Welcome to the Lindy Hop heaven. As you might already know, Seoul is one of only a few cities where you can enjoy swing dancing literally every night, even having multiples choices of venues. Here are some steps for you to follow:
0. Packing list
dance shoes : You are supposed to wear dance shoes in most of the venues in Korea. Not necessarily "dance" shoes, but spare shoes worn only indoors.
1. Find the best dance venues based on your itinerary.
You can find information of where/when and my personal recommendation from the following links: weekly social dances
2. Confirm if the venue is available on your dance night.
Even though the venues are supposed to open every week on the same day of a week, there can be special occasions such as graduation party, in which you can hardly enjoy social dancing. Check the availability from the local dancers, or contact us . Because they announce a few days before the dance night, it is best for to you ask a week before your visit. Please be specific when/where you are going. You can see the detailed daily schedule here: daily schedule (updated on request)
3. Find the route to the venue
Most of the venues are located underground with small signs, sometimes only in Korean, so it is quite hard to find them. Prepare for the detailed map or find someone who can come with you. In each marker of the map, there is YouTube link for "How to Find ..." videos filmed by Anthony Johnson and Cameron Song Sellers.
4. Go to dance
During the weekdays, the social dance will begin around 8:00 PM, however it will get crowded around 8:30 PM. On Weekends, the social will also begin around 8:00 PM, but there will be already dancers you can dance with, who just finished their classes.
5. Pay the entrance fee
Pay the entrance fee when you get in the venue. The cost is between 8,000 and 10,000 KRW depending on the venue and the day of the week, unless it is a special occasion such as parties. There might be a sign saying how much it is, otherwise you can just ask the person at the reception, "Ul-ma-e-yo?" They will give you a name-card sized coupon with which you can exchange a drink whenever you want during the night.
6. Enjoy the after-party (optional)
If you like after-party and hanging out with new friends having delicious food and drinks, Seoul is just a perfect place. There are tons of restaurants and bars that open 24 hours and even delivery food with various choices. Public transportation runs until late (around midnight), the taxi fair is reasonable compared to the other metro cities.
I hope you enjoy Seoul !
JP
FAQ
SCHEDULE
Q. Can you confirm the dance events when I visit Korea next month?
A. weekly social dances are regular events, but there are still temporary closures and they announce the final schedule 2~3 days before. So please send me email a week before you visit. Please specify when/where you're interested to go dancing, because confirming multiple dates/venues requires a lot of work. You can find our recommendations as red marks in the page.
Q. Can you confirm tonight's dance event?
A. We're always willing to help you, but sometimes we're too busy to check our email for several days. Please email us a week before the event you're interested in.
Q. Do you have recommendations?
A. You can find our recommendations as red marks in weekly social dances .
DANCE
Q. Is "weekly social dances" page up-to-date?
A. You can find the date of last update in the upper right corner of the page.
Q. what time does dancing start?
A. You can find the beginning time in the Korean version of weekly social dances .
Q. Is it OK that I can't speak Korean?
A. In Korea, many dancers often just dance without "socializing". So language is not a problem at all here, only if you are willing to ask for a dance first. However, group classes are taught in Korean only. You may pick up from instructors' movements or ask for private lessons.
Q. Are there any big events scheduled in Korea?
A. You can find most of the event in Korea here: events
Q. Is there any etiquette I should know?
A. Not more than any other dance scenes.
Q. Is it event foreigners are allowed to attend?
A. Yes.
Q. Do I need to pre-register?
A. No unless it is a special event.
Q. When does the dance start?
A. I'm updating the information in weekly social dances. If you can't find it here, contact us.
VENUE
Q. Some of those places seem to not exist anymore because I can't find any places online.
A. The dance halls only run Facebook pages mostly only in Korean, so it may be difficult for non-Korean speakers. Basically you can assume they are still on business if they are on weekly social dances.
Q. What neighborhoods are best to stay in for easy access to the dancing events?
A. You can see from the map, that most of the venues are located in Hongdae area and Gangname area. Both are fun to stay, but Gangnam has more chances to dance, but Hongdae is a little more foreigner-friendly and interesting.
Q. Can you tell me where the socials are held?
A. You can find the addresses in weekly social dances , and the locations in map.
Q. Is there foreigner-friendly place?
A. No matter where you are from, you can dance anywhere. However, Swing Pop has many foreign members, so it'll be easier to blend in.
Q. Is there beginners-friendly place?
A. The Social Club runs Wednesday social for beginners, but I'm not sure for others.
Q. Can you possibly give me an idea which place plays slower music?
A. Unfortunately, most of the venues share almost the same pool of DJs, which means the music depends on the DJ not the venue. Furthermore, there's not much difference in how fast they play among Korean DJs.
TRAVEL
Q. What I can set up/schedule before departing to get the most out of a 2-week stay?
A. I recommend to book privates, plan dance nights, book hotels, prepare for dance shoes, and get ready for 7 dances a week.
CLASS
Q. Can I get a private lesson from you?
A. Sure, we have many experiences giving private lessons, so let us know how many teachers, how many hours you want, if you are interested.
Q. How can I use the schedule for finding the balboa class for beginner.
A. I'm sorry but this guide and the schedule give you information only on social dancing, not classes.
Q. Can I do drop-in lessons?
A. I'm afraid that there is no "drop-in" system in Korea. Registration is per semesters, which is 4~6 weeks.
Q. When does the semester of classes start?
A. If you specify preferences like locations, I can look up the schedule of the club for you.