The Breakaway - Swing Dancing in Oakland

The Breakaway is a weekly swing dance venue held every Thursday at the Lake Merritt Dance Center in Oakland, a major event for the East Bay. The dance party runs from 8PM to 10PM (or 10:30PM on live music nights), with a free beginner lesson included with entry. Progressive lessons start earlier at 7PM. The entrance fee is $10 on DJ nights and $20 on live band nights, which typically occur on the last Thursday of the month. The venue is a spacious, clean, and nicely decorated ballroom with beautiful, huge hardwood floors of near-perfect quality and swing times-appropriate Art Deco interiors. It is a great, inclusive, and fun community for jazz dancers, welcoming true beginners and seasoned dancers alike, with over 100 friendly people in attendance. On DJ nights, there are noticeably more follows than leads, with the crowd consisting of many intermediate dancers. Parking is not a problem in the connected lots or on the street, though entering the lot requires circling the block clockwise. The building entrance is on the Bay Place side, and the dance is upstairs. Water is not allowed on the dance floor, but a fountain is available nearby. Masks are required.