Every Monday including holidays: 7 pm class, 8 pm dance
A weekly dance since the beginning of 1999, Waltz etcetera is a beloved Seattle tradition. It's a welcoming, noncompetitive mixed social partner dance. I play mostly waltz, nightclub 2-step and blues; most everything I play also works for alt tango. Dress is casual. Come with or without a partner.
NEW! Celebrate your birthday (or whatever) at Waltz etcetera for free
Would you like to have a dance party for your next birthday, with a DJ and a real dance floor? If you're willing to have it on a Monday, I've got a great deal for you. Save hundreds of dollars on hall rental, DJ etc. by having your party at my dance.
Here's how it works: we have the class and dance as usual. You and your guests pay the usual admission: $20 if taking the class, $10 for just the dance. I'll make a brief announcement to let other dancers know what's going on. You and your friends are welcome to bring treats to share or not, as you prefer. There will not be a birthday dance, just our regular dance to my world-famous ;-) music collection. You clean up what's left of your treats before leaving. Interested in scheduling a party? Email me at waltz23 at gmail dot com, or friend me on Facebook.
Ongoing drop-in Cross-step Waltz class
- Cross-step waltz class, 7 to 8 pm, $20 cash. Includes free admission to Waltz etcetera.
- Waltz etcetera, 8 to 10 pm, $10 cash. Free if you were in the class.
Cross-step waltz is a graceful floating, swooping style of waltz best suited to moderately slow waltzes (104-116 bpm). It's very popular at Waltz etcetera so my Monday night playlists include a good number of waltzes in the cross-step speed range. Cross-step waltz was popular in the early Twentieth Century, then died out until dance historian and Stanford professor Richard Powers resurrected it. Here's a demo video he made:
You can read all about cross-step waltz on his cross-step waltz page. As Richard writes:
Cross-step waltz is more than a dance step. Cross-step waltz embodies a partnering dynamic, a mindset, and a philosophy. The essential aspects of cross-step waltz, for both the Lead and Follow, are the connection to your partner, creativity, flexibility and adaptability, individuality, and responsorial riffing, with kindness.
Here's a video of waltzing at Waltz etcetera. Many of the couples are dancing cross-step waltz:
Practical details:
- $10 cash for the dance, 8 to 10 pm. $20 for the class; that includes admission to the dance.
- Where? The Sunset Hill Community Club, 3003 NW 66th St, Seattle, WA 98117, is a bright, spacious, well ventilated dance hall with a lovely wood floor. Please bring soft-soled dance shoes that don't leave marks on the floor. It has air conditioning, but the Sound breeze flowing through the east and west windows is almost always the better bet. Plus ceiling fans. Please change your shoes in the carpeted area near the entrance before walking on the dance floor. No wet shoes or dripping raincoats or bumbershoots allowed on or over our wood floor.
- There's no water fountain, so you might want to bring a water bottle. Please keep all beverages in closed containers that won't spill if accidentally knocked over.
- Parking. Sunset Hill is a quiet residential neighborhood. There's free street parking all around. Please park courteously, not too close to anyone's driveway.
