Coming Dances In Tokyo

For detailed information on each event, please check the posts on the TSDS website (click on the TSDS logo) or the TSDS Calendar. In particular, TSDS frequently updates information for the upcoming one to two weeks. Details for events like jazz festivals may only be finalized about a week before the event. Therefore, please note that events scheduled several months in advance are not yet confirmed, and their details may change.

Apr 2: Lindy At The Jam Session
Apr 5: Ikebukuro Living Loop with street jazz performances in the afternoon
Apr 5: Necola Cherry Blossoms Hop in the evening
Apr 9: Necola Wed Nite Hop
Apr 16: Necola Wed Nite Hop
Apr 23: Dancing at Blue Note Place in Ebisu
Apr 26: Jazz Auditoria at Waterras
Apr 30: Necola Wed Nite Hop

May 3: Ikebukuro Living Loop
May 7: Lindy At The Jam Session
May 14: Necola Wed Nite Hop
May 17: Ikebukuro Jazz Festival
May 18: Ikebukuro Jazz Festival
May 21: Necola Wed Nite Hop
May 28: Necola Wed Nite Hop

Necola Wednesday Night Hop

Every Wednesday at 7:30pm at Studio Necola. We’re gonna enjoy dancing lindyhop and blues to DJ’ed swing music with Necola’s super PA sound system.
Booking is required. Please check out TSDS Swing Calendar for the details.

However, recently we’ve been dancing at Lindy at the Jam Session in Kagurazaka on the first Wednesday of the month, so please be sure to check the TSDS Calendar.

Luup’s port is available at the studio.

Necola Cherry Blossoms Hop

Are you enjoying this year’s cherry blossom season in Tokyo?

We usually hold a social at Necola on Wednesday nights, but to celebrate the end of the cherry blossom season, let’s add an extra night and enjoy Lindy Hop on Saturday April 5! The event will start at 19:00 and end at 21:00.

As always, let’s dance with a professional DJ and Necola’s superb sound system!
Booking is required. Please check out TSDS Swing Calendar for the details. We speak English and Japanese.

Lindy at the Jam Session, Kagurazaka

LINDY AT THE JAM SESSION, APRIL 2ND, 2025

This is a traditional jazz session at MASH Records in Kagurazaka, organized by clarinetist Makiko Tamura and saxophonist Satoshi Ito. Both are professional jazz musicians, while most of the other participants are amateurs. Lindy hoppers are welcome to dance!

Please note that this is not a regular concert for an audience but rather a session for jazz musicians—a type of practice gathering. The cost is 1,800 yen per person, and no booking is required.

The dance floor is relatively small, accommodating only a few couples at a time. However, the organizers are exceptionally welcoming toward dancers. While Makiko is a superb clarinetist, she may also take the opportunity to practice piano during the session. * Makiko will be out of town on April 2.

The session begins at 7:30 PM and concludes around 10:00 PM. Some of us will be heading there to dance, as there will be no Necola Wednesday Night Hop at Studio Necola that day.

Since TSDS is not the organizer of this session, please refrain from directing additional questions about this event to TSDS. We are merely participants, and all the information we have is provided here.

Google Maps: Mash Records
TSDS Calendar

Let’s lindyhop on the street to live jazz performances in Ikebukuro

The schedule for the 2025 Ikebukuro Living Loop, a free outdoor event, is as follows. Highly skilled professional swing bands will perform on the streets in Ikebukuro, so let’s all go dance the Lindy Hop together. The event will also feature food and drink stalls set up along the streets. The bands’ performance times will likely be announced just before each scheduled date. Especially on November 1, 2, and 3, you can dance for three consecutive days, and with various jazz festivals happening on other weekends that month, November is set to be Tokyo’s most exciting swing month for lindyhoppers!
  • April 5 (Saturday)
  • May 3 (Saturday)
  • June 7 (Saturday)
  • November 1 (Saturday)
  • November 2 (Saturday)
  • November 3 (Saturday)

続きを読む Let’s lindyhop on the street to live jazz performances in Ikebukuro

Lindy In The Park

Jazz Auditoria at Waterras, Tokyo
April 26th, 2026

Several jazz bands will perform at this free outdoor jazz festival, but the only one playing our kind of music is the “Meiji University Big Sounds Society Orchestra.” There’s nothing danceable from the Blue Note Tokyo Orchestra’s performance. The Meiji University Big Band should perform sometime on Saturday, the 26th, so let’s all go dance the Lindy then. The schedule should be announced around mid-May. Note that TSDS is not the organizer of this event, so we cannot answer questions about the event itself. We will post details here regarding the time we will go dancing and how to meet up just before the event.

