Top Swing Dance Clubs In Philadelphia

Swing dancing was big back during the jazz era of the 1920-1950s, and still makes a revival from time to time. There are true fans of the dance, and with no particular Swing Dance Clubs in the city, it may be a challenge to find a place to get out and jitterbug the night away. Here are the top five places to swing on your dancing shoes and do the Lindy Hop in the Philadelphia area.

Lindy & Blues
1906 Rittenhouse Square
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 839-6522
www.lindyandblues.com

You can learn how to swing dance at Lindy & Blues, admission is only $5. They have dance and workshops most of the week, except for Tuesdays and Wednesdays.  Every Sunday in October is Rittenhop from 4-6pm, which is an outdoor swing dance fest right in Rittenhouse Square and is free. Lindy & Blues offers other classes as well and is run by volunteers who have a dream and love to dance.

Philadelphia Swing Society
(215) 629-2344
www.swingdance.org

There is also a society for swing dancing.  All ages are welcome; no partners required and all skill levels are invited. Just don't expect any alcohol or indoor smoking. The society meets twice a month and there is typically about 100-200 people who attend. Dress is casual; don't worry about getting all fancy. This is a low key introduction to swing; you may even meet your partner here. Locations change, but are generally in Philadelphia at the Cricket Club or the Commodore Barry Club-Irish Center. You can sign up for notice of events on their website and be put on the email list so you can be notified when they are meeting. Admission is $10-$18 and includes punch and snacks when available.

Tavern on Camac
243 S Camac St.
Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 545-0900
www.tavernoncamac.com

The Tavern on Camac is a piano bar, restaurant and dance club. It is one of the oldest piano bars in the city, open since at least 1935 (though under a different name). Here you can put on your dancing shoes and jitterbug away when the music is playing on the top floor in their club called Ascend. Tuesdays and Sundays are karaoke and show tune nights; Fridays and Saturdays are hosted by a DJ who will play a mix of music. The piano bar is open every night from 4-2 am. Customers are most impressed with the friendly nature of the staff and fellow patrons, as well as the cleanliness of the Tavern.

Related: Top Latin Dance Clubs in Philly

Time
1315 Sansom St.
Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 985-4800
www.timerestaurant.net

Time has Jazz on tap Monday through Saturday evenings from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m, and there is plenty of room in the establishment for dancing. Time is a fairly large place with more than one floor, and it has multiple events going on at the same time. So even if you have friends that aren't into swing dancing, they may enjoy the hip hop scene here. Time is also a whisky bar and restaurant. Some popular snacks are the Salmon Crostini, deviled eggs and Mac-N-Cheese for when you work up an appetite.

Swing Classes at Ballroom Bliss
1015 S Dorrance St.
Philadelphia, PA 19146
(215) 804-9024
www.ballroombliss.net

If you're looking to cut an impressive rug on the dance floor for an upcoming wedding, you can take classes at Ballroom Bliss. You have the option to only take the amount of classes you need (in some cases this is as little as 4) to feel more confident on the floor, or even to just have fun. Customers rave about how fun and professional the experience is and how great they looked on their big day on the dance floor.

Related: Top Ballroom Dance Studios in Philly

Christina Dagnelli is a freelance writer in Philadelphia and the author of Little Squares with Colors: A Different way to look at autism. Her work on examiner can be found here Examiner.com.