The Listings Categories provides an overview of the Listings sections.
The rest of the notes below are also found at the beginnings of their relevant Category sections.
The Listings Categories provides an overview of the Listings sections.
The rest of the notes below are also found at the beginnings of their relevant Category sections.
GoDanceLB.com has approximately 200 listings (each of which is a separate entry). The listings are 'tagged' with the following Categories:
The focus of GoDanceLB.com is adult social recreational dancing; therefore we list the dance studios which have that focus in the Long Beach area. We also list the colleges which have Dance programs.
[We also list a couple of performance studios, such as NDM ('the' Bollywood studio), that are unique and do provide a few adult recreational dance classes taught by the studio's own staff).]
[Other facilities, such as studios focused on children's- or performance-dancing, are sometimes used by 'independent' Dance Teachers for adult classes, and we then list those under the category "Venues other (than adult dance studios or NCBRs)".]
Venues, other than Dance Studios & Schools, and other than NCBRs.
Venues, other includes:
We will reach the point of having all of the teachers of adult social recreational dance in the LB area listed here; for Long Beach itself we seem to have most of those who are teaching classes listed, and this list will grow as we expand the listings to Long Beach neighbors.
While our Dance Teachers listings are fairly complete for Long Beach, we haven't yet focused on the other people-categories; at this time we have only a few organizers and promoters listed and will be adding more as we proceed.
While our Dance Teachers listings are fairly complete for Long Beach, we haven't yet focused on the other people-categories; at this time we have only a few social clubs listed and will be adding more as we proceed.
While our Dance Teachers listings are fairly complete for Long Beach, we haven't yet focused on the other people-categories; at this time we have only a few dance performers, troops & companies listed and will be adding more as we proceed.
Most Dance Teachers are dance-performers to some extent. The key distinction we make here is dance performers who have something substantive on their websites regarding their Dance Performance services and capabilities.
Additionally this site is about growing adult social recreational - participatory - dancing, not about watching dancing. When dance-arts performers and performance companies do things to encourage actual participation in dancing that is a wonderful thing. We need a lot more of that in the dance world.
</mini-rant alert/> In our modern American culture, which has become so incredibly much about "watch ME" on the one hand, and "ENTERTAIN me" on the other hand, we need more actual doing rather than spectating. The massive complementary demands for "I want to be watched" and "I just want to watch" has been a major factor, it seems to me, in some of our most difficult national concerns.
My vision for GoDance.biz includes the observation: "with more dancing, the world will be an even better place" - as will Long Beach. Go Dance. Instead of sit and watch something, get up and Go Dance. Or ride a bicycle, or do something.
These can all be visited by park-and-walk. If you park near Pine and Broadway you can go up Pine, over on Broadway, back track to South Pine, over to Rainbow Harbor, over to the Lagoon, and Convention Center, up Linden, then down Alamitos, down to Pine if you didn't start there, and back to where you parked.
These are spread out between the coast and 7th St; you can zigzag or S-curve among Broadway, 4th, 7th; then over to Ocean, then 2nd St, out to Marina, and up PCH
These are further spread out: up PCH; down Anaheim, zig-zag Spring, up to Del Monte; over Wardlow, up to South Street
These are very roughly grouped by cities and adjacencies; over time the listings in this LB-Neighbors section will grow as we add more dancing opportunities to the listings and mapping in this area
Dance Teachers in the list below are organized roughly in groups:
There are many kinds of social recreational dancing not being taught at this time in Long Beach; some are offered in neighboring cities and those will be integrated into the listing as we add them.
Most of the Dance Studios in a city are "Ballroom (etc) Studios"; this generally means Ballroom, "Club Dancing", Salsa, etc. And many of the Dance Teachers are "Ballroom (etc) Teachers". Most Ballroom Teachers also teach "Club" dancing and Salsa, etc. In our GoDanceLB.com listings we list the Ballroom-etc teachers in the "Ballroom" category.
