FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

“Fasching” means carnival and has a long tradition in Germany. In western Germany (Cologne, Mainz, etc.) it is celebrated with great enthusiasm. The “Fasching” lasts several weeks with its climax on the carnival weekend, which is seven weeks before the Easter weekend. The RTSF is taking place exactly at that weekend.
You can compare “Fasching” to Halloween in the USA, but it is funny instead of being scary. That means you will probably see a bunch of strange looking people in the city center, wearing all kinds of masquerade and behaving a bit weird. If you would like to join them and get in the spirit of Fasching you can do that on Thursday. That day is also known as “Unsinniger Donnerstag” or “Altweiberfasching” (guys - be careful, because on that particular day the ladies are allowed to cut your ties—honestly!). If you stay until Tuesday (“Faschingsdienstag”) you can attend the colorful carnival in the city which comprises a lot of dancing and parties all over Munich. If you like carnival processions, then Monday (“Rosenmontag”) is your day!
The venues at the RTSF have nothing to do with the carnival itself or that kind of masquerade. Most people at the RTSF will dress up in vintage style of the 30s to the 50s.

The Rock That Swing Festival has some unique features.

• In contrast to many dance events the Rock That Swing Festival provides a combined stage for the classic Swing dances, like Boogie Woogie, Lindy Hop, Balboa, Shag, Rockabilly Jive, and Authentic Jazz. This gives you an incomparable exchange and inspirational platform.
• A major advantage of the Rock That Swing Festival therefore is the great variety of classes during the day. With additional classes in Acrobatics, Line Dances, Burlesque, Train The Trainer, etc. you can choose from more than 300 classes. These are offered in a variety of levels, including special classes for beginners, competitors and teachers.
• A distinguishing feature of the Rock That Swing Festival is the free class selection on site. You can mix the various dances on a per class basis and create your own personal schedule.
• You can book each day and each evening separately according to your time and budget.
• Most evening venues will have at least two top international bands, covering 30s/40s and 50s style music. At the big nights up to eight bands will spoil your ears and feet.
• The major evenings are held in beautiful ballrooms in the Munich city center.
• All classes are held in nice dance studios that will provide a great learning atmosphere.
• It is happening in the city center of gorgeous Munich, which is not only famous for the beer! :-)

For the past years we had participants from more than 35 nations, e.g. Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, Ukraine, and the USA.

On the RTSF website you can find general travel directions if you come by plane, train, car, or public transportation. If you have special questions you can contact us at info@rockthatswing.com.

The Check-In is the central point of contact for all participants. All necessary information will be displayed there. If anything is still open, we are happy to sort it out in person. In cases of emergency during the classes you also can contact the teachers or the owner of the studio.

It’s officially wintertime in Germany and temperatures can range from +15°C to -10°C. (check www.wetter.com). So it can be sunny and warm or cold with snowstorms. Be well prepared and have some warm clothing and shoes in your luggage.

Yes! You can purchase goods at the Vintage Market.

The number of stalls is limited and they are usually taken by our regular vendors. We do not keep a waiting list. If you are interested anyway, drop us a line at info@rockthatswing.com, we will get back to you if a stall becomes available.

We are always looking for helpers during the festival, but are also in need of help and support before the festival. If you are interested in helping contact us at helpers@rockthatswing.com.

There will be classes in Boogie Woogie, Lindy Hop, Balboa, Shag, Charleston, Rockabilly Jive, Blues, and Burlesque. Additionally there will be special lessons for further swing related or non-swing related dances and about specific topics (e.g. Acrobatics, Line Dances, competition, etc.).

Due to the international participation, the general teaching language is English. Some teachers might speak other languages, too (e.g. German, Italian, French, Spanish, Swedish, Russian and Norwegian) and will of course translate if required and time permits.

Sure. The Rock That Swing Festival is a great place to start Swing dancing. The Dance Camp offers specific beginner tracks in Boogie Woogie, Lindy Hop, Balboa, Shag, Rockabilly Jive, and Solo Dance, that will instruct you step by step. You can find detailed information at the page for Beginner classes.

Yes, you can. The only exceptions are the acrobatic and the competition classes and maybe certain special classes that are couple related. In all other classes the teachers will rotate partners.

Yes, it is common in Swing dance classes that the instructors will rotate partners. The only exceptions are acrobatic/lift/drops classes and competition classes. Rotating partners has a lot of advantages: you gain more flexibility, you improve your lead and follow skills, you will be inspired by others, you learn and benefit from each other’s strengths, you meet new people and you can’t fight with your regular dance partner! All this means you have better and more dance partners to dance with in the evening dance. Add to this that you get to dance with people from around the world. If dancing only really works with your own partner or with very strong partners, rotating is the quickest way to find out why.

