Just because I am studying master's doesn't mean that I live a completely nerdy life. On the contrary, I have gone beyond my limits to try every extracurricular activity in every chance I get, because I don't want to look back and have regrets for the things I did not do. That's why I was in a desperate quest to find a regular hobby for myself, something I can look forward to every week. Then with a blink of an eye, I found myself going to three different dance classes a week thanks to a series of funny coincidences.
Now, I'd like to inform fellow Steemians with itchy-feet about venues they can go to relieve that itchiness.
Swing (Young Blood Art Gallery & Mustacchio)
This is what started it all. One Friday afternoon, I walked into the coffee shop Mustacchio on Kloof St to meet a friend. As I was waiting, I realized some people pouring a white powder on the floor. I initially thought they were preparing for a huge coke-sniffing party or a biological weapon of some sort. It all made sense when they started to play lovely swing jazz songs and started dancing to it. The powder was to make the floor a bit more slippery to reduce the friction. Anyway, it turns out, I walked into what they call "a social hour" of a swing class. After enquiring, I found out about the regular swing classes of Boogie Back Dance Co, which took place on every Tuesday evening at Young Blood Gallery.
The introduction level lasts for around 20 weeks (intense, hey?). The drop-off rate for a random walk-in is 100 Rands, however you can buy ten classes in advance and pay 700 Rands (600 if you are a student). The starter kit contains the basics of Lindy Hope, Charleston, Swing Out and Jazz. For detailed schedule of the levels, click here
I must say that swing dance can be a bit exhausting, especially during the dance moves which requires you to rotate a few times in a row. That being said, the community consists of the loveliest people I have ever met. During the social hours on Fridays, you can basically walk into Mustacchio and ask any of them to dance with you and they will make sure you don't feel like an outlier.
Besides regular classes and social hours, they also have workshops, swing camps (literal camps) and festivals.
On a side note, if you get one of their business cards and go to the classes with it, your first class fee will be waived and it will be free.
Tango (Picadas)
My discovery of the tango classes was through another coincidence. My initial intention was to join a Spanish conversation cycle that I found through an app called Meet-Up. My aim was to familiarize myself with Spanish by listening and trying to speak. The chit-chat took place in an Argentinian restaurant called Picadas, on Shortmarket St.
The first time I went there, there was only half an hour of Spanish. Then, some other people came in, yelling "who is ready for some tango!". Where else on earth- other than Cape Town- can random people walk into a restaurant and start doing tango just like that! It turns out, there was introductory tango courses on every Wednesday, for FREE.
The guy who teaches the classes-originally South African- has lived in Argentine for a while, where he obviously learned tango. However, he avoids going into the technical details too much and instead tries to teach you the fundamentals, the connection and rigidity while adding a few nuances. Afterwards, the venue turns into a milonga when advanced tango dancers come in and join the students.
Different from swing, tango is very relaxing and is a bit about letting yourself get lost in the music.
I also recommend the delicious meals of the restaurant, especially if you are into South American cuisine.
Salsa&Bachata&Kizomba (La Parada)
The phrase "One thing led to another" fits here perfectly. A lovely woman named Alice, whom I met in Tango class told me about a salsa class & social latin night that took place every Friday at a place called La Parada on Bree Street. I was interested since I actually took a few months of salsa classes back in Turkey.
Basically, the night starts with a basic Salsa-Bachata-Kizomba training at 9 am that takes about 1- 1.5 hours. This is followed by a social night where songs from these three genres are shuffled and everybody can dance non-stop. What's even more interesting was that I used to bump into people that I have seen in the other classes. It's like, if you find out about one of these classes you start to discover all the others like a domino effect.
The entrance to the place costs 50 rands.
Do you have other recommendations about where to dance in Cape Town? Drop me a comment below.
Cheers!
Haritakurdu