Jul 17

BSC Incorporation and New Venue Fund Raiser!

Category: dances
If you missed us this last couple Fridays, well, we missed you too. But as promised, we’ll be back soon! And to help speed our return, we are doing this dance as a special event fund raiser to get some much needed cash for our incorporation, which requires us to carry some insurance and kickin’ new venue we’re moving to in late August/early September (which we hope to tell you about soon!).

We will be dancing tonight at the awesome facilities at Springstep in Medford. And to give you your bang for your buck, we’ll be running late until 2 AM.  And we’ve also convinced The Cangelosi Cards to come up from New York  to make it extra special. This band is amazing, they will delight you with their unique mix of Hot Club Jazz, Gypsy swing, and Blues. Most people leave their shows  swinging on a cloud with the bouncing chugga-chugga rhythms and the haunting trill of Tamar Korn’s mellifluous voice reverberating in their heads.

As this is a special event to raise money for the BSC, we will not have an active door list, accept passes, or discount cards on this night. We will also have a limited number of volunteer spots, and will not be able to offer reduced admission to angels. However, if you would like to angel for us anyway, please email Khrysti Smyth. We’ll also be holding a silent auction to raise some additional funds!

We hope with how hard we have worked to give back to the dance community, as many of you as possible will come out on this special night. We need you if we are going to continue to bring great dances to the Boston Community. So grab a friend…or two…or three…  and we’ll see you on the dance floor!

Lesson: 8-9pm

Dancing: 9pm-2am

Price: $20 General Admission, $15 Students and Seniors (with valid ID)

Address:

Springstep
98 George P. Hassett Drive
Medford, MA 02155

www.springstep.org

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Jul 12

Copley Square FREE Outdoor Dance

Category: dances
Boston Swing Central is really excited that Summer has finally arrived! (well sort of, you wouldn’t know it by the chilly temps and rain we’ve had lately, but technically it’s summer).  And with our fingers crossed for a warm and dry day, we are letting you know about Copley Square Swing on Sunday July 12th. 
 
This is a free dance, it’s open to the public and we’ll be teaching a lesson for those that are interested from 1pm – 2pm…and of course there will be open dancing throughout the afternoon.
 
In August, we’ll be back at Piers Park in East Boston one more time, hopefully this time it won’t be so windy!  
 
Below is a complete calendar of the remaining BSC Summer Outdoor Dancing events:

July 12th Copley Square   1pm – 4:00pm  FREE
 
Saturday August 1st – Swingin’ on the Charles at Community Boathouse  7:30pm – 11pm.  Admission $10/$8 students and seniors

Aug 16th Piers Park, East Boston 2pm – 5pm  FREE
Sept 13th Copley Square  1pm –  4:00pm  FREE

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Jul 10

Closed

Category: dances

We will be closed July 10th.

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Jul 3

No Dance – July 4th Weekend

Category: dances

We’ll be closed this Friday for the July 4th weekend.  Enjoy the fireworks!

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Jun 27

Boston Swing Central Goes to Beantown!

Category: dances

We’ll be co-hosting the Saturday night dance at Beantown Camp tonight!  Come check us out for a rockin’ good time with The Boilermaker Jazz Band!!!!  Need a ride?  Check the forum for friends that are going too!

Check in: 8:45 PM

End Time: Very Late

Callahan Center, Endicott College

376 Hale Street

Beverley, MA 01915

 

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Jun 26

Summer Swing

Category: dances

It’s been a wet week and half, and with the wet weather, we’re a little sad to tell you that this is our final week at St. Mary’s Church.  So come on out and dance one last time at this great little venue.   This week we have Retro Mike and Jay Provost spinning and hopefully summoning some Summer Sun…

We are taking a couple of weeks off from our regular Friday night dance in July to do some special Summer dances (again assuming it gets here) and to look for a new venue. So even though we won’t be at St. Mary’s, don’t forget we’ll still be out there bringing you some great dances over the next couple weeks!  Including these you’ll want to put on your calendar:
– Co-hosting the Beantown Saturday night dance with the Boilermakers this Saturday, June 27th at Endicott College
– Our first Copley dance on Sunday July 12th (the June date was rained out)
– A special one off Dance on Friday, July 17th (details and location TBD)
– The Boathouse dance on Saturday, August 1st

So watch your inbox, check out or website, or follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more information, we have some exciting things coming!

