The Roc City Stompers, a 6-piece, New Orleans-style trad jazz band make their Crosby Whistle Stop debut tonight! The Roc City Stompers have played for dancers on numerous occasions at Groove Juice Swing in their hometown of Rochester and at Stompology (which is also in Rochester). This is their first trip to Boston to play for us and we’re excited for them to usher in March like a dancing lion!

You can listen to them here.

Lesson (included w/ admission): 8:00pm – 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm – 12:00am
General Admission: $15
Students & Seniors: $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Have you ever wanted to learn to Lindy Hop but don’t have time to commit to a weekly class?  This is your chance! Our Swing Boot Camp is a 3 hour “crash course” workshop in Lindy Hop and East Coast Swing. Come learn from experienced teachers who are also social dancers in the Lindy Hop scene.

We will cover six count basic (East Coast Swing), basic eight count (Lindy Hop), and Charleston Basic. Moves include swing out, Lindy circle, swing out from closed, and side by side Charleston. At the end of this class, you will be able to attend a social dance and dance to music.

12:00 – 3:00 PM
$30 advanced on-line registration, $35 at the door (register at the door!)

Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland St
Charlestown, MA 02129

Boston Swing Central is very excited for one of our most beloved dances of the year! I <3 Swing (our Valentine's Day Ball), featuring our super-groovy custom-made Valentines, and our Cupids to deliver them to you! And as our musical guests, this year we have the Professor Cunningham & His Old School (featuring Gordon Webster's sax/clarinet virtuoso back with his own amazing band. This night will be guaranteed to be in our memories for a long time, so dress to impress and put on some red and pink and get ready to send your friends and secret dance crushes some Valentines... Check out Adrian's website here (turn down sound if at work!)

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm – 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm – 12:00am
General Admission: $17
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $15

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Tonight’s dance is CANCELLED! Boston Swing Central is not excited to cancel Jessy Carolina & the Hot Mess.

This band is awesome and someday will become a new favorite at Boston Swing Central, they blew us away when they were here last summer and we couldn’t wait to have them back! Jessy Carolina & the Hot Mess is a great hot mess, check ’em out next time!

Lesson (included in the price of admission): nope.
Dancing: not tonight!
General Admission: $XX
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $XX-2

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Tonight, our DJs will hope to celebrate Ground Hog’s Day with some of the best swing music that they can find…what does Ground Hog’s Day have to do with swing? We don’t really know, but we figured we needed a great DJ night before we go a run of really great bands.

Lesson: 8pm to 9pm (included with admission)
Dancing: 9pm to 12 midnight
Admission: $10 (general), $8 (students and seniors with valid ID)

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Gordon Webster will be recording an album: Live at Boston Swing Central

This is Kind of Big Deal! He will be performing for two fantastic nights to get all the takes he needs for this live album. Rest assured, Gordon is bringing a great band for these performances. This weekend is going to rock!

Be a part of this historic recording! We launched a Kickstarter campaign and exceeded our goal by 63%. Check out the video we made for the Kickstarter campaign. How exciting is swing dancing in Boston? This exciting! You can check out the funded campaign and video here.

We’ve noticed you noticing us noticing you on the dance floor. We think you have that special, how do you say it, “je ne sais quoi”…you look pretty good…now is your chance to really show us how good you are…sign up for the Jack & Jill competitions and show us that you are Kind of Big Deal.

There will be two categories you can register for…

Open Jack & Jill – If you feel like you’re Kinda (sorta) a Big Deal, sign up for this.

Advanced Jack & Jill – If you think you’re Kind of Big Deal (for reals), sign up for this.

Never been in a Jack & Jill competition before?

Dancers enter these competitions as individuals and are paired randomly. The idea is that this highlights the best social dancing skills and spontaneous improvisations due to the unexpected partner and music. These are the skills we value the most, and what makes us love this dance so much!

This will be the first BSC related competition and we’re really excited as they should be super fun, and as can tell, we’re not taking ourselves too seriously, neither should you. Just relax, do your best to rock it out, have fun with it, we’ll all be clapping for you!

Preliminaries will held during the set breaks of the Friday night dance and the Finals will be Saturday night also during the set breaks.  The first preliminary will be for the Open Jack & Jill which take place during the first band break around 10:15-10:30pm on Friday night.  The prelim for the Advanced Jack & Jill will take place during the 2nd band break about 11:30-11:45pm (times may slide depending upon the sets that Gordon has planned and the length of the first break, etc.)

