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The Jam Cellar
Categories: Nightlife Dance Clubs Active Life Fitness & Instruction Dance Studios Dance Clubs, Dance Studios
The Josephine Butler Parks Center2437 15th St NW
Washington, DC 20009
Neighborhood: Columbia Heights
(202) 569-8329
- Nearest Transit:
-
Columbia Heights Metro Station (Green, Yellow)
U Street Metro Station (Green, Yellow)
- Hours:
Tue 8:30 pm - 12 am
- Parking:
- Street
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Price Range:
-
$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Music:
- DJ
- Best Nights:
- Tue
- Happy Hour:
- No
- Alcohol:
- No
- Smoking:
- No
- Coat Check:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Loud
- Good For Dancing:
- Yes
- Ages Allowed:
- All Ages
22 reviews for The Jam Cellar
Review Highlights
"What doesn't sound fantastic about swing dancing."
(in 10 reviews)
"...dance class here- it's from 8:30-9pm every Tuesday night."
(in 2 reviews)
"It's a restored mansion from the 1920s with a great..."
(in 4 reviews)
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22 reviews in English
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Review from Jane A.
Washington, DC
1/11/2012
If you're thinking "oh yeah like the 'swing craze' in the 90s" you've got the wrong idea. Jam Cellar is not about costumes or poses, just the pure and simple joy of partner dancing. I never danced in my life before trying this, and I realized I have seriously been missing out! It's pretty much the perfect activity: it's cheap, gets you moving, involves real communication between two strangers, the people are smart and cool, and the surroundings are gorgeous.
Jam Cellar provides lots of opportunities to learn the basics & beyond, with both a free beginner lesson before each dance and numerous series classes (and you can re-take the beginner series class for FREE once you have gone through it once) -
Review from L L.
Washington, DC
1/11/2012
I love this place. I've been going since June. The instructors are all great. The free introductory classes are awesome and show you that they really are just trying to get other people into swing. I disagree with the reviewer who said that the intro class includes too much - come on, now, it's an INTRO, not a "you will totally have the basics down pat by the end of this class." You are totally welcome to take the free class twice or thrice if you want.
The paid classes and the dance itself are also inexpensive. I do have some issues with these: 1. there is a lot of repetition between classes that are supposed to be different, so the intermediate class repeats a lot of stuff taught in the beginner class and the other intermediate classes. 2. I wish there were more advanced classes. I've never been able to take one because they are sporadic and less regular than the intermediate/beginner classes.
That said, I still think this place is excellent, and you can take private lessons if you want ($60 per hour). You can learn a lot from other dancers, too.
I dig the crowd, which is a lot of friendly and chill professionals, although I wish it were more racially diverse (very white, including all the instructors). Lindy seems to be mostly white everywhere, though. I also wish I saw more same-sex dancing there.... mostly you will just see it when a woman who already knows follow decides to occasionally practicing leading. If a guy wants to practice follow, he'll more likely do so with a female lead. Stupid culture. But it's probably better than a ballroom class as far as that goes. If you do choose to break the mold, at least as a female, people there will def. be cool with it.
The biggest drawback of all is that the place is only active on Tuesday nights. Jam Cellar is great and should be at least twice a week! :) -
Review from Kelly G.
9/20/2011 1 Check-in Here
Civilized partner dancing. That is what I'm talking ABOUT! This free half-hour beginner lesson was thirty minutes of total enjoyment! I'm on a mission to get more, More, MORE of this!
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Review from L V.
Washington, DC
11/17/2011
I just took a free swing dance class here- it's from 8:30-9pm every Tuesday night. It was a nice short class with good teachers. My friends and I really enjoyed it.
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Review from Esther L.
Arlington, VA
7/11/2011
The Jam Cellar is a swing dancing club that has a lot of great leads and follows along with many new dancers. They are willing to help teach any new students with free lessons at 8:30 every Tuesday before the dance. For only six dollars, it is a lot of fun for a group of friends or even someone who comes alone. I've never been to their other classes, but many of my friends have and enjoyed them.