Your friends at Boston Swing Central.

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Jun 26

Swingology

Category: Uncategorized

It’s the 4th Friday of the month and you know what that means… BOSTON SWING CENTRAL is hosting Swingology!  Swingology is where we feature some of Boston’s finest DJs spinning their best for you.  There are so many talented and knowledgeable swing DJs in this town.  It’s fun to shake things up and see what’s out there.  Our theme nights force them to rethink their oeuvre, but on Swingology, we let them spin what they want!  It’s as simple as 5, 6, 7 and 8!

And don’t forget tomorrow, June 27th, Boston Swing Central goes to Beantown, where we’ll be hosting the Boilermakers from Pittsburgh.  This will surely be a great night of dancing as well, as the Boilermakers don’t make it up this way too often, you don’t want to miss them!  BSC will also be running the late night party and djing between the Boilermakers sets…so come up to Endicott College if you haven’t already signed up for Beantown and see what all the hub bub is about!

Kellian & Brian are our teachers for the evening.  Always guaranteed to put a smile on your face…

Lesson 8-9pm / Dancing 9pm-1am
$10 / $8 for students (with valid ID) and seniors

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Jun 19

Miss Tess and the Bon Ton Parade

Category: dances
Continuing our relentless schedule of bands and new bands to Boston Swing Central, we are happy to welcome Miss Tess and the Bon Ton Parade. Some of you might have seen her at the Boston Independence Exchange as one half of the duo, the Sweet and Low Down.  The Bon Parade is her backing band, which promises to keep things lively and swinging with their reimagined 21st century Golden-age jazz.  You will leave with a smile on your face.  And if you feel so inclined, dress in your best quirky-retro-modern-vintage-wear to blend in with the band.
Todd Schmenk and Beth Donahue from Zazu Swing in Providence are our guest teachers.  Come learn how to dance really smoothly from this talented twosome.
Lesson 8-9pm / Dancing 9pm-12am
$13 / $10 for students (with valid ID) and seniors
Boston Swing Central
St Mary’s Orthodox Church
8 Inman St, Central Square, Cambridge, MA
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Jun 14

Boston Swing Central Summer Outdoor Dance Series

Category: dances

June 14th dance CANCELED due to rain.

Boston Swing Central is really excited that Summer has finally arrived! (well sort of, you wouldn’t know it by the chilly temps we’ve had lately, but technically it’s still Spring until June 21st).  And to usher in the warmer weather and the sunny skies, we will start with Copley Square Swing on Sunday June 14th.  This is a free dance, it’s open to the public and we’ll be teaching a lesson for those that are interested from 1pm – 2pm…and of course there will be open dancing throughout the afternoon.

Later on this summer we’ll be back at Piers Park in East Boston one more time, hopefully this time it won’t be so windy!

Copley Square  1pm – 4:00pm  FREE

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Jun 12

The Blue Vipers of Brooklyn (Special Event)

Category: dances
Ladies and Gentlemen, fresh off their gig at Frankie 95 in NYC, the Blue Vipers of Brooklyn play their Boston Swing Central debut.  They’ve been tearing up New York with their unique brand of hot jazz which features some virtuosic washboard playing and their ready to tear up Boston. You may need to bring a towel and an extra shirt…because it’s going to be an evening on the up tempo side of things.  So for those of you who crave speed…this might be your night.  The rest of us will wait for their singer to croon a blue moon betwixt all the crazy jitterbuggin’ numbers…
Kellian and Brian will be teaching a fun-filled version of our weekly lesson.  Come dance like a chicken with them…  

