Danceground Keriac
Back around 1996, when I first got interested in English Country Dancing, the monthly San Francisco dance was going on at a little church in Noe Valley, Bethany United Methodist at Sanchez and Clipper. It was in a gradeschool kiddie gym, unpretentious, but quite effective, as the smallness made the acoustics intensely immediate, like the violin is playing inside your head. After a couple years the house manager, the guy in charge of the keys and the money every month, had to move on to other things and they drafted me into that role, where I've been ever since. After I moved to the East Bay and got married and reproduced I stayed with it, because the commitment was an excuse to get out, to go to The City, and to dance, and I could safely excuse myself from having to attend insipid stand-around-and-drink parties and whatever else might come up on an evening.
But now Bethany church is starting in on a remodel which will last a couple years and the BACDS is looking for another place to hold that particular dance. Mary Watson came up with the suggestion of Danceground Keriac, a dance studio on Divisidero and Bush, so we're looking into that.
The address is on the uphill side of Geary, the nice side, and the neighborhood is full of up-scale restored gingerbread Victorians and the street itself is quite vibrant. There are a ton of restaurants--it was all I could do to keep from having a second lunch while I was there. There are a couple of bars, and apparently the area is still active after dark, which is good to know. Right down the street from UCSF Mt. Zion hospital.
I'm not sure at all about parking in that neighborhood. The closest public parking I can find mention of over the internet is the Japantown garage, which is a mile away. I guess it's street parking, and I honestly can't say how that's going to go. Personally, I hate parking.
For public transit to the East Bay or anywhere else by BART, I think I'd take either the 3 Jackson or the 38 Geary.
Highway access is actually as good as our current location in Noe
Valley, once you know the trick. It's less intuitive, possibly:
The hall is about 25x50 feet. It looks slightly smaller than what we're in now, and it doesn't have a stage, so it would be even smaller with the band set up on the floor. But the floor itself is in good condition. The mirrors on the walls would be an interesting effect, they might make the dancers self-conscious and uncomfortable, or they might improve the dancing, who knows? There are skylights in the ceiling, which might add a nice touch in the summer when the sky is still light until 9:00.
Comments
I hope your whole group can make the move together. It has been fun and a very pleasant experience dancing with all of you. Someday I would like to join you again, dancing in this hall. My numerous experiences with mirrored walls lead me to believe that once you're involved in what you're doing you won't even be aware of them.