627 Stomp

627 Stomp is a Kansas City swing-dance nonprofit — operating since 2013, a 501(c)(3) since 2018 — that teaches Lindy Hop, Charleston, and solo vernacular jazz while explicitly honoring the Black dancers and musicians who created them. Founded by Amanda Bernice, it takes its name from Local 627, KC’s historic Black musicians’ union (est. 1917), and Pete Johnson’s tune “627 Stomp,” tying the living swing scene directly to the city’s 18th-&-Vine jazz heritage. It runs a free monthly lesson-and-social at Nimble Brewing and has taught beginner swing series at Union Station.

Description

627 Stomp is a Kansas City swing-dance nonprofit that has operated since 2013 and obtained federal 501(c)(3) status in 2018.¹ It teaches the Swing Era social dances — Lindy Hop, Charleston, and solo vernacular (authentic) jazz — and frames that teaching around an explicit historical mission: honoring the Black dancers and musicians who created the forms. Founder Amanda Bernice describes the work as “not just teaching dance moves … but making sure we’re actually honoring those who came before us and actually created the dances, pretty much POC, people of the past.”¹

The organization’s flagship community offering is a free monthly dance lesson and social gathering at Nimble Brewing in Kansas City, open to all experience levels.¹² Beyond the monthly social, 627 Stomp runs structured instruction and educational talks and has hosted national swing events; it has also partnered with Union Station to teach beginner swing series (a past offering ran as four 60-minute lessons beginning November 13).¹³ Founder Amanda Bernice teaches at City in Motion Dance Theatre (1700 Locust St), which serves as a teaching home base for the org.⁴

The community is inclusive by design — welcoming participants regardless of dance experience or background, with members from the LGBT community — and maintained connection through Discord and online music nights during the pandemic before rebuilding in-person programming.¹

Ownership and history

627 Stomp was founded by Amanda Bernice and has operated since 2013, formalizing as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2018.¹ Bernice is the public face and lead instructor; she teaches swing/jazz dance at City in Motion Dance Theatre in addition to leading 627 Stomp.⁴

The organization’s identity is rooted in Kansas City jazz heritage. Its name is a double reference: to Local 627, the Black musicians’ union established in Kansas City in 1917 (the union of KC’s jazz-era Black musicians, whose home — the Mutual Musicians Foundation — still stands at 18th & Vine), and to pianist Pete Johnson’s boogie-woogie tune “627 Stomp,” itself named for that union.¹² This makes 627 Stomp one of the clearest living links between today’s swing-dance scene and KC’s 18th-&-Vine jazz lineage — a documented name-level tie rather than a general Lindy/Savoy lineage claim.

627 Stomp is closely linked to, but distinct from, kansas-city-swingout — the two share the same small KC swing community and a contact email (627stomp@gmail.com appears on KC Swingout’s site), but they are separate organizations. 627 Stomp is the longer-running, formally-incorporated nonprofit.

Timeline

Date	Event
1917	Local 627 (Black musicians’ union) established in Kansas City — the namesake union
(jazz era)	Pete Johnson records “627 Stomp,” named for the union — the namesake tune
2013	627 Stomp begins operating as a KC swing-dance organization (founder Amanda Bernice)
2018	627 Stomp obtains 501(c)(3) nonprofit status
~2020–22	Maintains community online (Discord, virtual music nights) through the pandemic
Feb 2023	The Pitch “KC Cares” feature — free monthly social at Nimble Brewing; Union Station partnership noted
(recurring)	Beginner swing series taught at Union Station (four 60-min lessons)
2026	Active — listed as a current KC swing organization; Yelp listing updated June 2026

Links

• Official site: https://www.627stomp.org/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/627stomp
• Instagram / X: @627stomp
• The Pitch feature: https://www.thepitchkc.com/kc-cares-627-stomp/

Sources

Disputes

None at this time.

Footnotes

1. https://www.thepitchkc.com/kc-cares-627-stomp/ — The Pitch, “KC Cares: 627 Stomp” (Feb 18, 2023). Asserts: 627 Stomp founded 2013; obtained 501(c)(3) status in 2018; founder Amanda Bernice; the name references Local 627 (Black musicians’ union established in KC in 1917) and Pete Johnson’s tune “627 Stomp”; mission of honoring “those who came before us and actually created the dances, pretty much POC, people of the past”; free monthly dance lesson + social at Nimble Brewing; prior Union Station swing-dance partnership (New Year’s Eve instruction); inclusive community including LGBT members; maintained community online via Discord during the pandemic. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷

2. https://www.627stomp.org/ — 627 Stomp official website (site presents a TLS/certificate warning as of research date — flag for currency; content corroborated by The Pitch¹ and KCtoday⁵). Asserts: growing nonprofit “indebted to the rich history of Kansas City jazz culture”; name from the 1917 Black musicians’ union + Pete Johnson song; specializes in Lindy Hop, Charleston, Solo Vernacular Jazz, and other Swing Era dances; free monthly lesson + get-together at Nimble Brewing; contact via website + Facebook. ↩ ↩²

3. https://www.facebook.com/UnionStationKCMO/posts/swing-dance-lessons-with-627-stomp-starting-nov-13 — Union Station KCMO official Facebook. Asserts: “Swing dance lessons with 627 Stomp” — beginner series of four 60-minute lessons (a past offering began Nov 13). Confirms the Union Station ↔ 627 Stomp teaching partnership. ↩

4. https://www.cityinmotion.org/amanda-bernice — City in Motion Dance Theatre instructor page for Amanda Bernice (1700 Locust St, KCMO). Asserts: Amanda Bernice teaches swing/jazz dance at City in Motion; corroborates her as the named instructor/founder behind 627 Stomp and a teaching base of operations. ↩ ↩²

5. https://kctoday.6amcity.com/where-to-dance-in-kc-meetups-and-classes — KCtoday, “Where to dance in KC: meetups and classes.” Asserts: 627 Stomp listed among current KC dance meetups/classes — corroborates active, ongoing operation. (Also corroborated by a 627 Stomp Yelp business listing updated June 2026, address 1700 Locust St, category Community Service/Non-Profit.) ↩