Who are we?

Herding dancers is like herding cats and finding dance practice buddies can be difficult. Originally a practice group, Mona Xue and Genny Kunkel created Lindy Hopcats in April 2022. We are a swing-obsessed group of dancers based in the Boston area who want to improve their Lindy Hop skills and encourage community. We hold regular practice sessions, special dance events, and online watch parties to provide more opportunities to develop new skills, exchange ideas, and motivate people at all levels to put their dance shoes on! We aim to create a space where people can feel comfortable making mistakes and are free to experiment with new ideas.

<aside> đŸ”„ Fun Fact: The term “Hepcat” was used as early as 1938 (that we know of) to designate swing and jazz enthusiasts. The term “Hopcat” was coined by Genny Kunkel in 2022 to denote modern Lindy Hop enthusiasts.

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Our story

Lindy Hopcats was born out of friendship and an intense obsession with dancing. We, Genny and Mona, first met each other at the greater Boston area event, Somerville Porchfest when we first began our dance journeys. Soon afterwards, we developed the “Lindy Fever”, a condition characterized by a deep love of Lindy Hop and constant dancing. At this time, Lindy events were just returning to Boston after the COVID-19 lockdown, but not enough yet to quell our curiosity. We wanted to grow our skills and make friends within the dance community. Thus, we created a small practice group of friends that has since become the Lindy Hopcats.

At Hopcats, we emphasize community, exchange of ideas, and helping each other along our individual artistic journeys. We host weekly practice sessions which are guided by the content that members of our community want to learn or share. In each session, we provide guided practice time with peer-led instruction and free practice time where folks can play around with their own ideas. Driven to find the best learning method for ourselves, we have a penchant for holding experimental practices (some of which result in games and scavenger hunts 😎). In addition to our weekly practice, we hold occasional special events such as: Lindy watch parties, workshops, and Lindy field trips. We also like to bring our energy to events that showcase local musicians and community arts.

<aside> đŸŠȘ Funner Fact: We really love jam— the food group and musical, danceable variety. Don’t be surprised if we turn up with a jar of something and then encourage you to form hype circles.

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