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Yup, you heard us: FREE and the return of BOOKENDS. No drop-in classes or series classes this time, just a fun (potentially PG-13) show followed by our usual west coast swing social dance. If you've never danced west coast swing before, we recommend joining us on another Wednesday night when we have our regular classes.WHAT ON EARTH IS BOOKENDS?
IMPORTANT: this is a phone-free, potentially PG-13 show as the dancers have artistic license to do pretty much whatever they want. We make no promises related to the content of the performances. If you're not into that, just come for the dancing.
Long, long ago, in the far off time of pre-2015-ish west coast swing dancing, competitions were strictly gendered. On the comp floor, only male-identified humans were allowed to lead, only female-identified humans were allowed to follow, and non-binary people weren't even considered. Many thought this rule was incredibly silly, including Neal Klein and Willow Colson-Wall, co-event directors of Swingin' New England (SNE). Well before the World Swing Dance Council got rid of the gendered role rules in 2015-ish, Neal and Willow creatively circumvented those rules by having a special competition called Bookends that ONLY allowed same-gender dancers to dance together. Over the years, it grew into a big, raucous show that hundreds looked forward to watching and/or participating in every year over SNE weekend.
SNE unfortunately went into hibernation over the COVID-19 pandemic, but we're bringing back Bookends for one night only so that a whole new generation of dancers can experience the uproarious fun! Nowadays, Bookends is no longer a creative protest against outdated attitudes about gender; it's a celebration of the art and joy (and let's be real, a whole lot of silliness) that all dancers share, regardless of which role(s) they dance.
There may be routines. There may be improv dancing. There may be one-couple acts. There may be groups. There will definitely be a whole lot of laughing and cheering. Joe and Marcus have promised to not recreate their... creative... costuming choices from back in the day. There's a dance afterwards, and it's all free. If you're in town, come join us!
SCHEDULE
8:00pm-9:00pm Bookends show (PG-13, no recording allowed)
9:00pm-12:00am WCS social dancing
PRICING
Free! All of it!
HEALTH & WELLNESS POLICY (short version)
Masks optional but encouraged
Please stay home if you are feeling sick, test positive for COVID-19, or have been exposed to COVID-19
Full Health & Wellness Policy available on our website
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
351 Summer Street, Somerville, MA, United States, Massachusetts 02144
