SwingdanceUK turns 40: three December nights to toast London swing
The school that began life as the London Swing Dance Society in 1986 is celebrating with a ball, a Christmas jive and a big-band Monday. Here is what is planned and how to go.
Forty years is a long innings for any dance club. SwingdanceUK, the London school that began as the London Swing Dance Society, is marking the milestone this December with three nights of dancing in a row, and the Gazette has been reading the small print.
From a New York trip to a London institution
The story goes back to 1986. In a 2021 interview published by Shoreditch Town Hall, founder Simon Selmon explained that he set up the London Swing Dance Society after a trip to New York. The club kept that name for almost three decades before deciding, in 2015, that it was due a revamp; the SwingdanceUK name dates from then. Today Simon runs the school with his partner Anna Selmon, teaching classes and workshops and holding socials across London. Its range stretches well beyond Lindy Hop to Charleston, the Shim Sham, Balboa and rock 'n' roll, with the vintage dances of the 1900s to the 1960s as its stated speciality.
Saturday 5 December: the Black & White Ball
The centrepiece is a ball at Chiswick Town Hall on Heathfield Terrace, Turnham Green, from 7pm to 11pm. The organisers' booking page sets out the evening: doors at 7pm, a choice of beginner or intermediate Lindy Hop class at 7.30pm, then two live sets from the big band King Groovy & the Horn Stars, at 8.30pm and 9.45pm. Cabaret comes from the Diamond Girls, and there are chocolate fountains for anyone who needs fuel between numbers.
The dress code is in the name: black, white or both, and the page asks guests to "dress to impress". Tickets were listed at £35 to £45, with a nudge to book early for the best price. Prosecco and water can be ordered ahead, as can a 40th anniversary T-shirt, which is for collection on the night only. Our Black & White Ball page keeps the details in one place.
Sunday and Monday: two more parties
The ball is billed as part of a wider "40 Years of Swing" weekend. On Sunday 6 December the school holds its Jingle Bell Jive at the National Army Museum, and on Monday 7 December the celebrations move to Stompin' at the 100 Club, one of the school's regular socials. Times and prices for those two had not been posted on the ball page when we looked, so keep an eye on the SwingdanceUK listing and the organiser's own site.
Why it matters
Few British swing clubs can count back to the 1980s, when Lindy Hop's modern revival was still finding its feet. You can read that wider story in our history of Lindy Hop and our profile of Frankie Manning. A club reaching forty is a fine excuse for the rest of the scene to raise a glass, in black and white.
How to join in
You do not need forty years of practice: the 7.30pm class means a complete beginner can walk into the ball and be dancing by the time the band strikes up. If you would rather start sooner, browse Lindy Hop classes in London, read what to wear to a swing dance, or find a class near you with our swing classes near me search.
Find it on Swing Out UK
Sources
- SwingdanceUK – Black & White Ball (booking page) (opens in a new tab)
- SwingdanceUK – About (opens in a new tab)
- Shoreditch Town Hall – Simon Selmon on all things Swing (2021) (opens in a new tab)
Part of the Gazette's daily front page. See every edition or November 2026.