Vancouver has an extremely lively and sophisticated dance scene whether you want to spectate or participate. If you want to dance and don't find the kind of dancing you're interested in here, check out bars, clubs, pubs and lounges for more places to dance.

Dance Performance

Scotiabank Dance Centre 400-677 Davie Street Located at the corner of Granville and Davie St. Vancouver 604-606-6400

The ScotiaBank DanceCentre, located, not surprisingly, in the renovated Scotia Bank building that still houses the bank, has seven floors of studios, practice space, offices, a video facility and performance space.

The space has energized the entire, already vibrant, Vancouver dance scene. Check it out for the latest work of fledgling and well established choreographers and dancers.

Ballet British Columbia

• Vancouver--Ballet British Columbia presents Vancouver audiences with a spectacular season of entertainment, filled with beauty, drama, fun and fantasy. A world premiere, a Vancouver premiere, plus the best from the company's repertoire of contemporary classics.you'll see it all.
  All Ballet BC performances are held in the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, located at the corner of West Georgia and Hamilton.

Dancing on the Edge

Another festival, this one for 10 days in the first two weeks of July, is Canada's largest showcase of independent choreographers.

Dancing on the Edge 280 E. Cordova St. 604-689-0926 To get there take bus #3, 4, 6, 7, 8 or 50 north on Granville Mall or Bus #1 north on Burrard.

Dancing

Collingwood Legion Auditorium 3249 Kingsway (five blocks South of Joyce Skytrain Station) Lindy Night: Tuesday 7:00-11:30 $5.00 Swing Cats Ball: Friday 8pm to Midnight $8.00
St. James Community Hall Swinging At St James: Saturday 8:30-11:30 $9.00 3214 W 10th, Vancouver (corner of W.10th Ave and Trutch)

Vancouver Country Dance
Contradancing, also known as New England style country dancing, is related to square dancing, but has a rather different feel. Instead of four couples dancing in a square set, any number of couples arranged in lines makes up a contradance set. (It's not at all like country/western line dancing.)

The structure of the dance is simple: you and your partner dance a series of movements with another couple, then you and your partner move on to dance the same pattern with a new couple, and so on, until you have danced with all the other couples in your set.

You don't have to learn any fancy footwork for contradances. Most of the dance movements involve walking in patterns - some as simple as a circle of four people moving with hands joined, or each of the four joining one hand in the center to form a "star." A dance caller teaches each dance before the music begins, then calls the movements to the music.

Music at a contradance is both live and lively, and is provided by a small band which typically has one or two fiddles, a piano, and maybe a guitar, flute, tin whistle, or hammered dulcimer.

Vancouver Ballroom Dance Club 456 Prior St. 604-688-0217 Friday and Sunday Dances 8-11pm $7.00 Saturday Dances: 8:30-midnight $9.00 Thursday afternoon tea dance 1-3:30 $5.00 For more information about the Vancouver Ballroom Dance Club, check out their website.
Al Ritrovo 2010 Franklin Street Vancouver 604-255-0916 This Italian restaurant, also known as Ritrovo Cabaret, is a great place to for dinner and dancing on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. To get there from downtown, go east on Hastings, turn left (north) on Semlin. It's on a tiny street called Franklin, a short block from the corner of East Hastings and Semlin.
Saturday Dancing on Granville Island False Creek Community Centre 1318 Cartwright Street 8:30 to 12:00 $10 604-257-8195