Local dancers, Cid & Megan social dancing at Chico Dance Sensation 2006 Chico has a vibrant ballroom dancing scene, due partially to high interest among the student population and perpetuated by local dance studios and entertainment venues who continue to support dance in the Chico community.

Ballroom dancing in the Chico area features mainly social ballroom as opposed to the competition-style international standard style of dancing. The dance styles that one may experience in the social dance scene may include: Waltz, Fox Trot, Tango, Cha Cha, Salsa, Rhumba, Night Club Two Step, New York Street Hustle, East Coast Swing, Lindy hop, West Coast Swing, Blues, and more! The Chico dance scene has gone through many phases of popular dances—from Swing and Lindy Hop in the 90's, closely followed by New York Street Hustle and Night Club Two Step, to the most recent—West Coast Swing. No matter what dance is the current favorite, one thing's for certain...dancers of all ages and abilities are always welcome to join in on the fun, learn new skills, and will find a very welcoming atmosphere of seasoned locals who love to help everyone to have a great time and always invite their friends to join so that the dance scene will perpetually continue for years to come!

A more complete listing of dance venues and events may be found at here.

Beginning dancers and dancers of all skill levels are welcome to join many Chico community dance classes like the weekly classes featured at the Chico Women's Club (592 East 3rd Street in downtown Chico on the corner of 3rd and Pine Streets). Every Monday night there is a Ballroom dance class from 6-7:30pm followed by a Swing dance class from 7:30-9pm. No partner is required to attend at this venue featuring a large wood dance floor in the heart of downtown Chico by the park! Private dance instruction for special events, school classroom instruction, and wedding dance lessons are also available by appointment—(530) 514-9347 or <[email protected]>. Dancers competing at Chico Dance Sensation 2009

There are weekly dance opportunities for social ballroom as well as Salsa dancing Tuesday nights at AMF Orchard Lanes (family-friendly classes are $5 and go from 7:00pm-9:00pm, with dancing starting at 9:00pm). Every Tuesday evening at the CARD center there is a Senior's dance that is open to the public with all styles of ballroom and Latin music played by a small live band for a reasonable price. (Contact the CARD office for times and cost.) There are also bi-monthly dances featured at Studio One featuring a DJ'd mix of ballroom, latin, and swing styles. (Contact 'Studio One' for times, cost, and other dance classes.)

Country Swing is also featured in the Chico dance community on a smaller scale, and is more often found at senior citizen dances, country western concerts, in the Paradise and Oroville dance scenes, The Tacklebox, and in downtown Chico at the Crazy Horse Saloon where they sometimes offer Country swing lessons as well as line dance lessons—yee ha! (Contact the Crazy Horse for times & cost.)

In Chico's more recent dance history, West coast swing has achieved particular popularity with the student population; and at least one CSUC student going on to compete nationally, Nicholas King, who is invited back to his alma mater annually to provide dance instructional workshops and private lessons for dancers of all skill levels. Studio One Ballroom has a West Coast Swing dance and lesson every Thursday at 8pm.

There was an annual West Coast swing dance convention in early December called 'Chico Dance Sensation' attended by local dancers and dancers from surrounding states as well as the featured dance pro's! This popular event has moved to Sacramento and is now called 'The After Party'. There are 3.5 days of dance instruction, dance competitions, exhibitions, and many hours of social dancing opportunities to practice what you've learned, network with other dancers, and if you're lucky you may dance with the pro's who are the event's instructors and competition judges! :)

Studio One Ballroom puts on a  Ballroom/Swing/Latin/Line dance fest at Gold Country Casino in Oroville. This newer event allows dancers to take workshops from a wide variety of dance styles(even belly dance!) and meet people from outside their usual dance scenes.  This event takes place in late March.

The student population as well as the local dance community frequent lessons, workshops and special events hosted by the Chico State Ballroom Dance Club. They offer 1-hour lessons paired with dances that usually last until midnight. No partner is required to attend these events, and all ages are welcome. Although these dances are student-run, the community is invited and encouraged to attend and it is not unusual to see a cross-section of ages. The pre-dance lessons are usually $2 on top of the $3-5 fee for the dance itself. A full calendar of the C.S.U.C. B.D.C. events can be found here.

A great group of ballroom dancers. Ballroom dance instruction at Chico State University is offered Monday through Thursday evenings each semester, and at Butte College on the main campus Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings from 8:00 to 9:00, and Tuesday evenings 8:00 to 10:00 in Chico and the Chico Sports Club. These classes are great to get an introduction to ballroom and to network with other local dancers who will inspire you to continue dancing as much as possible to improve your skills! You may enroll in the ballroom dance classes through the college and drop-in's are not allowed due to liability. Special thanks to Dr. Patricia Smiley for continuing to promote Ballroom dance at Chico State and the local dance community. Also, an honorable mention to acknowledge one of Chico's most loved dance instructors, Chante Turnbow, who inspired hundreds of dancers from Chico State and produced many of the Chico dance scene's local dance instructors including and Nicole Lucente and Nate Tomei, dance enthusiasts such as Harley Wettemann & Erik Boggess, and competitors that include Nick King, Shauna Grigsby, and Dora (Chavez) Henderson.

In neighboring Paradise, ballroom dance lessons are available to all ages through Paradise Dancers (1010 Elliott Rd.), a small local (non-profit) business run by instructor, Don Wolheim. Low-cost and scholarship-funded free classes are available afternoons to high-school students, and begin twice a year in the spring and the fall with performance opportunities. This ballroom program featured the international stand style of ballroom dance. (Contact Don to inquire about adults classes, costs, and their dance group's performance schedule.)

Finally, I would like to add that the Chico ballroom dance scene is an welcoming and inclusive crowd. Beginners, newbies, and those with "two-left-feet" are encouraged at all venues with equal enthusiasm to come, to dance, and to have fun; to mix some new blood into the old scene. The motto I've heard repeated here by veteran dancers and instructors alike is, "There are no wrong moves, only new ones." This open-minded outlook seems to be the philosophy of the scene as a whole.

See Entertainment and Night Life for more great activities.