As we hear more talk of reopening this summer, you may be wondering if and when you’ll be able to come back for a dance at Cat’s Corner. Well dear friends, we won’t be going back, only forward. And yes, there will be dancing in our future!
After 12 years up on the 3rd floor of 3451 Boul Saint Laurent, we have handed back the keys and closed an important chapter in the story of swing dancing in Montreal.
It is also the start of a new one!
Since mid-june, we have been giving classes in a beautiful hall in the south west of Montreal, on the corner of Wellington and Fortune streets in Pointe St Charles! Take a bike ride along the canal or take the metro one stop past Atwater Market and come by for a visit. There are drop-in classes every Tuesday night this summer, both solo and partnered. More details here.
The space is a renovated church and home of a non-profit organization called Share the Warmth. They host several food security initiatives including a food bank and vegetable market, as well as tutoring programs and children’s music classes! We are so thrilled to be able to collaborate with an organization who has so many years experience serving their community and we are looking forward to seeing how our partnership can grow our own contribution to the neighbourhood, to swing dancers, and to all Montrealers.
We have been so fortunate to have so many great years in our previous space. But as many small businesses on St Laurent will tell you, the rent prices continue to rise and it had been too much to bear for many years already. We feel very good about redirecting our rent cheque to a social impact organization who have welcomed us as residents of their space. We look forward to seeing what is possible together.
The space is gorgeous and will be a lovely venue for live music on a Friday night when it will be allowed again. Until then, we have socially distanced classes and we are filling the space with the familiar sounds of our favourite big band recordings every Tuesday night. We hope to see you there!