Who would have thought you could find Benny Goodman-style all-American swing classes hidden in the back room of a Chinese restaurant?
East meets west as Hop, Whip, and a Jump, a dance company that promotes "classic swing dancing from when jazz was America's most popular music," enjoys its third year on the second floor of Tokio Chinese Cuisine. Don't let the Chinese lanterns on the ceiling or the paper dragon decorations on the walls fool you -- in this room, under the guidance of the swing professionals Paul "Ouijafeet" Salter and Marty "BusyBucks" Albion, you will learn to dance the flying lindy hop, sugar push or collegiate shag just like your grandparents used to do.
Classes are on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday nights from 8 to 11, offering different styles of swing for varying levels of ability. The first hour of each night is instructional, followed by two hours of open dancing. For only $5 a class, Paul and Marty can turn your average spazz into a dance machine. Anywhere from 10 to 25 couples come each night to learn the fundamentals of swing. Paul stresses that one of the most important aspects of the dance is having the ability to create chemistry with any type of partner; so when the lesson is up, the Tokio Ballroom crowd twists and shouts with some of the most unlikely pairs of people.
If you are looking for a fun and cheap way to spend an evening, get out your chopsticks and your white Keds and prepare to work your skirt.
