Lindy Groove

Put on your comfy shoes, wear your fluffy skirt, put a smile on your face and swing around this hall. Lindy is a fun place to swing, even if you don’t know how to swing you learn the moves fast because the teachers show them step by step.
After the lesson and practice around 8.30 DJ starts playing swing music and everyone hits the dance floor. You dance with random people with different levels, some are good dancers and lead you, some beginners.
Either way you’ll have the time of your life and then you will come back next Thursday and next Thursday and again and again.

LindyGroove is probably the top weekly swing dancing venue in Los Angeles. I first checked it out with some friends either two or three years ago, and didn’t go back much except for birthday celebrations (which are free if you sign up beforehand!).
However, I started getting more and more into swing and blues dancing around the beginning of 2015, and I decided to try going to LindyGroove more regularly about four months ago. Since then I’ve been there almost every week, and really like it!
Probably my biggest complaint is that it seems like people switch out every week, so it’s hard to recognize people. There are definitely a number of regulars who hang out near the stage, but then there are lots of people I’ve never seen before each week. Maybe that’s a good thing! But it can also make it hard for an introvert like me to feel connected.
A definite plus to LindyGroove is the lessons. Before the social dancing starts each week around 8:30 (or 8:45 as they run late), there are free beginner and intermediate group lessons, as well as more advanced lessons for extra cost in their side room once the social dancing has gotten started. On top of that, they have instructors who can give you private lessons at a cost of only $ 10 for 10 minutes, which is a good deal for that sort of thing!
If all that wasn’t enough, when I go, I don’t even usually find myself hanging out in the main ballroom. There, they have standard swing dancing with a lot of old classic swing music until midnight; but around 10 PM, once the more advanced lessons are done, the side room opens up for social blues dancing, which is quickly becoming one of my favorite things to do. That also runs until about midnight.
All in all, if you’re in the L.A. area on a Thursday night, check this place out! And don’t forget to look on their website for instructions on how to get free parking!

Tomorrow will be my third time going to Lindy Groove with a few friends, and I am so excited! The entrance is cheap, the lesson beforehand is always great and the dancing is just memorable! You meet and dance with so many people of all ages and I can’t wait to do it again! I’ve even gotten a few friends to join me in going. Try it once, you won’t regret it!

What a fun way to spend the evening on a Thursday night. The masonic hall is a great space and the jazz tunes they play throughout the night really makes the atmosphere a throwback to a syncopated heyday.
There is a validated parking at the lot on Green St. Make sure to get your validation ticket before heading in. The classes take place in the main hall and starts around 7:30pm. Classes are part of the admission and will definitely get you started on your way.
The free dance is where you can try out the moves you’ve just learned and try to learn a few other moves by watching the other dancers. I will say it will be better with friends but everyone was pretty friendly when I went.

I have been swing dancing for a long time … about 15 years. I love swing dancing and Lindy Hopping and my wife and I joke around that it is «the hobby we never quit»
That being said, LindyGroove is our favorite.
I have been with LindyGroove from the start 13+ years ago and have continuously loved this venue for one big reason: the owners love this dance and this venue and want everyone who comes to have fun. They continue to evolve as much as possible to do their best to make the experience enjoyable. And when you come you can just feel the love ebb from all the little details put into running this dance.
I know the current owners well and they just continue to put a lot of effort into this because they are passionate about this. Because I know them and have an idea of what goes on behind the scenes, I could give many examples to demonstrate that they do this out of pure heart, but I’d rather just say come check it out and see for yourself. It is a fun and warm place to hang out and dance and be active and be social and have fun!
For newbies and beginners: The beginners lesson is always packed with brand new people (probably ²⁄₃ of the people in the lesson have never danced before) and the teachers rotate so people brand new to dance (or even not brand new to dance) will get a fun lesson and get a chance to meet people and be active.
For more advanced dancers: The intermediate lesson is always pretty good, and it’s as far as i know the only venue that offers free intermediate lessons (pretty much all others are only free beginning lessons). They rotate instructors in the area so every week you can get a taste of different teachers and their style.
For everyone: And then the DJ’d music starts at about 8:30pm or so and goes until midnight.
So all in all: fun lessons, be active, meet people, be social, and dance the night away to music reminiscent of a more social time when people interacted in person and talked to each other and had fun dancing with each other :) It’s awesome and I highly recommend this place!
* I should disclose that my wife and I have taught lessons at this venue off and on from the beginning. We now have two kids and they are an awesome handful and we almost retired from teaching just to spend more time with them. Instead, in the last few years, we ended up now teaching MORE often at this venue — we just love it and the owners and want to do what we can to make it a fun experience and add value to it because they’ve given to the Lindy community for such a long time.

