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The Breakaway: Oakland’s Newest Dance Venue
Until now this blog has been focused on anything having to do with dance, and it will continue to do so. However, it will also have a local focus on the San Francisco Bay Area where I live and what’s happening in my own community.
Today’s entry is about Swing Dancing in the East Bay. Swing is a broad term that includes many types of dance including Rockabilly, Lindy Hop, West Coast, and Jitterbug. Today I’m talking about Lindy Hop and East Coast Swing (also known as Jitterbug), which are danced in the same community.
Ever since Lindy became popular again a couple of decades ago, the scene has been mostly in San Francisco and it’s been difficult to gather much of a crowd for a regular dance in the East Bay. San Franciscans are notoriously loathe to cross the bridge and East Bay dancers are afraid no one will be there if the SF crowd won’t come. Hence, a self fulfilling prophecy fulfills itself once again. That may be changing however as a year long newish venue is taking hold and a brand new promising one is getting started in Oakland.
The Terrace Room, an upscale restaurant with a breathtaking view of Lake Merritt, has a live swing band 2 or 3 and occasionally 4 Fridays a month from 7-10. It’s within walking distance of BART and attracts a decent crowd of dancers, even from SF, most of the time. There is no cover, but the dancers know to support the venue by ordering drinks or food. The schedule is published at the beginning of the month at http://www.theterraceroom.com/go/events-2/.
The Breakaway, a labor of love put together by a group of young East Bay passionate swing dancers, just had it’s grand opening in a new venue in West Oakland, The Starline Social Club. The Grand Opening sold out almost immediately and was a huge success. Unlike the Terrace Room, which is just a place to dance and socialize, the Breakaway is a place where students of all levels can sign up for on-going lessons and curious beginners can check out a drop in lesson before the dance. Check out their schedule at
http://www.starlinesocialclub.com/new-events/2016/3/22/swing-dance-tuesday-the-breakaway
or check out their facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/breakawayswing/
My fingers are crossed that the opening success is a sign that there is a need for what is being offered there, on our side of the bay.
Sunday Swing
The long standing Sunday Swing at the Lake Merritt Dance Center is still going, but is down to twice a month and may not continue after one of the instructors, Chuck Dee, moves to Oregon, and the event’s originator, Belinda Ricklefs, retires. Meanwhile, you can find the schedule for Sunday Swing at http://www.sundayswing.net/instructors.php. And for an interview with Belinda see my previous post https://www.stepsontoes.com/2013/12/how-most-dancers-age/.
Bay Area Lindy Legends
And speaking of Belinda, if any of you are local and interested in how Lindy Hop got started here in the Bay area some 20 years ago, Rebecca Shannon is hosting a panel discussion at City College on March 26 at 4:00. She’ll be interviewing Belinda and me and a small group of dancers who started the Lindy Hop community back before anyone in the Bay Area had heard of the dance. We’ve got stories to tell and we’re thrilled that folks want to hear them. She’s calling it (her words, not mine) Bay Area Lindy Legends. There’s a dance afterward, so we won’t go on forever even though we could! Don’t miss this chance to get those questions answered!
by LaurieAnn Lepoff
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