The 9:20 Special

Best place to learn and dance Lindy Hop in the Bay Area. There are a ton of friendly dancers, great DJs who play appropriate music, and they have a great teaching staff.

The 9:20 Special is my home away from home on Thursday nights. The people are great. The classes are well taught. The instructors are friendly and approachable. This is a great place for both beginners and people who already know how to Lindy Hop. Best part of my week.

LESSONS AND DANCING:
If you want to learn to swing dance, this is the #1 place to learn. The 9:20 Special is one of my favorite vintage swing dance venues in the Bay Area. They consistently have good dancer turn-​out with dancers with a wide variety of levels from beginner to advanced. The instructors are the best in the city and a number of them are recognized nationally/​internationally for their dancing.
VENUE
The venue (The Russian Center) is great. The wood floors are fantastic for dancing and there is a good ‘vibe’. I much prefer social dancing in a ballroom over a gym or dance studio. The 9:20 Special has a good community and there is a good combination of both dance regulars, new dancers, and out-​of-​town visitors.
MUSIC
The DJ music played at the 9:20 Special is good for all levels of dancers. It mostly consists of mid-​tempo swing music, which is geared towards Lindy Hop. Interested in faster music for Balboa? Check out BalHaus or The Verdi Club. Interested in slow music? Check out Friday Night Blues. The 9:20 Special gets great DJ’s but doesn’t usually have live music. This is great for a night of variety, but I love dancing to live music… so I also frequent smaller venues with bands playing.
COMMUNITY
Compared to dance venues in other states /​cities, the 9:20 Special rates high on friendliness. Even if you don’t know anyone, you can still have a night full of dances!

The event: a large weekly (Thursdays) swing dance party in SF with preceding lessons. This review is for the party only.
The logistics: party starts at 9:20PM, theoretically. In practice, the lessons run a little bit longer than that, and the ballroom is not accessible to dancers until 9:30 or so. Come early, wait in the small vestibule. Unless you are attending the lesson or enjoy the pre-​dance mingling, the only benefit of an early arrival is easier parking. The parking garages nearby close at 10PM, so the only option is (free at this time of the day) street parking. I had arrived at 9:15PM, and had easily found the parking spot in the same block as the building, parking later would require you to actually cross a street (not a big deal, still allow 10 – 15 minutes for parking). The neighborhood appears to be quiet, clean and safe by the SF standards, parking tips can be found at
.
The venue: Once inside, the very high quality dance floor is huge, and there is plenty of seating. There is a high balcony useful mostly for observing the dancers. The regular entrance fee (DJ music) is $ 9. Water is provided. Ceiling is very high, but the ventilation is quite weak.
The crowd: about 100 mostly youngish SF types with slightly more leads than follows. This ratio does not hurt leads in the beginning, as some of the present leads for some reason dance very little. Closer to the end of the evening, the crowd thins out, some follows get tired, and finding a follow becomes a bit harder. The average level of skills is pretty high, quite a few follows among the random selection I danced with exhibited beautiful styling and great musicality. The skills of the beginners I danced with were adequate for an enjoyable experience, percentage of the true beginners (first lesson) must be very low.
Summing up: lots of fun and highly recommended for a lead with intermediate or higher skills. Advanced beginner leads should also find the experience quite enjoyable. I am not a beginner lead, but, based on my observations, their mileage might vary here.

The 9:20 Special is fantastic because it’s organized, consistent, and likely your best SF option for your favorite outdated dance… LINDY HOP!
God I effing love Lindy Hop. I started doing it in Baltimore, and the teachers there are much funnier, which is essentially why I’m giving 9:20 only 4 stars… Also, the men there are sorta weird. As a relatively normal girl who happens to love this not-​so-​popular dance, it’s kind of a bummer when the male population is sweaty and awkward.
Also, as a female doing Lindy Hop in San Francisco, let me tell you a secret: you are no longer the majority population. There are more men taking these classes than women (very different from other cities). It’s just a bummer that they are fulfilling this strange adult-​male-​obscure-​dancer stereotype. Oh well.
But really: you can sign up and pay online, they sign you in on a iPad in person, you wear a name tag to avoid that «I’ll never remember your name» conversation every week, and the teachers are peppy and enthusiastic. Also, once you get up into higher levels, the guys are usually less strange (hooray for those few!).
Try a class– you might just love it.

