Monthly Swing Dance At Masonic Temple

Did you know there is a monthly swing dance held at the Lakewood Masonic Temple every second Friday of the month? People of all ages, level of skill, and from all over Northeast Ohio attend this dance. And because of the size and seating available in the ballroom even if you don’t dance, there is plenty of room to just enjoy the live musical performance and watch the dancing.

Swing dancing is unlike many other indoor activities because it encourages everyone to move and get active. Further, it adds a social component that encourages mixing with others you wouldn’t normally have a chance to connect with. It can be learned by anyone old enough to follow a series of steps. Swing dancing to the sounds of the big bands in the 1920s was widespread and remained just as popular to the sound of the new Rock & Roll in the 50’s. Therefore, proving that a wide range of musical tastes, people of all ages and skill can enjoy swing dancing. Much of swing dancing is a partner dance (one person leads and the other follows) with a common 6-count “step, step, rock-step” foot work. Other dances that fall under the swing category are: Charleston, Lindy Hop, Balboa, and the Shag.

The Get Hep Swing dance company holds the Lakewood Masonic Temple monthly swing dances. Included with the price of admission you can get a one-hour lesson at 8 p.m by Lakewood’s own, Valerie Salstrom. Valerie is a national and international swing dance champion with a passion for teaching and making swing dancing accessible and available to all. You will learn the Jitterbug dance that is a good swing dance to get started with. The social dance with live swing music starts at 9 p.m. and runs until midnight. The atmosphere is very casual and accommodating to beginners and skilled dancers alike. You can come by yourself, with a partner, family members or friends. During the lesson and the social dance you will see that rotating partners can happen very naturally and is very common and encouraged.

As you are looking for more indoor activities and entertainment options, consider getting out to the swing dance for a refreshing change of pace. November’s Get Hep Swing Dance will be Friday, November 12. Lesson begins at 8 p.m. The Masonic Temple is located at 15300 Detroit Avenue. Admission is $10 for adults and $8 for students with ID. The live band will be Madison Crawl. Yes, you guessed it. They got started out of Lakewood in 2003 and have become known as the Barrelhouse Boogie Kings of Cleveland. As described on their MySpace page: “Revives the raw, earthy, swingin’ sounds of boogie blues, and recreates an atmosphere reminiscent of the clubs, dance halls and juke joints of the 1930s, 40s and 50s.”

You can visit http://www.lakewoodmasonicfoundation.org/ for the ongoing swing dance schedule (as well as, the monthly Contra Dance which takes place the first Saturday of the month at the Temple). For more information about the dance company, Get Hep Swing, which offers other social dances in the Cleveland area and dance lessons visit www.gethepswing.com or call 216-374-1927.