Dancing at the Dilboys

On April 16, 2026, in Latest News, by The Somerville Times

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries and letters to the Editor of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers)

By Ewan Henrie

Dancing Feats is a hotspot for those in Somerville looking to enter the world of swing dancing, particularly of the West Coast variety. Monthly dances and weekly lessons take place at the George Dilboy VFW Post at 351 Summer St.

I was initially introduced to dancing at the Dilboy by one of my teachers at Lesley University. I was taking a class for West Coast Swing Dancing in my senior year at the university, and Professor Neal Klein told us we would be going to the Dilboy on Wednesdays for lessons taught by the Dancing Fools. This was one of the mandatory parts of the class, so I had no reason to back out of doing something social with my classmates. The Dancing Fools just so happens to have been a dance group created by Neil Klein in the 1980s, and I was one of the students who attended the final lesson before they shut down in December 2025.

The Dilboy happened to be right by my house, and it was a lovely experience. You get to interact with all sorts of people, be they rookies or veterans. The teachers are very accommodating, and it’s easy to learn the basic steps. I felt a sense of community inside my town for the first time in my life.

I would highly suggest anyone getting into dancing to try lessons with the Dancing Feats, which I see as the successor to Dancing Fools. They do monthly lessons, a training camp, and private lessons.

To join, go to: https://www.dancingfeatswcs.com/

 

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