartu-summer-swing/

Teachers

Dom Knoll and Nora Locher are professional swing dancers and dance teachers hailing from Austria. Before reaching lindy hop, they were very much into a range of other dance styles and sports. But they’ve been professional lindy hop trainers since 2014 with their own dance school in Vienna (www.SwingAUT.at). From that time onwards, they’ve been sharing their passion for lindy hop and swing in Austria and all over Europe.

Sylwia and Michał met 10 years ago at a lindy hop party in Warsaw. They’ve enjoyed dancing for as long as they can remember. One of the most important elements in their approach to dancing is the music and improvisation to the music on the dancefloor. Though, that being said, they love their fast swingouts too! In their dance classes, Sylwia and Michał focus on movement technique, the learning of musicality, and, above all, having fun. Their focus on the origins of jazz helps them to better understand lindy hop. They respect the history of both swing dance and swing music, and continuously search for inspiration by participating in international workshops and dance classes.

Classes

On Saturday there’ll be four classes and on Sunday there’ll be two. The classes will take place in two halls within Alatskivi school. Class participants will be split into two levels based on their past experience with lindy hop. The classes will be taught at these two levels.

Parties

On the 29th July, there’ll be a dance night at the Alatskivi Manor Stables bar, which also has its own outside terrace. There you can eat, drink and dance.

On the 30th July, there’ll be a dance party with an accompanying band in the fairytale-like Alatskivi Castle.

On the 31st July, the festival’s final dance party will take place back in Tartu at the Living Room Behind the Stage.

Accommodation

We’ve got permission to stay at Alatskivi school: a real Summer Camp experience! You should bring along your own sleeping mat and sleeping bag, and if you wish, your own pillow etc. Likewise, the school’s shower rooms will be at our disposal. Of course, if you prefer, you can travel each day from home to Alatskivi and back, or alternatively look for alternative accommodation along the Onion Route.

Food

The school cooks are returning from their Summer breaks to prepare food for us on the Saturday and the Sunday: both breakfast and lunch. Vegetarians will be catered for too.

On Friday night, there is no pre-arranged food. But Kivi Pub, the Castle Restaurant and the Manner Stables bar will all be open. There’s also a Coop supermarket and an Olerex petrol station in Alatskivi, where you can buy food and drink.

On Saturday night we’ll eat together at the Alatskivi Castle restaurant. Though for this, you should register in advance (you can do this on the registration form).

Prices

Until the end of the 5th June i.e. Early Bird:

  • Basic Package 165 € (classes, all parties).
  • Accommodation and meals at the school 35 € (2 night’s stay and 4 meals).
  • Dinner on Saturday at the Alatskivi Castle restaurant 30 € (main course and dessert; there is a vegetarian option).
  • Only the Saturday night party at the castle 25 €.

Prices from the 6th June:

  • Basic Package 215 € (classes, all parties).
  • Accommodation and meals at the school 35 € (2 night’s stay and 4 meals).
  • Dinner on Saturday at the Alatskivi Castle restaurant 30 € (main course and dessert; there is a vegetarian option).
  • Only the Saturday night party at the castle 35 €.

Schedule

29th July

  • 12.00-17.00: There’s an Onion Route tour for those who would like to join. We’ll visit the Voronja gallery, Samovar House, and the Peipsi County Visitor Centre. The tour lasts 5 hours. The price of the tour includes: entrance to, and tours within, the places we’ll visit along the way; a famous waffle from Voronja gallery, an onion pie and an Ivan chai from Samovar House; soup, chiccory cake and coffee as a well as a block-printing workshop at the Peipsi County Visitor Centre. The tour will take place provided that there at least 10 people registered to go on it. If there are people who don’t speak Estonian amongst those who register, then the tour will largely take place in English. We’ll sort out the transport. The price is 40 euros per person.
  • 17.00-19.00    Participant registration at Alatskivi school.
  • 19.00-01.00    Opening party and good times at the Alatskivi Manor Stables bar.