Three words:
— Jean
— and
— Bromley
Two of the nicest people and most incredible dance instructors I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet.
My then fiancé and I hired a swing band for our wedding, and decided we promptly needed to book dance lessons for fear of being the only ones not on the dance floor with the band.
Being neither particularly graceful, or in possession of much in the way of rhythm, we came up with excuse after excuse to push out the lessons. 18 months prep time turned into 3 months prep time.
Enter Jean and Bromley.
Their lessons were fun, (nearly :)) embarrassment free, and each 2 hour lesson passed in what seemed like 15 minutes. What we thought was bound to be a painful and grueling affair came to an end a week before our wedding and now we’re certainly going to keep going with group classes.
They are also amazing people who could probably charge the same rates just to spend time with them — sans dancing. They’re just that much fun to be around.

Wow. Just wow.
I came here on a recommendation from an amazing dancer at the mountain view lindy hop on a Wednesday night and was not disappointed!
They have classes for new starters and intermediates with free dancing from 9.20 (hence the name) until 12:30am — some weeks even with a live band!
As a beginner I started the evening a little tentatively, but accepted every dance I was offered and by the end of the night felt pretty confident!
It seems a very popular night with people coming from far and wide to join in. The atmosphere is friendly and open and everyone dances with anyone — regardless of how long you’ve been dancing or your standard.
I love that they have water there for you to drink — though you’re encouraged to bring bottles etc and they even have sweets out for you.
If you’re coming for the classes I think it’s $ 15 — which includes the free dance after — but I just came at 9:20 and the cost was only $ 8.
There’s parking for free after 6pm in many of the side roads and it seemed like a pretty safe area to walk around in when it was all over.
I will definitely be back for more lindy hop! Such a great night out!

We love this place! It is a great venue for dancing — spacious and gracious dance floor with seating all around and a balcony too. We took the beginner swing dancing lessons there, and thought the teachers and format were great. More room to dance than some of the other small dance floors in the city. Draws a very nice, diverse crowd.

Large dance space in the Russian Community Center. Floor is fabulous — smooth and we’ll maintained. One hour dance lessons taught at 4 levels — beginner to advanced. Friendly staff and instructors. Open swing dancing starts at 9:20 Thursdays. Highly recommended.

Really well taught classes here with a great group of students who are actually sympathetic if you’re not the greatest dancer. There is always an even amount of students and gender. It’s all about effort, and not injuring anyone and as long as you’re having fun, you’re pretty much achieving what you set out to do. That being said, can be a little difficult. Don’t make the mistake my friend made and park in the lot across the area. They close at 10 and will charge you the full amount of the ticket. I was fortunate to get a groupon for their lindy series, and if I were staying in San Francisco longer, I would be going every week.
Will be back for sure, during my breaks.

My first foray into swing dancing was a blast! I’ve never taken other swing dance classes anywhere else but I feel like I’ve hit the jackpot. The instructors are hilarious and it always feels like a great break from the week to come here and just shake lose.

It was ok if you like dancing with 50+ different people. Most the people were nice and ok but there were a few that had their own style and tired to tell you that your were thus wrong for not doing it their way.
Also when doing this class people should consider hygiene… I really am not up for dancing with people who smell like they have not taken a shower in several days or do not know what deodorant is… I realize people may sweat in this class and can accept that but smelling before you get started is just plain gross.

My absolute favorite place to go social dancing if you’re not looking for dancing at a bar.
Always a lot of variety here and good dancers. Floor is normally pretty slick and the people watching is also great. Great space with lots of ambience.
Music varies with the dj, but for the most part it’s fairly well paced.

I liked the folks at 9:20. They were very generous with sharing their information and getting you all the information you need on learning how to dance. I learned some cool stuff and broke down my fear of dancing in front of many people, since we were forced to dance with everyone else in the room. With the specifics in what I wanted to learn the process is not perfect for everyone. If you want to learn to dance with just your partner, individual classes are more your style and they have instructors that will do that for you, but it’s not during the 9:20 dance sessions.
If you are single and want to meet some single folks, this is the place for you. Lots of friendly people and you may find that special dance partner to bring the the next Lindy-​hop dance.

Beautiful venue and great dancers!
I’ve been dancing swing on and off for about 5 years and I felt in-​place here, but was definitely eyeing the pros thinking, «I want to be able to dance like that!» I’m tempted to sign up for the classes here because I hear they’re great!
There are people of all levels but I think the skill level of the room increases as the night goes on. Also, it seems like the super good dancers stick near the stage area.
A nice surprise, I went with a friend of mine and between the two of us, we ran into 3 people we hadn’t seen in at least a year. What a small world!
We both just moved here and signed ourselves up for the jam (where people with birthdays or from out of town dance in the middle and partners swap in and out) and had a fabulous dance. Met a ton of super enthusiastic people who had these really bright smiles. Awesome crowd.
Will make my way here again soon! :)

Excellent place for Lindy Hop. The classes are fun and the instructors are great. I love that they post review videos on YouTube. It’s very easy to forget a pattern if you don’t get to practice between classes.
One of the highlights was performing with my class at one of their Open House events. A lot of work and practice, but tons of fun.

