Private Lindy Hop Lessons in London with Sugar Hill Hop
Private lessons are a flexible way to work one to one, with or without partners, on the parts of Lindy Hop, Charleston and Solo Jazz you want to improve most, whether that is a single thing or several at once. Sessions are tailored to your goals and arranged at a pace that suits you.
How it works
Private lessons are scheduled by appointment and designed around your needs, your experience level and what you want to get out of them. Because the sessions are bespoke, we usually start with a short discussion so we can understand what you would like to work on and how best to structure the time.
They are normally most beneficial for beginners and improvers, or for students who have been attending our classes for a while and already share the vocabulary and understand our teaching methodology. For more experienced dancers, it tends to be about specific technique, confidence, or partnership skills, and it is a chance for you to bring the ideas you want to explore into the conversation.
Two sessions rather than one
Ideally, we would love to do at least two sessions with you or with your group. The first is the investigation, where we work out what is going on and give you the means to improve it. The second, often shorter, is the moment to see how things are going, finalise anything still unresolved and point you in the right direction, so you know that what you have been doing is working.
You get the most value for money this way, and it ensures the quality of the service you are receiving. That said, a single session on its own is perfectly fine, and plenty of people start there.
Location options
We may use a public venue or a hired space, depending on the session, the conditions and availability. Public venue options may include indoor or mixed-use spaces such as the Barbican Centre or the Royal Festival Hall, as well as sheltered outdoor spaces such as Northampton Square or Exchange Square. Each option has different practical implications to consider, including noise, public disturbance, availability, and whether the space needs to be shared with others. It can ultimately come down to what you are most comfortable with.
A public venue can be a strong option when it offers enough room and a suitable environment for focused learning. It also allows us to use the session more flexibly, taking more or less time as we need it, without the added cost of room hire. If a more controlled environment would suit you better, we can suggest a small shortlist of two or three suitable hire spaces for you to choose from, based on our locations.
Ultimately you are responsible for the hire of any private venues or spaces.
What to expect in the session
A private lesson usually begins with a short conversation about your goals, your background (as much as you are comfortable sharing) and what you want from the session. From there we spend the time on practical dancing, feedback, and focused exercises that help develop the areas you want to improve.
Please note that the setting up part of the lesson can sometimes take longer than expected, especially if we begin with discussion or with exploring your current dancing. For those moments we don’t charge or start the timer at full rates, though of course this is sensitive to any venue hire costs running at the same time. The session may also run over slightly if the discussion and investigation phase is especially useful, so it is worth allowing a little flexibility in your plans.
Private lessons are ideal if you want individual attention, quick feedback, or a lesson that moves at your own pace. They can also be helpful if you have a clear question, such as improving connection, rhythm, footwork, or confidence on the social floor.
You can also think of it as an opportunity to try anything dance related in a partnership that is willing to explore with you, which I have always thought is a fun way to see it. You have an experienced dancer to try things out with, to discuss and create new things with, and to receive technically consistent, emotionally constructive feedback from, so that you grow as a dancer on your own terms.
One teacher or two
Most sessions are with one of us, and for a solo dancer or a single couple that is usually plenty. Something worth knowing, though, is that you can also ask for the second teacher of the other role to join us.
It changes the session quite a bit. Both partners can be taught at the same time rather than taking turns, everything can be shown by a full couple from both sides at once, and you can rotate and dance with an experienced dancer in either role. With a group of you it starts to feel much more like a private workshop, built entirely around your own list of priorities rather than ours. It does mean two people’s time to cover, so it makes the most sense when there are a few of you sharing it, but it is well worth asking about.
Pricing
Pricing depends on how long we spend together, where we are, whether one or both of us is teaching, and whether a public or hired space is used. Rather than a fixed fee, it is easier to think of it as a budget. If you tell us roughly what you have in mind, we will tell you honestly what we can do within it and shape the session to fit, and there is usually more room in this than people expect.
As a starting point we work from around £50 an hour for a teacher’s time, but if you have followed the format as explained so far, you can see why it varies, and it can work out cheaper than you might expect. For example, we might spend an hour together but only forty minutes of that is billed at full rates. Sessions are not fixed to the hour either, so they can be shorter or longer depending on what you need and what you are comfortable spending.
It is also worth saying that the cost is for the session rather than per person, so it makes no difference to us whether there is one of you or four of you in it. How you split it between yourselves is entirely up to you.
Some examples of how that has worked out in practice, purely as illustrations rather than a price list:
| Who came along | Roughly how long | Teachers | Roughly, in total | Roughly, each |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One dancer | Around 45 minutes to an hour | One | £35 to £50 | £35 to £50 |
| A couple | An hour or so | One | Around £50 | Around £25 |
| A couple | An hour and a half | One | Around £75 | Under £40 |
| Two couples | An hour and a half | One | Around £75 | Under £20 |
| Two couples | An hour and a half | Two | Around £150 | Under £40 |
| A shorter follow up | Half an hour or so | One | Around £25 | Split as you like |
One option to make it really affordable is to get maybe two couples together, four individuals, where you all go in with an agreement of what you would like to get out of the session. Create a list and prioritise the top two items, then split the cost between you. A private group session is an awesome way to make it super affordable, and at four of you it can work out at less per head than a night of our regular classes.
There is a balance to strike here, in regard to our teachers getting paid fairly for the time they are there with you and your group, but also in making sure you are getting value for the practical aspects where improvements are measurable. Billing the teaching time rather than the whole time we are together is how we try to keep both sides of that honest.
Booking
To arrange a private lesson, please get in touch with a few details about your goals, your preferred dates, how many of you there will be, and whether you would like a public or hired space. If you have a budget in mind, do mention it, as it genuinely helps us suggest the right shape of session rather than guessing.
We will then confirm the best option and send over the details for the session. If a hired venue is needed, we can also help guide you toward a suitable space.
Common questions
Does it cost more if there are more of us?
No. The cost is for the session, not per person, so four of you pay the same as one of you would. Bringing people along only ever makes it cheaper per head, and how you divide it up between yourselves is your business rather than ours.
Do we have to book two sessions?
Not at all. We recommend two because the second one is where you find out whether your practice has been working, and that is the part people tend to value most afterwards. But a single session is absolutely worth doing, and you can always decide about a second one later.
Do I need a partner?
No. Private lessons work perfectly well on your own or as a couple. Solo Jazz needs no partner at all, and a lot of the most useful partnered work, things like connection, rhythm and footwork, can be developed one to one with your teacher.
How long should a session be?
There is no set length. An hour is a common choice and works well for most things, but shorter sessions are fine, particularly for a follow up, and longer ones make sense if there are a few of you or if you have a longer list to get through. Tell us what you want to cover and we will suggest a length that fits.
Do I need to have been to your classes first?
No, although it does help. If you already know our vocabulary and how we teach, we can get moving more quickly. If you are new to us we will spend a little longer at the start getting our bearings, and that is exactly the part we don’t charge at full rates.
Still curious? Have a look at our classes and class levels, meet the teachers, or get in touch.