Chicago's First Queer Swing Dance!

After 20 years in the swing dance community, this will be a welcomed addition and we're excited to put it together!

We welcome anyone and everyone to this inclusive swing dance event. This is the first of its kind so please join us as we make it a memorable and a (hopefully) repeated event. It's happening at Traffic Jam's new 2400 square foot dance space in Ravenswood!

We advise wearing comfortable clothing and leather/smooth soled shoes to make it easier to dance and move around.

• 6:00-7:00PM - BEGINNER class with instructors Vic Celania and Jay Schaeffer

• 7:00-9:30PM - LIVE Band with the new swing band The Rusty Gates!

Organizer Info:

Vic Celania - Organizer/Instructor/Drummer

Vic started dancing in 2003 in Richmond, VA and quickly became a dj, organizer, and teacher. He served on the board of the Austin Swing Syndicate, and was one of the organizers for the Austin Lindy Exchange for 3 years. He started the Waller Creek Vipers band (www.youtube.com/@thewallercreekvipers) in 2014 and has played all over the country for dancers from all walks of life. He is a recent transplant to Chicago, having moved himself and his custom clothing business to Uptown (www.instagram.com/establishedsartorial).

Jay Schaeffer - Dance Instructor

Jay started dancing Lindy Hop at Memories in Whittier in 2003. After dancing all over SoCal, Jay came to Chicago where they worked at Big City Swing under the leadership of Julee Mertz. In 2012 Jay returned to Cali where they spent over a decade in San Francisco deepening their movement practice. Jay trains in the styles of Lindy, Blues, and House dance, under the mentorship of Jo Hoffberg and the instructors at RhythmHood and Snipes. As a non-binary queer switch dancer, Jay is passionate about breaking down gender norms in partner dance while honoring the Black American roots that built this artform.