Dance socials in New York.
12 clubs, and when they meet. Most meet on weekday evenings, around Central Park, Harlem, Midtown. Subscribe to this calendar →
What to expect.
These are social dance nights and weekly classes in New York: swing, salsa, bachata, tango, folk and contra. Nearly all start with a beginner lesson, and the social dancing after it is the point, so you can arrive alone and dance all evening.
The listing shows the day and start time. If there is a lesson first, the club's own page says when it begins and whether you need a partner, which you usually do not.
All 12 dance socials in New York.
A to Z, in each club's own words. Every one links to the club, and every day and time is the one the club publishes.
LGBTQ country-western dance night running since 1997, second Saturdays at 320 West 37th Street. Two-step and line dance class at 8, open dancing 9 to 12:30; anyone can lead or follow.
Monthly, second Saturday · Midtown · $20 · bigappleranch.com →Sunday contra dances twice a month at Camp Friendship in Park Slope, with a lesson at 4:30 and dancing from 5. Live bands, gender-free calling.
Monthly, first Sunday and third Sunday · Park Slope · $15 · brooklyncontra.org →Country Dance New York's contra dance most Saturdays at the Church of the Village on West 13th Street, with live bands and a caller. Beginner session at 6:30, dancing 7 to 10; no partner needed.
Saturdays, time varies · West Village · $20-25 · cdny.org →Country Dance New York's English country dance every Tuesday evening at the Church of the Village, with live musicians and a caller; a skills session is built into the evening.
Tuesdays, time varies · West Village · $20-25 · cdny.org →Sunday afternoon outdoor swing dancing by the King Jagiello statue near Turtle Pond, organised through the New York Classic Folk Dance Meetup. Weather and season dependent.
Sundays, 1pm · Central Park · $10 · meetup.com →Every other Saturday night Chicago-style steppin' social at the Aloft Harlem hotel, with a free beginner lesson from 7 to 8 before the floor opens.
Every other saturdays, time varies · Harlem · $10 · meetup.com →Weekly international and Balkan folk dancing at Zion Lutheran Church on Henry Street, run by the New York Classic Folk Dance group. Dances are taught; come alone.
Thursdays, 7pm · Brooklyn Heights · $10 · meetup.com →New York's longest-running weekly swing dance, every Thursday at You Should Be Dancing on West 26th Street. Free intro lesson at 8:30, open dancing from 9, live band on third Thursdays.
Thursdays, 8:30pm · Flatiron · $15 · frimframjam.com →Outdoor bachata social on the upper terrace at Bethesda, Central Park, on Tuesday and Friday evenings while the weather holds. Book on Meetup to keep lead/follow balance.
Tuesdays and Fridays, time varies · Central Park · Free · meetup.com →Scottish country dancing every Thursday at Metro Baptist Church on West 40th: beginners taught 7 to 8:15, then a social programme until 10. No partner or experience needed.
Thursdays, 7pm · Hell's Kitchen · $15 · rscdsnewyork.org →Monthly Sunday-evening 50s and 60s dance party at Connolly's Times Square, in its 22nd year. Doo-wop, Motown and rock-and-roll for swing and West Coast swing dancers.
Monthly, first Sunday · Midtown · $25 · meetup.com →Free Thursday tango at El Barrio's Artspace PS109 on East 99th Street: a lesson 7 to 8, then a practica until 9:30. Donations optional.
Thursdays, 7pm · Harlem · Free · meetup.com →
Questions people actually ask.
Do I need a partner?
Almost never. Social dance nights rotate partners during the lesson and expect people to ask and be asked all evening. If a class is couples only, the listing says so.
I have never danced. Where do I start?
Pick a night with a beginner lesson before the social, which most have, and arrive for the lesson. Flat shoes you can turn in are the only equipment.
What does it cost?
Social nights often run ten to twenty dollars at the door including the lesson. Folk and community dances are often cheaper or free. The cost column has the number.
Every listing links straight to the club. Know a dance social in New York we don’t? Add it.