A friend of mine recently asked me to find out about some lesbian-oriented parties in Seattle. These appear to be the three biggies with DJs: Girl4Girl is the third Saturday of every month at... More

A friend of mine recently asked me to find out about some lesbian-oriented parties in Seattle. These appear to be the three biggies with DJs: Girl4Girl is the third Saturday of every month at the Premier Club. Cherry at The War Room is the second Friday of every month. Pandora's box at the Re-bar is the last Saturday of every month. I just realized that none of these are happening this weekend. Maybe you should try the Wild Rose. Since I have not actually been to these, I can't really recommend any particular place or party over another. Enjoy the weekend.
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Here's another blog entry I wrote after I checked out a cool weekly hip-hop dancing event at The War Room. It made it more special knowing some of the dancers, but even if you didn't you'd have a... More

Here's another blog entry I wrote after I checked out a cool weekly hip-hop dancing event at The War Room. It made it more special knowing some of the dancers, but even if you didn't you'd have a lot of fun. The DJs arrange music in ways that make you go hmmmmm... Last night I had the distinct pleasure of witnessing some of Seattle's most talented dancers from all genres. The setting was The War Room on Capitol Hill, a sparsely decorated club featuring the work of Obey founder Shepard Fairey. The anticipation was high for me because I've never been to a dance off and as I met up with counter-cohorts Grace and Bryce I had to calm myself down--telling myself I was cool enough to be in this club with these trendsetters. It wasn't long before I felt comfortable because there were dancers and revelers of all makes and models. Some were your traditional dancer fare and others were dressed like they were going to the ballet or even to church. The sanctuary was a concrete dance floor with steps for pews. Onlookers gathered around a circle, some hung back in the seats surrounding the scene. Mostly at the beginning regular dancers were preparing themselves and warming up for friendly competition. I noticed no one was sporting attitudes especially when a few dancers took the floor who looked nothing like the part. There was this dancer who sported a baseball cap, pleated chinos, and a polo. You could call his look business casual with a dancer twist. It was extremely apparent that he lived and breathed the music and movement because every 3-4 minutes he'd enter the circle like he'd planned it all week long. The event is held every Monday night sponsored by Soul City Seattle and featuring various dancers from different crews such as Fraggle Rock. Most notable for fashion was this dancer with a plaid blazer and button up vest underneath. He rocked wing tipped shoes and a hat to match. His style was whacky, but he felt the beat. Women represented huge, which was proved by a main bout between a female dancer representing Fraggle Rock and a male dancer representing (I'm not sure). The battles resemble Capoeira-esque moves. The quarter finals featured 5 rounds of dance challenge. Nothing was for show besides the dancing. Everyone had a good attitude and you could tell people were there for the experience and the music not necessarily the drinks. In fact I barely saw anyone with a drink in their hand, oh there were some for sure, but most of the dancers who wanted a piece of the circle were dedicated to the rhythm. A few people looked really high, but I couldn't know for sure. Probably the most striking thing was that some of these dancers you'd see around Seattle on the street and you'd never think they mixed moves on a cement floor. As for me I hung back on the fringes of the dance felonies being committed and watched with my jaw on the floor at long intervals. I took the whole scene in a noticed how everyone seemed to be friends, but not necessarily knowing each other before last night. I think that each one there could identify with a dancer on the floor and that indentification led to introduction. My favorite dancer of the night was a tall, skinny white guy with some dickies shorts on, black shirt, and black baseball cap on. He rocked retro Air Maxes and despite his skyscraper frame he broke ground in front of captivated onlookers for his birthday celebration. He went 5-7 rounds challenging dancers from all ends of the room. I wouldn't say he was the stand out winner, but most importantly was that he was out there showcasing his skills to a cheering audience. We arrived at 10:40 pm and left around 1:40 pm. It was a solid night at a solid club with a solid DJ. I wasn't expecting such a skill on the turntables. Most everyone considers themselves a "DJ", but few understand what that means. A DJ must understand the crowd and feel the energy from the varied mix out in front of their. Without intimate knowledge of music, rythm, pattern, structure, and BASS a DJ fails to meet the demands of their audience. Quite possible the greatest thing a DJ can do is catch their audience off guard; to make them ask, "Did I just hear that transition?" The best part of a DJ's set is realizing that each beat and transition is planned well in advance and comes together specifically for that event only. No two sets would be the same. Although a set is well planned it is also strangely improvised at precisely the right time where your desire to dance and the "perfect" beat collide to dissolve your inhibitions. A little movement of the shoulder, a twitch of the hip and before you know it you're in the circle. I didn't enter the circle last night and probably never will, but I'm assured in knowing that even if I had I'd be warmly welcomed despite my size, color, fashion, or dance style. In the circle you're graded on how well you execute your steps, but also applauded for how well you "entertain" your audience. Entertainment can be cheap or expensive, but on Monday nights at The War Room it's worth every penny regardless the value placed on the experience. More info below: http://www.soulcityseattle.com/mainFrame1.html http://www.thewarroomseattle.com/
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I've been here a few times since all my friends seem to keep going here. I can't understand it. In nice weather when the balcony is open, I like, but apart from that? The dance floor is too oddly... More

