Step, step, rock step

The Wabasha Street Caves have been functioning as a temporary dwelling for swing dancers since the early 1900s. Big bands have had a big impact in these sandstone caves and near by St. Paul. There are faded black and white photos of mobsters who visited there hanging on the wall as you enter. If you look behind the plastic plant on the mantle above the fireplace you will find a bullet hole in one of the bricks- it looks about right for a .38. The ambient temperature deep inside would be a cool 52 degrees year round if it weren’t for the ventilation system that pumps fresh air in.



Nicole and I went last Thursday night with another couple, Tamra and Dan. Nicole and I actually had a pre-dating “date” here once. Although, it seemed like we missed the memo, as there were over eighty 15-17 year olds in attendance along with the standard caves crew. It was fun to see the next generation with a vibrant enthusiasm for swing dancing. We had a lot of fun watching them attempt all their fancy dips, flips and sometimes flops. It reminded me a lot of when I started- I took our guests a tour showing where I was dropped on my back from 6’ in the air and where we learned to do back flips off the walls… it was a walk down memory lane- in a cave. I tried to convince Nicole to try some of the basic flips and swings but that idea was shot down quicker than it takes to say “prohibition”. Maybe next time.

I first started going to the caves when I was 16 and my parents let me borrow the mini-van. I was hooked. I promptly went out to Good Will and got a nice 3 piece, pinstripe suit that fits to this day- well most of it. Swing dancing is one of the great pastimes that will make you happy and healthy. It is really like riding a bike- you never really forget how to do it and every time you hear a swinging beat your foot starts tapping.

The leader of the 12 piece band is the same man I met when I first started going to the caves 11 years ago. He has a walker now and needs help getting up the stairs but as soon as he is seated behind his music stand he becomes the same energetic musician he has been for the past who knows how many decades. I should ask him how long he has played there.

The interior decorations haven’t changed in 11 years. The thick air inside still has the same effect on my olfactory glands as it did the first time I walked through the heavy wood doors that guard the entrance. If you are ever in St. Paul on a Thursday night, checking out the Wabasha Street Caves is a must.