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Outside the mercury was dropping, but inside The Mercury Café the dance was rising. With bright red and white Christmas lights framing the very fine and well loved wooden floor, the warmth of the room was radiant and consistent throughout the night from about 8:30 pm to 12:30 am. (There were two couples still dancing at 12:30 am.) If Westies are a people, they tend to be enthusiastic, welcoming and without attitude. The more than 50 Denver, Colorado Westies at this Wednesday night party were all that. The dress was typical Westie too: ranging from very casual with jeans to casual high style: all beautiful. While most of the time men partnered with women, a few guys danced with guys, and women with women, and no one batted an eye, which is also normal for most Westie parties. There was one element, though, that I have never before seen at a Westie party. One woman in a wheelchair attended, and danced. Also beautiful. Close observation showed her moving the joystick controller for her chair to respond to the music and her non-chair partner. It bears further study to explore the possibilities of dance. (I have seen wheelchair and integrated abilities dance in a concert dance setting. Done well, this form of dance can be as accomplished as any other dance.) Entry to the party was a very reasonable $5 per person. The dance lesson was an extra $5 per person, which, in total, still makes for a very reasonable admission price. The beer was very good and reasonably priced ($5-6 for a pint). The Mercury Café has a full menu earlier in the evening, and a more limited menu late at night, both featuring local, organic food. (The party organizers take credit cards and cash, but The Mercury Café takes cash and personal checks.) This party started 14 months ago. The organizers are to be commended for building a dance party that would have to be judged superior in any city. If you live in the Denver area, West Coast Swing Wednesdays at The Mercury Café is a dance party that deserves your support. Your Thursdays will be happier for spending your Wednesday night in a sweet slot. (If you stay all the way to the end of the evening, and you are not a night owl per se, your Thursday may drag a little, but that's a small price to pay for a night of beautiful dance.) If you do not live in the Denver area and are travelling to Denver, make sure your trip includes a Wednesday. Bring your shoes. Bring a partner or fly solo. What ever your "real" reason for being in Denver, dance West at The Mercury Café. Now if only someone would start parties much like this starting at Noon or 2 pm on a weekend day so we can organically introduce our kids to West Coast Swing.
Late in the evening I tried The Mercury Café's "Medicinal Turkey Soup" – ginger, garlic, carrots, probably kale, onions, and maybe a couple of other vegetables. I could definitely taste the ginger. The spices had serious bite, lingering on the lips. It is a good thing the soup is served with hearty, densely textured bread. The Medicinal Turkey Soup was a great recharge after a night of dancing. Eat well to dance well. And consider tipping your bartender a little more than you ordinarily tip: dancers, on average, drink less than non-dancers, so we need to go a little above and beyond to make sure venues continue to choose to host social dance.
Before the soup, I thought I was done for the night, but the soup gave me the energy and clarity for one more, perfect, lyrical dance, moving across the whole beautiful floor.
The dance party was preceded by simultaneous beginner and intermediate West Coast Swing group lessons. I didn't arrive in time to participate, but it looked like the lessons were well attended. There were people at the party ranging from experienced dancers to some who had only been dancing West Coast Swing for one day, so no matter your previous dance experience, you will likely have an enjoyable time at this party. (And credit should be given to the Denver Westies organizers for helping to grow the dance community.) The only negative item about the night was the information provided on the web about the schedule for the party. It was unclear if the party started at 8:00 pm or 8:30 pm, and The Mercury Café's site made it appear that the party started at 8:00 pm and ended at 9:00 pm because of a magic show starting at 9:00 pm (or at least I think it was The Mercury Café's site, but it might have been one of the other linked sites I checked). When I arrived at The Mercury Café, I discovered that the restaurant has multiple floors and rooms, so there can be more than one event happening at the same time, which in this case meant that one could have danced West Coast Swing for a while and seen a magic show. This schedule confusion was a minor issue, and could easily be improved by posting both the start and end times for each event. (Related to this, one source says either lesson costs $5, but another source says the beginner lesson is included in admission and the intermediate lesson is $8 per person. Either way, this party is still a deal.) Also, while it appears that the West Coast Swing party happens most Wednesday nights, it does not happen on all Wednesday nights, so, especially if you are attending from out of town, call The Mercury Café ahead of time just to be sure. I also do not know if the West Coast Swing party normally goes to 12:30 am, or if this was unusual due to the Christmas holiday the next day. The Mercury Café also hosts other social dance parties on other days of the week, so check out their web site for more information. West Coast Swing Wednesdays at The Mercury Café is organized by Denver Westies: www.denverwesties.com, or search for "Denver Westies" on Facebook. You can also look for information about swing dancing in Denver at www.DenverSwingDance.com.
