Event Program.
Fast Foot Jam is a Shag and Bal weekender bringing you two action packed days of workshops, three nights of incredible social dancing to live jazz bands, and an endurance competition to find out who has the fastest feet of them all.
A preliminary program is presented below. There will be no beginner level workshops. All attendees should be comfortable dancing the style taught in the session and be ready to advance their skills in the blueprint or explorer workshops. The program is subject to change. Keep an eye on Instagram for any changes/updates to the program, including teacher announcements!
Friday June 20th, 2025
Shuffle and Scooch - Friday Welcome Dance
We will kick off with a welcome dance at the Marrickville Lawn Tennis Club. This newly refurbished venue has beautiful wooden floors, an affordable bar and a stage for our wonderful band. Due to capacity, this event is limited to full-weekend pass holders.
6:45 PM - Doors open.
7:00PM - Swing Walk/Peabody Class - This quickstep dance is a variation of the most popular dance of the jazz age: the Foxtrot. While this dance was popular, the famous Savoy Ballroom in Harlem was referred to as ‘the Racetrack’ - danced primarily in a closed hold, dancers doing swing walk or Peabody glide round and round the dance floor. Join this class to learn this iconic partner dance.
8:00 PM - Social dance starts. Our Live Band will be led by Kate Wadey, a beloved name in the swing dance community. Kate's enchanting voice and passion for swing music always shines through, captivating the audience and keeping everyone on their feet. With the brilliant talents of Andrew Scott on piano, Sam Dobson on double bass, and Tim Geldens on drums, get ready to be delighted by their swingin’ melodies and undeniable groove.
11:00 PM - Social dance finishes.
Saturday June 21st, 2025
Workshops
Workshop Types: We will be offering three styles of workshops in order for you to get the most out of Fast Foot Jam:
Blueprint - Traditional sessions that will deal in essential vocabulary, technique and the roots of the dance.
Explorers - Conceptual sessions that will expand and deepen your understanding of the dance.
Geek Out - For the dance tragics, these sessions will be focused on the cutting edge of the dance, creation and sharing.
Blueprint and Explorers are open to everyone registred for Fast Foot Jam workshops.
The Geek Out sessions have limited sport and are available by application only. Workshop ticket holders will be invited to apply in May.
Saturday workshops will begin at 10AM and end by 4PM. Feel free to take a break, get some food, shop and explore Marrickville during the day.
Additional tickets will be released for the Fast Lindy workshop to enable people to attend who are not participating in the Shag and Bal workshops.
For private lessons with our instructors, please contact the organisers in advance.
The Fast Foot Ball - Saturday evening
The Marrickville Town Hall will transform into a vibrant space for our Saturday evening dance.
6:45 PM - Doors open.
7:00PM - Collegiate Shag taster class.
8:00 PM - Social dance starts - all swing era dance styles welcome and encouraged! Our Live band will be led by Eamon McNellis. Award-winning trumpeter and singer Eamon McNelis plays evocative, swinging tunes from the 1930’s and 1940’s. Repertoire from the catalogues of Billie Holiday, Una Mae Carlisle, Duke Ellington, Jelly Roll Morton, Hoagy Carmicheal and more. Eamon McNelis will come up from Melbourne to collaborate with Sydney’s finest Jazz musicians throughout this unforgettable evening of hot, swingin jazz.
9:30 PM - Endurance Comp to live band - Details here.
11:30 PM - Social dance finishes.
Sunday June 22nd, 2025
Workshops
We will hold a also be offering a stretching and recovery session on Sunday morning for those with aching muscles.
Workshop Types: We will be offering three styles of workshops in order for you to get the most out of Fast Foot Jam:
Blueprint - Traditional sessions that will deal in essential vocabulary, technique and the roots of the dance.
Explorers - Conceptual sessions that will expand and deepen your understanding of the dance.
Geek Out - For the dance tragics, these sessions will be focused on the cutting edge of the dance, creation and sharing.
Blueprint and Explorers are open to everyone registred for Fast Foot Jam workshops.
The Geek Out sessions have limited sport and are available by application only. Workshop ticket holders will be invited to apply in May.
Sunday workshops will begin at 10AM and end by 3PM. Feel free to take a break, get some food, shop and explore Marrickville during the day.
For private lessons with our instructors, please contact the organisers in advance.
Sunday Tea Dance
The Marrickville Town Hall will be used to finish the weekend on a high.
5:00 PM - Doors open and social dance starts. Live band led by Geroge Washingmachine, an exceptional jazz violinist and singer playing Jazz Manouche music that will inspire you to dance the night away.
8:00 PM - Social dance finishes
We encourage you to head out to dinner after the dance.