Boogie Woogie - or - some great swing dancing in Seoul

My wonderful readers, indulge a personal hobby of mine for just a moment. I love swing dancing - the classic style of American dancing that made a comeback in the 1990's after being much more popular several decades previously It's active, fast-paced, looks like a lot of fun, and is easy to pick up the basics in ONE one-hour class. It's also surprisingly popular amongst young Koreans (college age to late twentysomethings), and a few days ago I got to see it first hand.

As I've previously blogged about, there are quite a few places to swing dance in Korea. I wanted to check out a new place since the place closest to my apartment has closed (I think the building is under renovation). A place called 'Boogie Woogie' is the next closest, so off I went.

After arriving around 7:30pm, I discovered a class was just letting out, and that the dancing didn't begin until around 8:00pm. No biggie - time to walk around the area and a local bookstore. After returning, I paid the 7,000 won (about $5) cover charge and received a free drink ticket. Even though many swing dance places have the word 'bar' in them, the only drinks available are those of the non-alcoholic nature - drunks typically make bad swing dancers.

The place was rocking from the time I arrived to the time I left to catch the subway around 10:30pm. I was one of only a few foreigners, although this exotic nature led a few Korean women to ask me to dance with them! Hey, I'm kinda liking this place...

A number of styles made themselves known - West Coast, East Coast, Lindy Hop, Charleston, and even some balboa to some of the faster tunes. I'm not sure where they learned to dance so well - but I'm going to find out.

Directions: to get to Boogie Woogie, take the Seoul subway system to the Sillim station on line 2. Take exit 2 to street level, then walk straight for around 150 meters. Look for the 'Buy the Way', then look down the alley just before the store to your left for Boogie Woogie.

UPDATE: 29 November 2008 - I had the chance to check out another good swing dancing place called 'All That Swing' near Seoul National University station. Take exit 2 and keep walking until you see the blue sign (aboutt 500 meters). It's filled with plenty of young Koreans eagerly trying a number of styles out - mostly beginners taking classes, but still some decent dancers in the mix. 7,000 won got you in and a free (non-alcoholic) drink, which is about normal here. The music is more suited to those lindy hopping or learning the basics of swing, but still an enjoyable night.