30th July

  • 09.00-10.00    Breakfast
  • 10.00-13.00    Classes
  • 13.00-14.30    Lunch
  • 14.00-17.30    Classes
  • 19.30  Dinner at the Alatskivi Castle restaurant (for those who register for it)
  • 20.00  Party starts (the band will take to the stage at 21:15)

31st July

  • 09.00-10.00    Breakfast
  • 10.00-13.00    Classes
  • 13.00-14:30   Lunch
  • Packing and Travel to Tartu
  • 20.00  Party in Tartu at the Living Room Behind the Stage

FAQ

How can I cancel my registration?

If you’ve registered and paid your participation fee, but you cancel your registration before the 23rd June 2022, then you’ll get 100% of your participation fee back. If you cancel your registration after the 23rd June 2022 but before the 15th July 2022, then you’ll get 50% of your participation fee back. If you cancel your registration from the 15th July onwards, then you won’t get any of your participation fee back.

How do I pay the participation fee?

After you fill out the registration form, the Tartu Summer Swing (TSS) team will send you a confirmation email. We’ll include information on how to pay the fee in that confirmation email. We ask that you pay through a bank transfer payment. If you need a receipt, then please let the TSS team know and we’ll sort one out for you.

How quickly do I need to pay for participation?

You should pay the participation fee within 7 days of receiving the abovementioned confirmation email from the TSS team.

I’ve not yet received the confirmation email. What should I do?

If you’ve already waited 1 workday for the confirmation email, and for some reason you’ve still not received it, then get in touch—write to us at: swingtartu@gmail.com.

What does it mean to be on “the waiting list”?

As part of the registration process, you’ll be added automatically to a waiting list. The TSS team uses the information you provide about your experience to place you into a particular level/group, and formally registers you before then sending you a confirmation email. The first confirmation emails will be sent (probably) within one week of the opening of registration. Our experience with previous events leads us to believe that those who register without a partner tend to stay on the waiting list for longer; for this reason, we recommend that you search for a partner with whom you can register (i.e. that you register together as a follow and a lead). NB: We will make sure that for every unpaired participant there’s at most 6 paired participants (this sets an upper limit to how frequently a person will be partnerless in a class as participants change partners therein).

What levels are there for the classes?

This Summer the classes will take place at two levels (Continuers and Advanced). To join the Continuers’ group, you need to at least: have completed a lindy hop beginners’ course; know the basic 6 and 8 count rhythms; and know how to do a swing out and a lindy circle. We ask that you be as precise as possible about your previous dance experience when filling out the registration form—it’s on the basis of this information that participants will be distributed into the two levels. NB: The teachers may well redistribute participants between the two levels “on the day”, given what they intend to teach and what they think would produce optimally productive classes for all concerned.

Do I have to register with a partner?

You do not have to register with a partner. However, if you register with a partner and you are roughly at the same level, then both of you are guaranteed a place in the classes. Though bear in mind that both partners must register separately (where one partner takes up the follow role and the other takes up the lead role).

When does registration open at the event itself?

Registration is open on the 29th July between 17.00 and 19.00 at Alatskivi school. We ask those who arrive later than 19.00 to come directly to the party at the Alatskivi Manor Stables bar. It’ll also be possible to register on the morning of the 30th July between 09:45 and 10:00.

We should state the obvious:

In case some of the teachers don’t reach Estonia because their flights have been cancelled (there’s a strike, or a major delay or something similar), then Tartu Swing will endeavour to find alternative means to hold the classes. But obviously, in this eventuality, we wouldn’t be able to guarantee that the classes that were announced will take place.”

Contact Information

If you’ve got any questions, then we’d prefer that you write to us with those questions by email: swingtartu@gmail.com

However, if your question is urgent, then feel free to call one of the following:

Ingmar 56631133
Maie 56672603
Lili 5100967
Liis 56480065

Key Places