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DeSoto Market's 'Speakeasy Nights' brings prohibition era vibes to downtown Phoenix

The third Thursday event features swing dancing for all inside the popular market.

Swing Dancing at the Speakeasy

Swing dancing at  'Speakeasy Night' at the Desoto Market on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2015, in Phoenix. 'Speakeasy Nights' are held every third Thursday of the month and welcome participants of all ages.


DeSoto Market is a great place to escape the hectic nature of downtown Phoenix, but every third Thursday evening of the month, it hosts an event catering not only to swing dance aficionados, but to those looking to get their feet moving, too. These events are called Speakeasy Nights.

The night's theme plays well with the 1920s art decor vibe of the market. The business stocks a number of food booths ranging from the Hispanic-Asian fusion restaurant Adobo Dragon, salad specialty joint Radish and the DSM bar, which offers custom drinks, beer and wine. 

Despite the bar and alcohol relation to the theme, Speakeasy Nights welcome all ages and encourages visitors to dress up in the style of the era.

DeSoto Market event coordinator Dinah Rasutis said the locale's team believed that Speakeasy Nights would be a good fit for downtown Phoenix.

“The initial idea was to dim the lights to make it feel private and dark to have a different vibe going on,” she said. “One of the ideas was to bring swing dancing to get the energy up and get a different crowd who might not always see DeSoto, and it started from there.”

Rasutis said the market focused on the speakeasy theme because of the history of the building.

“DeSoto was built in the late 1920s, and it was kinda that whole era of the speakeasy," she said. We thought it was a cool theme and the building reflects this old industrial vibe.”

The night starts off with immersion. The tunes of the 1920s and big bands start to drop via DJ set, as a projector shows off scenes of the era. The lights are dim, with candles adding to the visual flair of the era's dance club, while bartenders were dressed to match in collared shirts and fedoras.

Menus parlayed the drink and food specials of the evening, but a hidden $5 cocktail was also available. Sticking to the theme, Rasutis said this one needed a password found on Twitter.

Drink specials on tap here at #speakeasynights @desotocentralmarket @statepress

A photo posted by Damion Julien-Rohman (@legendpenguin) on

Later, the DJ stepped onto the dance floor to teach a cadre of newcomers some simple swing dance moves to get the evening going. Afterward, students and veterans alike dance to the tunes of Sinatra, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and more songs of the era.

Cameron Glau, one of these dance students, said he had been swing dancing for six years and prefers the music of Count Basie and Benny Goodman.  

“A lot of that older jazz is what makes me want to move my feet,” he said.

Another dance student and Glau's friend Nate Jeffries enjoyed the DJ's training session.

“I had a little help from this guy,” he said, motioning to Glau. “So I knew some of the basic steps. But it was pretty good to have a review.”

Christopher and Vicki Johnson, who have been married for three years, were attending Speakeasy Nights for the first time. However, this was not their first dance lesson. The two had taken ballroom and swing dance lessons for their wedding reception.

“But we haven’t really done it since,” Vicki said with a laugh.

As far as musical preferences go, the two unanimously enjoyed Glenn Miller, and Christopher added Dean Martin into the mix as well.

For an intimate Thursday evening outside of the hustle of downtown and the blare of the clubs, the Speakeasy Nights at DeSoto are a fun destination, and worth stopping by to learn a few new steps while grooving to some big band music.  

Related Links:

5 restaurants at DeSoto Central Market, from fusion to burgers

'Great Southwest Cajun Festival' brought seafood and jazz to downtown Phoenix


Reach the reporter at damionjrohman@gmail.com or follow @legendpenguin on Twitter

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