Where can I go to dance ballroom and Latin styles in Adelaide during the week?
Midweek Mingle at QuickSteps of Course!
Let’s look at how Midwife Mingle came about…
For the last four years, up until April 2025, Quicksteps has been running a free weekly Bachata night in the Baker Ballroom. We called it Bachata Practica. After running Bachata Practica for such a long time, we reviewed it. We were happy that we had built up the community we wanted and had achieved our objective of making Bachata a more prominent dance style in Adelaide. We had seen the community grow and witnessed the level of everybody’s Bachata improve greatly thanks to this event. In short, we felt it had done its job, and it was time for something fresh and new.
Enter Midweek Mingle. Midweek Mingle aims to provide South Australian dancers with a free event where they can come and enjoy each other’s company, be part of the dance community, and dance ballroom, Latin, and swing styles socially.
So what might you expect when you arrive at Midweek Mingle for the first time?
At 8:30 pm, our dance classes are just wrapping up, so you’ll see members pouring out of the Baker Ballroom and the QuickSteps Underground, teachers are finishing private lessons, and the bartenders are putting the finishing touches on the bar to make sure it’s ready at 8:31 pm! Rhys will grab the mic and make a couple of quick announcements, letting the community know about anything important. We then welcome everyone to Midweek Mingle, and the dancing begins!
The playlist has been carefully compiled to contain 2 to 3 songs for every dance style we offer. These styles are waltz, tango, foxtrot, Viennese Waltz, quicksteps, salsa, bachata, rumba, cha-cha, East Coast Swing, West Coast Swing, rock ‘n’ roll, and the occasional Hustle, Line Dance, Bolero, or Merengue.
How do we choose these songs?
Well, we started by taking requests, but that got very messy very quickly, so we came up with a new way to select the songs. There is a ‘request sheet’ on the front bar that members can add to. You need to put the title of the Song, the name of the artist, and what style you think it might be applicable for. We don’t play requested songs that same week, but we add them to the playlist for the following one. This helps us cater to regulars and balance the dance styles for the night. We then take this list of requests and make it the base for next week’s playlist. We then pick and choose and add to it as we need to, to ensure there are 2 to 3 of every style.
Can I dance with teacher teachers at Midweek Mingle?
Of course!
Midweek Mingle is for members to connect and dance, with teachers on hand to guide and get everyone moving.
Alex, Natalia Roi, Mirabella, Adriana, and Antonela are there to sweep you off your feet. Our incredible teachers dance all ballroom, Latin, and swing styles, so don’t be afraid to ask them for a dance. They love dancing with different people.
Once the playlist begins, the floor starts to fill, and you can feel the energy ramping up. Rhys turns on the coloured party lights as the vibe lifts. Members grab a drink, have a chat, and start filling the dance floor. And just like that, we dance for an hour and a half completely for free every single Wednesday night.
If you’d like to come along but have not danced before, you have a couple of different options;
- You just turn up and introduce yourself at the bar and see what it’s all about.
- You can book in for one of our free classes to give it a try and learn a few moves before the event.
- For one-on-one tuition, you could book an ‘Intro’. This is a free private lesson and planning session with one of our tea members. They’ll set a plan with you for your dancing and help to map out future classes.
In closing, we’re very proud of this free, weekly dance event we’ve developed and look forward to seeing you there next Wednesday. Let’s dance!
