Dance through Bellingham
Creating connections through music and movement, no matter what day of the week
Story by Claire Mayne
Published Jan. 24, 2026
Dancers tango dance at TangoLeo on Oct. 16 at the Hotel Leo on 1224 Cornwall Ave., Bellingham, Wash. TangoLeo is held every third Thursday of the month in Hotel Leo’s Crystal Ballroom. // Photo by Claire Mayne
As the sun sets on Bellingham, bands tune their instruments, speakers buzz with music and dancers rise to their restless feet. Lively tunes drift from open doorways as strangers tap, clap and skip along to the beat, skin flushing as music pumps through their veins.
From swing and contra to tango, fusion and salsa, Bellingham’s dance scene is alive. It overflows with diverse dance groups and communities. Throughout the week, people gather on the dance floor, connected by their shared love for movement, music and finding joy in human connection.
Damian Cade and a dancer swing dance during B’ham Hop’s “Lindy at the Leo” on Nov. 11 at the Hotel Leo on 1224 Cornwall Ave., Bellingham, Wash. Swing includes styles like Lindy Hop, East Coast Swing, West Coast Swing and Balboa. // Photo by Claire Mayne
Tuesday - Swing
If you skip your way over to the Hotel Leo Crystal Ballroom at 1224 Cornwall Ave. on a Tuesday night, you’ll stumble upon “Lindy at the Leo” hosted by B’ham Hop, one of Bellingham’s nimble-footed swing dance communities, from 7 to 9:30 p.m.
Inside, the air is humming. It turns salty as pairs swing each other around and their feet never stop moving. Dancers' smiling faces are alight with the glow cast from the glistening crystal chandeliers. Shoes slide across the floor and skirts swish along to the rhythm of swing jazz. Born in African American communities, swing is a group of partner dances. It originated in the 1920s in response to the emergence of swing jazz music. Energetic, upbeat and playful, it includes styles like Lindy Hop, East Coast Swing, West Coast Swing and Balboa.
“It is beautiful that this language that we have is accessible to everyone with a body. I've seen people at dances that use wheelchairs for mobility,” said Damian Cade, the treasurer and an instructor at B’ham Hop. “As long as you can move just any part of your body, you can move with intention in response to the music.”
Every Tuesday night, for the first hour, B’ham Hop offers a swing dance lesson, friendly to all skill levels. Then, the floor opens to social dancing, an opportunity for dancers to rock step, turn and dip one another outside of class or competition. The lesson is $15, general admission is $10 and $8 for students and seniors.
“I've danced in Europe. I’ve danced in Sweden. I've danced in France. I’ve danced in the UK. I’ve danced in Spain. I've danced in many places, and the language barrier doesn't matter when you're dancing,” Cade said. “We have an entire deep conversation about life just through movement, and I love that that is accessible to us.” The beauty of swing and partner dance is that no matter where you go, it’s there waiting for you.
While swing dancers keep things light and frisky, in the same city, you can find the rhythm slow down and turn more sensual with tango.
Tango dancers laugh at TangoLeo on Oct. 16 at the Hotel Leo on 1224 Cornwall Ave., Bellingham, Wash. Tango is a rare opportunity to comfortably and safely connect with another human. // Photo by Claire Mayne
Wednesday - Tango
On Wednesday, enjoy a night of tango at the Majestic Ballroom at 1027 N. Forest St. where Rebecca Niermier and David Beaumier, who celebrated 20 years of dancing tango in October 2025, teach TangoLife from 6:30 to 9:45 p.m.
The ballroom is filled with soft classical music. The dancer's skin prickles as they glide, chest to chest, cheek to cheek. Tango is an intimate partner dance that originated in the late 19th century in Argentina and Uruguay. Its most popular styles are Argentine and ballroom tango, but the similarities remain in its foundation: you and your partner dancing in an extended physical embrace, relishing in each other's body warmth.
“We dance with the same partner for three or four songs in a row. That might be 12 or 15 minutes consistently hugging.” Niermier said. “That many minutes, instead of 20 seconds. We're talking body to body for 12, 13, 14 minutes. So, we're always high on endorphins.”
TangoLife offers two classes, in beginner and intermediate levels, and is followed by a practica, an opportunity for dancers to practice their new moves. The new beginner class from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. is $15, the intermediate class from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. is $15, and attending only the practica from 8:30 to 9:45 p.m. is $10.
People come out to dance for many reasons. Someone might be looking for a fun way to connect with people, or just something to preoccupy their otherwise bland Wednesday night. For others, it's a rare opportunity to comfortably and safely connect with another human.
“I've heard a lot of people talk about how tango, in particular, and I think this is applicable 100% to other dances, is very healing for them and their relationships with other people,” Beaumier said. “Usually, women are saying this about their relation3ships with men, because it's a place where they can interact very safely with men.”
For many dancers, this environment enables them to relinquish control and focus on the craft of dance and coming together as a community. “The thing that we all love is that you show up and you really do your best to take care of another person for, you know, three to 12 minutes. It's wonderful,” Beaumier said.
While tango focuses on surrendering yourself to the music and the subtle movements of your dance partner, fusion allows dancers to invent their own choreography.
Two dancers dance at Revolution Fusion on Oct. 16 at the Karate Church on 519 E. Maple St., Bellingham, Wash. Participants of all levels, beginner or veteran, are welcome. // Photo by Claire Mayne
Thursday - Fusion
On Thursday evening, pop by the Karate Church on 519 E. Maple St. for Revolution Fusion, previously known as Flow Fusion, from 7 to 10 p.m. The scruffy exterior of the building gives onlookers no hints of what comfort can be found inside.
