Ladies and Gentlemen,

Our Lindy Hop classes start this Wednesday (beginning: 7:30) and Friday (beginning 7:00). Sign up on the classes page, and if you’re wondering whether or not Lindy Hop is for you, check out our very own world-famous teacher Nina Gilkenson dancing in Korea. You get to learn from here. That’s some shit. For those of you who already Lindy Hop, look at Todd. He’s a monster.

• The Fast Dance Smackdown last Friday was an extreme success and amped the crowd throughly (check out the video below). Congratulations to the winners!
• The Mobtown crew spent hours after the dance on Monday night refinishing the floor, and we’ve taken a (well-deserved, if I do say so myself) break from classes for the week to let the floor dry. We’ll christen the new coat this Friday with our swing dance, and get things rolling again. Our new class session starts Monday the 14th, and we have a slew of exciting things for you to learn: here’s the quick breakdown:

Mondays 7-8: Swing One: This class is for absolute beginners. We present the material in an easy to understand format. No partner necessary, and you can stay for the swing dance afterwards.

Tuesdays 7-8: Belly Dance 1; 8-9 Belly Dance 2: We are lucky enough to have the world-famous Nina Gilkenson teaching these classes. The first class takes you from the very basics. The second class this session will focus on advanced material and short routinelettes. While students do sometimes perform, it’s not required.

Wednesdays 7:30-10:30 Lindy 1, 2, 3 (one hour each): Lindy Hop is the original and flashiest form of swing dance (check out the video below). Lindy 1 requires no experience whatsoever. This dance is possibly the most fun thing you have ever done, and we have a thriving scene in Baltimore. Warning: it has become a Wednesday night tradition for all the students to go out after class and sing karaoke. You will have fun.

Thursdays 6-7 Salsa 1; 7-8 Salsa 2: No experience or partner required for Salsa 1. Baltimore offers a host of venues for you to test out your skills, including our first Saturday dances.

Sundays Salsa Rueda 1 5-6; Salsa Rueda 2 6-7:  Taught by the infamous Barbara Bernstein. Salsa Rueda is performed as a group and includes numerous partner switches.

Sign up for classes HERE!

And now for the Fast Dance Smackdown Video!

• It is our distinct pleasure to announce that our new class session is up. Click here to register! N.B. There will be no aerial silks this session, because the lovely and talented Kelly Jo Stull will be taking a quick vacation in Paris (we are extremely jealous). She will return triumphantly to lead you to aerial glory in July.
• This Friday, May 4, Paul Cosentino and The Boilermaker Jazz Band return to The Mobtown Ballroom for a late night of Lindy Hop and Swing. These cats don’t set foot in the ballroom without bringing the house down, so we’ve made them our official house band. That evening we will also unleash the fury that is our Fast Dance Smackdown, a no-holds-barred contest with a hefty cash prize. Whether you want to watch or compete, this is a night you don’t want to miss.
• Saturday, May 5, is conveniently both the first Saturday of the month and Cinco de Mayo, which means that our salsa programming will be in over-drive. Come out at 8:00 for a beginner drop-in lesson or 9:00 for the dance, and salsa all night long.

The Mobtown Gremlins back in September, proudly marking the moment the floor reached across the room.

Ladies and Gentlemen, our next class series will begin the week of Monday May 14th. If you pay extra careful attention, you will know that this means we’re taking a few days off between sessions. The Mobtown crew will be up late after the dance on Monday May 7th to refinish the floor, and no one can walk on it until the following Friday. Ol’ Gretta has done noble service since September, and we are immensely proud that we’ve had enough action in the ballroom to refinish the floor already. Our floor, which the Mobtown Goblins installed themselves, has been the toast of dancers across the country, and we will give her the care and feeding necessary to ensure that she lasts for decades. Registration for the next session will be up soon, so get ready!

Until then, we’ve line up some truly shocking entertainment for you. Monday, April 30th, the Solomon Douglas Quintet returns to Mobtown ($15/$10 students). The following Friday, May 4th, our official house band The Boilermakers swoop in after a long absence to keep you dancing late into the night. Everything is turning up Mobtown.

Before we get the the schedule, you should know that, if you missed our variety show on March 31st, your life isn’t all that it could be.  Not even close. We had an outstanding turnout, and our performers did things that left my jaw on the floor. Also, the picture on the left makes me feel super cool (It was taken by our favorite photographer, Nicole Munchel). More photos coming soon. Our next show is scheduled for June 23. It will be bigger and badder, but we will hang on to the scantily clad women.

