PLEASE NOTE THAT TIMES AND LOCATIONS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE UNTIL THE RELEASE OF THE INFOPACK
Welcome to Whip-ma-Whop-ma-Hop 2026!
This year we have the amazing Ionut and Liane coming to teach, the illustrious John and Molly gracing us with their presence, as well as Cati Gentili, teaching the solo stream, returning from our fond memories of Whip-ma 2025.
We start on Friday with a social dance and a fun blues taster - Spirit Moves! - then Saturday is packed with streamed lessons before the Big Saturday Social! Expect '20s glitz and glam, a live band, and a blues after-party. Sunday is packed with tasters - including Beginner Aerials taught by York's Richard and Kat - before a community discussion group and then a Tea Dance with home baked goods!
If you'd like to attend the Aerials taster, a waiver and sign-up is required, see link. We also ask that you sign-up with a partner as priority will be given to those with a partner and with a ticket. This taster is suitable for beginners, but we ask that you take into consideration your own health and make a judgement call based on the risk of injury.
Looking for accommodation? Or have an extra space? Please fill out our Hosting form and we will let you know if we can match you to someone a week and a half before the event. Hosting form!
All details like precise timings, quiet room information and room locations will be included in our infopack which will go out a week before the event. University of York's West Campus will be the location of all lessons as well as the Friday and Sunday Socials, this is a 20 minute walk from town and also has connecting bus routes from the train station through town. There is also parking on campus which is free from 6pm on Fridays to 8am on Mondays.
Stream and Ticket Descriptions
Beginners/Improvers:
You are near the beginning of your swing dance journey and you're looking forward to learning more! As everyone learns differently and works at their own pace, years of experience aren't always the most accurate metric, but we'd suggest that this stream is right for you if you have been dancing for a year or less. That means that you may be just starting out, or may already be confident with lots of moves like tuck-turns, send-outs, and pass-bys, but you are looking forward to building on that confidence and seeing what else is out there! You might have tried both 6- and 8- count footwork but aren't yet confident playing with the two.
This stream is a great opportunity to learn some tips and tricks of social dancing, as well as refining any moves you may have already learned!
Intermediates:
You are a seasoned dancer in your home scene and have started to go to weekends around your area. You know moves in 6 and 8 counts and you may be confident in mixing them to fit the rhythm. You are ready to experiment with new moves and some variations. You are comfortable with moves such as swing outs and lindy circles, and you are looking to refine your style. Again, years of experience don't always give the best description, but we'd suggest that you'd have been dancing for at least 1 or 2 years before joining this stream.
If you're confident in dancing and are looking to refine your style, wanting to learn some tips from incredible teachers, and perhaps learn some new moves and variations, then this is the stream for you!
Solo Jazz:
You are a seasoned dancer, with at least 2 years experience, and feel comfortable playing with rhythms and musicality. If there is a routine you are always in the first line, whether it is the Mama Stew, Shim Sham, Tranky Doo or maybe even a Big Apple! You have a good vocabulary of solo jazz moves, and you look to learn how to improvise and express yourself best. If you feel instead that you've danced for a while, but this would be your first proper introduction to solo jazz, fear not! Good enthusiasm goes a long way, but please keep in mind this stream is particularly aimed at intermediate/advanced dancers so it is tailored to confident dancers.
Dancing Roles
Classes are split up into leaders and followers. You are welcome to try either!
Leaders typically initiate moves on the social dance floor, whilst followers interpret and respond. Many of us enjoy dancing both roles with different opportunities to be creative, and of course the chance to dance with everyone else in the room!
Your dancing role is completely your choice, and leading/following is not restricted to gender. We only ask that for the purposes of the classes, you stick with the role you signed up with.
Member’s Pricing
The tickets listed as ‘concessions’ are for paid members of the University of York Swing Dance Society ONLY. Getting your membership helps the society so this is our way of saying thank you! They are listed as ‘concession’ tickets to help us balance leads and follows, and please choose the correct ticket based on your membership status. Memberships are available from our YorkSU page at: https://yorksu.org/activities/view/swing-dance-society
Socials
If you are only interested in socials you will find social-only tickets for our social on Friday with a Blues taster, Saturday night with a live band, and our tea dance on Sunday afternoon. Please note that all our weekend passes include access to all socials, so you do NOT need to purchase both.
If you can only attend one social event, you can purchase the One Night Only Social pass and use it on EITHER the Friday Social OR Saturday Social OR the Sunday Tea Dance.
Support the Event
We aim to keep our prices low to make sure all our events are accessible to everyone, regardless of financial situation. If you are in a position to do so, then please consider donating and supporting our mission. You can do so here or even on our YUSTART page - check our linktree and instagram to find when it goes live.
Other Information
We recommend you purchase your ticket online in advance - particularly if you would like to attend the Aerials taster. We do not take payment on the door. If you arrive without a ticket you will be asked to purchase one online via a smartphone or laptop. Please note that some streams may have a waitlist to balance leads and follows so book early to avoid disappointment!
We rotate partners in our classes - this is a great way to meet new people and improve your dancing! If you prefer not to rotate partners, this is perfectly okay, but we then ask that you sign-up with a partner in mind in the same stream you are comfortable dancing with.
If you're interested in DJing at this event in exchange for a social pass, please email us or message us on instagram and we'll be in contact.
Contact Us
Our website has up-to-date information on our event! Find it at:
https://sites.google.com/yorksu.org/swing-dance-society/home
For any questions about the event, contact us at:
For any welfare questions about the event send us a message to our welfare officer at:
For questions about the accessibility of the event, use our general email or contact our accessibility lead:
And keep in contact with us through Facebook and Instagram! We're happy to answer any questions and we'd love to hear from you!
Whip-ma Official FB events page - https://fb.me/e/7cJUYab1c
Whip-ma Official Instagram page - https://www.instagram.com/uoyswingdance_events/
FB page - University of York Swing Dance - https://www.facebook.com/SwingDanceUoY
Instagram Page- @uoyswingstagram - https://www.instagram.com/uoyswingstagram/
Terms and conditions
By signing up to this event, you agree to our Code of Conduct.
Refund and Exchange Policy
- If you tell us you wish to cancel at least 7 days before the event, we’ll refund your ticket minus the payment processing fee.
- If you cancel less than 7 days and more than 24 hours before the start of the event, we will offer you a partial refund for half of your ticket cost, minus the payment processing fee
- If you contact us less than 24 hours before the start of the weekend we will be unable to offer a refund.
- If you wish to donate your ticket to another dancer, you must contact the society at least 24 hours before the event. If you give your ticket to someone else, they can not request another stream or role different to what is assigned in the ticket.
- If you have booked a ticket for the wrong stream or role, please contact us as soon as possible to see if we can move you to your requested stream, however please note that we cannot guarantee that there will be space in your requested stream and we may be unable to make any changes. Until you have received confirmation from us that your stream has been changed over, please go to the room of the stream you signed up for to register.
We reserve the right to bar you from the event if you break our Code of Conduct.