I recently went to a Traffic Jam! Swing lesson and dance and I was completely impressed. This recurring dance is held at Forteza Fitness in Chicago. The atmosphere of the venue, community, and quality of this event makes it a must for Milwaukee stompers who don’t mind going to bed at 2:00 AM.

About the group

The non-profit group  – Traffic Jam! Swing – started in 2016 in effort to host a regional weekend swing workshop and dance event (which is the Second City Swingout). Turns out hosting events in Chicago is pricey and the team needed a way to raise funds ahead of time. Thus, the recurring Traffic Jam! dance event was created. This group has grown to now providing progressive classes along with the dances and the yearly Second City Swingout.

About the venue

Parking is ridiculously easy and free.

Masking with a quality mask is required and well adhered to by the crowd.

Water is provided, but this is a BYOB event space. People in the crowd did bring canned alcohol beverages and I didn’t see anyone bring bottles or wine. Perhaps there is an unspoken rule against glass containers.

For summer months, do not wear pants and (for us sweaty people) bring extra shirts. They have large doors that open and the place cools nicely when the sun sets. But 100 dancers in a room generates the kind of radiating heat that causes you to sweat even when sitting.

The dance floor is really nice finished laminate wood and…it’s clean! The benefit of this space not being a bar is that the floor isn’t sticky. This may be the best floor I’ve danced on.

More info

Check out Traffic Jam! Swing

Go to the Milwaukee Stomp event calendar to know when and where to dance.