Mobtown Ballroom – Baltimore Magazine

Into the Groove: Baltimore’s Vibrant Dance Scene in Photos

Aaron Hope — Wed, 19 Feb 2025 15:00:57 +0000

Arts & Culture

Febuary 2025

ONE NIGHT back in 2015, I was walking home from work when I heard a hum coming from the corner of Ann and Fleet streets. I poked my head inside the brick building, the American Legion, Post Number 95, and found the small room packed with a five-piece band and several dozen dancers of all ages, swinging and spinning and dipping in time with the music’s swift tempo, as they did most Wednesdays.

The sight was mesmerizing, as if I had stumbled upon a secret society and, in many ways, I had. After all, one doesn’t usually think of the mid-aughts as one of America’s iconic dance eras—we tend to think of 1920s swing, 1970s disco, or even the techno, house, and Baltimore Club waves of the 1990s, when it was a part of everyday life.

And yet there in Fells Point, in the early 21st century, both stresses and smartphones were cast aside to partake in this deeply human pastime. A moment of uninhibited movement. Of rug-cutting abandon. Of connection and community. And for a brief spin, even bliss.

Undoubtedly, we could all use a bit of those feelings as we brave the ongoing winter and weather this new year. And luckily, as that fateful weeknight foreshadowed, it turns out that this city is full of dancing. On any given evening, Baltimoreans are two-stepping, lindy-hopping, crazy-legging, and moshpitting their way around town at a range of recurring dance nights, dance parties, and even dance classes.

And anyone can join them. As Alex Lacquement, host of the monthly Baltimore Honky-Tonk once told us, “I always tell people, if you can move your feet back and forth, and if you’re having fun, you’re dancing,”

Below, turn up the volume on our playlist—curated by Version DJ Kotic Couture—and feel the rhythm of the local scene. Then, whether you’ve got minimal skills or serious moves, find your own way to one of these very dance floors, too. —LW

Above: Version, a monthly queer and trans dance party, at The Compound. Opener: From left, Rocking out to disco-punk at the Ottobar; the Deep Sugar house-music dance party with DJ Ultra Naté at Club 1722; Background: DJs and disco ball on weekends at The Royal Blue.

Above: Scenes from the Ottobar, which hosts myriad dance nights, including Metal Monday moshpits; Version DJ Kotic Couture; DJ Rob Macy spins during the monthly Save Your Soul vinyl dance party at Lithuanian Hall; Version; The Royal Blue; Deep Sugar; Dancing beneath the disco ball on a recent winter night at The Royal Blue.

Above: Scenes from the weekly Lindy Hop at Mobtown Ballroom, which starts with a lesson for beginners; Boot scooting during the monthly Baltimore Honky-Tonk at Waverly Brewing; Showing off swing moves at Mobtown; The dance floor at Lithuanian Hall.

Above: Indie Sleaze Night at the Ottobar; the stacks at Save Your Soul; into the groove at Deep Sugar, which takes place on the Lord Baltimore Hotel rooftop during the summer; on the ones and twos with vintage 45s at Save Your Soul; spinning at Save Your Soul.

Into the wee hours of the night.

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The Iconic Marble Bar is Being Revived Into a Community Cafe

Lauren Cohen — Mon, 03 Jun 2019 16:30:54 +0000

As a teenager living in Carroll County in the early ’80s, David Koslowski always dreamt about going to the Marble Bar beneath the old Congress Hotel on West Franklin Street. The local music veteran, now co-owner of record store cafe Baby’s on Fire in Mt. Vernon, remembers being an avid listener to WCVT—Towson’s indie-rock radio station that predated what is now WTMD.

“When they did the concert calendar you would hear of Talking Heads or Iggy Pop playing at the Marble Bar,” he says. “And I was like, ‘I gotta get to that place. That’s where my tribe is.’’’

Unfortunately, Koslowski just missed being old enough to get in. It was around that point that Maryland changed the legal drinking age, and by the time he turned 21, the storied subterranean music venue had already closed its doors. It wasn’t until last year, when the Baltimore Architecture Foundation hosted its annual Groundhog Day fundraiser in the long vacant space, that Koslowski finally got to experience the place he had envisioned going to for so many years as a high school kid.

