About
Celebrate the season with rhythm and joy! Every Friday this December, The Holiday Hop series brings you a new social dance every week from swing to salsa and tango. No partner or experience is needed! Learn, move and celebrate the holidays with festive fun, live music and community all month long.
Whether you’re looking to learn something new or just want to move to the music, this is the perfect way to get into the holiday spirit. Bring the glam, grab your dancing shoes and join us for festive fun all month long!
Ways to Save
Save $10 by purchasing all three classes together!
Music Lineup
Friday, December 5
Swing with Vicky & Benoit and band Viper’s Cloud
Let us take you back in time to the 1920s where dance instructors Vicky Yeung and Benoit Parent will show you how to Charleston. This dance class will include both solo and partnered moves, so whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned dancer, we’re going to get your toes tapping and knees knocking.
Friday, December 12
Tango with Roxana & Fabian and Payadora Ensemble
Start the night with a beginner-friendly tango class led by Roxana and Fabian Belmonte. After the lesson, the floor opens to the captivating sounds of the award-winning ensemble Payadora, setting the perfect mood for an evening of dancing. Dress to impress and add a little sparkle — holiday flair encouraged!
Friday, December 19
Salsa with Soul2Sole and Jorge Betancourt
This holiday hop kicks off with a lively salsa dance class followed by a night of non-stop dancing to the vibrant sounds of Jorge Betancourt’s salsa band. It’s the perfect way to dance into the festive season with energy, joy and holiday spirit.
About Vicky Yeung
Vicky Yeung’s dance career began as a founding member of the University of Manitoba Swing Dance club back in 2000. Since then, she has taught classes and workshops in vintage swing (Lindy Hop, Balboa, Shag), modern swing (West Coast swing), rock ‘n’ roll (Rockabilly Jive, Bop, Stroll) and country (Two-step, Country swing, East Coast swing) across Canada. Locally, you can find Vicky teaching at Uptempo (Barrie) Dance Studio and Swing Toronto.
About Benoit Parent
Benoit Parent’s start in swing dance began in his hometown of Quebec City in 2001. Upon his relocation to Winnipeg in 2004, he met and started teaching with Vicky Yeung at the University of Manitoba Swing Dance Club. Since then, he can be spotted on the social dance floor at various events and occasionally teaching the drop in dance lesson at Swing Toronto’s weekly Saturday Night Swing event.
About Viper’s Cloud
Toronto-based group Viper’s Cloud is a jazz group that brings you on a journey of the music from the ‘20’s and ‘40’s, visiting repertoire from the Django Reinhardt song book, traditional Latin boleros, as well as swing standards from the golden era of jazz.
About Roxana & Fabian Belmonte
Roxana & Fabian Belmonte are internationally recognized Argentine tango dancers, choreographers and teachers. They have performed and taught around the world for over four decades, thrilling audiences in venues ranging from Luna Park in Buenos Aires and Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto to the Royal Theatre Carré in Amsterdam and Shiba Mel-Park Hall in Tokyo.
Dancing tango has always been a treasured legacy in their families. Legendary celebrities of the tango world often surrounded them, and in that spirit, they were brought up to live, breathe and love tenderly the whole Tango culture. They have appeared in many of the iconic dance halls of their native Buenos Aires.
They were distinguished as “Country Brand Marca País Argentina” by the Argentine Foreign Ministry and named Ambassadors of “Marca País 2023 – Argentinos Destacados en el Mundo” (Brand Country – Outstanding Argentinians in the World). This distinction honours Argentines who enhance their nation’s international image and promote its cultural identity.
Besides being a Tango dancer, Fabian distinguished himself as a multi-faceted artist and performer who has appeared on stage not only as a dancer but also as a vocalist and bandoneon player, in line with his lifelong passions for dance, music and history. They have received numerous accolades, including the 2019 Hispanic Leaders of Canada Award and the 2003 Latin American Achievement Award – Premio Somos for Best Latin Folklore Presence in Canada.
The Belmontes have performed as a solo couple with several major North American symphony orchestras. They were selected as Argentina’s tango ambassadors to the world, leading them to serve as judges at international tango competitions held in Argentina, Japan and the United States.
About Payadora
Payadora is an award-winning chamber music ensemble that performs original compositions as well as original arrangements of a core repertoire drawing from Argentinian/Uruguayan tango and folk music. Made up of a group of players who are each musical powerhouses, the group has combined their deep knowledge of tango with their classical, jazz and world music backgrounds to create something entirely new. Payadora is officially endorsed by the Argentinian Consulate in Toronto for its adherence to the spirit of tango. Their performances convey joy, virtuosity, humour and their intense passion for the music that they play.
About Soul2Sole
Soul2Sole is a dynamic group of dance professionals based in Toronto, Canada. Born in 2000 with the mission to share our passion for Latin dance with the Toronto community, we have more than 15 years of teaching experience and success in instructing our students. Soul2Sole is more excited than ever to continue our journey of inspiring our students on the dance floor. We teach salsa and bachata in Mississauga, Richmond Hill, Toronto and Vaughan.
About Jorge Betancourt
Born in Camagüey, Cuba, the son of a famous symphonic orchestra conductor, Jorge Betancourt began his career with Charanga 86 before working with Orquesta Trinima, Salsometro and the influential Valentine y los del Caribe. In Canada, he has earned a reputation for his animated stage presence and an inventive fusion of salsa, R&B, funk and timba with traditional son and guaracha forms.