Lesson 8-9pm / Dancing 9pm-12am
$15 / $13 for students (with valid ID) and seniors
Boston Swing Central
St Mary’s Orthodox Church
8 Inman St, Central Square, Cambridge, MA

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Jun 5

J Street Band

Category: dances

BOSTON SWING CENTRAL is happy to have the return of J Street, a fantastic band from Albany headed by piano player and smokey-voiced singer Josh Fialkoff, whom we all know and love from the Fried Bananas!  We hear that Shawn Hershey may join them on trumpet for a bit, as well.  Expect a lively jazz sound with a bluesy grooviness inspired by the likes of Ray Charles, Bill Withers, and Lou Rawls.

Shawn and Amanda will be teaching our weekly lesson with BSC. Check out what they have for you this week!

Lesson 8-9pm / Dancing 9pm-12am
$13 / $10 for students (with valid ID) and seniors
Boston Swing Central
St Mary’s Orthodox Church
8 Inman St, Central Square, Cambridge, MA

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May 29

Rusty Scott Trio

Category: dances

BOSTON SWING CENTRAL is proud to introduce the Rusty Scott Trio.  It’s been a while since we’ve had some new bands at Boston Swing Central, but we’ve finally found a few and we’ll be kicking off this little run of new bands (see June’s schedule for more BSC debuts) with the Rusty Scott Trio. Rusty Scott is a pianist who has been a fixture on the Boston jazz scene for some time.  He plays a groovy soulful jazz style in the vein of Gordon Webster.  We’re hoping he catches fire like Gordon has and we’ll have a new star on the Boston swing circuit.

Lesson 8-9pm / Dancing 9pm-12am
$13 / $10 for students (with valid ID) and seniors
Boston Swing Central
St Mary’s Orthodox Church
8 Inman St, Central Square, Cambridge, MA
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May 22

Springology

Category: dances
Springology!  Spring has finally sprung!  And boy are we happy!  We’re so happy to have some great DJs in store for you, our own Tim Lewandowski and Jason Provost are joined by guest, Joe Perrone.  And as you can tell from the temporary renaming of this night, we’ve decided to start anew with a fresh outlook on our Swingology night…
 
Yes, you might not have thought about it but the secret of Swingology is diversity.  There are a great many DJs in Boston and no two of them are the same and that’s a great thing (think of them like snowflakes), that means exposure to all different interpretations of what swings and represents the wide spectrum of tastes in our community.  And I guess that about says it all.  Can we appreciate the diversity within our community and different approaches to DJing?  Does that mean Swingology is avant garde and experimental?  Heck no.  It just means that we’re trying to allow the many different voices in a community a forum with which to share their, ahem, spin on what swings.

Lesson 8:00-9:00pm / Dancing 9:00pm-12am
$10 / $8 for students (with valid ID) and seniors

Boston Swing Central

St. Mary’s Orthodox Church

8 Inman Street, Central Square, Cambridge

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May 15

What’s Buzzin’ Cousin?

Category: dances

Don’t forget!  We’ll be returning to St Mary’s Orthodox church starting today — right around the corner at 8 Inman St (click to view a map). 

What’s Buzzin’ Cousin? A veritable catchphrase in swingology from the hepest of hepcats, Cab Calloway.  He coined the phrases that are now common place and with his Bugs Bunny grin lit up the screen in the Blues Brothers with his classic Minnie the Moocher…Cab is a true icon in American culture.  Tonight, Boston Swing Central is buzzin with his songs and his crazy hep to the jive vibe. Cmon out and get in the groove tonight!

Lesson 8-9pm / Dancing 9pm-12 midnight
$10 / $8 for students (with valid ID) and seniors
Boston Swing Central
St Mary’s Orthodox Church
8 Inman St, Central Square, Cambridge, MA

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May 10

Boston Swing Central and BIX @ Piers Park in East Boston!

