Upcoming events are posted on this page and emailed out weekly on our listserv (the University of Chicago Mailing List for CSDS). The Java Jive, so named due to its original coffee shop venue, is held almost every Saturday evening in Ida Noyes Hall on the campus of the University of Chicago. It features a beginner's lesson in East Coast Swing, followed by several hours of dancing with a DJ. Admission is always free, even to those who have no University affiliation. For the sake of safety we generally do not allow aerials. Our lessons are held once a week in the evening. There are generally two sequences of lessons taking place during a week, and both lessons are an hour long and take place back to back. The lesson sequences usually last 4 or 10 weeks with one lesson a week, and cost $5 per lesson. We generally offer one sequence in beginner to intermediate East Coast Swing dancing, sometimes taught by a University student and board member of CSDS, and one sequence on a different dancing style taught by a professional instructor (examples include Blues, Lindy Hop, and Charleston). Aside from our weekly events the CSDS often hosts special themed dances which usually feature other amenities such as free food and drink, a larger venue, decorations, or a live band. For rules and policies concerning our events, please see the relevant Note on this page. To receive updates on all of these events, you can request to join our email listhost or watch for announcements on this page.
