Madrid, crazy about swing
You start with something easy, the elementary, so that not even Ana Belén can reproach you for that “you move like a bear in a maze” ; then, if you have the knack and let yourself be carried away by the rhythm of the Benny Goodman Orchestra, you end up doing tricks like this without realizing it. It's just a matter of practicing with granny's hipster clothes and slippery shoes – traditional sneakers or dance shoes for the most elegant ones. Oh, and finding lindy hop mate it is no problem. Just go to a social dance and grab the first one you see without a partner. Normally, the boy is the lead and the girl is the follow that follows her guidelines, but you can break this rule as you see fit, that in times of crisis leaders are scarce!
Precisely the swing He lived his golden age in the United States with the Great Depression. The markets were crashing but the jukeboxes were still playing : they were notes of freedom for the millions of unemployed workers. As we are now more or less the same –except that instead of jukeboxes we have Spotify–, we propose a weekly plan so that no one stays a single day without dancing swing in Madrid. Take out the agenda and write down!
MONDAY
Every second Monday of the month, the Sala Barco (Barco Street, 34) pays tribute to one of the most famous jazz singers, Peggy Lee , with live music from Lady & The Tramps . When the first chords begin to sound, We have an open bar to dance. Free entry from 10:00 p.m. until the soles hold!
TUESDAY
On Tuesdays we go to Galician Center (Carretas street, 14, 3rd floor), but not to dance dolls; We promise that at least from 10:00 p.m. to 01:00 a.m., there are no bagpipes or tambourines, but American hits from the 20s, 30s and 40s . Admission costs 3 euros and each week a theme is danced, stopping the music between the arpeggio of a sax and that of a trumpet to exchange between Lindy Hoppers tips and ideas.
WEDNESDAY
The Wednesdays, double serving of swing in Lavapiés: at 10:30 p.m. we are dancing in the stalls of the Neighborhood Theater (Zurita street, 20). If we arrive earlier, we wait in the tavern for things to begin to liven up, accompanying the musician who plays the piano with a red wine and a montadito of pringá . And then we go a few streets further, to the Traveling Bar (Calle Olivar, 39), where until 3:00 a.m. they have a vintage Swing Party, with free class for insiders in a retro-American atmosphere that makes us feel in the heart of Bourbon Street, if only for one of the many plaques they have hanging around, along with movie posters and Marilyn ads.
THURSDAY
Not techno, not hip-hop, not indie, not house. Thursday night in the living room Ya'sta (Calle Valverde, 10) is to listen to swing and dance to lindy hop, balboa, blues and rock&roll, with DJ battle included . Let's see which dancer is able to keep up with them on the dance floor! Admission, from 10:00 p.m. to 01:00 a.m., costs 6 euros , entitled to a drink, two beers or two soft drinks.
FRIDAY
This day we squat the track of the social and self-managed center ** La Morada ** (Calle Casarrubuelos, 5). At 9:00 p.m. there is a free class for beginners and for those who have already included words like bounce, triple step or whip in their vocabulary. They say they are not the best dancers, But yes, those who have the best time!
SATURDAY
Swing in tuna, pickled jazz and salty live music is the Saturday night menu at La Nueva Colonia de San Lorenzo (Calle Salitre, 38), available from 10:00 p.m. and seasoned for dancing with the best ingredients: a guitar , a contrabass, a saxophone and a clarinet.
SUNDAY
Sundays are for going out on straws, but… Swing straws!, at Matadero Madrid . The plan could not be better: once a month, from 12:00 to 3:00 p.m., dancing at the Café Teatro de las Naves del Español, with previous mini class of lindy hop. It is only allowed to take a break to finish the beer and take a bite of the appetizer.
And already out of agenda, and There are clandestine meetings to take over public spaces to the rhythm of swing. You have to keep an eye on the calendar to know where and when. The next dance hall may be improvised in Madrid Río, in El Retiro Park, in Puerta del Sol, in the San Fernando market or in any square in Malasaña, without asking for permission, spontaneously, freely, which is how jazz is danced.
*** You may also be interested in...**
- Madrid La Nuit: the alphabet of the night party in the capital
- Madrid temples of black music (II)
- Madrid temples of black music (I)
- Madrid slowly but surely
- How to behave in Malasaña
- Guide to Madrid
You have to take to the streets to DANCE