Dancing in London: getting the best value for money – archive, August 1929

30 August 1929: The most interesting dances are at the cheap places where people are not always thinking what they look like

Only millionaires can afford to make experiments in London in search of the perfect dance, and I do not think many millionaires go in for the pastime. The average visitor, glancing at the papers for some hint of an interesting evening, will be thoroughly bewildered at the list of some score dance resorts at his disposal. It is staggering to think that a party of four, determined to enjoy themselves by jazz and cabaret, can spend in a single evening sufficient to keep a working man in clover for about two months. This sociological reflection need not deter the visitor from getting the best value for his money.

The most interesting dances are at the cheap places, where people are not always thinking what they look like. Perhaps you get better value for the money at the dance of democrats than at the dance of snobs, since two people can enjoy an entire evening with a good band and a good floor for about 10 shillings. I will not catalogue these centres. One or two of them are unashamedly in the middle of the very exclusive ballrooms near Piccadilly. The others – and they are some of the best – are in the suburbs. You will see them in the entertainment lists, jostling for room against the whist drives.

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