Special evening

Backbeat invites you to a special evening close to our hearts on Tuesday, June 17th at Café Gavroche (basement) between 6:30 PM and 11 PM with a special guest from New York! 🧡 🚖

We are delighted to welcome Odysseus Bailer, who is an African-American Lindy Hop and Blues dancer, as well as an instructor and cultural lecturer from New York. Odysseus has been actively dancing Lindy Hop and Blues for over 20 years. He will give an English lecture from 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM (with a discussion session from 7:30 PM to 8 PM) titled: “To understand how Lindy Hop and Blues are connected to African-American culture, it’s important to know the history and journey of its people”. His presentation slides will be translated into French for better accessibility.

Then, Odysseus will teach an all-levels Blues dance class from 8 PM to 9 PM. No partner or prior Blues dance experience needed to join 🤗

The lecture and Blues class don’t have a fixed price to allow access to as many people as possible, but we invite you to make a free and conscious donation according to your means (with a suggested price of 10 CHF for the lecture and 10 CHF for the class). ☀️

From 9 PM onwards, we’ll enjoy a Blues social dance evening with Odysseus as DJ for the first hour 🪩. Come discover Blues dances and music if you don’t know them yet! The evening will continue until 11 PM. 🕺

This special evening aligns with Backbeat’s approach to engaging with swing dances with curiosity, love, and respect, taking interest not only in the dances and music of the swing era but also in the social context of their birth, particularly the social and racial issues that are inseparable from their history. 🌳

For more information about Odysseus Bailer, here is his detailed bio:

Odysseus Bailer is an African-American Lindy Hop and Blues dancer, instructor, and cultural lecturer from New York. Odysseus has been actively dancing Lindy Hop and Blues for over 20 years. He wants to thank Backbeat for hosting him and is excited to come teach in Geneva. He looks forward to meeting, talking, and dancing with everyone.

Over the past ten years, Odysseus has been one of many African-American voices in the scene who have pushed for positive evolution in the Lindy Hop and Blues dance scene. He is proud and happy to play a role in helping the international Lindy Hop and Blues scene better understand, appreciate, and respect the music, dance, and people who make up African/African-American culture.

His teaching style goes beyond teaching dance steps and formulas. Odysseus’s classes are fun, relaxing, and culturally informative.

See you on Tuesday, June 17th, and please spread the word! 🙏