So much fun!!!
I had never swing danced before when a friend invited me to come for her birthday. My partners were patient with me (being a newbie) and the music was awesome! Overall had a blast. With such an awesome price I’ll be sure to come back, especially for my birthday.

I just recently got into swing dancing because of one of my friends and I am so glad I went to this event. The event is every Thursday from 7:30 PM to midnight. I carpooled with my friend and some of her friends and we saw some other friends at the event. The first hour is a lesson where beginners and more advanced dancers are separated and learn from instructors. There are other lessons, but you have to pay. It is $ 8 dollars to enter and $ 5 for a private lesson. If you go for your birthday and let them know in advance you get in for free along with about 10 others and they give you cupcakes! It was a girl’s birthday when I went. If you volunteer you also get in for free.

I love the crowd here! There is such a fun, upbeat atmosphere! It’s always a surprise who will be coming into town or who will be DJing, so I’ve been coming back for over 6 years now.
For the more laid-​back types, there is often blues or west coast playing in the «lab» from 10pm on. Sometimes there is even a funk or balboa night — it’s really fun that they mix it up!
They are friendly to beginners and have several classes available (including a free, weekly lesson) if you are just starting to get in the swing of things ;) They also throw some decent parties and treat you well if it’s your birthday. Check out their site for more details.
Parking isn’t a problem. They validate your ticket for the nearby parking garage, so make sure you ask about it when you get your wristband!

As far as I’m concerned, Lindy Groove is one of the best swing dance venues in America (and I’ve been to many). The building is beautiful; the room and the floor are impeccable; the organizers are focused on excellent music and innovative learning options; and the crowd is always full of great, friendly dancers of all skills levels and styles.
AND, they validate parking (check their website for details), so for $ 8 you get a great floor, great music, great people, AND parking.

Lindy Groove is awesome! $ 8 to get a short instructional and then to dance the night away… complimentary parking at the garage across the street… So much fun! I’ve been maybe 3 or 4 times, and one of my best friends went just about every Thursday over the summer. There are some very nice people there, the instructors break the dances down for you pretty well, they offer water bottles at the door for a buck (highly recommended, you’ll get hot with all the dancing!) And it’s in a pretty building. Now, I’ve never been western swing dancing anywhere else so I have no other experiences to compare it to, but I have had a great time each time I’ve gone. I like that there is a mix of experienced and inexperienced dancers. Since I’m one of the inexperienced, I don’t feel way out of my leave, and yet there are also guys who are soo great leaders and they make me feel like I can actually dance haha.
Anyway, I’m a fan of this place. A live band would warrant it a ⁵⁄₅ but hey ⁴⁄₅ isn’t too bad!

I love this venue for dancing in, so romantic and classy.
Not only that, the dancers (most of them) are quite friendly to visitors. I dropped by after missions training in Pasadena. I immediately was granted a free ride and had an awesome night of non-​stop dancing. Cover was a bit annoying, but I loved every minute of the dance night.
I definitely recommend this for Lindy Hoppers who want to fit in some dancing on a Thursday night.