Category: dances

The view from the park is spectacular, it’s one of the best views of downtown Boston and overlooks the Harbor.  We’re very excited to be throwing a dance here for the first time, so come on out, it’s FREE to the public!  DJs Retro Mike and Downtown Julie Brown will be spinning some of their finest feel good Springtime music, keep your fingers crossed for good weather (the forecast shows that it’s going to partly cloudy with intermittent sun and about 64, so let’s hope that it doesn’t rain).  In any event bring a light jacket, it’s by the water, so it can get a little chilly and breezy…Details below

Details

Address: Piers Park, 95 Marginal St, East Boston, MA 02128

Date: Sunday May 10th, 2009

Time: 2pm – 5pm

Cost: FREE!!!

Here’s a link to the park for further info.  Check out that view! 

http://www.bostonharborwalk.com/placestogo/location.php?nid=4&sid=24

 

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May 8

George Gee and the Jump Jive and Wailers/Boston Independence Exchange

Category: dances
We at Boston Swing Central are extremely excited for the Boston Independence Exchange (BIX).  And we’re even more ecstatic that we get to host George Gee and the Jump Jive and Wailers!  The last time we can remember George Gee playing with his fantastic big band for Frankie Manning’s 87th birthday.  Well, it’s been too long.  George Gee brings one of the premier big bands in the country to Boston.  This is also the first night of BIX and for those of you who have not experienced an Exchange…these are some of the most fun events in swing dancing.  A whole weekend dedicated to dancing where Boston hosts out-of-town dancers, who to come and mix, mingle and energize our scene.

 

This is also our last night at the YMCA, so if you’re thinking you’ll miss that Homecoming dance vibe, please come on out and soak it up.

 

Lessons 8:00-9:00pm / Dancing 9:00pm-12am
$15 / $12 for students (with valid ID) and seniors
Boston Swing Central at YMCA
820 Massachusetts Ave, Central Square, Cambridge, MA
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May 1

Frankie’s Favorites

Category: dances
We are very sad to have lost our friend Frankie Manning, the world’s leading ambassador of Lindy Hop, this week.  But we’re sure that he’d want us to all keep swinging.  In his honor, we will be doing a special Shim Sham led by Tony and Aurelie during our dance this Friday.  We hope that you can all come out and join us and celebrate Frankie Manning’s life with us.

Our DJs, Ogden Sawyer, Phil Shapiro and James McClurkin will spin some of Frankie’s Favorites. Expect to hear some of his favorite music, which includes tracks by Fletcher Henderson, Count Basie, Jimmie Lunceford, George Gee and many more!  We had originiallly scheduled our Frankie’s Favorites night for May 22nd, which was the weekend of his 95th birthday celebration.

Tony and Aurelie Tye will teach our beginning lesson.

Dan Pederson and Nina Current will teach their final installment of the intermediate lesson pilot program. See our website for more details.

Lessons 8-9pm / Dancing 9pm-12 midnight
$10 / $8 for students and seniors (with valid ID)
Boston Swing Central at the YMCA
820 Massachusetts Avenue, Central Square, Cambridge, MA

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Apr 24

Swing & Soul

Category: dances

Boston Swing Central is excited for a night of house rockin’ Soul!  We’ve invited Soul DJ extraordinaire, Mark Francis, who DJs Lost & Found on WMBR, MIT’s college radio station, as well as many soul nights at various nightclubs around the Boston area.   So for those of you who like to groove while you move, this is going to be your night!

Special Note: BSC is going green for Earth Day again this week.  Bring your own or buy a brand new BSC Water Bottle! If you forget, dig deep for those quarters!  Cups will be available for $.50 a piece.  Cup proceeds and $1 from each water bottle sale will go to the Green Streets Initiative.