Ikebukuro Jazz Festival 2025

Let’s go to dance to the Ikebukuro Jazz Festival which will take place on May 17th and 18th, 2025. Over 200 jazz bands will perform around the Global Ring Theatre near the west and south exits of Ikebukuro station.

The bands that performed at this jazz event last year and were suitable for Lindy Hop dancing:

Minato Jazz Club
Pinot Gris
Tokyo Galaxy Jazz Orchestra
Pepoyo Band

祝成人式！

今年、成人式を迎える方々に、TSDSからのお祝いとして、クラスレッスンの料金を大幅に割引くクーポンを差し上げます。この機会に是非、リンディホップを始めてみませんか？

  • 今年、令和7年に20歳になる方が対象ですが、お友達と共に参加する場合はその方も割引の対象になります。１グループは本人を含めて最大４人までです。
  • 通常3,500円が2,000円になります。
  • 20歳になる方は当日、運転免許証が学生証などの年齢が確認できるIDをご持参くだい。
  • 対象になるのは 令和７年1月に開催される全クラスです。日程はカレンダーで確認できます。
  • 前日までの事前予約が必要です。こちらからどうぞ。なおメッセージの中に、この特別クーポンを利用する旨を記載してください。

To celebrate those who are coming of age this year, TSDS is offering a special coupon that provides a significant discount on class lessons. Why not take this opportunity to start Lindy Hop?

This offer is available to those turning 20 years old this year, but if you attend with a friend, they will also be eligible for the discount. A group can include up to four people, including the individual turning 20.
This offer applies to all classes held in January 2025. Please check the schedule on the calendar. The usual fee of 3,500 yen will be reduced to 2,000 yen.

Those turning 20 must bring an ID that verifies their age, such as a driver’s license or student ID, on the day of the class.

Advance reservations are required by the day before. Please book here.
Be sure to mention in your message that you would like to use this special coupon.

After Reading This Article, A Reflection on Lindy Hop’s History in Japan

After Reading This Article: A Reflection on Lindy Hop’s History in Japan

What a delightful and insightful article by Shigeru Inatomi! It was both captivating and informative, offering a fresh perspective on aspects of swing dancing I hadn’t known or had forgotten. I was surprised to learn, for example, that only three months had passed from Hiro’s first swing dance experience to Frankie Manning’s visit to Japan. It’s truly remarkable how much progress one can make in such a short time—an inspiring example of passion and dedication!

Inatomi’s article is exceptionally well-written, providing valuable insights into Lindy Hop and the efforts he has made to nurture its growth in Tokyo. His contributions to the local swing dance community are clearly evident, and it’s wonderful to see how the scene has flourished under his guidance. I’m so glad I had the opportunity to read this piece.

Written by Cynthia R. Millman
Co-author with Frankie Manning of Frankie Manning: Ambassador of Lindy Hop
Temple University Press, 2007


Frankie Manning: Ambassador of Lindy Hop, Temple University Press, 2007


Cynthia Millman with Masahisa Segawa in Tokyo in 2013

これは稲富滋氏による、洞察力に満ちた素晴らしい記事です！

とても魅力的で、情報も豊富で、スウィングダンスに関して私が知らなかった、あるいは忘れていた側面について、新たな視点を提供してくれました。たとえば、Hiro がスウィングダンスを始めてからフランキー・マニングが日本を訪れるまで、わずか3ヶ月しか経っていなかったことを知り、驚きました。短期間でこれほどの進展を遂げるなんて、本当に素晴らしいことです。情熱と献身の素晴らしい例ですね！

稲富氏の記事は非常に良く書かれており、リンディホップに関する貴重な洞察を提供しています。また、東京でその成長を育んできた彼の努力もよく伝わってきます。彼の地域のスウィングダンスコミュニティへの貢献は明らかであり、彼の指導のもとでシーンがどれほど繁栄したかを見るのは素晴らしいことです。この記事を読むことができて本当に良かったです。

The Count Basie Orchestra at Blue Note Tokyo
December 8th, 2024
Written by Hiro Yamada, Tokyo Swing Dance Society

Today, I attended two events featuring the Count Basie Orchestra at Blue Note Tokyo: a daytime band clinic and an evening concert, along with swing dancers and musicians.

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