This profile is in active compilation — some details are awaiting a cited source.

Kansas City Swingout is a Lindy Hop and swing-dance community-collective that runs no-partner-needed beginner lessons and social dance parties across several KC venues — Wednesdays at Red Light Studios, Thursdays at Equal Minded Cafe on Troost, and recurring Tuesday socials in Waldo and the Power & Light District — explicitly grounding its teaching in Black American jazz-dance tradition.

Description

Kansas City Swingout (KCS) is a swing-dance community-collective centered on Lindy Hop, the partnered jazz-era social dance that originated in Black American ballrooms. The group describes itself as “a group of passionate dancers, music-lovers, and teachers bringing the dance party vibe,” organized around four stated values — Inclusion, Education, Connection, and Dance — and it explicitly teaches “Black American social dance values such as individuality, spontaneity, rhythm, and improvisation.”1

KCS operates as a multi-venue community rather than a single brick-and-mortar studio. Its anchor night is a Wednesday session at Red Light Studios featuring a 30-minute beginner lesson followed by roughly two hours of social dancing and practice; students with a valid ID attend free, and no advance purchase is required.2 The group also runs a Thursday lesson-and-social at Equal Minded Cafe on Troost Avenue ($10), a first-Tuesday social at Front Range in Waldo, and a third-Tuesday “Swing Night” at Johnnie’s Jazz Bar & Grille in the Power & Light District.32 Beyond drop-ins, KCS offers a six-week workshop series and quarterly live-music events.1

The community is built around a no-partner / rotation model — no partner or prior experience is required — and a stated commitment to a welcoming, safe space, supported by a published Code of Conduct and a Safety Report Form.1 Ariel Lacey, the group’s Director of Safety & Community Engagement, told KCUR that “the community … is wonderfully accepting and supportive” and that Lindy Hop “holds a space where I can be playful, creative, and connected to others in a way that feels safe and supported.”3

Ownership and history

Kansas City Swingout presents itself as a community-collective rather than a conventionally-owned business, and its legal structure (nonprofit vs. LLC), founders, founding date, and full leadership roster are not publicly stated on its own materials.

The only individually-named organizer found in published sources is Ariel Lacey, identified by KCUR in February 2024 as KCS’s Director of Safety & Community Engagement; she had been swing dancing for about six years at the time and credited the scene with deepening her interest in the history of Black and African American music and social dance.3

KCS shares a contact email (627stomp@gmail.com) with 627 Stomp, a distinct, longer-running Kansas City Lindy Hop nonprofit (operating since 2013; 501(c)(3) status 2018; founder Amanda Bernice).4 627 Stomp is named for the historic Black musicians’ union Local 627 and Pete Johnson’s tune “627 Stomp,” tying it directly into Kansas City’s 18th-&-Vine jazz heritage. The two organizations are closely linked within the same small KC swing community but are not the same entity; 627 Stomp carries its own Registry page — see 627-stomp.

Timeline

DateEvent
Kansas City Swingout founded (date / founders not publicly stated)
Feb 2024KCUR features KCS in a KC swing-dance guide; Ariel Lacey named as Director of Safety & Community Engagement
2025”Summer Swingout 2025” event listed (Visit KC) — community active and producing events
2026Active across all four recurring venues (Red Light, Equal Minded, Front Range, Johnnie’s)

Sources

Disputes

None at this time.

Footnotes

  1. https://www.kcswingout.com/what-is-kc-swingout — Official “What is KC Swingout” page. Asserts: self-description as a community of dancers/music-lovers/teachers; core values Inclusion/Education/Connection/Dance; focus on Lindy Hop “and other Black and African American jazz dances”; teaches “Black American social dance values such as individuality, spontaneity, rhythm, and improvisation”; weekly drop-in beginner classes + dance parties, 6-week workshop series, quarterly live-music events; Code of Conduct + Safety Report Form; 627stomp@gmail.com contact in footer. (Legal structure, founders, founding date NOT stated.) ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  2. https://kcswingout.square.site/product/swingout-at-red-light-studios/126 — Official KCS Square store, “Swingout at Red Light Studios” listing. Asserts: Wednesday event at Red Light Studios; 30-minute beginner lesson at 7:00 p.m. followed by ~2 hours of social dancing/practice; students with valid ID attend free; no advance purchase necessary. (Base non-student admission price not captured — JS-rendered page;.) ↩ ↩2

  3. https://www.kcur.org/arts-life/2024-02-18/swing-dance-kansas-city-dancing-classes — KCUR, “Want to learn to swing dance in Kansas City? Here’s where to take your first steps” (Feb 18, 2024). Asserts: Kansas City Swingout grows/teaches the Lindy Hop community; Ariel Lacey is Director of Safety & Community Engagement (swing dancing ~6 years); quotes on the community being “wonderfully accepting and supportive” and Lindy Hop as a safe, playful, connected space; Thursday lessons + social at Equal Minded Cafe (Troost) for $10; first-Tuesday socials at Front Range (Waldo); third-Tuesday socials at Johnnie’s Jazz Bar & Grille (Power & Light). ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  4. https://www.627stomp.org/ — 627 Stomp official site (corroborated by The Pitch, “KC Cares: 627 Stomp”). Asserts: 627 Stomp is a KC Lindy/Charleston/solo-jazz nonprofit established 2013 (501(c)(3) 2018), founder Amanda Bernice, named for the Local 627 Black musicians’ union (est. 1917) and Pete Johnson’s “627 Stomp.” Used here only to characterize the related org and the shared-email link; 627 Stomp is a distinct entity with its own Registry page. ↩

See also

Categories

On the record — ks.city/registry/kansas-city-swingout · record updated 2026-06-24