Friday, May 9: Bombay Jim and the Swinging Sapphires

Thanks to all that made it to our official "Grand Reopening"! Indeed, a great time was had, with nearly 250 in the house. Swing City is finally back in "full swing!"

Come join the party this week as we host "Bombay Jim and the Swinging Sapphires", plus lessons and DJ'ing by Tony and Aurelie of Hop To the Beat. Join us for this fabulous night of dancing, socializing, music, and drinks.

Some new stuff:
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Appeal #1: Please support the bar! As Swing dancers we all know we're not a "drinking crowd", but the host venue really does depend on beverage sales to keep the rent affordable. We are privileged to have this nice hall, so if you have the means, please try to patronize the bar with a modest amount of about $5 in food & beverage purchases. The hall is run by volunteers and 100% of the bar's profit goes to support the church's expenses in having us there.

Appeal #2: Coats: With 200-300+ people in the house each week, we can easily get over-run with coats. Fortunately it's warming up, but please check your coats for reasons of fire safety, security, and general "tidiness". It's only $1/hanger and you can double up if you want.

Lesson Details: The beginner lesson starts at "7:30ish", and the last 15 min. or so will feature an advanced move.

More Highlights:

• Doors open at 7:30, dancing until 1am
• FULL BAR (valid 21+ ID to drink)
• Free parking
• Great dance floor, fabulous sound, and superb ambiance in the "Swing City Ballroom"

What people are saying:
"It was one of the best swing dances I have attended in well over a year (and I dance several times a week)."

Highlights of What's Coming to Swing City this Summer! New England's best bands: Coming up: May 9: Bombay Jim & the Swinging Saphires May 16: The Love Dogs     full schedule » Our Fantastic Instructors and DJ's: "Slick" Mike (It's All Swing) Todd & Beth (ZazouSwing) Tony & Aurelie (Hop To the Beat) Taxi Dancers return! New dancer or coming solo? Dance with them! (Interested in becoming one? Drop me a line.) West Coast Room! Coming in late May, twice/month. Stay tuned for details.

Getting there:
Please give yourself some extra time to get to the venue. While it's pretty easy to get there, it's not super simple if you're new to the area.

      My simple directions »

Look for the Dunkin Donuts on the corner of Somerville Ave. and Central, and the ice rink across the street from Central. We will also park our van with the Swing City banner on it at the corner.

See you on the dance floor!
-Olaf
The new "Swing City Guy"

Swing City
Located at:
Dormition Greek Orthodox Church
29 Central St., Somerville, MA 02134
(off of Somerville Ave. between Porter and Union Square directions »)
617-513-9841

• 3400sf dance floor
• night club ambiance (no more gym!)
• performance stage, lounge, coat check, etc (this place was waiting for us!)
• bar & snacks (full bar)
• 152 car parking
• all ages admitted
• fully air conditioned
• walkable from Porter Square MBTA (0.7 mi) or short cab ride (we are looking into a shuttle)

More detailed notes (in no particular order):

• There are two parking lots which are free for attendees. There is a huge lot (~120 cars) adacent to the hall, and the "lower lot" as you come up the street (36 cars). Additionally, there is some street parking.
• By MBTA, take the Red Line to Porter, and hop a cab or walk (0.7mi: 10-12min) down Somerville Ave to Central St, and make a left up the hill. Or, Bus #83 runs from Central Square to Alewife via Porter. Bus #85 and #90 also service the immediate area.
• If there is demand, we are considering a shuttle van for a couple bucks.

If you have any preferences or suggestions, please post them on the Swing City discussion board, which is--I’m glad to say--very active! We'd really like to have your opinions.