Brought to you by Arts in Stark and The Downtown Canton Special Improvement District in conjunction with Get Hep Swing who are providing the dance lessons for the events.
The dance and pre-dance lessons will all take place at the Metropolitan Centre Grand Ballroom. The address is 601 Cleveland Avenue NW, Canton, Ohio. The ballroom is on the 3rd floor
The dance lesson in beginning/intermediate Jitterbug is from 8-9pm and will be taught by the folks from Get Hep Swing.
Dancing to a live band will start at 9pm and go until 12am. **Friday, February 5th the band is The Madison Crawl
**Friday, March 5th the band is The Dave Kasper Quintet
The cost is $10 per person and $8 for students with a valid id.
No need to bring a partner for the dance lesson or the dance that follows.
We rotate partners in the pre-dance lesson and you will get the chance to dance with people of all abilities and ages. Rotating partners is a great way to get the feel for the true lead/follow aspect of good partnered dancing.
Participating in the pre-dance lesson is a terrific way to meet a bunch of new people fast!
*We do not recommend this; but if you and your dance partner would prefer to not rotate during the lesson, please step outside of the dance circle during the lesson as to not interrupt the flow when we change partners.
The dances will feature some of the best bands from the area including; but not limited to:
Hepcat Revival, The Madison Crawl, Blues DeVille, The Boilermaker Jazz Band, Blue Lunch, The Dukes of Wail, The Joe Huner Band, The Mike Petrone Band, Demetrius Steinmetz, etc.
For exact details on which band is playing where and when, please see www.GetHepSwing.com under the events section.
There is ample and secure parking in a lot behind the venue. There is also plenty of street parking available. There are two elevators located right next to the main entrance and you can take either one of these to the ballroom level. This location is terrific because there are a multitude of wonderful restaurants all over downtown Canton.
Frequently asked questions.
What do I wear? Attire at the dances can range from super casual to VERY dressy. Jeans are fine. Sweat pants....ummm...not so much. We are a tad more classy than that. Some fellas will bring a towel and a change of shirt (or two). Think about it. You are basically doing low impact aerobics for three/four hours. The driest people usually get asked to dance more often than the ones who look like they have just crawled out of a swamp. Get the picture??
What kind of shoes should I wear? A comfy shoe that has a non-gripy sole is best. The smoother/slicker the sole the better. Worn out gym shoes work amazingly well. As do dress shoes with a leather bottom.
Ladies: Unless you are experienced in dancing in high heels, I would not recommend it.
You will notice that some people at the dances are wearing shoes that appear to not be ideal for dancing. Those people have a secret. They have modified the bottom of their shoes. They have either had their "shoe man" grind down the bottom of the sole and attach suede or maybe they have done the low cost version and covered the sole in duct tape or athletic tape.
Do they sell drinks or food at this dance? We have a cold water and soda and some light snacks for sale at the front desk.
What are the ages of the people that come to the dances? Wow! That is what is so interesting about swing dancing. It attracts people of literally ALL ages. We get dancers as young as 13 and as old as ...umm, they won't tell us, but we think they are retired because they are tan in the Winter! I would say most people are in their early twenties to early fifties. Does that help any? Probably not.
Swing dancers are a very easy going group of folks who are very friendly and encouraging. Come join us and find out what you have been missing!
Some fellas will bring a towel and a change of shirt (or two). Think about it. You are basically doing low impact aerobics for three/four hours. The driest people usually get asked to dance more often than the ones who look like they have just crawled out of a swamp. 
Get the picture??