Thursday Swing Look-a-There Ft. Minidoka Swing Band

Name: Thursday Swing Look-a-There Ft. Minidoka Swing Band
Start: 2025-12-18T18:30:00-08:00
End: 2025-12-18T22:30:00-08:00
Location: Norse Hall

Schedule

Thu Dec 18 2025 at 06:30 pm to 10:30 pm

UTC-08:00

Location

Norse Hall | Portland, OR

📣📣Calling all lindy hoppers, balboa-heads, charleston nuts, and shag enthusiasts! Come on out to Portland's longest-running swing dance, bringing you fantastic live jazz music on Norse Hall's magnificent floor.
Portland Lindy Society invites you to join us in celebrating our first ever cultural night with a spotlight on East Asian swing and jazz culture. The one-hour lesson before the dance will be taught by local teacher and dancer Eric Chen. Our DJ for the night, Molly McCarthy, will also have a set list curated to feature East Asian jazz musicians, singers, and bands. The event will highlight how individuals of different East Asian backgrounds celebrate, explore, and recognize the history of swing dance and jazz in their own way. This event is for everyone: whether you're a first-time dancer, an experienced dancer, or are wanting to learn more about swing dancing and jazz through a different cultural lens, come join us in celebrating on this special night.
We have a special treat for you! The Minidoka Swing Band will be performing! This 17-piece big band brings authentic '30s and '40s dance music and offers a unique insight into the swing era in the Pacific Northwest region and the role of jazz music and dancing in the lives of marginalized folks of the day.
"The Minidoka Swing Band remembers the Japanese Americans who were interned behind barbed wire during WWII with big band sounds from the 1930’s, 1940’s and beyond. The band’s name comes from the Minidoka Internment Camp near Twin Falls, Idaho, one of ten major camps where Japanese Americans from Portland and Washington State were imprisoned by the U.S. government without due process. To give a sense of normalcy to the lives of the teenagers and young adults, the camps often held Saturday night dances to make the best of a horrific situation."
https://www.minidokaswingband.com/
Swing Foundations Lesson (Included w/Purchase of Dance)
Dance $15 | All Ages
*Friendly reminder: non-marking shoes only when dancing (i.e. no rubber soles, outdoor shoes, tap shoes, etc.) Scuffs, scratches, and marks can lead to damage of the dance floor.
*Schedule*
6:30 Doors open
6:45 - 7:45 Swing Foundations Lesson w/Eric & Partner
*Doors to lessons will be closed at 7PM. Dancers will not be admitted to lesson after this time but are welcome to wait in the downstairs lounge area.
8 - 9 Minidoka Swing Band
9 - 9:30 Set Break/DJ Molly ft. East Asian jazz musicians and bands
9:30 - 10:30 Minidoka Swing Band
The bar and lounge will be open, and you may bring your drinks into the main ballroom.
If you have accessibility concerns, please contact PLS.
Brought to you by Portland Lindy Society