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Last updated 3:05AM ET
May 26, 2012
KPLU Local News
KPLU Local News
Artscape: Dance Halls on Upswing in Down Economy
John Maynard (2010-04-25)
SEATTLE, WA (KPLU) - Dance halls have been around since the early years of the 20th century. Discos and nightclubs have given them plenty of competition, but dance halls have never gone away. In fact, "no frills" places like Sonny Newman's in Seattle are doing really well. Rents are stable and there's little threat of developers tearing these modest buildings down. But that may not last forever.

I've driven past Sonny Newman's a million times and never noticed it. But standing on the sidewalk on a Saturday night at 10 o'clock, you can tell something is going on up on the second floor by the colored floods that leach out into the darkness at 85th and Greenwood.

When I met Sonny Newman, I asked him how he got involved in this business. He told me that he followed a girl he had fallen in love with into a dance hall in 1949, and after that he was hooked.

"Dance halls evolved from granges which are known for their down home rustic feel. The fancier dance halls are called ballrooms. I can remember there used to be 30 in Seattle," said Newman

Sonny Newman
Although there are far fewer halls now, those that are still around are super popular. But they may be on their way out due to modern development.

I talked with Craig Swanson, owner of the building where Sonny Newman's is located and he assured me he's not in a big hurry to tear the building down. But Swanson also said: "It's all economically driven. If more people move into the area and vacancy rates drop, there would be more value in condos and retail as opposed to a dance hall."

Sonny reacts with a shrug. "There are some of us who just have to dance. We gave up on trying to get rich a long time ago," he said.

I talked to a colorful couple at Sonny Newman's who were out for a Saturday night. The woman waxed lyrical about the Tango. "Tango has changed my life. Tango demands something of you," she said. Her husband added: "My wife and I Salsa one night, Hustle one night, Tango, West Coast Swing, Foxtrot. We do all kinds of dances!"

Band at Sonny Newman's
I asked them if they fear the wrecking ball and the husband answered: "People will always want to dance. They'll find a way. Give them a space and a floor and they will always come to dance. There's no problem there."

At Seattle's Century Ballroom, any Saturday night has the joint jumpin'. Those who run dance halls know what to play. What the dancers love. What brings in a crowd. To observe a sea of tango dancers is like watching a scene from an old Humphrey Bogart movie. It's mesmerizing. Whether you're sitting in the balcony having a cocktail at the Century Ballroom, or taking the old wooden steps up to the hidden back door at Sonny Newman's, you're truly transported to another time .another place.

Century Ballroom
And then there are dance classes that skew to a younger demographic. College kids in their 20's. They also like to Tango and Salsa. These are the kids that will bring dancing into the next generation.

So, there is no big hurry to tear these buildings down, but at some point it's bound to happen. Swanson, the Greenwood building owner adds: "The better the economy, the more likely these old dance halls will be converted into condos and retail. That's the vision."



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