Lesson 8-9pm / Dancing 9pm-12 midnight
$10 / $8 for students (with valid ID) and seniors
Boston Swing Central at YMCA
820 Massachusetts Avenue, Central Square, Cambridge, MA
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Apr 17

Swing Legacy

Category: dances

Once again, BOSTON SWING CENTRAL is happy to welcome back, The Swing Legacy! This six-piece little big band has been a fixture of the Boston swing scene since 1991, playing with the polish and powerful beat 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 Hopping. Their exciting original arrangements produce a room-filling sound that will keep you on your feet all night long!

Lesson 8-9pm / Dancing 9pm-12 midnight
$13 / $10 for students (with valid ID) and seniors
Boston Swing Central at the YMCA
820 Massachusetts Avenue, Central Square, Cambridge, MA

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Apr 10

Take Me Out to the Ballgame- Our Tribute to Baseball

Category: dances
One of the ways we know it’s really finally Springtime in New England is the opening day at Fenway!  The Red Sox kicked off their season this past Monday.  And because we at Boston Swing Central consist of more than a few baseball fans, we’re bringing you our tribute to baseball tonight.  Songs about Joltin’ Joe Dimaggio and the Say Hey Kid, Willie Mays will assuredly be played tonight!  So come out swingin’ in your favorite team’s gear (and leave your bat at home).


Shawn Hershey and Nicole Zuckerman of It’s All Swing are our teachers for the evening!

Lesson 8:00-9:00pm / Dancing 9:00pm-12:00am
$10 / $8 for students (with valid ID) and seniors

Boston Swing Central at the YMCA
820 Massachusetts Avenue, Central Square, Cambridge, MA

Special Note! Dan Pederson and Nina Current will teach our intermediate lesson starting this week!
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Apr 3

Back Bay Rhythm Makers help us celebrate First Anniversary of Boston Swing Central

Category: dances

We at Boston Swing Central are happy to celebrate our first Anniversary with you.  The year has gone by so fast and we couldn’t have done it without you!  It’s been such a great experience and I think we’ve had some very memorable nights of dancing!  From Calling All Zombies to the I >heart< Swing! We’ve just had a blast.  And it all began just a year ago.  Anyhow we’re kicking off our 2nd year with the glorious Back Bay Rhythm Makers, who definitely tear it up old school, just the way we like it!  Let’s dress up for this party!

So tell all your friends and come early, as we’re expecting a very fun filled and packed evening.

Lesson 8:00-9:00pm / Dancing 9:00pm-12:00am
$15 / $12 for students (with valid ID) and seniors
Boston Swing Central at YMCA
820 Mass Ave, Central Square, Cambridge, MA

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Mar 27

Swingology

Category: dances
It’s time for the fair winds of March to bid us adieu.  We will end the month with another Swingology, our most eclectic night of music!  It’s a concept we have developed to explore the question, “What swings?”, a topic of considerable debate among DJs.
 
Depending on who’s spinning, you may get a blend of classic swing (Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong) with favorite soul artists (Betty LaVette, Stevie Wonder), or maybe the best of Neo-swing (Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Lavay Smith) and great swing-era divas (Ruth Brown, Peggy Lee). There’s sure to be some fantastic jump blues and hot jazz in the mix too! The idea of Swingology is to explore some of these boundaries while keeping the mix strongly rooted in familiar artists and songs we love to hear. You can expect a night full of good, solid, swing dance music from every corner of the kingdom of Swing and one thing’s for sure, the music will be like the weather in New England: if you don’t like it, just wait 5 minutes and it will change.
Kellian Adams and Brian Pletcher are our teachers for the evening!    

Lesson 8-9pm / Dancing 9pm-12 midnight
$10 / $8 for students (with valid ID) and seniors
Boston Swing Central at the YMCA
820 Massachusetts Avenue, Central Square, Cambridge, MA

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Mar 20

Shawn Hershey Quartet

Category: dances
Tonight at BOSTON SWING CENTRAL we will feature the Shawn Hershey Quartet, a small combo Shawn Hershy of the Fried Bananas has put together to play for us.  After a similar group of his played a delightful, spirited set at the Union Square Farmer’s Market this summer, we asked Shawn to recreate the vibe for us.  We then had Shawn play a short set with this combo in January.  Tonight, he’s back for a full night of jazz that is guaranteed to keep you dancing! 
 
