“Expect to step into a tiny universe where everyone is having a good time.” That’s how Baltimore Honky Tonk organizer Alex Lacquement describes experiencing one of his events. The gathering, which fills venues with a whirlwind of energy, features live music and partnered dancing.
Lacquement, a musician and educator, has lived in Baltimore for over a decade. He first encountered two-stepping and partnered dancing at Clifftop, a bluegrass festival in West Virginia. After that, he set out to create a space for it in Baltimore. In 2017, the blueprint for Baltimore Honky Tonk was born, then called Country Night and Two Stepping. Over the years the event has grown and changed, including a pause during the pandemic, but now it’s thriving again, filling venues with diverse crowds cascading across the dance floor, switching partners, laughing, and grooving to the Western twang of the music.
Noticing renewed interest in partnered dancing, Lacquement feels that, years after the pandemic, people are moving past a fear of touch. “And I think it’s something that humans need more than society provides,” he says.
The event, which rotates between Waverly Brewing Company and Mobtown Ballroom, is soundtracked by live bands, often traveling musicians passing through the region, giving the dance floor a fresh energy and connecting Baltimore to a wider honky-tonk circuit.
For regulars, that sense of accessibility and connection is what keeps them coming back. Elias Hinderberger, a longtime attendee, says, “Live music’s always good. The dancing is always fun, and it’s a very approachable event. I do a lot of partner dancing. I’ve been swing dancing for like 16 years and I still love swing dancing but this is a much more achievable dance. And also no one cares if you achieve it.”
Mary Odell, who has been attending for two years, echoes that feeling: “I’ve grown to really love the honky tonk; it’s approachable and very welcoming. It’s a rare event where you’ll see people in their 20’s and people in their 70’s enjoying the same thing.” She adds, “I remember being like I can’t believe this is in Baltimore.”
It’s not only locals who are enjoying the event. Many folks travel in as an excuse to put their dancing boots on. “It makes me want to move up here, because this is kind of like two-step central now,” said Annapolis resident Becky Carpenter. Baltimore Honky Tonk isn’t the only partnered dancing event in the area, Artie Hill’s Zen West Honky Tonk and The Baltimore Hayride Country Dance Night are also a part of the growing scene.
“Expect to see seasoned dancers and dancers still figuring out their left foot from their right. Expect to hear live music and laughter. And expect the opportunity to meet someone new,” says Lacquement, inviting newcomers to check out the event. You might step back out of that “tiny universe” at the end of the night sweaty, a little braver, and a little more connected.
Check out future Baltimore Honky Tonk events here.
