FAQ

We dance every Thursday from 8-11pm at the Philadelphia Ethical Society (1906 Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia, PA, 19103). We strongly request that dancers get tickets ahead of time through our pre-registration form to guarantee their spot. Any remaining tickets are sold at the door. Amazing instructors from our community teach Lindy 101 lessons (beginners & first-timers welcome!) and Topics lessons (for dancers with more experience) from 8-9pm. You can drop in any week. Check the schedule blog for instructors/class themes and the classes tab for level details! Lindy 101 lessons are included with admission and Topics lessons are an extra $5-15 sliding scale. Please note that lessons start promptly at 8pm -- NO admittance to lessons after 8:15. From 9-11pm, we social dance to a DJ or live music. Check our schedule blog for weekly event details including instructors, DJs, and live bands. Our band nights are *usually* the second Thursday of the month.

Great question! We always recommend getting paid tickets in advance. You can get your tickets before 2pm Thursday by clicking here. If the ticket sheet says "SOLD OUT!" then we're out. If it's after 2pm on Thursday and the form is closed but doesn't say "SOLD OUT" then we have plenty of tickets left for you to purchase at any time.

Nope & nope! You're more than welcome to bring friends and partners along, but we'll rotate partners throughout the lessons and invite you to ask anyone to dance during the social dance. Very few people grow up swing dancing anymore, so pretty much all of us started later in life -- you'll be in good company!

Our Thursday evening dance is at the Philadelphia Ethical Society (1906 Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia, PA 19103). There is street & garage parking available nearby. Our dancers recommend using the SpotHero app to find cheap spots -- or check out our parking guide! Definitely build in a few extra minutes to find your spot.

We recommend wearing clothes you're comfortable moving in. Casual attire is perfectly fine, although sometimes people like to dress up for band nights and other special events. Close-toed shoes are highly recommended, especially those with low traction for spins & turns (i.e. Keds). Basically -- wear something you'll feel comfortable, confident, and ready to have some fun in! No sharp heels, please. Do keep in mind that this is an active dance, so if you're someone that sweats a lot you might want to bring a backup shirt as well.

"Swing Dance" is an umbrella term for Lindy Hop, Charleston, Balboa, Shag, and more, many of which are danced weekly at Jazz Attack! Lindy Hop, the primary style of dancing at Jazz Attack, has its roots in 1920s in Harlem, NYC among primarily Black communities. It evolved with jazz music and became popular across the country through radio broadcasts, film, and live performance. Lindy hop history, jazz history, and African-American history are inseparable topics, and all Jazz Attack attendees are encouraged to engage deeply with these subjects to gain a fuller understanding of this tradition that is still kicking 100 years later! You can learn more on our History & Culture page.

Lindy 101: Learn the basic steps of Lindy Hop from the ground up! Here we’ll cover the origins of the dance, its fundamental movements, and some basic turns. This lesson is meant for those with little to no experience with partner dancing and/or Lindy Hop. It’s recommended that this level be taken until you feel comfortable implementing these skills on the social dance floor. Classes start promptly at 8:00pm, run until 9:00pm, and are included with general admission. Attendees are asked to arrive a few minutes early to stretch and get ready -- no admittance after 8:15. Let's dance! *Drop in any week! No partner or experience necessary. ​ Topics: Feeling comfortable in Lindy 101 and ready to step it up a notch? These lessons will hit a multitude of areas to help improve your dancing. Everything from cleaning up your dancing to adding some flair will be covered. Variations, solo jazz, choreos, drills, you name it - we’ve got it! We ask that you are comfortable with the skills covered in the Lindy 101 lesson before joining us downstairs -- check out those required skills below. Teachers may send students unfamiliar with these topics to Lindy 101 to learn them. Be sure to check the Jazz Attack schedule to see the instructors and topics! These also run from 8-9pm and are an additional $5-15 sliding scale. *Drop in any week! No partner or experience necessary, Lindy 101 skills required (see above) If you're looking to level up from Lindy 101 to topics classes, check the "How do I level up?" question below this for the list of requirements

Advancing from Lindy 101 to Topics Taken a few Lindy 101 classes and thinking about leveling up? Here's what you need to be able to do with confidence & clarity: ​ 6 Count Rhythms (Rock step, triple step, triple step) Triple stepping in any direction Groove / Pulse on time and matching the energy of the song Dance and step on the beat, and recover if you lose time Comfortable turning (when leading) or being turned (when following) Doing all of the above on the social dance floor Bonus: Take at least one Lindy 101 class in the opposite role, or try the opposite role on the social dance floor Practice before you advance: Check out the Rhythm Practice for Lindy Hop video from Laura Glaess (below) which will help you practice the basic 6 & 8-count rhythms, and mixing them together. This will happen all the time in our topics classes. Dancers that meet all of the above requirements can try a topics class. Heads up! It'll likely be a challenge at first, but give it your best shot and don't hesitate to ask your classmates & community members for help -- we're all in this together!

Yes! Option 1: Volunteer! (You can get in for free!) Option 2: Jazz Attack runs a Pay It Forward program where members of the community contribute towards free passes for dancers to use. If you're short on cash you can pick up a "pay it forward" slip from the table or say "pay it foward" to the door volunteer and you'll get in for free, no questions asked. Got a little extra change in your pocket? Consider contributing! Ericka Skirpan manages our volunteers, so feel free to reach out to her for more info -- details on our meet the team page!

Yes! You can transfer your pass to the next week's dance (i.e. from the 7th to the 14th). Just select the "transfer pass" option when you fill out the ticket form the next week. Unfortunately, we don't have the capacity to track switches longer than one week, but remember, if admission costs ever become an issue, just use a Pay it Forward pass (see above)! Transfers must be done through the ticket form -- not at the door. Tickets are not transferrable to other dancers, and resale or same/next week transfer to a different dancer is prohibited.

1) Social: Follow us on insta @jazzattackswings, follow our Facebook page, and join our Facebook group 2) Mailing List: Sign up for our weekly newsletter here! This includes info on our events and other fun swing things happening across the city and beyond! 3) Blog Page: Check out our 📅schedule for this month

Say less Shout out to our faves the Philly Food Ladies

Yes, privates are a great way to level up your dancing, iron out some kinks, or learn new moves. Our space is open before lessons for private instruction from 7-8:00PM. If you're interested, talk to any instructor at Jazz Attack and they’ll work with you to schedule a time to meet and practice. Rates are determined by the instructor, but most are sensitive to a range of financial abilities.

If someone is making you uncomfortable on the dance floor, please let an organizer know right away. Lisa Pilchman is our Safer Spaces lead, and Kate Holden assists. Jazz Attack strives to be as inclusive a space as possible, and we have a strict no-harassment policy. Refer to our Safe Spaces page for a look at our Code of Conduct. If you don't feel comfortable discussing in person or want to bring up a concern after an event, please submit an anonymous report via our online form.

Jazz Attack is run entirely by volunteers, so forgive us if we don't get back to you right away. You can get to know the organizers and view their contact info on our meet the team page!

For general questions that weren't answered above, shoot us a message on Insta @jazzattackswings. For more specific questions check out our meet the team page, which includes contact info for all of our organizers, and reach out to the relevant one from there!