Dunedin was in a spin over the long weekend, especially if swing was your thing.
Swing Riot Dunedin held its third Midwinter Swing Festival at venues around the city.
The festival included classes on dances from the Lindy Hop to Blues Waltz at the University of Otago, before evening events at locations from the Savoy to the Port Chalmers Town Hall.
Festival co-ordinator Brendan Christie said the event had attracted participants from around New Zealand and dance teachers from Wellington, Auckland and Melbourne.
Mr Christie said Swing Riot Dunedin began from a community of dance teachers involved in the Otago University Students' Association and had evolved and grown to include people outside the university.
The festival was in part to encourage people outside the student area to get involved in the dance form, and develop a ``social culture''.
``It's a dance that's a lot of fun,'' Mr Christie said of the form.
``You've got the freedom to be a bit silly and a bit wild.''
It was a good partner dance for people to begin with.
``It's a dance that looks great.
``People enjoy watching it as much as they enjoy dancing it.''
While students learning the dance on Saturday had plenty of aspects to learn in one spin move, and were having varied success at pulling it off, Mr Christie said swing was not too hard to learn.
``Once you've got certain steps and a few certain moves down, you're actually away; you can dance quite happily.
``It looks good, it feels good, without being too overwhelmingly complicated.''
The out-of-town teachers at the festival also allowed more advanced dancers to extend themselves, he said.
The festival began on Friday and finishes today.
