Charleston Hen Party Dance Class NewcastleSwivel, kick, repeat.
The Charleston is the rare hen theme where looking slightly out of control is the correct outcome. Flapping hands, swivelling feet, knees crossing and uncrossing faster than anyone expects — it is comic by design, which means the group relaxes about ten minutes sooner than it would with anything sleeker. Your teacher chooses tempo and steps to match whoever is actually standing there, in one of three central rooms we hire or out at your hen house anywhere in the North East. The ninety-minute class is £170 and the hour is £145, with the venue’s hire cost the only addition to either. No experience necessary, since the whole style rewards enthusiasm well above polish.
Which Saturday is it?
The date does most of the work here; numbers and a start time help. Expect an answer inside the day: whether a teacher is free, which room takes twenty people doing kicks, and the two figures in writing — teaching fee, then the venue’s own hire charge. Themes can be argued about later at no cost. Dates cannot be argued about at all.
the twenties came back round once already; your Saturday might not ✦
Fast, daft and oddly flattering.
Charleston makes a room of grown adults look as though they are having more fun than they will admit to. The basic swivel is learnable inside four minutes; getting twenty people to do it at the same speed is where the laughing properly starts. It holds an advantage over the sleeker themes, too — because everyone looks a bit ridiculous, nobody feels singled out for looking ridiculous, which is the quiet mechanic behind every good hen do dance class. It travels beautifully in photographs as well: arms out, knees in, the whole line caught mid-kick with the Tyne Bridge somewhere behind you if you fancy the walk down afterwards. Wor teachers rate it for mixed groups because it scales without anybody noticing — the fit ones go faster, the ones in heels stay grounded, and the routine hides the difference entirely. Of the hen party ideas that make a shortlist, this dance hen party is the one that most reliably surprises people, and among hen party activities in the city it is easily the most photogenic thing you can do inside a rented room.
Coats off
Introductions, a warm-up disguised as nonsense, and a room loosening faster than expected.
The swivel
The foundation step, taught slowly, then sped up until it stops needing any thought at all.
Invented in the room
Steps, order and who leads the line, all decided from what the group already does well.
One clean take
Filmed properly once, with everybody in shot and the kicks roughly in time with each other.
made up on the spot for the people in front of us — nothing here is photocopied
Enough to learn the swivel, the kicks and a proper ending, and still film the lot.
Sharp and complete, for parties eating at seven somewhere near Grey’s Monument.
Rented houses in Jesmond, a place out at the coast — no hire fee whatsoever. Class fee only.
the figure does not change when the guest list does — hen party activities sold by the head never suited us ✦
Three floors that take a kick line.
Charleston wants width rather more than depth, because a line of hens kicking sideways occupies far more room than anybody guesses from watching it. All three rooms we hire cope with twenty, and the quote you get back states the room plus its hire charge, in writing, up front.
Reports from the kick line.
We had eighteen and assumed that was far too many. The teacher simply made a longer line and it looked better for it.Maid of honour · party of 18 · Newcastle
Nobody could do the swivel for the first ten minutes and everybody could do it by the end. I still do not know how that happened.Bridesmaid · party of 12 · Morpeth
Charleston, explained.
six things worth knowing first ↓
Is the Charleston too fast for beginners?+
It is taught at whatever speed the room can hold and only then sped up, so the pace you see in old footage is a destination rather than a starting point. Groups who have never taken a class have a recognisable swivel inside the first quarter of an hour.
Is flapper kit expected, or can we skip it?+
Skip it happily if you like, and if so they are yours to find — nothing of the sort is stocked, lent or hired out here. Fringe does look wonderful on video, but the steps work identically in jeans and the class never assumes otherwise.
What is the total price for a Newcastle hen group?+
£170 covers ninety minutes for the whole party, or £145 for sixty, and the venue hire is added on top of that — both figures confirmed in writing beforehand. Book it into the house you have rented and there is no venue charge to add at all.
How much room does a kick line need?+
More than people assume. A line of ten needs roughly a stride of clearance each side, so twenty hens means two lines and a decent floor. If your rented house is on the tight side we will say so and steer you to one of the hired rooms instead.
Can slower movers keep up with the tempo?+
Comfortably, because the tempo is a dial rather than a fixed setting. Anybody who wants it fast gets it fast; anybody who would rather keep both feet closer to the ground can, and the routine is arranged so the difference simply does not show.
Is the theme fixed once the date is held?+
Not in the slightest, and changing it costs nothing. Your date and your room are what get held — what gets danced inside them stays open to debate until roughly seven days beforehand.