Here’s what the next few days have in store:

Friday night will be our weekly festival of lunacy and bedlam (or, as we sometimes call it, swing dancing).

Saturday night is our monthly Balboa night. There’s a drop-in beginner lesson at 8 and the dance goes from 9-12. The whole shebang costs $5. You can’t beat that.

Monday night The Mobtown Ballroom presents the Brooks Tegler Quartet. If you haven’t heard of these cats, you’re in for quite a show. Brooks is a genius on the drums, and he plays on a vintage kit, so it’s classy, too (in case you were worried). The photo to the right should help you understand that he can simultaneously play the drums and cause the ladies to reach for the smelling salts. Seriously, Brooks is the whole package.

Thanks to everyone who came out for the variety show on the 31st. We had a killer turnout, and the performers threw down in an exceedingly exciting manner. This week we are gearing up for our second week of classes, and there is still time to sign up. Whether you want to dance swing, lindy hop, salsa, or belly dance–now’s your chance. Also, get ready for our swing dance on Friday and our monthly salsa blowout on Saturday!

So, dear Mobtown gremlins, we have a fair line up of entertainment for you this week, none of which you want to miss.

• This week from March 27-April 1, our new class session begins. Whatever you want, we’ve got it. Lindy/Swing classes start on Wednesday and Friday. Belly Dance on Tuesday. Salsa on Sunday. Go to the classes page and sign up.
• As a thank you to everyone for their support over the past several months, we’ve decided to ask Lily Susskind from the Effervescent Collective to teach a free party dance workshop during the day on the 31st. The classes are from 2-4, and will prepare you handily for the variety show and soul dance later in the evening. Oh, and the best part…these classes are absolutely FREE. Here are the descriptions and a brief word about Lily.

Effervescent Open Class: 12:00-1:15

This class connects the effort of moving to the pleasure of feeling a groove in your bones. If you love jazz dancing, or goofing around to your favorite jams behind closed doors, but are hungry for a deeper connection to your own body, take this class. This class is silly, sweaty, and sensual, a reminder of what your body is made of and its infinite potential. There are no mirrors and no memorizing. Wear clothes appropriate for sweating, running, and rolling around.

Turn Your Pelvis On (TYPO) Workshop: 2:00-4:00

Be it James Brown, Elvis, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Usher, or Beyoncé, pop culture’s most famous dancers take from and give to vernacular jazz. This class will trace connections between Lindy moves and what you see in today’s most bangin’ music videos. This class will help you throw some hot sauce on all of your dancing. Excellent preparation for the Soul Party later in the night.

Taking both classes is highly recommended, but not required.

About Lily:
Lily Kind is the founder of Effervescent Collective, (Baltimore’s Best Dance Company 2011 & 2012, CityPaper). Effervescent is a Baltimore based dance organization that explores and promotes the power of movement, creating affordable and accessible dance based wonders in collaboration with the many beautiful artists of Baltimore. Effervescent hosts a donation-based Open Class every Sunday, for dancers and ‘non-dancers’ alike. Class is influenced by Lily’s study of Gaga, the movement language of Ohad Naharin and the Batsheva Dance Company. Lily also trains with Guardian, a vernacular dance preservation group based in Sandtown, exploring hip-hop genres including Baltimore Club. Lily has worked with many theater organizations and music festivals, including the face-melting Baltimore Rock Opera Society (B.R.O.S), the High Zero Festival and Summer Stages Dance (Boston). In 2011, Lily was awarded a ‘B-grant’ by the Baker Fund in recognition of her contributions to arts in Baltimore City. Lily holds a BA in Dance & Anthropology from Goucher College. www.effervescentcollective.org.

Dear Denizens of Mobtown,

We got a little play and attention in the Urbanite Magazine: Check it out here. Boom.

New classes at the Mobtown Ballroom start in two weeks. Swing, Lindy Hop, Belly Dance, Salsa, and Aerial Dance. Get yours now on the classes page!

It’s all happening, and it’s happening here–so prepare for the shenanigans, hootenanny and whatnot.

• This Friday, March 9, Craig Gildner’s Blue Sky Five from D.C. will drop from above on The Mobtown Ballroom. These cats are good, and we’ve been trying to book them for a while. If you miss it, kittens will feel sorry for you.
• Saturday, March 10, we host our monthly Salsa dance. Tabitha Holliday (as usual) has put together a hell of a program for the evening. From 7pm-8pm she will teach a beginner Salsa lesson. From 8-9 pm we have guest instructor Teamer teaching a beginner Rueda class. Come out and learn EVERYTHING. Each lesson is $5, and the dance is $5. Dance all night after 9.