In general partners will be rotated in class. Exceptions are up to the teachers. We highly recommend changing partners in classes, but we understand that there might be personal issues why you don’t want to change. If the instructors will allow couples not to rotate they will take care that non-rotating couples won’t interrupt the rotation of the others. Again, at the end it is the decision of the teachers.

Due to the large number of lessons we offer and the free choice of classes on site the classes have been overall well distributed in the past. It could of course happen that certain classes will be overfilled if too many participants decide spontaneously to go to the same class. That’s why it is important that you let us know what classes you plan to join so we can assign suitably sized rooms to each class.

The RTSF Dance Camp offers 7 levels: Beginner, Beginner/Intermediate, Intermediate, Intermediate+, Intermediate/Advanced, Advanced, and Competition. Please be aware that not every dance is offered in all levels. You can see a detailed list of the offered class levels on the schedule page.

A distinguishing feature of the Rock That Swing Festival is the free class selection on site. You can mix the various dances on a per class basis and create your own personal schedule. This concept has been wanted by the vast majority of former participants. To make it work it is essential that you choose the right level.

It is tempting to treat your class level as a badge. It isn’t one. If you come to a Dance Camp to improve your skills and to get inspired you will gain the most if you participate in a class level that matches your skill level. It will also make it possible for the teachers to give their best and to suit exactly your needs. So, please take the level descriptions into account before you make your choices of a class.

Each class has a specific topic and is self-contained. Only the beginner classes build on each other. So you can switch freely between different dances and classes that are at or below your level. That means if you don’t have any experience in this dance, it is not possible to start with the second or third lesson of that track.

You need to enter your class choices with the registration but you are not bound by your selection and can still change your mind on site. The information you enter during the registration is important for us to assign suitably sized rooms to each class. So please don’t fill in a random choice, rather, what you are planning to choose.

Yes, you can. Classes can be chosen freely on site. We ask you for your class selection at the time of registration to give us a guideline how to assign classes to the differently sized studios. But please be honest with yourself and use our level descriptions. A level that is over your head holds you and your classmates up, and you will take less home than from the class that fits you.

Yes, you can book single days at the Dance Camp. If you book more days you will receive price discounts.

Not individually, sorry. The smallest booking unit is a single day. The only exception is the history class with our special guests. You can pay for that single class at the door as long as space permits. The price is 20 Euro.

Yes, you can. If you decide at the last-minute to stay longer you can add more on site. You find the upgrade prices on the prices page. You can’t take advantage of any package discounts if you update later.

The Rock That Swing Check-In is the central contact point for all your Rock That Swing needs. At the Check-In you can pick up your Dance Camp documents. Latecomers can still sign up for the Dance Camp and purchase remaining tickets for the evening events.

Each acrobatic class is limited to 20 couples if the teachers don’t state otherwise. The sign-up for the class will happen in the morning of that class at the Check-In, where each participant has to sign the list individually. First come, first served!

Train the Trainer classes concentrate on the “HOW” and not on the “WHAT”. They are specifically designed for the needs of instructors. Basically everybody can participate who is interested in those kinds of classes. Due to the international participation (teachers and students) it is an advantage to have sufficient knowledge in English to be able to follow the theory and thematic discussions.

At the request of the teachers, filming during the classes is not allowed, but every participant can record a recap at the end of the class if the teachers agree. Those recordings are for personal use only. So please do not publish them on the internet (YouTube etc.).

Some of the rented studios have their own bar areas where you can buy coffee and other beverages, but normally no food. In general we ask you to refrain from eating in the studio spaces. There are many shops and department stores in the area where you can also purchase food and drinks.

During Classes: Yes. In general we ask you to refrain from eating in the studio spaces. In any case, please make sure that you take your leftovers and trash away before you leave the studio as the studios must be left in clean condition! Bear in mind that in Germany you pay 25 cents for most plastic bottles so keep them to claim your money back.

Night venues: please don’t. Every venue runs its own bar and food service, and bringing your own gets the festival into real trouble with the operators afterwards. There is more on why in the Evening Events section.

All events at the Vintage Club (After Hours Parties, Jitterbug Hop) have free seating, but seating is limited and can’t be guaranteed. Whoever arrives early has the best chance of getting a seat.

The parties In The Mood and Hep Cats Night at the Künstlerhaus have numbered seats on the ground floor and on the balcony.

The Rock That Swing Ball and the Jamboree Ball at the Deutsches Theater have numbered seating only. You can choose between different price categories depending on the view and floor. There are seats in the stalls, on the balcony and in the upper tier.