I've been here a few times since all my friends seem to keep going here. I can't understand it. In nice weather when the balcony is open, I like, but apart from that? The dance floor is too oddly shaped to have fun on it, the stairway between it and the bar makes the place smaller than it is, the drinks are expensive, and the pat-down makes me feel like a criminal. And the crowd is definitely more under 25s.
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There's something bizarrely popmous about a business named the War Room that uses the tagline "Peace is our Profession". They almost always have a cover and it's generally pretty congested with... More

There's something bizarrely popmous about a business named the War Room that uses the tagline "Peace is our Profession". They almost always have a cover and it's generally pretty congested with people too hip for their own good. That said, it's actually a pretty fun place to go dancing. I haven't been often (again...the cover) but had a good experience. The have an open access roof top for when it's too crowded and fairly large dance floor with an eclectic mirage of politcal leaders and dictators to watch over you. Nothing too amazing, but better than some of it's other capitol hill contemporaries.
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I've been here a one time with some buddies, but it's been a while though. It's your typical night club and the age group tends to be younger. It seems like it's mostly college students or recent... More

I've been here a one time with some buddies, but it's been a while though. It's your typical night club and the age group tends to be younger. It seems like it's mostly college students or recent college grads. I haven't been back, but at the same time I'm not a big clubber. From what I remember it was busy, but not too crowded to the point you couldn't get a drink. There were a lot of women, which is good, but I was also there for some girl's birthday party so she had all her friends with her. They had a dance floor and they were playing hip-hop (weekend). From what I remember, there cover was a little more expensive than most places, but that's expected from a newer night club. I don't have anything great to say about it, nor bad. If you go, let me know if there were a lot of women there. I might just go back.
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The layout is incredibly terrible: a big staircase separating the bar and dance floor. The bathrooms are too small, the drinks are expensive, cover is usually as well, and they pat you down at the... More

The layout is incredibly terrible: a big staircase separating the bar and dance floor. The bathrooms are too small, the drinks are expensive, cover is usually as well, and they pat you down at the door. Except for the roof deck, I don't understand why this place is popular at all.
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As a member of the asian community, I'd have to say that War Room is officially the next Artistos. I've been there several times and every time the place is packed with a ton of asians. Don't get me... More

As a member of the asian community, I'd have to say that War Room is officially the next Artistos. I've been there several times and every time the place is packed with a ton of asians. Don't get me wrong, I love my asian brothas and sistas - heck, I went to school in white center and grew up in Burien, but if you want to see a good mix of people, War Room is not the place to be. But if you want to run into people you grew up with, I'd say go early and avoid the high cover fee. Oh, and it gets CROWDED! The place can be overwhelming with heat because of the amount of people packed in there. Don't go if you don't want people to step on your shoes.
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