Blues waft through the air and purple lights shine down from the high ceiling, allowing plenty of space and a perfect atmosphere to get participants' creative juices flowing. Fusion dance is an improvised partner dance that combines different dance styles to create something entirely new. A swing dancer can pair with someone with a bachata background. The combinations are limitless. Breaking down walls and blending unique styles allows dancers to have more freedom as they build something from the ground up based on the connection, music and emotions in that instant.
Revolution Fusion offers a lesson from 7 to 8 p.m. and a social dance from 8 to 10 p.m. with a $10 fee at the door.
“We live in a culture of loneliness and isolation, and the partner dance community creates a structure in which we can cross lines that we don't generally get to,” said Johnilee Whiteside, one of Revolution Fusion’s organizers. “You get to hug your parents and your siblings and your partner, right? Maybe your best friend? But you don't spend five minutes in an embrace with someone, much less 20 people in an evening. And the structure of it makes it safe.”
The safety found in dance communities relies on the value put into trust and consent. It allows dancers to be vulnerable enough to connect with strangers and creates a comfortable space for people of every level, from beginners to veterans.
“The whole community is built around that idea of having that safe space in dancing,” said Asher O’Dell, a Western Washington University student and frequent dancer. There’s a level of respect for each other and their personal limits. This is shown through clear communication and respecting someone if they decline a dance. Setting boundaries is foundational when participating in an activity reliant on physical touch.
As the week continues, the rhythm shifts, from slow fusion blues into a relaxing evening to yourself.
Friday - Rest Day
Take a well-deserved break to breathe, relax and practice in your own time, to refresh for a dance-packed weekend.
The Bellingham Dance Society on Oct. 14 at the Bellingham Public Library Fairhaven Branch on 1117 12th St., Bellingham, Wash. A caller directs the dancers, by teaching the steps and shouting the moves once the music starts. // Photo courtesy of Sky Leuba
Saturday - Contra
After surviving the week, head to the Fairhaven Library at 1117 12th St., where the Bellingham Country Dance Society hosts its weekly contra dance on Saturday from 7 to 10 p.m.
Similar to square dancing, contra dancing is a spirited country dance evolved from English and French influence. A caller guides the dance, teaching the steps before the music begins. Their responsibility is to warm people up and get them moving and comfortable with those around them. Their infectious personality seeps around the room as the crowd prepares. Couples move up and down the dance floor in parallel lines as the caller shouts moves throughout the dance. It’s typically paired with live folk music, creating an immersive atmosphere.
“What I like about the contra dance is, for me, it still has an environmental flavor to it, in the sense of trying to create a place where people don't feel like they have to go away to feel satisfied in life,” said Sky Leuba, president of the Bellingham Country Dance Society. “You don't feel like you need to drive to Seattle or Vancouver, or fly to New York, to have a strong community where you have all the things in your life, where you can feel satisfied and have a good time right here locally.”
The dance kicks off with a beginner lesson at 7 p.m. and continues with social dancing from 7:30 to 10 p.m. Entry is $12 to $15 on a sliding scale, and $8 for students. Contra is also a gentler way for a person to push themselves to meet new people.
“You do one dance, and you suddenly get somewhat acquainted with 30% of the people in the room at once,” Leuba said. It takes away the pressure of having to go out of your way to approach people. It happens naturally because dance forces a person to interact closely with those around them.
As Sunday finally rolls around, you finish strong with the intensity and passion of salsa.
Dancers high-five before they switch dance partners in the beginner class at the Salsa Collective on Nov. 23 at the Majestic Ballroom on 1027 N. Forest St., Bellingham, Wash. The Salsa Collective is a great way for dancers to meet new people, with the constant rotation of partners. // Photo by Claire Mayne
Sunday - Salsa
The Salsa Collective brings you back to the Majestic Ballroom and into the basement on Sunday with classes running from 5:30 to 7 p.m. and finishing with a salsa social until 8 p.m. to complete your week of dancing.
The layers of percussion and brass instruments in salsa music immediately gets shoulders grooving and hips swaying. Salsa is a Latin partner dance with origins in Cuba and Puerto Rico. It’s vibrant and high-energy, known for its intricate footwork, rhythmic hip movements, partner turns, flashy gestures and other flourishes. Out of the different styles of salsa, L.A., New York and Cuban are the most common.
The Salsa Collective is a salsa community that hosts regular classes and dance socials in Bellingham. Admission is $10. It’s run by Kathryn Hodges and Alison Inwood, both co-founders of the dance group.
“We wanted to have a way to bring people together and create community,” Hodges said.
The floor is filled with dancers of all ages and backgrounds. There’s an unspoken collaboration between the lead and follower. The follower reads and responds to the lead as they interpret subtle nudges and mirror their movements. The lead signals through gentle tugs of the hands, raising of arms, shifts of weight, opening of their torso and connection points — an entire conversation solely through body language.
“It really does seem to bring people from every age and every walk of life,” Inwood said. “There's a lot showing how beneficial dance is to happiness … And it doesn't really matter what your day job is or where you live.”
Monday - Rest Day
After a week full of dance and meeting new people, your feet are sore and your social battery is drained, but you feel satisfied. The feeling of fulfillment from moving your body and social interaction has revitalized you. You’re happier, healthier and feel accomplished.
Dance is much more than just a movement; it's music, collaboration, emotional vulnerability and connection. Partner dancing gives people a reason to see each other every week. Communication without words, conversation through pressure points and eye contact. Bellingham provides space for strangers to come together one song, one dance at a time. You don't have to have anything else in common except for a desire to move your body and connect with another person.