For one night last February, former Marble Bar alums and architecture enthusiasts packed the basement venue to sip cocktails from W.C. Harlan while marveling at the original moldings and 72-foot namesake bar. The soundtrack for the evening was provided by indie-pop rockers Super City, along with a playlist spun by Koslowski—who featured acts (including local punk legends Reptile House and Thee Katatonix) that played at the bar in its heyday.

“It was a really fun mix of people,” says Kathleen Lane, executive director of the Baltimore Architecture Foundation. “Both people who remember being in the space, and architects who could almost help them see the importance of the details that are still intact in the building.”

The party was the first time the bar had been activated in more than 30 years. Even if only for a few hours, it gave nostalgic fans an opportunity to revisit the place that was once frequented by the likes of REM and The Psychedelic Furs. But now, the owners of Mobtown Ballroom in Pigtown have stepped in to spearhead a more permanent revival.

Come fall, owners Sarah Sullivan and Michael Seguin will debut a new iteration of the space. Their vision is for the Marble Bar, which will keep its name, to be a community cafe that features an all-day food menu with strong coffee and cocktail programs.

“We want it to be a spot that people can make their second home,” Sullivan says. “They can come in the morning to get coffee and a bagel and read the paper, or park themselves during the day to do their work. And then in the evening come in for a casual date or just to hang out in a comfortable, cool spot that is affordable—kind of like a European-style cafe.”

Although live music won’t necessarily be the focus of the new concept (Sullivan mentions possible piano showcases and smaller jazz trios), the owners are being thoughtful about honoring the history of the property in other ways, like showcasing old photographs and collecting stories from former regulars for new customers to read. Of course, they are also planning to preserve architectural details including the vintage moldings.

“I know what it’s like to have grown up in a place and then have it close, get knocked down, or be replaced with something new,” Sullivan says. “We really want it to be a monument to the people who used to spend all their time there.”

Built in 1903, The Congress Hotel complex—which included the downstairs bar and two theaters connected to the building by covered passageways—brought in big vaudeville acts like Charlie Chaplin, Will Rogers, and Eddie Cantor in its early years. The basement originally operated as a German rathskeller (aka a basement bar) before being reimagined into a home for emerging punk and new wave bands in the ’70s and ’80s.

“Everyone knows buildings through their own experiences and memories,” Lane says. “So the best kinds of adaptations and revivals are those that can retain a sense of that history, yet also create new opportunities for the future.”

Koslowski agrees, mentioning the trajectory of other historic arts spaces like the Club Charles: “Now it’s an icon of the city for the next generation,” he says.

As the Mobtown team begins restoration work, Zahlco Development—which owns the bar and Congress Apartments upstairs—is beginning to transform the historic Mayfair Theatre around the corner into a retail-and-residential property. There’s also talks of converting the outdoor area between the two buildings into a community hub with seating and a stage for open-air concerts in the summer. Ideally, the greenspace would boast a seperate entrance to the Marble Bar.

Sullivan says she’s most enthusiastic about the venue becoming a place where people from all backgrounds can come and interact with one another—a vibe similar to what she has established at Mobtown Ballroom.

“Watching what happens when the character of the space and the character of the people come together is really cool,” she says. “It’s this idea that the place is this thing that was once living and breathing on its own, and to reanimate that with the personalities of people today is really exciting.”

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Weekend Lineup: Feb. 12-14

Lydia Woolever — Thu, 11 Feb 2016 16:55:00 +0000

Five things to eat, drink, see, hear, and do with your Valentine’s weekend.

EAT

Feb.14: Mother’s Pajama Brunch

Mothers Grille, 1113 S. Charles St. 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Free. 410-244-8686. mothersgrille.com.

Ah, love is in the air, and so is the smell of breakfast this Sunday
with last night’s beer and this morning’s bacon wafting through the Federal
Hill air. Spend your Sunday Funday at Mother’s Grille with the boisterous bar’s
bi-annual pajama brunch. Come in your PJs—onesies highly encouraged—and get
half off your entire check, including some breakfast booze. With bacon, eggs
Bennys, and Bloody Marys, you’ll eat your heart out in no time.

DRINK

Feb. 12-14: Max’s Taphouse Belgian Beer Weekend

Max’s
Taphouse, 737 S. Broadway. 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Free. 410-675-6297. maxs.com.

