Beyond the Basics: I Wanna Do Shim Sham

I Wanna Do Shim Sham!

The Shim Sham Shimmy is a jazz dance that dates back to the 1920s and has a long history in the worlds of swing and tap dance. Neil Figuracion is coming back to dip into the legacies of dancers like Leonard Reed & Willie Bryant, Frankie Manning, Rusty Frank and so many more!

-March 10, 2025 – Welcome to the Shim Shamily

Let’s get a broad view of the history of Shim Sham and learn the structure of the routine! We’ll build foundations for those who want to learn from the beginning and add challenges for experienced Shim Shammers. Let’s explore how the dance fits the music and hear a few tunes that work and some that, well…

-March 17, 2025 – Do that Shimmy Shimmy Shake

Next, we’ll step it up a notch and take a look at a few variations on the Shim Sham! We’ll do a quick review of the routine and then play with some fun stylish doodads. Then we’ll try some new ways to play!

-March 24, 2024 – Shim Sham Alakazam!

It’s time to make the Shim Sham our own. What’s that mean? There’s only one way to find out!

So if you’ve been intimidated to get on the floor or you’re looking for new ways to bring yourself out, come join Neil and get your Shimmy on!

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Neil Figuracion (any pronouns) hails from East Los Angeles and was lucky enough to learn and dance with the swing and jazz dance legends of that region, including learning the Shim Sham to share the stage with the late Leonard Reed. Neil is often fairly irreverent and sometimes silly, but cares a lot about passing along the wisdom and legacies of those legendary dancers.

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$40 for the 3-week series—register ahead of time to save time and money!

$15/drop in class

Student or student budget? Use the code “fizzstudent” to save $10!