Windy City Fusion: Halloween Edition

Join us this month as we welcome Kelly Palmiter of DCC for a lesson in West Coast Swing in the main ballroom. Not only do we have a dedicated West Coast Swing room in our multi-room event, but West Coast Swing is very adaptable to the Fusion played in the main ballroom. One lesson, multiple rooms of opportunity to use what you learn! It's also Halloween weekend, so feel free to wear costumes and/or your spooky best! AND, we're also adding rooms to our multi-room dance party. Starting in October, Fusion will remain in the main ballroom while West Coast Swing will move to the bigger Loft. East Coast Swing will be in Studio 3 (formerly the West Coast Room), and we'll be adding a Zouk room and Lounge in Studios 2 and 3! More dance, more connections, same location, same price. Times: Fusion/West Coast Swing Lesson: 8 - 9 pm East Coast Swing Lesson: 8 - 8:30 pm Swing Open Dance: 8:30 - 11:30 pm Fusion Open Dance: 9 pm - 1 am Costs: Open Dance: $10 Swing Lesson: $5 Cash, Card, Google Pay, Apple Pay, and Cash App accepted. Parking: There is some metered and free street parking along Lincoln and Byron, as well as a few metered lots within walking distance. Most side streets have free parking. Transportation: DCC is walking distance from the Brown Line's Irving Park Station, and is accessible via the 50 and 80 buses. Please double check your timetables before arriving, as public transport does start winding down across the city between Midnight and 1 am. What is Fusion Dance? Fusion is a genre of contemporary American partner dance that focuses on combining different dance and music styles together into a seamless whole. This can be as simple as doing a style of dance to a non-traditional music genre, but most often involves using steps and techniques from multiple dance styles in one dance. The cornerstones of fusion are musicality, connection, and creativity, encouraging dancers to be inspired by both the music and their partners. What is Swing Dance? Swing is a family of dances that originated in Jazz Age America. Lindy Hop was developed in Harlem in the 1930s to Big Band music and made famous by the Black dance troupe Whitey's Lindy Hoppers. East Coast Swing was developed by dance studios in the 1940s as a more approachable version of Lindy Hop. West Coast Swing was, as the same suggests, developed on the West Coast to fit changing music styles in the 1940s and 50s and features a smoother movement than the earlier styles. Today, West is often done to more modern music while Lindy and East remain rooted in vintage and vintage sounding jazz.