SWING DANCING IN LOS ANGELES AND ORANGE COUNTY
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Los Angeles and Orange County have some of the best swing instructors in the world. Beginner/intermediate dancers can take the free lessons offered by many venues, usually before the main dancing starts. Those who are more interested can enroll in a series of classes, usually held weekly. If you are really hard core, arrange for a private lesson from some of the outstanding teachers below.
Atomic Ballroom - Private and group classes in swing, salsa, tango, and ballroom.
Ben and Sheri - Group and private lessons at the Dance Family Studio in Pasadena.
Dax and Sarah - Recently moved to LA. Never took lessons from them but they seem legit! Nice website and blog.
Free Swing Dance Lessons - Free instructional videos on the Internet. Yes, I know there's no substitute for actual lessons, but these are the next best thing, taught by really good dancers.
Jeremy Otth and Laura Keat - Two of my favorite dancers in So. Cal., specializing in authentic Lindy and Balboa. I have personally taken classes from them.
Lindy By The Sea - Private and group classes in East Coast Swing, Lindy Hop, Balboa, Collegiate Shag and 1920's Charleston. Intermediate/advanced classes on Tuesday evenings (taught by Rusty Frank & Ron Campbell), Beginners on Thursday evenings (taught by Rusty Frank & Giovanni Quintero).
Memories - East Coast Swing and Lindy lessons from Essex and Lee.
Nick Williams - An award-winning dancer from L.A. Great style and choreography.
PBDA - Pasadena Ballroom Dance Association. Large group classes in Pasadena. Non-intimidating, good for beginners and for meeting people. Lots of classes through out the week. This is where I learned the basics (and so did many other swing dancers).
Strutter's Ball - Has group lessons in Orange County.
Instructors, please email me if you want to be added to this list! - Brian
RECOMMENDED BANDS
Big Sandy and His Fly-Rite Boys - Popular rockabilly band with danceable tunes.
Bill Elliott Swing Orchestra - Very authentic, very well-respected big band. Unfortunately they don't play a lot live anymore. If you get a chance, go see them! Dancer turnout will be good.
Crown City Bombers - Rockabilly and 50's-inspired tunes.
Deke Dickerson - Quirky western swing. Many songs are hilarious, but highly danceable!
The Esquires Big Band - Classic big band playing your swing favorites.
Flattop Tom - Versatile local band that plays a lot of venues.
Hollywood Combo - Jump blues, early rock and roll, and swing
Jonathan Stout and his Campus Five - Great Django inspired tunes, great for Shag and Balboa. One of my favorites.
Lil' Mo And The Dynaflos - Excellent 50's do-wop band catering to swing dancers (because many of the members are swing dancers..)
Mora's Modern Rhythmists - Authentic music from the 20's and 30's. Great for Balboa.
Pete Jacobs Wartime Radio Revue - Classic big band dressed in authentic military uniforms.
Six-Shooter with Ginger Pauley - Performes tunes from the 1920's through early 1940's. This sextet is made up from Swingin' SophistiCats personnel. This is not Dixie, it's authentic Chicago Jazz of the Roaring 20's.
Steve Lucky & the Rhumba Bums - Original jump blues and swing-styled music inspired by the 40's and 50's.
Stompy Jones - One of the most popular bands among the dancers, with a jump blues style. Don't miss them - they always get a great turnout of swing dancers.
The Swing Cats Big Band - This seventeen-piece big band is dedicated to the performance and preservation of big band music. They play at Downtown Disney and many other locations in Southern California.
The Swingin' Sophisticats - Really cater to the swing dancers with a variety of music suitable for Lindy, East Coast, Charleston, or Balboa.
The Swingsations - Jim Ziegler's band devoted to classic jazz and swing from the 20's to the 40's. Great for Balboa and Shag.
Tim Gill All-Stars Big Band - You guessed it, classic big band.
OTHER SWING CALENDARS AND SITES
Los Angeles/Orange County
Dorothy's Website - Free summer concerts in LA and OC
Blue LIst LA - Great L.A. blues dancing resource.
Hep to the Jive -L.A. swing and blues calendar with national events
UCLA swing dance calendar - Not just UCLA swing events, also has salsa and ballroom events, has some lesser-known events
San Diego
Swingorama - Really good San Diego swing dance calendar
San Francisco
Lindy List - The best swing events list for San Francisco
Boston, MA
Boston Swing Dance Calendar - Boston area swing events calendar
Boston Swing Central - The best swing dancing on Friday nights in Boston
Uptown Swing - Monthly swing dancing on Saturday nights
Columbus, OH
Swing Columbus - Hosts dances and lindy workshops and exchanges
New York, NY
Yehoodi - National swing calendar and the mother of all swing forums
Providence, R.I.
Providence Swings - The best swing dancing in RI, every Thursday night and certain Saturdays!
Washington D.C.
The Jam Cellar - Washington D.C. Tuesday night swing dancing
Jitterbuzz - Washington D.C. swing events.
Nationwide
DanceCal.com - Shows Lindy/Blues/Balboa/Tango exchanges
around the country
Two Ply Swing - Swing events around the country including swing cruises and camps
Yehoodi - has a very comprehensive nationwide calendar of exchanges and workshops
Vintage Lifestyle / CLOTHING
Bettie Page Clothing - 50's and rockabilly women's clothing.
Diamond Dame - New Zealand Vintage fashion blog devoted to the 20's, 30's and 40's.
Get Your Flower On - Flowers that those vintage girls wear in their hair. You gotta have one!
My Baby Jo - Vintage, retro, and rockabilly clothing. Perfect for swing dancers! Great selection of vintage dresses. Conveniently located near the 10 and 405 freeways.
Plainclothes Vintage - Vintage clothing in Burbank!
Revamp - Vintage-inspired clothing made right here in Los Angeles!
Steve Hwan's Photography Blog - Tips on photographing swing dancers!
What's Buzzin' - Vintage Christmas cards and cards for other occasions.
Yehoodi Radio - Internet Swing radio station.