Some Dance Teachers focus on various Club Dances and develop those dances, dancers, dance events, and communities.
The difference between "Ballroom" dances and "Club" dances is not particularly important but it can be useful. "Ballroom" dances are those which are mostly done in a "Ballroom" setting as contrasted to those done mostly or previously-mostly in a "Nightclub" setting.
"Club" dances generally include, in no particular order: Country-Western, West Coast Swing, Hustle, Lindy, Steppin', and others. Salsa is also generally a "Club" dance.
Another, not particularly rigid or important, distinction between what has come to be distinguished most generally between "Ballroom" and "Club" dances is that the latter are seen as having been created and developed by dancers and 'people' as contrasted to the "dance masters". In today's dance scene these kinds of distinctions are effectively irrelevant.
In general, most "Club Dances" can be found in nightclubs and many "Ballroom Dances" (Foxtrot, Waltz, etc) can't. Of course this is the situation "today"; there was a day when Ballroom Dances were the primary dances in Nightclubs, for example the "Trot" dances, including the Foxtrot of Harry Fox, were invented in Nightclubs.
The Salsa boom some years ago mainstreamed Salsa dancing to the extent that it is obviously the leading Latin dance. One result is that Ballroom studios now make it clear that what they teach are "Ballroom-Latin" dances - including Rumba, Cha Cha, Bolero, and other long-time "Ballroom-Latin" dances. Another element is that Salsa itself has been expanding and incorporating Mambo and other facets. Today "Salsa" is more and more "Salsa-PLUS" - Bachata, Cumbia, etc. Lots of wonderful dancing from which to choose to move your groove.
Samba is not part of the Salsa family but I'm including it in this group as a Latin dance. Samba has different versions and forms - Parade, Carnaval, Club, Ballroom.
The presence of SambaLa here makes Long Beach an important place in the Samba world.
Unfortunately there is almost no Square Dancing or Folk Dancing in Long Beach. There is also no Contra Dancing in Long Beach area.
There is some Square Dancing in a few Long Beach neighbor cities which I'll be adding to the list.
Long Beach does have a bit of Round Dancing at the Senior Center.
Hip Hop, Breaking, Krumping, etc is called "Urban Dance", "Street Dance", "Vernacular Dance".
The home of Urban Dancing in Long Beach is Homeland Cultural Center.
For reasons of saving space in the Categories, I've also included Exotic dancing with Urban Dancing.
For some years Line Dancing disappeared and went underground but now it's beginning, little by little to grow again.
We're in a time of higher interest in Belly Dancing; which we all hope continues and grows. Long Beach has a growing Belly Dance leadership status.
The Nightclubs, Bars, Restaurants (NCBRs) of primary interest to GoDanceLB.com are those that specifically provide dancing opportunities; they have dance floors or dance areas, and people do dance and go there for the purpose of dancing or being in a place with dancing.
Nightclubs, Bars, Restaurants that are also of interest here are those where dancing does occur more than infrequently; they aren't particularly 'dance places', but people do dance there, and the management is generally cordial about it. These aren't places to 'go dance'. These are places at which dancing is not the 'norm', but where you, or a few, can get up and dance; as contrasted to places where dancing is not particularly wanted or is discouraged.
Some Nightclubs, Bars, Restaurants (NCBRs) have music but do not have dancing; many places nowadays are 'concert style', listening, spectating, watching, and not dancing - totally strange to me; but everyone marches (dances) to (or 'watches') their own 'drummer'. Today many music places that are much smaller than concert halls or theaters are also just for 'watching' and 'spectating', rather than dancing. Go figure.
NCBRs that focus on concert-style music aren't put on our GoDanceLB.com Calendar, except if they have a dance-style event. While a little dancing does occur at some concert venues (including some places with mosh pits), they aren't 'places to go dance'.
