This past Friday marked the return of a much-loved event in the dance community. I refer, of course, to Jive! It has been on hiatus for the last six months or so due to the closing of its venue, An Tua Nua. But said venue has now re-opened under the new name, Arc. And that means Jive was able to resume its monthly dances!
For those of you who aren’t familiar with it, Jive is an electroswing dance set in a speakeasy setting. Jive occurs on the second Friday of every month at Arc. It’s a great amalgamation of swing dancers and normal “club-goers”. Jive differs from regular social swing dances in that electroswing is spun all night by DJs, and there isn’t a distinct beginning or end of any song; it’s a continuous stream of music. Additionally, as Jive occurs at a bar/club, they of course serve alcohol, which of course helps with the speakeasy feel they strive for. 😉
I attended Jive this past Friday with a couple of friends, and had a great time. One of the friends I went with is a seasoned swing dancer, while the other had never actually done swing dancing. I was pleased to see my friend who hadn’t swing danced before take to it almost immediately. In fact, he so enjoyed Jive that he wants to try BSC, which I was of course very happy to hear.
At the end of the night, my friend and I were walking back to the car. And this is when I found out said friend is one of the most random, spontaneous people around. We were walking past a group of 3 girls, and my friend said to them, “Excuse me, would one of you like to dance with my friend?”, gesturing to me. They stopped, and he elaborated, saying, “You want to swing dance with my friend?”. One of them asked if I knew how to swing dance, to which of course I answered in the affirmative. So I ended up giving one of the girls an impromptu swing dance lesson on the sidewalk. 😛
The night was of course great fun (and also one of the most random, thanks to my friend). If you haven’t been before, I would definitely recommend checking out Jive! It’s a very different vibe from normal social swing and blues dances, but it’s still definitely a fun time. 🙂
If you’re interested in checking out some Boston blues and/or swing dancing, there are lots of opportunities. There are blues dances at Bluesy Tuesy every Tuesday, swing dancing at MIT every Wednesday, blues dancing at the Blues Union every Thursday, and swing dancing at Boston Swing Central every Friday! They’re all great dances (and they’re easier on your wallet than hitting up the bars).Â