What to Know
- Dance DTLA at The Music Center
- The free outdoor dance party shimmies over several select Friday nights beginning on June 23
- Salsa, West African Dance, Disco, and Bollywood-themed evenings are on the schedule; arrive early to pick up steps and tips from on-site instructors
Any serious student of the classic '80s-era music video is familiar with an especially joyful, world-embracing genre, the one that finds a performer or band prancing around the planet, stopping in various iconic locales to shimmy, shake, and sway.
Dancing around the globe outside of a slick short is rather trickier, given our day-to-day duties, but a venerable summertime series gives us the chance to do so, one Friday night at a time.
It's Dance DTLA, the free Music Center celebration. And we really do truly mean "celebration": The warm-weather party, which is vine-stepping, vivaciously, into its 19th season, is simply about dancing among other Southern Californians on an open-air plaza as live DJ tunes summon scintillating sounds.
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Those sounds in 2023 will truly span our dancing planet, with nights devoted to Hip Hop, Samba, Reggaeton, and Afro-Cuban Rumba & Cuban Rumbas all adding ebullience to the rich roster of fun.
As always, revelers are invited to give the steps they're trying out a bit of a run-through before the whole starry shebang gets going, so do arrive early if you want to walk through some of the twists and turns you intend to try. Instructors will lead guests through some basic moves each Friday, so worry not if you've never tried your hand (or body, rather) at the dances represented by the evening's theme.
And oh yes: While many people do arrive with friends or partners, solo swayers are more than welcome.
The Scene
Want to find new things to do in Los Angeles? The Scene's lifestyle stories have you covered. Here's your go-to source on where the fun is across SoCal and for the weekend.
Adding to the feel-good, summer-easy vibe? Photo booths, art stations, and places to purchase bites and beverages will delightfully and deliciously dot the capacious cultural landmark.
No reservation is necessary, and your nearest Metro stop is just a short stroll — or spin/strut, if you prefer — away.