Since this is a dance-focused site, I also put Karaoke in the category of 'Concerts' - they are essentially amateur-concerts. Some Karaoke places in other areas are also Dance-cordial, and a few encourage dancing. I'm not digging into Karaoke places sufficiently to identify those; and I'm not listing Karaoke-only places that don't have any Dance or Dance-cordial nights.
If you're into Karaoke at all, you'll already be aware of Karaoke Scene, the free newspaper that is well distributed at Karaoke places, and which now has an improved online site (except that many Karaoke places/events in the Long Beach area are not getting themselves listed in Karaoke Scene, and some places that are long gone are still listed there).
At this time I'm unaware of any Dance-welcoming Karaoke place/event in Long Beach area; and would love to list, and go to, any that you might know.
Nowadays most bands play for spectators, not for dancers
So it's most likely that a live band is concert style.
But not all bands are for watchers; some are dance bands ![]()
Some dance places book bands for dancers. Starting Gate on Katella is a great example of this since the dance floor is full on Fridays & Saturdays. A few other LB-area places with dance floors book bands for dancing but the floors are rarely full.
Some bands play music that gets the particular crowd dancing.
Some bands play music that doesn't get the people dancing; and some of those bands want it that way.
I've seen many bands that keep the crowd dancing; and some others that can't get anyone up, or that can thin out a dance floor.
Most DJs play for dancing. But nowadays a growing trend is DJs for atmosphere; not just music from some anonymous source such as radio, internet, tape, etc, but a DJ playing music for talking. Sort of like replacing the electric fans to keep the air moving with specialized people to wave hand-fans.
There are some places with DJs playing atmosphere music in the Long Beach area. And this isn't "dinner music", much of what they play is dance music. Sad, IMO of course, that we've come from dance music for dancing, to dance music for spectating, to dance music for sitting on your butt. [One of these days I'll have to see if any academic discussions related to this sort of thing exist; like culture studies perhaps.]
In our GoDanceLB.com Listings there are more than 40 listings in NCBR Dance and more than a dozen each in NCBR Dance-cordial and NCBR Concert. Putting the 40+ NCBR Dance places on our GoDanceLB.com Calendar is too many and destroys workability and readability of the Calendar.
Since some NCBRs are very well promoted and are listed almost anywhere you might look, the best solution is for GoDanceLB.com to focus on the less visible and the most unique and interesting, and to complement the best other listings that already exist. Some of the other calendars provide day-by-day listings of specific DJ's, Bands and promoter-nights.
The best way to find information on NCBR Dancing is to see what we have on our Calendar, to check our Listings section for NCBR Dance, click through to the NCBR website(s), check your favorite other websites for events, calendars, what to do, nightlife, etc.
Some of the newspaper calendars list the particular acts for the day at the club; for example, see District Weekly Calendar.
The NCBRs which are listed in GoDanceLB.com Calendar in some way include a few which are quite unique in the LB area:
Others listed in our Calendar are types of dancing found outside of NCBRs (Salsa, Swing, ...), or not much available (Reggae), or are dance places with bands that play for dancers (Starting Gate, and Cellar at times), or are performance-dancing (Flamenco) of some interest to social recreational dancers:
The benefits of this approach include:
Many MySpaces pages are resource-hogs which will frustrate you on arrival - they'll take forever to try to load, and you won't be able to stop/kill them, your computer will not be able to do anything else while the hogs take over your resources, and what you'll see will just be huge pages with a bunch of useless images. I now avoid MySpace pages unless I know that the place is actually "managing" them. Most are just there and ignored by management because they were told "you have to have a myspace"; so management said "do it for me", and somebody heard "do it to me"; so they did a myspace to/on the place - they "myspaced it".
While it might be true that "you can't ever be too thin or too rich", you can often have too much myspace - and most of the NCBRs do; it's mostly a bunch of trash piles. Too bad because some of them are good.
Most of the data is accurate and up to date. Some of the NCBR data may be a bit off due to several factors.