West Coast Swing at The Mercury Cafe Photo © & courtesy of Robert Abrams |
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West Coast Swing at The Mercury Cafe Photo © & courtesy of Robert Abrams |
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West Coast Swing at The Mercury Cafe Photo © & courtesy of Robert Abrams |
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West Coast Swing at The Mercury Cafe Photo © & courtesy of Robert Abrams |
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West Coast Swing at The Mercury Cafe Photo © & courtesy of Robert Abrams |
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West Coast Swing at The Mercury Cafe Photo © & courtesy of Robert Abrams |
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West Coast Swing at The Mercury Cafe Photo © & courtesy of Robert Abrams |
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West Coast Swing at The Mercury Cafe Photo © & courtesy of Robert Abrams |
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West Coast Swing at The Mercury Cafe Photo © & courtesy of Robert Abrams |
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West Coast Swing at The Mercury Cafe Photo © & courtesy of Robert Abrams |
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West Coast Swing at The Mercury Cafe Photo © & courtesy of Robert Abrams |
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West Coast Swing at The Mercury Cafe Photo © & courtesy of Robert Abrams |
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West Coast Swing at The Mercury Cafe Photo © & courtesy of Robert Abrams |
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West Coast Swing at The Mercury Cafe Photo © & courtesy of Robert Abrams |
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West Coast Swing at The Mercury Cafe Photo © & courtesy of Robert Abrams |
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West Coast Swing at The Mercury Cafe Photo © & courtesy of Robert Abrams |
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West Coast Swing at The Mercury Cafe Photo © & courtesy of Robert Abrams |
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West Coast Swing at The Mercury Cafe Photo © & courtesy of Robert Abrams |
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West Coast Swing at The Mercury Cafe Photo © & courtesy of Robert Abrams |
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West Coast Swing at The Mercury Cafe Photo © & courtesy of Robert Abrams |
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West Coast Swing at The Mercury Cafe Photo © & courtesy of Robert Abrams |
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West Coast Swing at The Mercury Cafe Photo © & courtesy of Robert Abrams |
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West Coast Swing at The Mercury Cafe Photo © & courtesy of Robert Abrams |
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West Coast Swing at The Mercury Cafe Photo © & courtesy of Robert Abrams |
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West Coast Swing at The Mercury Cafe Photo © & courtesy of Robert Abrams |
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West Coast Swing at The Mercury Cafe Photo © & courtesy of Robert Abrams |
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West Coast Swing at The Mercury Cafe Photo © & courtesy of Robert Abrams |
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West Coast Swing at The Mercury Cafe Photo © & courtesy of Robert Abrams |
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West Coast Swing at The Mercury Cafe Photo © & courtesy of Robert Abrams |
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West Coast Swing at The Mercury Cafe Photo © & courtesy of Robert Abrams |
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West Coast Swing at The Mercury Cafe Photo © & courtesy of Robert Abrams |
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The Mercury Cafe's "Medicinal Turkey Soup" with bread Photo © & courtesy of Robert Abrams |
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Friendly and food-and-beverage-knowledgeable bartender (with a sense of humor) Photo © & courtesy of Robert Abrams |
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West Coast Swing at The Mercury Cafe Photo © & courtesy of Robert Abrams |
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West Coast Swing at The Mercury Cafe Photo © & courtesy of Robert Abrams |
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Still dancing with precision past midnight Photo © & courtesy of Robert Abrams |
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