Lesson 8:00-9pm / Dancing 9pm-12 midnight
$13 / $10 for students (with valid ID) and seniors
Boston Swing Central at the YMCA
820 Massachusetts Avenue, Central Square, Cambridge, MA
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Mar 13

Rocco & the Stompers, Beantown Swing Orchestra – Vintage Dress-up

Category: dances

Don’t forget!  We’ll be at our temporary venue – right around the corner at The YMCA (click to view a map).

BOSTON SWING CENTRAL is really excited to have Rocco and the Stompers, along with their parental unit, the Beantown Swing Orchestra, play for us tonight.  So, essentially we have a little big band and a big band.  And as an extra special treat, nationally renowned singer/ songwriter Erin McKeown will join the Beantown Swing Orchestra on vocals.  You won’t want to miss this!  This is going to sell out, so get there early!

We’re also going to do a Shim Sham for Frankie’s 95th Birthday Party!  “A What Wham?” you ask?  “And who’s this Frankie guy?”  Well, Frankie Manning is one of few surviving Lindy Hoppers from the Savoy Ballroom days in the 1930s, (and also one of our guiding lights!) and he turns 95 this May.  And he’s having a gigantic birthday celebration in New York.  And for his birthday, dance scenes from all around the world are performing the Shim Sham (Frankie’s favorite line dance) for him which will be edited into a video.  So Boston represent!  We are also encouraging everyone to dress vintage on this night!!

We’ll have a basic swing lesson from 8-8:30pm and a lesson on the Shim Sham from 8:30 -9:15pm, both taught by Tony and Aurelie Tye of Hop to the Beat dance studio!

Lesson 8-9pm / Dancing 9pm to 12 midnight
$15 / $12 for students (with valid ID) and seniors
Boston Swing Central at YMCA
820 Massachusetts Avenue, Central Square, Cambridge, MA

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Mar 6

Gordon Webster Quintet with Brianna Thomas

Category: dances

Don’t forget!  We’ll be at our temporary venue — right around the corner at The YMCA (click to view a map)..

Once again, BOSTON SWING CENTRAL is proud to welcome back Gordon Webster and his full quartet, including his super talented vocalist Brianna Thomas.  But since Gordon is making his second appearance at BSC this year, we asked him to change it up and throw us one of his curveballs…and this time he also brings Jesse Selengut, on trumpet and additional vocals. Jesse might be familiar to you if were at the packed Brookline Tai Chi show last Fall.  Anyhow, Jesse brings an added dimension to the Quartet and makes them now a Quintet!   Brianna, Jesse, Gordon, they are going to ROCK THE HOUSE!  This band creates an electric vibe like how we imagine it was back in the day, when people were packed into the Plug Nickel, the audience sitting on the edge of their seats with excitement.

This wildly popular group draws a big crowd, so come early to guarantee your spot on the floor!  If we’re at capacity when you arrive, check back in 30 minutes and we’ll likely be able to let more people in.  There are a lot of great bars, clubs, and a fantastic coffee shop right around the corner to keep you entertained in the meantime!

Ogden & Nicole of It’s All Swing Dance Studios will be teaching the lesson tonight.  If you haven’t seen them dance, you’re in for a treat! Ogden is known around these parts as “The Velvet Slinky”.  The cat is smooth.  And Nicole has been consistently winning every swing dance competition she seems to enter.  So we’re very excited to present them in all their dancing glory.
Lesson 8-9pm / Dancing 9pm-12 midnight
$15 / $12 for students (with valid ID) and seniors
Boston Swing Central at the YMCA
820 Massachusetts Avenue, Central Square, Cambridge, MA

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