The Josephine Butler Parks Center provides an amazing backdrop for a night of swinging and dancing.
Credit: Jason Adams

D.C. swingers -- Cut a rug the way your grandparents did in high school
by Jillian Coyle
Special to Metromix

Across the street from Meridian Hill Park in an unsuspecting, old mansion, one of D.C.’s most swinging parties happens every Tuesday night. The Jam Cellar originated in a strip mall basement in Vienna, but this popular event couldn’t be kept underground for long. Whether you’re a pro or you’ve never tried swing dancing before, the Jam Cellar has something to offer you.

Free beginners lessons start at 9 p.m. The lessons are taught by talented volunteers that are already part of the scene and know what they’re doing. They’re willing to help out for the opportunity to teach what they love doing, and to get to dance for free at the open dance after class, of course.

If the free beginner’s lessons aren’t enough and you want to learn more, the Jam Cellar staff teaches advanced beginners, intermediate and advanced classes from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. before the open dance each week. Classes for advanced beginners are six weeks long, so you don’t have to sign away months of your time right from the start.

At 9:30, the open dance officially begins upstairs, with between 30 and 40 people ready to dance the night away. Many come straight from class to practice what they just learned or to just have a good time. The next big rush of people comes around 10 p.m. when the experienced lindy hoppers show up to strut their stuff.

Checking out everyone's 1950s throwback attire is also part of the fun. It's a strange and exciting blend of retro flair in a neighborhood pushing towards progress and gentrification.

Another great part of the Jam Cellar is the mix of people. Beginners and advanced dancers co-mingle along with the old and the young, and everyone seems to be open to switching up partners to dance with old friends and strangers for equal amounts of time. This is a dance that seems to have no real boundaries or edges; the fun seems to simply flow in time with the big band hits.