This venue is great! Class series start on the first Thursday of the month, and each time it is something worth picking up. The price for dance admission is $ 8 ($ 6 for students) for a whopping 3 hours of dancing. $ 15 with classes per drop in; discounts are offered for preregisters. Volunteering for entry is also available.
The dance floor is usually well maintained, with a good amount of polish on the ballroom styled dance floor. It can accommodate about 200 dancers comfortably.
Dancer age is averaged in the early twenties, so it is definitely one of the younger crowd. Dance level averages about six months to a year of dance experience, but there are definitely a good amount of beginners trying out the venue at the beginning of the month. Great atmosphere too. Breath mints/​candies /​name tags/​water is provided for everyone, but food and alcoholic drinks aren’t allowed.
The music can be tricky depending on the DJ. Most of the music comes from old artists like Count Basie, Sydney Bechet, Louis Jordan, and other songs at around 150 beats per minute. Don’t expect any fast or rockabily music, but do expect some blues-​inspired music.
As of now, classes are taught in three different levels, with an additional «Special Extensions» class, which is a themed class. Classes are taught very well, but the biggest complaint is that the level of dancers aren’t monitored in the correct class level. No partner is required, and couples do a great job in participating in rotations throughout class.
A birthday jam is done for new dancers as well as peoples’ birthdays, where dancers are constantly trying to steal a moment to dance with the birthday guy or girl.
I’ve been to the 9:20 for over a year, and I have always enjoyed the dancing on most of the nights. This venue keeps the lindy community strong, as it does a great job in keeping most of the dancers around for a while.

In case you haven’t been following along, I was NOT cool in high school. Or college. Or anytime thereafter… until I moved to San Francisco about a decade ago and found swing dancing.
Then, I became an effing rockstar. I have no idea how it happened, but suddenly, I knew the «IN crowd». I began dying my hair unnatural colors and wearing snakeskin pants. People whom I didn’t remember knew my name and wanted to dance with me. Okay… maybe that was the pants, but STILL. You see my point.
I’ve not been to the 9:20 Special in years. Life keeps moving along, and we go with its steady flow of change. (Cue «Breakfast Club» final scene.) Dude. So deep.
But, the fact remains, at the 9:20, I was Somebody. The staff there always made me feel special. Each dance was a three minute love affair with a stranger. And then, the strangers became close friends. And, while we rarely dance anymore, we’re all still connected. That’s the best reason I’ve ever had to give a business 5 Stars.
Thank you 9:20 Special for my entire social circle, and for my 10 minutes of fame.
I still plan to stop into the 9:20 again when I visit San Francisco. Look for me. If you’re lucky, I’ll give you my autograph and let you take a photo for your restaurant wall.

Thursday, 7:20PM.
SF jewel for activities. I’m bummed I didn’t discover 9:20 until recently. Held at the Russian Cultural Center, this is swing dancing at its jovial best.
You should know, usually:
*Intermediate lessons at 7:20PM
*Separate intermediate and beginning lessons at 8:20PM
*Dance the night away to a DJ or LIVE BAND 9:20-midnight
*It’s a medical fact that swing dancing can uplight spirits and prolong life
**Don’t know if there’s research to support this but I’ve got anecdotal
evidence so don’t sue me AMA
Did ya notice?
+Quirky, friendly, AWESOME staff
*They have a rotation of amazing dancers that come teach
+Fun, safe atmosphere
*Amiable folks from different backgrounds and ages convening for
good ol’ wholesome dancing
+Clean and spacious rooms (especially the big ballroom)
*Well kept
*The big ballroom has newly installed flooring, woot!
And then?
Funny instructors. Learning cool moves. Meet new people. G-​g-​g-​go get your GROOVE on!

I came here yesterday night for a field trip with the swing class I am taking at city college. I was hesitant to come since it was at 9.30pm after a 6−8pm class but it ended up being a lot of fun. There was other young people there from the swing class at Berkeley. One person was really rude but everyone else was really nice.
They provide water. I also like how there is good lighting here and there is more room to dance without hitting someone. I like here a lot more than the Verdi club. It is also in a better neighborhood.