Our best advice to you is: Arrive early. Because as soon as Max’s opens
its doors tomorrow, lines will wrap down the street for the bonanza that is the
annual Belgian Beer Fest. Now in its 12th year, the corner bar will once again
teem with local beer lovers for an A-Game gathering of rare and virtually
impossible-to-find bottles from across the Atlantic. They’ll be tapping some
100-plus drafts, carrying more than 250 bottles, and, best of all, there will
be a full Belgian-inspired food menu, so expect waffles, frites, and brats to
accompany your bier.

SEE

Feb. 13: Gilded Lily Burlesque’s Tassels & Champagne

Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern Ave. 7
& 10 p.m. $20-550. 410-276-1651. creativealliance.org.

Get in the mood
this weekend with the bawdy belles of Baltimore’s Gilded Lily Burlesque. This
year during their annual Valentine’s celebration, the titillating troupe
transports you to the red-hot rhythm-and-blues clubs of 1940s Chicago. That iconic
era will inspire the costumes, sets, and music of the evening. Think Muddy
Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Willie Dixon, Slim Harpo, Buddy Guy, Bo Diddley—to name a
few. So wear your best FDR-era garb, indulge in some bubbly, and let loose to
the moves of these hometown starlets with the rock-and-rolling sounds of Jonny
Grave and the Tombstones.

HEAR

Feb. 13: Valentine’s Day Dance Party: A Moveable Feast Benefit

Ottobar, 2549 N. Howard St. 8 p.m.-1 a.m. $10. 410-662-0069. theottobar.com.

For the third
year, spend your Valentine’s Eve at the Ottobar to benefit the great cause that
is Moveable Feast. Local musicians like electronic artist Dan Deacon, DJ James Nasty, futuristic R&B duo
Chiffon, and many more will show their support for the local effort to put
healthy food on the table for people in Maryland with AIDS, cancer, and other
life-threatening illnesses, already difficult in a city where 1 in 4 residents
lives in a food desert. Beyond that, it’s a perfect excuse to warm up on a
frigidly cold winter weekend.

DO

Feb. 12-14: Anti-Valentine’s Day

Mobtown’s Anti-Valentine’s Day Extravaganza: Mobtown Ballroom, 861 Washington Blvd. 8 p.m. Free. facebook.com. The Bitter Heart Club: Ware House 518, 518 N. Charles St. 9 p.m.-12 a.m. Free. 443-869-3381. drinkablegenius.com. Cupid is Stupid: Banditos Bar & Kitchen, 1118 S. Charles St. 12 p.m. Free. 443-835-1517. banditosbk.com. Galentine’s Day Dance Party: Sticky Rice, 1634 Aliceanna St. 10:30 p.m. Free. 443-682-8243. facebook.com. Galentine’s on Valentines: Church & Company, 3647 Falls Rd. 7 p.m. $7. 410-493-0441. churchandco.org.

Whether you hate Hallmark holidays, are a sentiment sourpuss, or find yourself single and ready to mingle, there are plenty of ways to buck the te amo trend this Valentine’s weekend. At Mobtown Ballroom, skip the packed bars and restaurants of Baltimore and instead bring a date or ride solo for a night of drinks and dancing in Pigtown. At the Bitter Heart Club, listen to angsty music like Alanis Morrisette and Joy Division, crush cocktails made with Charm City Meadworks, D.C.’s True Syrups, and try tiki-inspired concoctions like the “Tinder Special.” At Cupid is Stupid, drown your sorrows or imbibe with besties as the Fed Hill hangout will feature $5 bombs, tequila, beer, and discounted carafes of sangria and wine. At the Galentine’s Day Dance Party, gather your gals for all-night drink specials and music, while at Galentine’s on Valentine’s, you can head bang to all-female rock bands as they perform their indie dream-pop or dark punk sounds.

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Weekend Lineup: Dec. 11-13

Lydia Woolever — Fri, 11 Dec 2015 15:41:00 +0000

Five things to eat, drink, see, hear, and do with your Charm City weekend.

EAT

Dec. 11: Ryleigh’s Oyster Mt. Vernon Basement Grand Opening

Ryleigh’s Oyster Mount Vernon, 1225 Cathedral St. 6 p.m. Free. 410-539-2093. ryleighs.com.