This schedule will repeat itself for the finals on Saturday night.  We will have an awards ceremony on Saturday night during the final band break, probably around 12:30am.  We’ve got some great prizes to accompany some very stylish trophies, winners will also be given passes to Lindy 500 weekend in Baltimore, Dirty Dozen weekend in Providence, Snowbound Blues in Rochester, Discount coupon for Beantown Dance Camp and Dirty Water Lindy & Blues Exchange right here in Boston next September.

Thursday January 24th: Crosby Whistle Stop

7:00pm – 10:30(ish)  Gordon Webster Sneak Peek Meet & Greet Pizza Party, Q&A and rehearsal

8:00pm – Q&A with Gordon & some of the band

8:30pm – Gordon Webster Band rehearsal

Friday January 25th –  Crosby Whistle Stop

Gordon Webster: Live at Boston Swing Central

8:00-9:00pm – Beginner 6-count lesson

9:00pm – 10:15pm – First set of Gordon Webster

10:15 (approx) – Open J&J Prelims

10:45 – 11:30pm – Second set of Gordon Webster

11:30pm (approx) – Advanced J&J Prelims (if needed)

12:00am – 1:45am – Third set of Gordon Webster

Saturday January 26th – Crosby Whistle Stop

Andy & Nina Workshops

12:00 -1:15 What are the Basics (all levels)  [note: this is an extended class]

1:30 – 2:45   Secrets of the Basics  (all levels)  [note: this an extended class]

3:00 – 4:00   Charleston (all levels)

4:15 – 5:15   All That Jazz (all levels)

Gordon Webster: Live at Boston Swing Central

8:00-9:00pm – Beginner 6-count lesson

9:00pm – 10:15pm – First set of Gordon Webster

10:15 (approx) – Open J&J Finals

10:45 – 11:30pm – Second set of Gordon Webster

11:30pm (approx) – Advanced J&J Finals

12:00am – 12:45am – Third set of Gordon Webster

12:45am – J&J Awards ceremony

1:00am – 1:45am – Final set of Gordon Webster

Reserve your spot. Get registered today! We will be sold out of some classes soon!

Andy & Nina are some of the best teachers in the world, here they are teaching w/ some of the best of the best at Midwest Lindyfest, if you just want to see them dance, they come in at about the 3:10 mark. This is a great overview of a lot of the real cream of International Lindy instructors, and if any of these teachers come to town, we highly recommend that you not miss an opportunity to learn from them.

Saturday Jan 26, 12:00pm – 5:15pm
What are the Basics? (All Levels, note: extended class to hour & 15 mins)
Secrets of the Basics (All Levels, note: extended class to hour & 15 mins)
Charleston (All Levels)
All that Jazz (All Levels, solo jazz routine)

Sunday Jan 27, 1:00pm – 5:45pm
Get into the Groove (All Levels, musicality is the focus here)
Some Like it Hot (Intermediate, Let’s learn to dance to fast music)
I Like Your Style (Intermediate, Andy & Nina’s styling tips)
Advanced Routine (partner required)

The workshops are SOLD OUT and the WAIT LIST is full.  But you can still buy tickets in advance to the dances and register for comps!

We will start notifying people on the WAIT LIST on Monday, Jan. 21rd. At this point you will not have to pay for the classes, we will ask that you pay for the classes within 24 hrs of being notified otherwise your slot will be given to someone else on the wait list. Please indicate what classes you are interested in as some classes will have space for a Lead or perhaps a Follow only.

The Andy & Nina workshops are SOLD OUT and the Wait List is full, but you can STILL purchase dances in advance and register for the comps!

Andy & Nina are some of the best teachers in the world, here they are teaching w/ some of the best of the best at Midwest Lindyfest, if you just want to see them dance, they come in at about the 3:10 mark. This is a great overview of a lot of the real cream of International Lindy instructors, and if any of these teachers come to town, we highly recommend that you not miss an opportunity to learn from them.

Saturday Jan 26, 12:00pm – 5:15pm
What are the Basics? (All Levels, note: extended class to hour & 15 mins)
Secrets of the Basics (All Levels, note: extended class to hour & 15 mins)
Charleston (All Levels)
All that Jazz (All Levels, solo jazz routine)

Sunday Jan 27, 1:00pm – 5:45pm
Get into the Groove (All Levels, musicality is the focus here)
Some Like it Hot (Intermediate, Let’s learn to dance to fast music)
I Like Your Style (Intermediate, Andy & Nina’s styling tips)
Advanced Routine (partner required)

We will start notifying people on the WAIT LIST on Monday, Jan. 21st. At this point you will not have to pay for the classes, we will ask that you pay for the classes within 24 hrs of being notified otherwise your slot will be given to someone else on the wait list. Please indicate what classes you are interested in as some classes will have space for a Lead or perhaps a Follow only.

