Sugar Swing Dance Club

Sugar Swing Dance Club offers a variety of classes taught by qualified instructors at a reasonable price. Additionally there are often special events normally taking place on Thursdays and Saturdays (See the calendar).
While they somewhat recently moved to this new location, which is apparently larger, they have no problem packing the house and it can get quite warm when there are many bodies inside.
That said, people are friendly — all levels of skill are welcome, and it’s a great environment to learn and practice your skills! We’ve previously taken Blues classes and are currently enrolled in Lindy Hop. A partner isn’t necessary and they cater to all ages (but you can get a student discount!)
We always enjoy our times there — even if one of us (ahem, me) has two left feet :)

If you’re interested in taking a peek into the yesteryears roughly once a week, Sugar Swing is right up your alley! I’ve been for two of their dance events and have thoroughly enjoyed them. You pay a nominal fee of about $ 10 which is really pretty good for a Saturday night out and if you’re there at 8 p.m. you can partake in the pre-​dance classes that they have.
They are a friendly and inviting club always looking to have more people join them. The classes are definitely doable and if you’re new you are certainly encouraged by people to engage and participate. My only complaint is that once the classes are done, it’s really hard — at times — to find someone who is excited to dance with you! I know that sounds funny, but I wish there were levels of some kind. Like beginner, intermediate and advanced, so that there’s place for everyone.
If you like to dance and dress up all nicely on a Saturday night, I’d seriously encourage you to check it out!

I started dancing with Sugar Swing about half a year ago. The moment I stepped into the Orange Hall, not only I instantly fell in love with the dance, I also fell in love with community. I particularly loved the fact that everyone will dance with you no matter what skill level you are at and etc… People are always laughing and having fun dancing. That pretty much is the spirit of the Lindy Hop and people are loving it!
What makes this dance club truly great is its people. Everyone here is friendly and welcoming. You may be shy, but they won’t let you be shy for too long. If you are sitting down doing nothing, someone WILL take you out to the dance floor to dance whether you know how or not. Lindy Hop is just that kind of a dance! You can just make things up as you go along, you will still have fun!
The lessons the club offer are also comprehensive and easy to follow. As far as I know, if I had no problem learning the dance, you wouldn’t either! The Instructors are super professional, nice and easy to approach as well. They truly enjoy what they do and you can feel their enthusiasm via their dynamic teaching style.
Anyway, if you are new in town and don’t know anyone or just want something to do in the weekend nights, just come on by the Orange Hall and join Sugar Swing Dance Club! You won’t regret it!

Sugar Swing Dance Club came to Unilocal’s Prohibition 1 Year Edmonton Birthday party last night and did several OUTSTANDING performances and a half hour group lesson!
I was lucky that one of the Sugar Swing dancers (I think his name was Reed) offered to partner with me and a lot of fun ensued! It sure brought back junior high phys ed and Swing Dance lessons I had taken for a few months back in high school (oh my… we’re talking 15 years ago!).
They had 5 members at our event and they all brought their own personality and spunk to their performances. They were definitely the perfect pairing to our Prohibition themed party and really brought the life to the party!
It was a real treat, both to watch and join in on the fun!
Thank you Sugar Swing Dance Club for coming out to Unilocal

I was introduced to Sugar Swing just over a year ago. I’ve always wanted to learn to swing dance so I was pretty excited. I signed up for just about every class they offered for the next four months, and regularly attended Sugar Foot Stomp, an informal dance they offer every Saturday. On my second week, I started volunteering within the group.
When it comes to the lessons themselves, I think you’d be hard pressed to find better in the city. Birkley, the founder and director of the club, goes above and beyond in every aspect of his job. The instructors are very professional and no one judges as far as level of dance ability goes. I still take lessons regularly, though now I’m more interested in solo dancing (they offer Jazz and African dance as well, and they had a brief period in the spring where they were offering tap lessons. Really hope those come back).
My attitude towards the community, as far as casual dancing goes (the Saturday dances, for example) is a bit different. A couple friends of mine who went to the Saturday dances regularly found that the «hardcore dancers» (instructors and people who have been dancing for several years) can be very clique-​y and hard to get to know. This was true especially for the folks who did not go from zero to super spectacular dancer in a couple months, who felt that despite their regular attendance they were largely invisible. I personally did not have this experience, but I think it is worth noting.
On the other hand, I found that if you are so motivated (and skilled), it’s pretty easy to integrate yourself into the swing community. This might turn out great and it might not, it just depends how you get along with the serious dancers. They are a pretty tight knit group, and spend a lot of time with each other off of the dance floor. You can imagine that any personal friction between you and any of the lead dancers, regardless of where that friction stems from, might impact how comfortable you feel within the community and during the lessons.
I think Sugar Swing has a good thing going on. If you want to learn how to dance, trust me, this is the place to do it. The prices are competitive, and if you’re looking to take more than one set of lessons, the memberships (and student discounts!) make it even more affordable. They offer a good variety of dance styles, in both solo and partnered dancing, and you do not need a partner to sign up for most partnered classes. The Saturday dances and various other dance events make it easy to practice the moves you learned in lessons, but heed my warning above. I will note that the prices are extremely fair for Sugar Swing’s dance events, and often have fun themes or live music.

Unlike Joanna, I am not a serious dancer. I’m more the kind of dancer that makes other people feel better about their own dancing abilities.
I’ve gone to a few of the Saturday night dances at Sugar Swing, and taken the group lesson at the start of the dance. I certainly haven’t become a great dancer, but I had a lot of fun. The Sugar Swing instructors and the whole community are a super friendly bunch. They’ll ask you to dance, and say yes if you ask them, and they’re fun to watch when you take a break.

Love big band and jazz music, jive, bobbysocks, or wingtip shoes? Like to spend time around people with a lot of energy and enthusiasm? Want to have FUN while getting in your weekly exercise?
Check out Sugar Swing Dance Company! Sugar Swing is a small dance club that offers both private and group lessons, weekly dances and also has a bookable performance squad (MadCat Swing).
Birkley and Julie, the main instructors, are both incredibly welcoming and energetic, and great teachers that will have you ‘swinging out’ in style in no time at all. They offer classes in vernacular jazz, lindy hop, charleston, balboa and blues for beginner to advanced dancers at great prices and at accessible locations (both major pluses in my books). You don’t need a partner to take part in any of the courses, which is also great.
Sugar Swing also hosts the Saturday Night Stomp!, a weekly dance that is usually held at Orange Hall in Old Strathcona. DJs keep the floor packed throughout the night by offering a terrific variety of music from the 20’s through 50’s and well as a good selection of more contemporary blues and ‘new’ big band songs. Each dance features a 1 hour lesson before the DJ starts playing to allow newcomers to both learn some basics and meet potential dance partners.
I’ve been attending classes and dances here for about a year now, and (as a serious swing dancer) have really seen an improvement in what I can do thanks to Julie and Birk! That said, I find that the BEST thing about Sugar Swing is the Saturday Night Stomps, as the people there are just terrific fun to dance and hang out with, whether you’re brand new or a regular!
So, if you want to try something new, and have some fun with both new and old friends, check out Sugar Swing. If nothing else, you’ll leave with some fun memories and maybe a sweet dance move or two you can impress people with the next time you’re at the club!