It’s almost been a year since Ryleigh’s Oyster opened its third output in historic Mt. Vernon. Housed in the former Spike & Charlie’s space on Cathedral Street, across from the massive Meyerhoff, this fledgling corner shell shack offers the same delicious seafood and deadly Bloody Mary brunch as Brian McComas’s other haunts, but beats them out with a cozy, New England-style side bar of whitewashed walls and dark wooden accents. This weekend, they’re adding entertainment to the eatery with a new basement music venue and a celebratory whole hog roast to kick the whole thing off. Pig out on heritage pork by guest chef Patrick Morrow of Bluegrass Tavern and imbibe in $5 craft beers while you listen to the sounds of Baltimore-native-turned-Nashville-country-star Jenny Leigh and local southern rock duo Chesapeake Sons.

DRINK

Dec. 12: Mobtown Spirited Holiday Cocktail Workshop

Mobtown Ballroom, 861 Washington Blvd. 6-9 p.m. $50. 443-699-3040. mobtownballroom.com.

At Mobtown Ballroom, you can learn to swing dance, square dance—even belly dance—but this weekend, you can also learn how to mix a little tipple to go with your tango, at the all-new “Spirited” workshop series on craft cocktails and booze. At this beloved Pigtown dance hall, discover the ins and outs of an American classic, the Sazerac—whiskey, bitters, a sugar cube, a lemon peel, and an absinthe rinse—which was invented in New Orleans in the late 1800s and has been a bartender favorite ever since. With Mobtown’s master mixologist, Mel Bowdish, learn the history and construction of the cocktail, with sips, snacks, and a DIY kit for making your own drinks at home. Keep your eye out for more mixology workshops like this one in the future.

SEE

Dec. 12: Orioles FanFest

Baltimore Convention Center, 1 W. Pratt St. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. $6-12. 1-888-848-BIRD. baltimore.orioles.mlb.com.

Baseball season might be over (and jeez, can football season be over already, too?), but it’s once again time to don your orange and black and head to the much-anticipated, makeshift Birdland that is Orioles FanFest in the Inner Harbor. Earlier than usual this year, the Baltimore Convention Center will fill with thousands of fans, all filing in to meet current players and coaches, snag some autographs (don’t forget to bring your Buck gnome), and, hopefully, experience the highly anticipated Adam Jones pie-facing. Stick around for adorable question-and-answer sessions—“What’s your favorite color?”—tours of the clubhouse, and to take home some memorabilia that will tide you over ’til spring.

HEAR

Dec. 12: Nico Sarbanes & Antonio Hart

An die Musik Live, 409 N. Charles St. 8 & 9:30 p.m. $10-23. 410-385-2638. andiemusiklive.com.

We don’t know about you, but the merry month of December has us feeling extra jazzy this year. Whether you’re in the spirit or need a dose of festive feels, swing by Mt. Vernon’s cozy An die Musik club on Saturday night for two sets of “Baltimore Jazz Heroes.” Here, on the little hallowed stage, local jazz musician Nico Sarbanes will perform with Antonio Hart as part of a new concert series that celebrates our city’s vibrant jazz community, which is rooted in rich history. Hart, a local alto saxophonist who draws inspiration from legends of eras past, has played with such greats as the Dizzy Gillespie Big Band and was once signed to RCA Records. Sarbanes, a young professionally trained artist is one of the city’s most talented (and under-the-radar) performers, playing plays a mean trumpet and confidently cooing the influential vocal stylings of the Great American Songbook. Hear them both this weekend, with Todd Simon on piano, Howard Franklin Jr. on drums, and Ethan Philion on bass.

DO

Dec. 12: Charm City Craft Mafia Holiday Heap

St. John’s Church, 2640 St. Paul St. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Free. charmcitycraftmafia.com.

If you’re anything like us, you’re running late and haven’t bought any of your holiday presents. But it’s getting down to the wire, and this weekend, there are a slew of pop-up shops for you to buy your loved ones some local goods. You can hit up Maryland Art Place’s Under $500, Post Typography’s Print Sale, or Current Space Art Market, to name a few. But the big kahuna of gift-giving is Charm City Craft Mafia’s ninth annual Holiday Heap. This Saturday at St. John’s Church in Charles Village, shop dozens of DIY treasures from throughout the region, including favorites like Baltimore papercuts by Annie Howe, spiced nuts by Kinderhook Snacks, leather goods by Almanac Industries, and beautiful prints by Boxerbow Press. On the way out, be sure to grab a slice of handmade deliciousness from PieCycle’s treat-toting trike.

