Club Calloway is an 18-and-over swing club in downtown Seattle, a stone's throw from the Seattle Center. It is housed in a building cryptically labeled "DV8" in big letters on the outside. However, there is a large marquee announcing the dance-oriented nature of the place, so you really can't miss it. Thursday night is their big swing night, although they're open most nights of the week for some sort of dance or other. Dancing is from 9:00 p.m. till 1:00, with a lesson at 8:00. I don't know if the lesson is free, but I suspect it is. For details, you can call the club at 206-448-0888, or browse on over to their web site.

Like the Up and Down club, Club Calloway is an alcohol free venue. The music is all swing music, and is a mix of old 40's swing numbers as well as more modern stuff like the Squirrel Nut Zippers and the Mighty Mighty BossTones. Not a bad mix, actually, although some of the songs were really too fast to dance to. The DJ's name is "Leslie$" (don't ask me to explain; I can't), and as I was warned, she does tend to talk over the songs now and then.

The dancing itself is primarily east-coast swing, with some folks doing lindy-hop. Since the club is aimed at a pretty young market, you'll encounter a wide range of skill levels there, so whether you're new to swing or an old-timer, you should feel right at home. As well, a number of people there were doing rather heavily lindy-influenced swing. That is probably a result of the instructors, Theo and Tonya, who teach the 8:00 class. They are rather good lindy hoppers themselves. I have to say, though, that if you are serious about learning swing dancing, particularly as a lead, you might do well to find other instructors. I found their instruction to be lacking in detail, particularly when it comes to the timing of various events and leading moves, which blows me away because clearly timing is critically important to being a good dancer, particularly for the lead. As well, they teach the basic swing step differently than I've seen it anywhere else. They start it with the rock step, rather than the side steps. I'm told that this is the difference between Arthur Murray style and Fred Astaire style, and though it's a trivial thing to get used to I stull found it a little disconcerting. I'd say that Theo and Tonya will do you fine for some of the basics, but that eventually anyone who's serious about swing should go elsewhere.

Club Calloway is certainly roomier than many of the other dance venues I've visited. The interior is divided into two levels; the upper level contains the entrance, refreshment stand, a few counter-areas with stools that overlook the dance floor, and a couple of pool tables. Oh, and the DJ booth. The lower level has the dance floor and the restrooms. The dance floor itself is linoleum, not hardwood, which is different than any of the other dance halls I've been to. Less elegant, I thought, but probably easier to maintain and it dances just the same. The decor is heavily neon-influenced, but without blacklights. I'd guess the floor to be around 1500 square feet; it is somewhat hard to tell because the lower level is partitioned into a central dancing area and a surrounding periphery by some benches that looked moveable to me. The way it was configured when I went there, the central area was plenty big for the crowd that night, while the periphery made a good place for people to practice their moves without interference. Not a bad setup, and I imagine that on a really crowded night the benches could be moved to the outside, which would probably increase the central dancing area to 2000 square feet or more.

Anyway, on the plus side, the cover charge was reasonable, the music was enjoyable, the crowd there was very friendly and lively, the dance floor was roomy, the decor was interesting, and the lighting was a nice balance between dark and light, showy and boring. On the minus side, the drinks are not free as with the Up and Down club, and smoking is permitted. The smoke wasn't bad, though, as smoking is confined to the upper floor and few people were puffing away anyhow.