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On a hot night in May 2026, over 125 dancers of all ages and skill levels filled Union Hall for LKLD Lindy Hop’s Lindy Ball. Some wore vintage-inspired outfits, others donned ballgowns. Some wore simple t-shirts and jeans.
All came to jump, jive, and jitterbug to live jazz.
This Saturday, Aug. 22, LKLD Lindy Hop is hosting its fifth Lindy Ball, also at Union Hall, “Haut Jazz Edition.” Organizers say this time, “French style meets the soulful rhythms of New Orleans … Inspired by the golden age of jazz, this evening blends effortless romance, vibrant swing, and late-summer charm.”
Doors open at 7 p.m., and a free beginner dance lesson will begin at 7:30 p.m. Cigano Swing will perform from 8 to 11 p.m., and the Florida Blues Dance Society will host an after-party with a DJ beginning at 11 p.m.
No previous dance experience or partner is required.
What: Lakeland Lindy Hop Ball
When: Saturday, Aug. 22 at 7 p.m.
Where: Union Hall, 1023 S. Florida Ave.
Admission: $24.80 with fees online ($15 early bird tickets are already sold out) $25 at the door, 18+
What to wear: Seersucker suits and sundresses (or whatever makes you feel comfortable), comfortable shoes with enough slide for dancing on the concrete floor
“We are incredibly beginner friendly,” said Khiem Nguyen, the founder and organizer of LKLD Lindy Hop.
Nguyen said there is a difference between just watching a live band from a seat and listening while dancing. “There is an awesome synergy that happens,” he said.
From one dancer to many
In late 2023, Nguyen, who had been dancing as a hobby for over a decade, was looking for more opportunities to dance without traveling to Tampa. A friend was hosting occasional swing dances at the now-closed Etoile Dancewear on Kentucky Avenue, and Nguyen asked if he could teach classes there.
His first class in January drew one person.
“We kept going, and one became six, six became 12,” he said. Nguyen, currently a community outreach coordinator at Fleet Feet by day, formed LKLD Lindy Hop in 2024.
The group now regularly leads classes of 20 to 30 people each Monday at Union Hall, and that first student, Preston, still attends. LKLD Lindy Hop also has partnerships with local organizations including Bonnet Springs Parks and Lakeland Regional Health.
For Nguyen, building the local dance scene has become less about the dance itself and more about the people.
“I’ve been dancing this style of dance for 15 years,” he said. “But here in Lakeland, it has really been like a labor of love, and it’s been really cool to just focus on the community part and less about the dance.”
What is Lindy Hop?
Lindy Hop developed as part of the jazz and swing culture of the early 20th century. Nguyen said learning about the dance’s history, including its connections to segregation and oppression, was part of what drew him to it.
He said jazz is a kind of music that came out of joy, a “dance style where it didn’t matter your color or where you came from, but if you can throw down, if you can dance, that’s the language we can speak.”
He first encountered swing dance in college but initially did not see himself as someone who belonged in the dance community.
“I walked by the swing dance club table at my university when I lived down in Miami, and I thought it was for tall white people,” he said. “So I just never thought it was anything for me.”
Years later, he came across a class taught by an Asian instructor and decided to give it a try.
“I saw the way he moved, and his partner was also Asian. And for myself, being of Vietnamese descent, dancing isn’t really something we do, culturally. So I just thought, well, that’s something I can do that’s really, really cool.”
An expansive community
While based in Lakeland, LKLD Lindy Hop’s events attract dancers from throughout Florida.
Nguyen said attendees can range from college students in their early 20s to dancers in their 80s. Dancers have traveled from communities as far south as Fort Lauderdale and as far north as Tallahassee. “You’ll definitely get to meet a wide, wide range of people,” Nguyen said.
Tiffany Van Wieren, who attended the Lindy Ball for the first time in May, said she was a little nervous. She hadn’t really danced since college and after a year of health challenges, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to keep up.
“And so when I walked in, immediately, the first thing that struck me was that I was not alone,” Van Wieren said.
“It really was a community of people of every size, shape, and color, together enjoying themselves … and it was more than just dance,” she said. “A wonderful thing about Lakeland is that you do find these little pockets, these little nuggets, of true community and belonging, and I felt like that’s what they’ve created there in that space.”
The organization is supported by more than eight instructors and about 20 volunteers who help with events and other operations. Nguyen says he makes an effort to create opportunities for local musicians to perform, rather than relying only on bands from out of town.
Anyone interested in Lindy Hop can also join the group’s Monday classes at Union Hall. “No partner necessary,” Nguyen said.
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