Ballroom owner Hallie Kuperman
Before establishing Century Ballroom, she ran Swing Girls, a group dedicated to teaching "lesbian, gay and non-homophobic people" how to partner dance. She opened Century Ballroom and Restaurant because she believed all the people taking dance lessons needed an elegant place to dance socially.
"I like a glass of champagne. I like to dance around. What Seattle needed was a place to social dance — a nonsmoking, nonthreatening environment with a big dance floor and food and booze. The point was to create a dance hall where all people are welcome.
"Now it's a meeting place for hundreds of people and a mainstay in the social dance community."
By the numbers: "I tried to figure out how many times I've said 'One, two, three, hold four, five, six, seven, hold eight' (the salsa basic). I think it was 64,000 times a year."
Scoping the scene: Now in its seventh year of operation, the Century Ballroom holds swing dances every Wednesday and Sunday and salsa dances every Thursday and Saturday.
The ballroom also serves as one of Seattle's few excuses to get gussied up. With the same air of elegance as the symphony, ballet or opera, a night of dancing at the ballroom is miles cheaper, and audience participation is not only encouraged, it's the main event.
As with the other artsy venues, your fleece and jeans are welcome, too, but something about the plummy-red walls, gold balcony, tinkling chandeliers and gloriously wide wooden dance floor inspires a shinier, slinkier array of fabrics.
"When it's wintertime, you'd never know it in here. People wear skimpy clothing. But it's not a pickup joint. It's not a smoky bar, which makes it not that appealing to a younger crowd. Most people you see here are in their 30s and 40s, plus a few in their 50s, 60s and 70s," says Kuperman.
"The people are the whole reason I do it. I love sitting at the front door and meeting and greeting people. I like seeing who's here and finding out why.
"One of the most amazing things to me is that a 40-year-old white lesbian can start a club and all types of people will show up. The ballroom attracts people from all over the world — it's a really mixed population. You'll see all different skill levels out on the floor."
The best prom, like, ever: Several years ago, Disney location scouts spotted the Century Ballroom and decided it was the perfect setting for the prom scene in the teen flick "10 Things I Hate About You." Much of the décor today is left over from Disney's makeover.
"The art director was really great about asking me what I'd like to keep. They picked this beautiful color, and painted the façade of the balcony.
"But I have always had a love for this room. It has never lacked this feeling, even when I first got it and it was just a white room with graffiti all over the walls."
Salsa vs. swing smackdown: While salsa's popularity never seems to decline, Kuperman says swing still has a loyal following.
"Salsa is a much sexier dance. More sensual. Swing is a very happy dance, even when the music isn't all that happy. Basic swing is as easy as basic salsa, but the rhythm is harder to hear in salsa than it is in swing."
A few ground rules: Kuperman lists keys to success for anyone heading out to salsa or swing.
"Brush your teeth and wear deodorant. Some of the regulars bring two shirts because it gets so hot in here. And never abandon your partner on the floor (no matter how badly you think they're doing). A few years later, they may dance better than you do.
"We tell couples they should rotate with other partners. Otherwise they get into a pattern of telling each other what to do. I've seen couples storm out. It's like a defensive driving technique — to save your marriage, rotate!"
Do dead men dance? The building was constructed in 1908, and with its echoing space and glamorous days-of-yore vibe, one can't help but wonder about long-dead Oddfellows drifting across the ballroom floor.
"I don't know about ghosts, but this room has amazing energy," Kuperman says. "When you're in here, you feel like you're being taken care of. I think it's inhabited by something that takes care of the building."