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A friend of mine invited me to a ballroom party at Dance With Me SoHo, a relatively new studio downtown where the architecture is full of inviting detail. The inside of the studio matched the outside: the party was inviting and the studio's décor had an old-fashioned elegance combined with bold, modern geometries.
The party, which happens every Tuesday night starting at about 9 pm to 9:20 pm, had a variety of music conducive to cha-cha, salsa, foxtrot, waltz, Viennese waltz, rumba, west coast swing, east coast swing, hustle and jive. There were about 30 to 35 people in attendance, including a few instructors. Everyone was enthusiastic and friendly. If you attend by yourself, you should be able to find people to dance with. Admission was $15 per person and included wine, EANABs (Equally Attractive Non-Alcoholic Beverages) and snacks at no extra charge. The wood floor was in good condition. The lighting felt well designed: a warm glow punctuated with sparkles, subtle variations in brightness across the room, bright enough to admire your partner, but dim enough to feel like a relaxed evening setting. The lighting should also be natural light photography friendly, but I wasn't shooting, so I will have to test that next time.
I liked the party enough that there will very likely be a next time. The party ended at about 10 pm or 10:30 pm. It is not a long party, but it is a Tuesday night, and it was enough time to get in more than enough quality dancing. It was just enough to recharge for the rest of the week.
As a postscript, while this was a typical ballroom social in many ways, there was one aspect that was unusual: there were several younger kids hanging out at the party. This suggests that Dance With Me is supportive of the inter-generational growth of the dance community, which is a good thing. I don't know that I want to take my daughter out to a dance party at 9 pm on a Tuesday, but it suggests Dance With Me is open to creative solutions, which is a trait the dance community needs.
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