This calendar is a good collection of events all over town. Most of them swing dance events.

http://www.danceaholics.com/Calendars_Swing/Current_Swing_Calendar.htm#Top of Page

We organize a dance every other month at the Unitarian Church of Evanston. We hang the disco ball, add lights and candles, offer a lesson at 7pm and open dancing til 10pm.

Friendly, welcoming group of beginning dancers. Join us anytime. BYOB. Bring a snack to share if that is easy for you.

Donations to the church for lights and heat, etc. are always welcome but the event is free.

Shirley creates a playlist. Email her with requests. We include a few waltzes, some swing, a bachata, a polka, some cha cha, foxtrot, rumba and free-style. An occasional line dance or two as well.

Join us for a relaxed but energetic evening.

Lessons and live music. A great combination. Sponsored by Chicago Dept. of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. Over several days: stepping, line dancing, salsa in January.

Saturday, January 17, 2015

Hamilton Park 513 W. 72nd St.

• 2-3pm – Ken Watkins (Chicago Steppin’ dance lesson)
• 3-5pm – National Steppers Society (two DJ Steppers sets)

Sunday, January 18, 2015

Chicago Cultural Center (Sidney R. Yates Gallery, 4th Floor North) 78 E. Washington St.

• 2-3pm – The Thomas Twins (Line Dancing lesson)
• 3-5pm – DJ Boolumaster (two Chicago House DJ sets)

Saturday, January 24, 2015

Austin Town Hall Park

5610 W. Lake St.

• 2-3pm – Miguel Mendez of Dance Academy Salsa (salsa lesson) 3-5 p.m.: DJ El Caobo (two Latin DJ sets)

Sunday, January 25, 2015

South Shore Cultural Center

7059 S. South Shore Dr.

• 2-3pm – Lisa “La Boriqua” Latin Street Dancing (salsa lesson)
• 3-5pm – Viva! Marc Anthony Tribute Project (live salsa band performing two 50-minute sets)

Monthly dances offer you a chance to learn some contra dances during the early part of the evening and to do some more complicated patterns later in the evening. Live music.

Next Dance is Saturday, April 4 in the UUCA social hall off of Briarcliff Road.

Their website has some photos of basic contra dance moves like the Star left shown here.

The lesson is at 7pm. The band plays from 8pm until 11pm and there is some really good Louisiana food catered at the Knights of Columbus for these monthly dances.

Rosie Ledet and the Zydeco Playboys will keep you moving, there is a cash bar and lots of friendly people. Email shirley@comeoutdancing.com if you want to go. We save a little off the entry price if we can get a group of 5 dancers to go. More details on their website www.aczadance.org or mine on the calendar at www.comeoutdancing.com.

The rumba rhythm is a four count rhythm – and most songs are written in four or eight count phrases, so this dance ‘works’ or fits a huge amount of music.

Ballads especially make great rumbas. So do love songs. Often half of the Grammy nominees are a rhythm that fits either American rumba or its European cousin, the bossanova. (Adele, Duffy, Maroon 5, Sara Barielles, Leona Lewis, even Ne-Yo are some of the Grammy 2009 artists whose songs include some rumbas.)

If you are still on the fence, remember that rumba is essentially slow salsa and is also related to Country Western Nightclub two step. Since rumba is a slow dance, it is useful to learn some moves in rumba and then transfer them to salsa.

We dance at the studio on the square in Decatur – next door to the Raging Burrito restaurant.

This Friday, we will have supper at Raging Burrito before the lesson.  We usually gather about 6:30pm.

The lesson fee on Fridays is a sliding scale of $7 to $15.

The second hour of dance in the studio at 9pm varies a bit each week and those present usually request music and dances.

We review the dances we have learned recently: Two step, waltz and tango are the last 3 dances we learned.

Contra dancers take over the social hall at UUCA on Saturday March 7.

Waltz lovers dance Sunday, March 8 at Knights of Columbus.

Cajun Dancers enjoy live music on Saturday March 14 at Knights of Columbus.

Dance to the the Atlanta Blue Notes at Trilogy on Saturday, March 21.

Peach State Dance Weekend is March 20, 21, 22

Each year, this weekend draws hundreds of dancers.

And they are at all levels and so are the classes.

It features terrific classes, big dances, competitions and performances by national champions. Treat yourself.

(It is officially country dance but that includes waltz, swing, hustle, and more.)