Dancing, Atomic Style

Remember the late 90’s when the LA Rockabilly swing scene exploded?  The Brian Setzer orchestra got big again, people sang songs in praise of Louis Prima, and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy played halftime at a superbowl.  In short, swing music made a comeback!  Riding parallel with that music was a revival of swing dancing.  This was even seen in Hollywood with scenes from “The Mask” and “Blast from the Past”.  Lindy and east coast dancing came back in a big way to pop culture.  You can see an example of this below, as Brenden Frazer dances with 2 lovely ladies to a new wave swing group called The Flying Neutrinos – “Mr. Zoot Suit”.

Since then, there has been some residual interest in swing dancing in the urban areas of the USA.  St. Louis is no exception.  There are swing dance clubs such as the STL Rebels, the West County Swing Dance club, and the beautiful Casa Loma Ballroom regulars.  This is a great and very welcoming community!  I know this from personal experience.

If a dance club  sort of rubs you the wrong way -you would feel like Richard Gere in that one movie that everyone wishes they hadn’t seen- you can check the scene at the Atomic Cowboy.

Every Thursday, they host a beginner swing dance class at 7:30 PM.  There, you learn the basic steps, and you meet other beginners – so it’s not awkward being the only rookie.  It is a great vacation from the regular bars in St. Louis.  It’s very informal, it’s free to learn, and it is fun to do!  If nothing else, it is fun to watch the menagerie of hipsters while eating a tasty burger.

The Atomic Cowboy is found at 4140 Manchester, Right down the street from Sweetie Pie’s Soul food.  Prepare for some fun and good swing music!