Yes, you can reserve seats for Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night. Have a look at the seating maps and let us know what seats and how many you would like to have. Send an email to info@rockthatswing.com with your request. Give us one or two alternatives in case the desired table is booked already. You will receive a reservation code from us by email that is normally valid for 10 days. Everybody who should get one of the reserved seats has to use the reservation code at the time of their individual booking.

Note: you do not have to open a group in order to use a seat reservation. If you have more than 10 people in your group for a specific evening a group order offers you additional discounts.

For the evening events you need to be dressed accordingly. Otherwise you might not be allowed to get in. In general we would like to encourage you to add to the atmosphere of the dance nights with a stylish outfit; 40s or 50s style would be ideal, of course. If you don’t have anything from the era, just dress nicely. Please leave tracksuit bottoms and T-shirts for the training room—they are not meant for an evening like this. So dress to impress.

The main events on Thursday and Friday take place at the Künstlerhaus – a historic house with two beautiful vintage ballrooms. Saturday and Sunday take place at the Deutsches Theater – an elegant theater ballroom.

In case you sweat a lot, your dance partners will appreciate it highly if you have extra shirts with you to change from a wet to a dry shirt.

The non-smoking law in Bavaria forbids smoking in restaurants, cafés, pubs and venues. Therefore all venues at the RTSF will be smoke free.

At the Deutsches Theater on Saturday and Sunday night small dishes will be served at the Food Station (Balcony Left Bar). There are also various restaurants close by.

At the Künstlerhaus small dishes might be served in the ballroom. In the same building around the corner is a great Italian Osteria.

At the After Hours Parties and Jitterbug Hop (Monday) at the Vintage Club only drinks and cocktails are served. At the bar you can find snack food like pretzel sticks, nuts, chips etc.

We’re afraid not. Every venue runs its own bar and food service, and that is part of the arrangement that lets us hold the festival in these houses at all. When guests bring their own, the operators take it up with us afterwards, so it really does land on the festival. Please expect the door staff to ask you to leave your own drinks outside.

We know this is our least popular rule, and we do understand why. Drinks at German venues cost more than many of you are used to, and at festivals elsewhere water is often simply there for free. We have asked the venues about a better arrangement more than once and have not got anywhere so far: the bars belong to the houses, not to us. We keep asking.

At the Dance Camp it is different. Your own drinks are welcome in the studios, as long as you take your bottles and leftovers with you.

In general you need permission for handing out flyers inside the venues or putting them on the tables. You can put your flyers on the designated flyer tables at the Check-In. You also have the opportunity to advertise in the RTSF playbill, which is a full color booklet of about 60 to 80 pages that will be handed out to all participants for free. If you want to place an ad please contact us at info@worldofswing.com.

You can film without a tripod during the evening events, within the data-protection rules. If some bands don’t like to be recorded they will let you know. Excerpts of up to about one minute can be posted at any time, as long as you list Rock That Swing as the event and place a link to the Rock That Swing website. Complete numbers, shows and the Jamboree Revue should only be posted two weeks after the festival, so that the artists and we can publish our own recordings first. You find the detailed rules in the Videography section.

All regular contests of the Rock That Swing Festival are open. The registration fee is 10 Euro per person and per contest. Anybody who likes to compete and has a ticket for the respective evening can take part in those contests. The registration will take place through our online registration system, at the Check-In during the day and at the venue of the specific night until 30 mins before the contest starts. Details can be found at the contests page.

You can book all tickets and the Dance Camp directly at the Rock That Swing Festival Website through our ordering system. You can also pre-order the Rock That Swing CDs and T-shirts. Please note: discounts are only available for bookings placed through the Rock That Swing website.

If there are any tickets left, they will be sold during the festival at the Check-In or at the evening event box office.

All tickets will be sent to you via email as soon as the order is fully paid. Alternatively you can download them at the ManageOrders-Page after Login to the RTSF-Ordersystem.
For the evening-events just show the ticket on your mobile or as printout directly at the entrance.
Dance Camp wristbands, CDs and T-shirts are picked up at the RTSF Check-In.

If you place an order the order is binding and obliges payment. The German Distance Selling Act allows a two week revocation period, but according to § 312b Paragraph 3 Nr. 6 BGB it is not applicable for ticket sales or camp bookings. So by law all online ticket bookings are final.

Check here.

By our own choice we offer cancellation with cancellation fees and the option to transfer your whole booking to another person. Details can be found in our cancellation policy.

You can pay by credit card, SEPA direct debit (if your bank supports it), bank transfer, or WERO. We can’t accept PayPal payments anymore.

We offer various package, group, student, and early bird discounts. You can find details at the prices page.

We are not able to offer general discounts for specific countries. Discounts for extenuating circumstances can be only granted on a case-by-case basis. However we offer various package, group, student, and early bird discounts. You can find details at the prices page. We are also always in need of helpers before or during the festival.