Gordon Webster is recording an album: Live at Boston Swing Central.

This is the Grand Finale night of his 3 nights at the Whistle Stop. And it’s Kind of a Big Deal. So much so that we’re making it a dress up night, 1970s, Kind of a Big Deal, Ron Burgundy Flute-playing, mustachioed, Old Spice-wearin’, style…so we expect to see some groovy Veronica Corningstones and some goofy Brick Tamlans all tearing up the dance floor on this Saturday evening…you don’t have to go all out, this isn’t Halloween, but dress to impress, 1970s style…flux capacitor is set.

If you have not yet seen the video we made for the Kickstarter campaign. How exciting is swing dancing in Boston? Answer: very.

Tonight we’ll also witness the crowning of Kind of a Big Deal Jack & Jill Champions…come see all of them bring it on…

Get advanced tickets for all the dances or register for the Jack & Jill competitions here.

Jack & Jill Open finals during the first band break: approx. 10:15-10:30pm

Jack & Jill Advanced finals during the 2nd band break: approx. 11:30-11:45pm

Award ceremony in the final band break.

Lesson (included with admission): 8:00pm – 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm – 1:45am
General Admission: $25 ($23 in advance)
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $23 ($23 in advance

Please note this is a Special Event and no passes, coupons, or discounts for this event will be accepted.

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Gordon Webster is recording an album: Live at Boston Swing Central

This is Kind of Big Deal!  He will be performing for two fantastic nights, to get all the takes he needs for this live album and Friday night is the first night.  Gordon is bringing a phenomenal band for these performances which includes Naomi Uyama and Jesse Selengut on vocals, Rob Adkins on bass, Cassidy Holden on guitar, Mike Davis on Trumpet, Josh Holcomb on trombone and Adrian Cunningham on clarinet! This weekend is going to rock!

We will also be featuring the Kind of a Big Deal Jack & Jill Competitions and people are coming from all over the region to compete for the title:  Kind of a Big Deal!  There are prizes including passes to Dirty Dozen, Dirty Water, Lindy 500, Snowbound Blues and discount coupons to Beantown Dance Camp and some really cool trophies (which we want to show you, but we’re saving them as they are a surprise).

Be a part of this historic recording! Attend these dances! Check out the video we made for the Kickstarter campaign. How exciting is swing dancing in Boston? This exciting!

Get advanced tickets for all the dances or register for the Jack & Jill competitions here.

Jack & Jill Open preliminary round during the first band break: approx. 10:15-10:30pm

Jack & Jill Advanced preliminary round during the 2nd band break: approx. 11:30-11:45pm

Lesson (included with admission): 8:00pm – 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm – 1:45am
General Admission: $20 ($19 in advance)
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $17

Please note this is a Special Event that runs late and no passes, coupons, or discounts for this event will be accepted.

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

We invite every one to attend Gordon Webster’s Sneak Peek Meet & Greet Pizza Party and Q&A Session on Thursday January 24th at 7:00pm. One of the rewards for Gordon Webster’s Kickstarter Campaign was admittance to this special event. We’re also opening this up to everyone who wants to contribute to this weekend by attending this fundraising event. Gordon and his band will be rehearsing some of the songs that they’ll perform on Thursday and Friday night. Some of them will also be hanging out and you can meet them and talk with them.

To give the evening a little more structure, we’ve asked Gordon and the band to have a Q&A session at 8:00pm.

Here’s a chance to learn more of what Gordon thinks about the dance, jazz music, and get to know Gordon on a more personal level. He’ll also be milling about during part of the evening meeting, greeting and thanking everyone for helping with this campaign.

After the Q&A session, Gordon and the band will entertain us with their live rehearsal. Oh, and there will be pizza! So don’t worry about coming here straight from work…we have some food for you…

7:00pm – 10:30pm(ish)
Admission $15
Advanced tickets available here!

Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland St
Charlestown, MA 02129

Swing Legacy, a six piece little big band has been a fixture of the Boston swing scene since 1991, playing with the style and informed of the great big bands from the swing era. Their repertoire concentrates on classic big band swing music including many Duke Ellington and Count Basie numbers ideal for Lindy Hop and swing dancing. Much of their great catalog of songs showcases their phenomenal singer, Debby Larkin. It promises to be a night full of exciting original arrangements that will keep you dancing all night long!