My husband and I love swing dancing. We’re relatively new to the area, and we’re looking for a new place to regularly dance. We’ve only been to Lindy Groove twice, but it might be it!
Teachers were knowledgeable and easy to learn from. There was a huge crowd, especially of beginners, for the lesson (7:30−8:30). Lots of people showed for the intermediate lesson too. Ben and Sheri were our teachers and we loved them. They really moved the pace along, and most of the guys in the intermediate lesson were pretty good leads. Hubby said the gals were less consistent followers.
At 8:30, jazz DJs started playing music. The floor is huge, but got very full, and some of the dancers did not seem to know how to dance in close quarters. For the most part, people were friendly. Dance etiquette says everyone should apologize if there’s a collision, but there were many people who just didn’t seem to care. I guess I should not be afraid to dance more aggressively and take up more space.
Parking is free in the garage across the street. And they dance until midnight. We couldn’t that late, but we’ll definitely be back. Maybe the busy floor will thin out a bit, later in the night.
If you sign up in advance on their website (
), you and up to 10 friends can get in for free on the week of your birthday. They’ll also give you cupcakes and a little «It’s my birthday!» pin to wear. It turned out to be a great ice-​breaker — I got asked to dance more that week than the other time. They do a dance jam for all out-​of-​towners and birthdays, which is also fun.

One of the best swing dance venues in Southern California! Wonderfully talented instructors, friendly people and great atmosphere.

The best eight bucks you can spend on a Thursday night – besides maybe going out to a bar after having gone here.
This is a huge floor with a huge number of people. Many of them are insanely skilled, but they’re also incredibly beginner-​friendly. As a lead, I’m never afraid to ask someone I don’t know to dance, even though I’m probably not even in the top 50% of skilled leads in the room. Parking is free, DJs are swingin’, and it goes on for hours. I cannot recommend it enough.

$ 8 (price went up this year, no complaints, it was $ 7 for a solid decade). Free parking. Occasional massage therapist to comfort your muscles. Side room «The LAB» with different types of dance (Blues, Balboa, West Coast Swing, Soul) on different weeks.
One of the best venues in the area, and definitely the largest.
They have 10-​minute mini private lessons with pro instructors which are $ 5 for your first time ($ 10 if you take another lesson with the same instructor) which are really neat. Definitely the cheapest private instruction you’ll find. I haven’t been to another venue that does this. Cool way to try out private instruction without paying through the nose for it. Super casual/​they let you work on whatever you want. I tuned up my swingout, connection & counter balance.

My friend Prisca has been coming out to Lindy Groove for about 3 years, and at her suggestion I decided to see what swing dancing is all about. Strange how much stuff you miss… I’ve been living in Pasadena too! It’s every Thursday night from 7:30 PM — Midnight, so you can literally dance that night away.
Visit their website first,
there’s plenty of helpful info like a map that shows where the free parking structure is. With free parking and a cover charge of just $ 8 for hours upon hours of dancing, this is a great way to spend your Thursday night.
Since my friend is proficient in dancing already, I went to the beginning class from 7:30 — 8:15pm alone. If you go alone it’s not a biggie because they rotate you with all the different people there so you aren’t dancing with the same lead. I felt kinda stupid because I wasn’t catching on how to do the 8-​count properly, perhaps people with a dance background will do better. I was having flashbacks to when I had tried out a step aerobics class. I was the dufus in the back, craning my neck around to watch everyone’s moves and struggling to keep up. «And a five-​six-​seven-​eight!»
After the class, the house lights dim, the music plays non-​stop. I gotta admit it’s different, the saying «don’t talk to strangers» gets thrown out the window. If you don’t bring along a friend to be your partner, random people will come up to you and ask for a dance if they see you are standing around. This event is not for wallflower, shy people.
I found in general, that the people at Lindy Groove to be welcoming. It doesn’t matter what age, skill level or shape you are in, as long as you are willing to dance you’re in. Some of the dancers are also beginners too, so some dances felt like the blind leading the blind LOL. When you do meet someone really good they end up teaching you. By the end of the night I was proficient in the six count. «triple step, triple step, rock step» =)
Creey quote of the night: «Don’t fight me, the more you struggle the harder it will be for you» O_​O;

