the Fenix Underground (yes, really spelled that way), also known as Club Hi-De-Ho, is an over-21 dance club at the south end of downtown Seattle, just a little ways north of the Kingdome. The entrance is on Second avenue, and you really can't miss the awnings that have "Fenix Underground" on them in big white letters. Their big swing night is Monday, and compared to most dance clubs I've found, they open quite early in the evening. I believe they open for regular dancing at 8:00 p.m., with a lesson at 7:00. The six dollar cover charge is a little more than most places, but isn't likely to break the bank, either.
The Fenix is an over-21 establishment, with bars located both upstairs and downstairs. Bring your ID, because they'll check it. The venue itself is rather unique, in that the dance floor is in the establishment's basement, and has a decidedly funky feel to it. The upstairs has a stage and live music, while the downstairs has a DJ. There is a surprising amount of room in the basement. Enough for a central dance area (with even a raised, stage-like dance area to one side), tables scattered around the outer walls, a bar, and a wide entryway with more tables. The floor itself was big enough for probably 20-30 couples, depending on how lively the dancers happen to be.
Remarkably, despite how loud the upstairs live bands tend to be, I can't hear them at all downstairs. The downstairs DJ keeps the music at a nice volume, too, not nearly as loud as a lot of clubs seem to feel the need to. I thought that was really quite refreshing; I'm tired of having my ears blasted out at clubs. Non-smokers take note, the club does allow smoking, but I personally didn't find the smoke to be particularly oppressive. It was worse than you'll find at the Up and Down club, for example, but it didn't make me want to bring a gas mask either. Or maybe I'm just getting more tolerant, heaven forbid.The music is your pretty typical swing/lindy hop mix; a lot of fast songs with a slow one tossed in now and then for good measure. It was fine, but unremarkable. You'll hear largely the same selections at DV8 or the Up and Down club.