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm – 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm – 12:00am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Phil McGowan & the Easy Winners return to this Whistle Stop with their awesome hot jazz charts that are good for your soul! The Easy Winners are just at the beginning of a great Winter line-up…we hope you’ve made your New Year’s resolution to dance more! And come out tonight! And also for Kind of Big Deal Weekend, it’s a kind of a big deal!

Here they are back in March, lighting up our stage with their joyous & blissful version of “Everybody Loves My Baby”…

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm – 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm – 12:00am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Boston Swing Central welcomes back, local Diva extraordinaire, Toni Lynn Washington. Toni Lynn rocked the the Crosby Whistle Stop on several occasions last year.   

She does us the honor of playing the first Friday of the brand new year and we are looking forward to a great year filled with some awesome dances. Hearing Toni Lynn’s soulful voice and her deep grooves is sure to warm up the dance floor! She is a local legend, an institution, a master, a treasure, and we’re happy to have her once again!  Not to be missed!

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm – 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm – 12:00am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

If you’re stuck in town and feeling a little cooped up or just itching to dance, you are in luck! We are open tonight for a special extra night of dancing. Our DJs have survived last week’s End of the World and well, we’re all feeling fine and you should too! Come on out tonight and get some of you’re Holiday ya-ya’s out!

ALSO…..Abby has come up with a DJ Special Request Night!

While Abby’s spinning tunes, you can request anything you want to hear (provided it’s in her library.) The catch? It’ll cost you $1 per request….and all money raised will go into our Kickstarter campaign for the Gordon Webster recording in January. But wait, did one of your friends request a song that you hate? Donate $2 and request that Abby NOT play it. Want to hear your favorite 5 songs all in a row….fork over $5 and there you go. But beware that someone else doesn’t outbid you. The bigger your donation, the higher in the queue goes your request. The request list will be up at the DJ booth. Got it? Good, let’s have some post-holiday fun! 😉

Don’t forget to register for our New Year’s Eve Great Gatsby Gala if you haven’t already and are planning on going…

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm – 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm – 12:00am
General Admission: $10
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $8

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Merry Merry Christmas, Happy Happy Hanukkah, Joyous Joyous Kwanzaa, or whatever you might celebrate.   Tonight our DJs aim to give you their best Holiday Swing tunes and general good cheer. As the mercury falls, so falls the snow (or at least we can dream of a White Christmas)…and we’ll need some swing dancing to keep our popsicle toes warmed. This will also help us dance off all of the extra holiday treats and meals we plan on consuming…

Don’t forget to register for our New Year’s Eve Great Gatsby Gala if you haven’t already and are planning on going…also don’t forget that it’s the end of the world, you also might want to register for Kind of a Big Deal as the early bird discount pricing expires on Christmas Day at midnight.

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm – 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm – 12:00am
General Admission: $10
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $8

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Frank Shieh and the Beantown Swing Orchestra are back and they’re in a gift giving mood… Tonight Frank and all 17 of his elves in the BSO are filling up their sleigh and our stage with a boatload of Holiday music…on Dasher, on Dancers…on Vixens!

Get ready for Boston Swing Central’s annual Christmas party with Beantown Swing Orchestra!  Check them out at the Crane’s Estate last summer, and those backing vocalists are amazing and um…they look very familiar!

Let’s hope the Bombshells appear for a performance this week…hint hint: Abby Courage, Anna Kathryn Darling, and Sarah Rund!

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm – 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm – 12:00am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Have you ever wanted to learn to Lindy Hop but don’t have time to commit to a weekly class?  This is your chance! Our next weekend “crash course” workshop is 3 hours on Sunday Dec 9th, 12:00pm-3:00pm. Come learn from experienced teachers who are also social dancers in the Lindy Hop scene.

We will cover six count basic (East Coast Swing), basic eight count (Lindy Hop), and Charleston Basic. Moves include swing out, Lindy circle, swing out from closed, and side by side Charleston. At the end of this class, you will be able to attend a social dance and dance to music.

Instructors Brian & Kellian will be teaching Swing Boot Camp for the first time! But they’re not unfamiliar as they’ve taught the Friday night lessons fairly regularly for the past 4+ years and also lead the Boston Lindy Bomb Squad on their adventures of dancing in public spaces. They are super fun teachers and we highly recommend you experience one of their classes.

Noon – 3:00pm
$25 advanced on-line registration, $30 at the door (register here.)

Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland St
Charlestown, MA 02129

The Red Hook Ramblers are back! Brooklyn’s preeminent hot jazz dixieland band, these cats are larger than life characters. They’re engaging live show is as much fun to watch as they are to dance to, from rag-timey roadhouse blues to speakeasy backroom numbers, this band could easily fit right into an episode of Boardwalk Empire.

We thought we’d have them make a December appearance to cap off a great year…check them out here performing the St. Louis Blues at the Whistle Stop:

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm – 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm – 12:00am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Yes, it’s that time of year when thoughts of turkey appear in our heads and a lot of it ends up in our tummies. Tonight we’re going to dance off the previous nights yams and pies (or at least try to). What better way to burn off all those added calories than taking a spin on the dance floor? So if you happen to be in town, come on out and share some camaraderie with those of us who aren’t travelling on this hectic holiday weekend.

Back in the day, Brooke Shields used to swing dance in NY at swing dances much like ours…here she is performing in “Swing” the musical on Thanksgiving during the Macy’s parade…(not sure what year this is from, but probably is from about 8-10 years ago).

Lesson (included in the price of admission):
8:00pm – 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm – 12:00am

General Admission: $10
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $8

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Phil McGowan is back with his Easy Winners, sort of…we had the Blue Vipers scheduled but they had a conflict and had to cancel, so we asked our Phil in if he would put his band together and his regular bass player was not available. Not to worry, he’s bringing Peter Ford from Baby Soda! This has the makings for an exciting evening!

This has been a Fall has been filled with alternative lineups and awesome jam sessions. Peter brings his homemade broomstick/washtub bass and vocals back to the Whistle Stop this time not as a bandleader but as guest musician with Phil is the band leader.

We love to see our musicians collaborate and see what they come up with. Expect it to be red hot and swingin’….

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm – 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm – 12:30am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Friday, November 9th we will salute Veteran’s Day and we’d like to say a big Thank You to our Vets (and active service men and women) by throwing a special USO-style swing dance, like they did back during WWII. Though we have no political agenda here at BSC, it seems appropriate to show our respect to those who serve and protect so the rest of us can keep on swingin!

The USO is a private organization that has provided morale and recreational services since 1941. Their first priority has always been supporting America’s troops. USO centers and clubs opened around the world as a “Home Away from Home” for GI’s, and was a place to go for dances and social events.

Bria Skonberg brings her amazing Hot Five back to Boston Swing Central. And after the last several times, we can safely say, this is a band that you never want to miss. Bria is a rising star and a great band leader who can do it all. She can belt it out with the best of ’em, as she notes: “i’m an old jazz man trapped in the body of young woman.”

Bria has spent a lot of time playing with Baby Soda, Glenn Cryzter’s Syncopators, and the Louis Armstrong Centennial Band. An accomplished trumpet player, she’s also an excellent singer, and a A-One band leader…we’re so glad she can assemble this kind of talent and bring her Hot Five back to BSC!

Check out her jaunty and jubilant playing in this video:

Servicemen and women who show up in their Dress Uniforms get in for FREE!
Veterans of WWII, Vietnam, Korea, Desert Storm, Iraq & Afghanistan get in for FREE!
All other veterans and active military (as well as police and fire) personnel get in for $5 off!

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm – 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm – 12:30am
General Admission: $15
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $13

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129

Boston Swing Central is excited to be celebrating the release of Skinny Minne, the new live album from Glenn Crytzer and his Syncopators! It is also the first time we’ve had the pleasure of Glenn Crytzer gracing our stage! Glenn is one of a new crop of band leaders taking the country by storm with his expert eye and hard-nosed attention to details in keeping the music as authentic as possible. Here is performing an old classic, “If you’se a Viper”:

Those of you who are not yet familiar with Glenn, he’s a guitarist and band leader from Seattle who has been tearing it up at large National Lindy Hop events around the country. From Northwest Lindyfest to DCLX, Glenn Cryzter & His Syncopators have been featured at some very high profile events. You can learn more about them here: www.syncopators.net Glenn likes to keep things high energy and swingin’ hard and his band will feature his regular piano player Solomon Douglas, as well as some BSC regulars such as Gordon Au (who plays w/ the Grand St Stompers, Gordon Webster and many others) and Rich Levinson who played most recently at Dirty Water w/ Meschiya Lake & the Little Big Horns. This night will definitely be a highlight of our amazing Fall lineup and something you don’t want to miss!

Lesson (included in the price of admission): 8:00pm – 9:00pm
Dancing: 9:00pm – 12:00am
General Admission: $17
Students and Seniors (with Valid ID): $15

The Crosby Whistle Stop
24 Roland Street
Charlestown, MA 02129