What a way to spend Thursday nights! It was fun. There are a lot of people who are really good dancers and it can be quite intimidating especially when I dance with two left feet.
I enjoyed my time there. Parking is a breeze — just across the street. Cover charge was $ 8 per person and come early to get the free lessons. The floor opens up at around 8.30pm and don’t be shy. Loads of fun!

I came here a couple Thursdays ago and I had the best time there! It was really scary because I have never gone to a place like this learning this dance that I hadn’t even heard of until a couple nights prior. Luckily, my friend was willing to come with me and a couple of our friends were able to meet us there. My friend and I were early enough to catch the lesson. We were split up into males and females at first. It seemed manageable but once we started the partner work and the routine, it was a big jumbled mess (at least for my friend and me!) Everyone else seemed to be doing OK. You change partners after a little practice with them; my friend wanted me to be his partner the entire time because he was a bit insecure about his skills, but after some convincing, we finally danced with other people. It was then that I realized why I wasn’t executing the dance routine perfectly; it was because my friend was not a good lead! He was probably more lost than I was. Not something you want in a partner. After the lesson, it just becomes one big dance! Like in high school except people actually dance here, and they’re good! It’s a bit intimidating if you’re a novice like me. However, from my one experience, these experts are not arrogant and will give you tips on how to improve. Their skills are intimidating, yes, but it doesn’t make me reluctant to try again. It just gives me something to look forward to — being able to dance like THAT!
So if you go to Lindy Groove, make sure you have a good partner or at least one who is willing to dance with other people. If you go alone, it won’t be a problem either because everyone here would be more than happy to dance with you. I don’t think it’s common someone will reject an offer to dance. And free parking across the way! Definitely a great way to spend a Thursday night!

This is probably my favorite place to go dancing every week. I’ve been coming here since 2006 and this place is one of the best places to find swing-​dancing in Los Angeles. The people are incredibly friendly and very talented. If it were open, I’d probably be there *every night*.
I’m sure a lot of other reviewers have already said this, but I’m gonna cover it again:
— $ 8.00 cover charge includes a free lesson (for beginner & intermediate level dancers) and non-​stop dancing till 12:30am
— Free Parking in the lot down the street (on the other side of Cordova, not Euclid)
— A «Dumpling Truck» is there most nights w/​some great eats should you ever get hungry.
— Free «Ins & Outs» so you can go & come back later in the night if you want
— You & 10 of your friends can get in for free on your birthday!
And finally some tips for people thinking of trying out this place:
— This is not a regular ‘singles scene;’ the majority of people who come here are primarily interested in dancing. If you come here, looking for a new guy /​gal to «pick-​up,» you’re probably going to be disappointed.
— If it’s your first time dancing, it’s probably a good idea to bring a friend or two for moral support. It’s a little intimidating to see all the people showing off their dance moves and it takes a while to get to know people /​remember their names.
— Dress comfortably. No high heels or thick sweaters cuz you’re going to be on your feet dancing A LOT. You might even want to bring a change of clothes if you’re the kind of person who sweats a lot.

This is a great and simple way to get out of your funk.
Most classes are $ 7 and you get an hour lesson.
If you don’t know anyone, you’ll find someone. EASY, since there are quite a few people. =) And I’m not talking about creepy old men kind of people (like I’ve found out in some ballroom classes).
It’s free for your birthday and you get a CAKE for you and your friends. =) How cool is that? And they reserve a table for you. =)
**pst…this is a great way to get to know and meet people w/​o feeling awkward! especially for girls… a lot of guys are gutsy enough to come up to you and ask you for dances. =) which is always nice!