By Natalie Hall

Kick off your Sunday shoes any day of the week with this open dancing lineup. Minneapolis and St. Paul offer everything from swing to the cha-cha to backcountry boot stomping. Open dance and lessons are available for everyone from beginners to pros. These venues provide old-fashioned entertainment for the Kevin Bacon inside all of us.

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Swing Dancing

Step and (Lindy) hop into summer with open swing on Thursdays in St. Paul. Swing dance to live jazz bands at the Wabasha Caves every Thursday from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., then jump over to the 301 on Main from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. for late night swing.

Basic swing lessons for novice dancers are on Mondays at the 301 on Main. If you’ve swung around a dance floor once or twice before, check out the 301’s Saturday workshops.

Prim and Proper

Your inner fire will emerge at salsa and Latin dancing classes and open dance at Cinema Ballroom in St. Paul every other Friday and Sunday. For those who want to waltz around the room or shine their shoes for a fox trot, ballroom lessons are also available. Feel the rhythm with live salsa music on Friday and Saturday nights at Loring Pasta Bar in Dinkytown, or lengthen your stride with their Sunday night tango.

Boot Stomping

Don your cowboy boots and kick up the dust with country line dancing at many venues in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Lee’s Liquor Lounge offers free barn dancing lessons at 8 p.m. each Wednesday and a G.L.B.T. Country Barn Dance on Sundays at 7 p.m. Cowboy Jack’s offers live music that you will want to two-step along with, and the spacious Minneapolis location offers pool, darts and rooftop seating for a night of entertainment. Stark’s Saloon in Eagan offers many cowboy-esque opportunities with open line dancing Wednesday through Saturday and line dancing lessons on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and the second and fourth Fridays of each month. When your boots need a rest, Stark’s also offers swing open dancing on the first and third Fridays of each month. Latin and waltz are also included in the variety of open dancing on Saturdays.