ExploreDance

You Should Be Dancing has raised the stakes for social dancing in New York City. They have attracted sizable numbers of dancers for their past parties featuring a live band, but they have decided to make their offering even better. Tonight they offered two live bands, Afrodysia and The Cresent City Maulers, playing in two different rooms. Add to this West Coast Swing spun by DJ Anthony De Rosa in a third room, and you have a party with a diversity of dance styles not seen since The House of Latin Dance closed up shop. At any given point throughout the evening, at least two of the three rooms were quite full of energetic dancers. The live bands and the full bar with a real bartender make the space feel like a club. There were a number of performances too, so it was a very full evening.

I would like to point out that with the addition of this new monthly three-room party on Saturdays, New York City now has at least three regular West Coast Swing venues (the others being 99 Hudson on Tuesdays and 1050 on Thursdays). For a while there after Jack Rose closed we didn't have any. Having a significant mass of venue options is, I believe, a necessary condition for the health of a specific dance style. If you are into West Coast Swing and want to see the community grow, I urge you to support all three parties.