Group orders with 10 or more tickets for the same evening or 10 or more Dance Camp bookings receive a 10% discount on those tickets and Dance Camps.

To take advantage of group discounts you can create a group at the online order system and invite other people. The invited people have 10 days from the start date of the group to place their orders by using the group ID and the group password. You also have the option to enter a specific start date if you need extra time to collect your people.

After the 10 days the group will be closed automatically, the discounts if applicable given, and an updated order confirmation and payment request sent to the group members. Each group member will get their own invoice and is responsible for their own payment.

IMPORTANT: Group discounts are a reward for those who manage to organize a (local) group. We hope you understand that we can’t afford to offer group discounts if you publish group passwords on public social media sites (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) or in mass newsletters. If a group password is shared publicly, we can’t grant the group discount for the members of that group.

Yes! Discounts are granted when the group total reaches 10 or more tickets for the same evening event or 10 or more Dance Camp passes on those purchases. For an evening event it doesn’t matter what category the bookings are. For the Dance Camp the bookings don’t need to be for the same days or number. It just needs to be 10 bookings of the Dance Camp.

Yes, it is. The basic price is determined through the date of the booking. The group discount will be calculated and deducted from that price.

No. Relevant for the early bird price is the date of your booking. After the group closure you receive your final invoice. You can only lose your early bird discount if you don’t pay in time. For bank transfers the payment period is 5 days from the invoice date.

If space is available, you still can register last-minute at the Check-In. In the past various evening events have been sold out in advance. If there are still left over tickets, they will be sold at the Check-In and the box offices of each dance night. You can look up the availability of tickets at the respective pages of the evenings or the evening overview.

The central train station (Hauptbahnhof) is close to the Check-In (approx. 5 minutes walking) and all venues. The main airport (Franz-Josef-Strauß) is located in the very northeast of Munich, but suburban trains (S1 and S8) leave about every 20 minutes and take you directly to the city center (40–45 minutes, no change of trains). Detailed travel description can be found on the Directions page.

All venues are close to the central station (Hauptbahnhof) and the Stachus (Karlsplatz) and distances can be walked (3–10 minutes). Detailed travel description can be found on the Directions page.

To enter the city by car you need a green emissions sticker for your car. The environmental zone ranges over the whole city area within the Mittlerer Ring. You will find more information about the emissions stickers here. You can order the badge online or buy it in Germany at all TÜV and DEKRA offices, and some car dealers, vehicle registration offices, and car repair shops. You need the registration paper of your car (a copy is OK) not the car itself. It takes about 5 minutes.

Participants who arrive with their own vehicle can drive directly into the city. (Make sure you have an emission sticker for your car.)

Parking at the roadside is only free on Sundays and after 11 pm until the morning. Normally parking at the roadside or in parking structures is quite expensive. There are reduced parking rates near the RTSF venues. You find detailed information at the Directions page.

Hotels may have special parking rates for their guests.

In case you don’t need your car during the festival there is also an option to park your car outside of the center at a P+R Park & Ride parking. www.parkundride.de

All venues of the Rock That Swing Festival are located within close walking distance (3–10 minutes) of the center of Munich. They are all very close to the Central Station (Hauptbahnhof) and the Stachus (Karlsplatz). There’s a large number of hotels and hostels close by.

All teachers and bands will stay at our partner hotels Hotel Wallis, Hotel Präsident, and the Hotel München City Center. The hotels Wallis and Präsident are located across the street from the Deutsches Theater and the Vintage Club. The Hotel München City Center is two blocks away. For general information, the discounts of our partner hotels, and alternatives go to the accommodation page.

We are sorry, but we cannot arrange private accommodation. If you are looking for a place to stay, you are welcome to ask in the Munich Facebook group Swing, Lindy Hop, Balboa, Boogie in Munich.

Generally, all copyrights belong to World of Swing and the recorded artists. For private use, you can make your own video recordings without a tripod. Please note the usual personal rights.

If you want to post your recordings, please note:
- Excerpts of up to about one minute can be posted at any time.
- Complete numbers, shows, teacher presentations and the Jamboree Revue only two weeks after the festival, earlier only with our consent.
- Credit the “Rock That Swing” event as the source and link to the Rock That Swing website or the Rock That Swing Instagram Channel.

Why the two weeks: the artists and we publish our own recordings shortly after the festival. If complete numbers are online before that, the artists and we lose the chance to present their work ourselves. Excerpts are welcome at any time, they make people want to see more.

For commercial posts, contact us at info@rockthatswing.com for an appropriate agreement.

At the request of the teachers, it is not permitted to film the class. The teachers will usually make a summary at the end of the class for you to record. These recordings are for private use only. So please do not publish them on the Internet.

Please contact us at info@rockthatswing.com.