What is the Summertown Speakeasy?
The Summertown Speakeasy is our regular social dance and a chance for everyone to get together, and dance the night away. It is run by Swing Dance Summertown who manage, and run the weekly dance classes on a Wednesday night. The Summertown Speakeasy runs on the 3rd Saturday of the month. The address is:
The Cherwell School (NORTH site)
Marston Ferry Road,
Oxford,
OX2 7EE.
How do I find it?
If you approach along Marston Ferry Road from Headington & Marston. Head towards the Banbury Road junction, the turning is on the right just before you reach the junction.
If you approach from Banbury Road. Take the turning for Marston Ferry Road and the entrance will be a left turn into the school. It’s about 0.2 miles so keep an eye out for the turning.
Apparently, there is an issue using the postcode with Sat Nav that directs you wrongly. It is due to a shared postcode. If you are using Sat Nav please ensure you enter “Cherwell School NORTH Site” on Marston Ferry Road.
Please note. If you attend our weekly Wednesday night classes, you are going to the other site on the opposite side of the road. The Summertown Speakeasy is at the North Site, not the South Site. If you go to the South site you will be on the wrong side of the road. Hopefully that wont be too confusing for everyone. We will make plenty of announcements at class to hopefully remind everyone.
You can also find exactly where we are by searching for The Summertown Speakeasy location on Google Maps.
If you use What3Words the address is ///leap.eggs.scope
What time does The Summertown Speakeasy start?
The music starts at 8:00pm and goes on until 11:00pm.
Where can I park?
We have lots of free parking in our dedicated onsite parking facility. Your car is off the road and away from all the traffic restrictions. In fact there is room for 76 cars to park at our event which should be enough for everyone. Parking is completely free of charge for the evening for all our dancers.
If you decide to come by bicycle we also have a secure area to lock up your bike. It is not visible from the road and provides you with quite a lot of security. We can never make anything 100% safe but we have certainly made every effort to provide a secure place to lock your bicycle.
Who can come along to The Summertown Speakeasy?
It is the Big Saturday Dance Night Out for dancers who have learned to dance with a partner and love dancing to Big Band Jazz Swing. At Swing Dance Summertown we teach the swing dances of the Jazz Age such as Charleston & Lindy Hop. We welcome dancers of the other Jazz styles such as Peabody, Balboa and Collegiate Shag. East Coast and West Coast swing dancers will also find a home on our dance floor. Ballroom dancer styles such as Foxtrot and Quickstep are welcome. It’s all about the Swing and it don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got it!
We welcome all dancers whether you have a regular dance partner or not, and we also encourage everyone to dance with many partners through the evening. Of course if you only want to dance with your regular partner that is fine too. We find that social dancing is a great way to meet people and really helps to create a great vibe for the evening, but we don’t want anyone to feel uncomfortable and so the evening is whatever you want it to be. It isn’t rude to ask another to dance, and neither is it rude to politely refuse.
At the very least you should be comfortable with some form of dance footwork to be danced with a partner.
What about the atmosphere, is it ok for people who haven’t danced much?
Yes, it’s fine for novice dancers. We offer a friendly and inclusive atmosphere for everyone who wants to dance. If you have been learning to dance at classes and gearing up for your first steps onto the social dance floor, then this is a great way to do it. You get to dress up, and meet people who all remember when they made those first steps too. Everyone is nervous, their first time, but don’t worry because we are there to help and encourage you. We got ya!
We offer a large dance floor, cafe style area to relax and help yourself to refreshments, and great swing sounds with a professional sound system. It is also a place where more advanced dancers have the space to really show what they can do. We have some amazing dancers in Oxford and want everyone to enjoy our dance floor. As we build the night up we hope to include live performances and are already in discussion with some. Our aim is to make the Summertown Speakeasy a worthy choice for a great Saturday night out for dancers and a regular date in the calendar that you will not want to miss.
Why this venue?
When we looked at putting this event together, there were two criteria which we really needed to hit.
- The first was that we wanted a venue that would allow us to make our vision become real. We want, as far as possible, to create a ballroom straight out of the Jazz Age. We needed a partner who would allow us to decorate to achieve that. Most venues won’t unless you spend a lot of money and have a lot of transport coming in and out.
- The second was that we wanted it accessible to everyone from a cost and travel point of view. There are, of course, opulent ballrooms in Oxford. They all cost a lot of money, and were highly likely to push the ticket price out of reach for many of the people we want to include.
Is there a bar?
The Cherwell School have been amazing in helping us realise our vision and have done so in a way that helps us meet our primary goals.
When we did our research amongst the dance community, the information we got back was that whilst a bar was a nice-to-have feature it wasn’t a deal breaker. This means we don’t have to hire security which adds to the cost of the night. Therefore The Summertown Speakeasy does not have a liquor license…. just like a Manhattan Speakeasy during Prohibition! We serve tea, coffee squash and nibbles for dancers to enjoy and these are all included in your ticket price. The information we got back was that this was fine and anyone who wanted anything else through the evening was ok to bring their own along.
For instance some might like to order food if you are travelling from afar and we are perfectly fine for you to have that delivered. The Speakeasy is listed on Google maps and so it should be easy for all the apps to locate us.
Please do join us at the Summertown Speakeasy for Big Saturday Dance Night Out.