I highly suggest visiting the Jam Cellar -
Review from Chunnu B.
12/8/2010
What doesn't sound fantastic about swing dancing?? Not gonna lie, The Jam Cellar is pretty amazing. The beginners series is the way you want to go if you're a first timer, mostly because you're in a room full of people who also think this is cool AND have no idea what they're doing! You have to make some mistakes to learn and in this environment, you will receive nothing but tons of encouragement and support.
Instructors are great, they start you off on basics and break it all down for you (counting steps, beats, and footwork.) Questions are encouraged and everyone here is so friendly and laid back, you won't feel like you're being a bother (more than likely, other newbies are just as confused as you are.) I am also happy to report that no one here is a creep either because that would be a little uncomfortable.
If you need some one-on-one tips, just see an instructor or any other Jam Cellar employee and they would be happy to help you out and give you tips.
Those signed up for classes also have an automatic in to the open dance floor at 9:30. Here, you can break out the moves covered in class, learn some new moves from advanced students, and be in awe of how amazing people keep up with music - you will totally be inspired!
Bottom line: Try something new and give this place a shot. It's worth the time and the money. -
Review from Wade C.
Fairfax, VA
3/15/2010
I think this place deserves a 3.5 stars - but unfortunately i round down on reviews.
Solid place for experienced dancers to swing the night away. the building itself is impressive - appears to be an old mansion that has an all hardwood 2nd floor which opens itself up nicely for hundreds of dancers each week. I went with a few friends (one of which has never swing danced before) to go to the quick lesson beforehand followed by a couple hours of dancing. The variety of music was excellent when i went on a weeknight, lots of variation from high bpm songs to slower balboa-friendly songs.
the only reservation i have of this place is the lesson. If you want to pick up swing dancing, the lesson may be a little too quick for you. the instructors mean really well, but they were trying to teach the basic (triple step) in the closed position along with an inside turn. Because i had picked up swing dancing years ago, this was a perfect refresher to make sure my hands were in the right position - but for the newcomers, it was a bit more demanding. Ideally the lesson should be smaller with more time spent on the basic in open and closed positions.
This is a great place to dance - parking is kind of a pain, but i did enjoy myself. it does get HOT (even in the winter) so bring some water! -
Review from Katie Y.
2/2/2010
Dancing sober? I usually would never dream of it! But the Jam Cellar is one place that has brought it out in me when I went, and apparently everyone else (no matter what your dancing skill is).
If you've got a Tuesday night free and want to do something a bit different, check it out - the location is gorgeous and couldn't be more fitting for the tunes and shakes.
Also, be sure to get on the incredibly well-written mailing list for non-invasive weekly email updates that almost always promise a good read. -
Review from Meg T.
Washington, DC
12/3/2007
If I'm in DC on a Tuesday night, you can bet I'll be at Jam Cellar.
I've been a swing dancer for years, but I'm completely jealous of people who learn to dance with the friendly, patient, uber-talented, and award-winning instructors of the Jam Cellar Crew.
Of course there are also regular classes for us nerds that have been dancing for ages: beginner/intermediate bal, solo jazz, aerials, swingout bootcamp, you name it, they've done it. Classes are listed on the website, which is always kept up to date by webmaster and supernerd Andy. -
Review from Jason G.
9/12/2007
I wish I lived in DC just so I could go to Jam Cellar.
Not even kidding. Greatest swing dancing in the United States. -
Review from Pete L.
Washington, DC
11/12/2008
This is where the younger crowd goes to swing dance. It's a restored mansion from the 1920s with a great hardwood floor. The only drawbacks are that it's a historic builiding so there's no air conditioning in the summer, and the tunes are played from an ipod hooked up to the sound system.
Still, this is a great place to go for lessons. -
Review from C J.
Arlington, VA
3/30/2008
LOVE IT! I only wish I had more free Tuesdays! The dance lessons before hand are awesome, we had one on one attention b/c we were the only ones there.
