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In Full Swing
Underground dance club keeps jazz era hip
By Grace Huseth
If you’ve got the Monday blues, an
underground swing dance club might
just put a little pep in your step.
An underground swing dance club?
Groovy!
Every Monday night, swing dancers
from the metro head to Ambient+Studio
in Castleberry Hill to start off the
workweek by cutting a rug at Hot Jam
Swings. Some arrive at 8 p.m. sharp to
attend the beginner’s crash course (30
minutes of basic steps) before the dance
floor opens to newbies and old timers
alike.
Echoing the etiquette of the Jazz
Age, Hot Jam encourages a social scene
where partners switch every dance.
There’s no possessiveness among couples,
no competition to dance with the more
experienced. A courteous “Would you
like to dance?” is offered to every dancer,
beginner or seasoned. Extending a hand
to everyone is how Hot Jam got its start.
The group began more than a decade
ago, hosting small dance nights in local
bars, before starting a weekly event at the
Garden Hills Community Center, where
Hot Jam really took off.
“Atlanta has always been known
for being a friendly, open and inclusive
dance scene,” says Russ Ruddell, one of
the original Hot Jammers. “Everyone
dances with everyone and makes you feel
welcome.”
Ruddell remembers when he got
caught up in the swing scene after
noticing intriguing footwork on the
floor at a country dance. Not long after
learning east coast swing, he started
taking lessons and now teaches swing
himself at Down South Swing, a dance
school in Decatur. Like the best teachers,
Ruddell meets students where they are.
While students learn to feel the beat, he
feels each student’s energy and caters the
dance to their level of proficiency.
“I wanted someone to dance with, so
I started showing all these people how to
do it so I would have someone to dance
with,” Ruddell joked. “I wanted to share
that with someone else and help them
learn to enjoy it as much as I do.”
Once you’re in the swing of things,
Atlanta offers a variety of swing dance
opportunities. Georgia Tech Dance
Association (gtda.gtorg.gatech. edu)
hosts a lively dance once a month in the
student union ballroom. Down South
Swing (downsouthswing.com) offers
weekend workshops and on June 1 kicks
off a full weekend of the Atlanta Lindy
Exchange (atlantalindyexchange.com),
an annual event full of fast swing held in
various venues around the city.
For more information about Hot Jam
Swings, visit hotjamswings.com. Ed
Russ Ruddell cuts a rug during a recent Hot
jam Swings event at Ambient+Studio in
Castleberry Hill.
Photos by Grace Huseth
FESTIVAL
FEVER
Art, music & more in May
OUTLANTACON
The annual LGTB convention for
sci-fi, pop culture, multimedia and
gaming will be held May 11-13 at the
Renaissance Concourse Hotel near
the airport, outlantacon.com.
MOVIES IN CENTRAL PARK
The 2018 season of Movies in Central
Park at Atlantic Station will highlight
films from the 2000s. Screenings
begin May 17 and continue through
July, atlanticstation.com.
CHASTAIN PARK ARTS FESTIVAL
Nearly 200 artists representing all
disciplines, a children’s play area, local
food trucks and live acoustic music
will be at this year’s event, May 12-13.
chastainparkartsfestival.com.
SWEET AUBURN SPRINGFEST
Entertainment, kids’ fun zone,
international food court, and plenty of
live music along historic Auburn Avenue
on May 12 -13. sweetauburn.com.
KIRKWOOD SPRING FLING
§gp>* Artists market,
live music,
food, barbecue
cookoff, 5K
race and tour
of homes takes
place May 19 at Bessie Branham
Park, kirkwoodfling.com.
DECATUR ARTS FESTIVAL
Giant artists market, live music,
dance, performing arts, literary
events, food and more are part of
the 30th annual festival, May 25-27.
decaturartsfestival.com.
ATLANTA JAZZ FESTIVAL
Dianee Reeves, Jon Batists
&The Dap-Kings and
The Bad Plus are some of
the headliners at the free
festival, May 26-27 at Piedmont Park.
atlantafestivals.com.
CANDLER PARK MUSIC
& FOOD FESTIVAL
Gov't Mule, Lettuce, Houndmouth,
Larkin Poe and Webster are part of
the line up forthe annual event, June
1-2. candlerparkmusicfestival.com. 03
AtlantalNtownPaper.com
May 2018 I INtOWfl 47