Dance night «A Vietnamese Dance Affair» at Blake's House of Jazz

   At Blake's people usually take a seat, sip their whisky and listen. This Sunday the chair is only a pause: the dark wooden floor of the Old Quarter jazz club turns into a dance floor in the spirit of Vietnamese dance halls of decades past, with a live band playing swing, blues and well-loved Vietnamese standards. You do not need to know how to dance, because the first hour is a beginners' class.

   The evening opens at 8 pm with a taster class, a short introduction led by an instructor and open to complete beginners; from 9 pm it is social dance with the full band: two vocals, piano, guitar, bass and drums. According to the night's poster, owner Blake hosts, Nguyệt Hà sings, with Nam Sol on guitar, Trần Ngọc on piano, Tuấn Lương on bass and Quốc Hưng on drums.

   At a glance:
— music: Vietnamese popular classics, swing, blues and social-dance rhythms
— dress code: áo dài, vintage tailoring, dancing shoes, whatever makes you want to step straight onto the floor
— seating and floor space are limited, and the club takes table reservations by direct message

   The night is for anyone who has heard stories about the old dance halls and never had the chance to try, for couples after something other than coffee and cinema, and for total beginners, which is exactly why the taster class exists. One «xin mời khiêu vũ», may I have this dance, is enough to close the distance between friends and strangers.

   Blake's House of Jazz opened in 2022 on the second floor of a house on Nguyễn Hữu Huân street, a few blocks from Hoàn Kiếm Lake, and plays jazz from Thursday to Sunday; a dance night is a rare format the club builds specially.

   Pick your best áo dài and message the club to hold a table.