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Weekend Lineup: Jan. 9-11

Lydia Woolever — Thu, 08 Jan 2015 14:27:00 +0000

Five things to eat, drink, see, hear, and do with your Charm City weekend.

EAT

Jan. 9-24: Baltimore County Restaurant Week

Various locations, lunch and dinner time, discounted prices. baltimorecountyrestaurantweek.com

Maybe your New Year’s resolution was to cook more, eat better, or go to the gym after work every night, but we have a better idea. This year, you should live a little. Eat well. Drink well. Be the bon vivant of your very own life. Get started this weekend with the kickoff of Baltimore County Restaurant Week, which features multi-course lunches and dinners at awesome area restaurants on a dime. Indulge in the breadbasket at Cunningham’s, treat yourself to the fried oysters at Linwoods—it’s that time of year—and, while you’re at it, try the oyster-and-beef-carpaccio pho at Ryleigh’s in Hunt Valley. We have no idea what that last one will be like, but it’s a new year: dig in.

DRINK

Jan. 9-10: Baltimore Ravens vs. New England Patriots

Various locations, then Saturday, 4:35 p.m. on NBC. baltimoreravens.com

As the Ravens take on the Patsies this weekend, Baltimore is bleeding purple with playoff parties, flock festivities, and bar specials all over the city, county, and beyond. Starting at 6 a.m. on Friday, 98 Rock and the Ravens will be teaming up for a Purple Friday Fuel Up at Hightopps Backstage Grille in Timonium with free breakfast, cheap beers, the team cheerleaders, and our good, ole mascot, Poe. Come Saturday afternoon—wherever you are—get out of the house and cheer on our boys as they outwit Spygate Belichick, cover Gronk like white on rice, and name the winner of the ultimate battle: Suggs vs. Uggs.

SEE

Jan. 10: Mo’Nique

The Hippodrome Theatre at the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center, 12 N. Eutaw St. 8 p.m. $42.50-62.50. 410-837-7400. france-merrickpac.com

You likely know this comedic diva from one of her many loud-mouthed movie, TV, and comedy special roles, or, more recently, from the Oscars, where she won Best Supporting Actress for 2009’s Precious. What you might not know is that she’s a Baltimorean, born and bred, graduating from Milford Mill Academy high school, Morgan State University, and the Broadcasting Institute of Maryland, and cutting her chops at the Baltimore Comedy Factory. This Saturday, she returns home for a powerhouse night of standup.

HEAR

Jan. 10: Bosley

Lord Baltimore Hotel, 20 W. Baltimore St. 9:30 p.m.-12 a.m. $75. 855-539-1928. everymantheatre.org

Open hotel bar. Soul dance party. Dessert. Sold. Whether you’re attending Everyman Theatre’s Rhythm and Blues Ball or not, you can get down at their late-night afterparty in the historic Lord Baltimore Hotel, where local soul sensation, Bosley, will be tearing down the house. Celebrate the theater, support the local arts scene, and get inspired to check out one of their ambitious productions, if you haven’t already, like Deathtrap, which closes on Sunday.

DO

Jan. 10: 90s Hip-Hop R&B Dance Party

Mobtown Ballroom, 861 Washington Blvd. 9 p.m.-2 a.m. $7-10. 443-699-3040. mobtownballroom.com

The ’90s was a pretty amazing decade. There was Friends, Bill Clinton, The Big Lebowski, Nirvana, and then, there was hip-hop. Sure, hip-hop had been around for a while but the last years of the 20th century yielded some of its most major moments: Notorious B.I.G. Puff Daddy. Mase. Mary J. Hov. Montell Jordan released “This Is How We Do It.” Mack Morrison came out with “Return of the Mack.” This Saturday, the inaugural VNSMOL dance party celebrates the era’s hottest jams at Mobtown Ballroom, with local DJs Sean J and Nino Brown spinning on the ones and twos. Tickets include one drink and, if you get there early enough, a hip-hop dance class from 9-9:45 p.m.

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