The building is beautiful and just perfect for dancing. I could be happy just watching the amazing dancers. I've technically been swing dancing for about 8 years, but never in the real manner with with real steps (or most importantly with a guy that can lead!!). So even though I know the basics, but not so much other fun stuff I still feel free to explore my limited skills on the dance floor!
The one star is only taken off for the weeknight schedule. Everyone should try it, maybe a yelp jam cellar event???Listed in: Wait... This is DC???
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Review from K F.
Washington, DC
11/24/2009
Amazing! First, thank you Mike and Nick for telling me about this place!
I had such an amazing time! I showed up for the beginners dance lesson at 9 and paid the 6 bucks to go upstairs to the dance floor.
It was well worth it. I got to try out the moves I learned and even try my luck with more experienced dancers. The best part was everyone was just so friendly and welcoming. I had a good sober time!
The music was also very good. And watching the good dancers go at it was inspirational. I certainly plan on coming back! -
Review from Sandy Y.
Washington, DC
1/9/2009
Have you ever wanted to learn how to dance in a turn-of-the-century, beautifully-restored mansion?
If you answered "yes," then that's weird. But you should totally go to Jam Cellar. Learn from friendly people who love to dance who just happen to be world-renowned instructors and classy folks. Dance to awesome music straight from the annals of American history. Notice that "annals" kinda looks like "anals," which have nothing to do with Jam Cellar.
Be sure to wear comfortable clothes and comfortable shoes, as you'll be moving about all night. Casual atmosphere most nights. When there's live music, people often dress up. Demographic tends to be in the 25-35 range, but teens and seniors are welcome to come, and often do.
The floor is smooth, the music is hot, and the people are attractive. A great way to get out, meet people, see a historical site on the cheap! Also a fun place to bring a date, get some exercise, appreciate some jazz, and BE AWESOME.
And I know you sir or madam, want to be awesome. -
Review from Lily C.
Bethesda, MD
9/7/2007
This place is like a fairy tale castle! I went a few nights ago for the free beginner lesson and the instructors were patient and very nice. The open dance after the lesson introduced me to a bounty of people with a range of dance skills, who were all very open and friendly. I highly recommend this place to people with any or no dance background to come and have a good time!
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Review from Judy Y.
Washington, DC
12/1/2009
The Jam Cellar is alright. though, I feel like the dancing at Glen Echo is better. There are fewer people here that know what they are doing, and it feels more like a young people meetup place. The guys at Glen Echo may be a bit older (sometimes a lot) but the dancing is better.
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Review from Alex F.
San Francisco, CA
3/11/2009
Hands down the best place to dance in DC. Get yourself here.
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Review from Nick O.
Washington, DC
12/2/2009
This is home to some of the best Lindy Hop in the country. There's a good mixture of different levels and beginners have internationally renowned instructors for lessons. If you ever wanted to check out vintage dances of the 1920's and 30's this would be an excellent place to start.
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Review from Allen K.
San Francisco, CA
9/26/2010
Best weekly swing dance in DC. Go to there.
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Review from susan c.
Takoma Park, MD
6/26/2010
Going to the Jam Cellar makes me want to quit my job and just focus on becoming a better dancer so that one day I could keep up with the AMAZING dancers in this cooperative. Seems they're helping lead a swing resurgence among young people. I've taken some of their lessons and the teachers are great. I've danced at the Josephine Butler mansion which is (hot! but) awesome. I read the entertaining emails every week and recommend them to others. And when I've gone to Glen Echo and some of the other swing hangouts I've just not been as inspired as when I'm in the company of the KIck-the-Gap-commercials-butts crew of the Jam Cellar.
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Review from Al E.
Washington, DC
2/2/2010
I showed up on a random Tuesday and was amazed. There must have been between fifty and a hundred people of various skill levels here, almost all under the age of forty. Lots of space, friendly crowd, and good dance floor. Highly recommended.
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Review from squeaky m.
Brooklyn, NY
5/8/2007
yeah ok so maybe this sounds like a lude gay bar but its really a great place. let andy take care of you. hes cool.
