Swinging at the Cotton Club

The Lindy Hop Dance Company are bringing Swinging at the Cotton Club to the Derby Theatre on Thursday 14 January 2027. It's a show that looks back at the music and dance of New York's Cotton Club, the legendary 1920s nightclub that sat at the heart of Harlem's nightlife.

If you've never come across it, the Cotton Club was one of those places that defined an era. It was Harlem's hottest room, and the names that kept it swinging are the ones that still carry weight today: Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Cab Calloway, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald and Fats Waller. On the dance floor, Bojangles Robinson and the Nicholas Brothers were the ones lighting up the stage. That particular blend of dance and music is what the show recreates.

On the bill alongside the Lindy Hop Dance Company are The Harry Strutters Hot Rhythm Orchestra, vocalist Marlene Hill and a special guest tap dancer. The orchestra handles the band side of things, with Hill on vocals and the tap dancer bringing back the footwork that went hand-in-hand with the music of the time. Together they're recreating the sound and the movement of the original club.

It's a single night at the Derby Theatre, 15 Theatre Walk, St Peter's Quarter, DE1 2NF. The show starts at 7.30pm, and tickets are £28.