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Swingin’ in the city

Dance lovers, rejoice! Shaking a leg is back in a big way, so grab your men and hit the hardwood. Thanks, in part, to the success of the TV show Dancing with the Stars (who knew Emmitt Smith would go all the way?), local dance organizations such as Capital City Swing Dancer’s Association, are gearing up for expansion. But this isn’t your parents’ swing dancing. This is West Coast Swing. A more modern interpretation of the Lindy Hop, West Coast Swing usually accompanies more modern forms of music, from fast and funky to slow and sexy, says local dance instructor Denise Jordan.

Check out the next CCSDA Dance Saturday, Jan. 27 at Ric Seeling’s. capitalcityswing.com

—SARAH YOUNG

Got game?

The average age of video game players now is 33, evidence it’s not just for kids anymore. Baton Rouge LAN founder Troyd Sanchez is hosting Frag Fest III, a competition that allows gamers to gather in a room with their computers and connect via a local area network. The resulting cybercafé offers users less lag and more frag. “Playing on the Internet is like trying to race on I-12 during rush hour,” Sanchez says. “Playing on LAN is like going to Texas Motor Speedway and having the track all to yourself.” The event is from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Jan. 13. batonrougelan.com.

—AMANDA JOHNSON

Props to the Doc

You’ve heard of Dr. Dre and the rapper D.O.C., but have you heard of Tha Hip Hop Doc? He’s the real deal and a real M.D., combining hip-hop beats with medical messages, educating Baton Rouge teens and young adults on everything from sickle cell to AIDS. His med school diplomas read Dr. Rani Whitfield. Now he’s sharing his personal experiences alongside the likes of Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton and Patti LaBelle in a new book, Not in My Family: AIDS in the African American Community, edited by veteran journalist Gil Robertson. Open up and say “aaa-ight.”

—SARAH YOUNG

Taking downtown to a new level

Taking cues from hipper cities like Austin, a planning committee fronted by the Downtown Development District is eyeing the prospect of a downtown arts and entertainment district. The proposed district encompasses 12 contiguous blocks, ideally including a wealth of restaurants, music venues, museums and retail stores set against uniform streetscapes. As well as the geography, also under discussion are marketing, extended hours, security and the touchy subject of alcohol provisions.

The idea has been floating around for years, says Davis Rhorer, DDD’s executive director, dating back to a business trip to Austin’s famed 6th Street corridor, a street abuzz with live music venues and restaurants.

Baton Rouge hopes to hold its own in the national hipness battle to keep residents from fleeing in favor of more progressive cities. The key to economic growth, researchers say, is the creative class, those 25- to 35-year-olds in the make-or-break years of choosing careers and long-term homes.

Baton Rouge’s concern isn’t so much losing residents as plucking them out of other cities. A marked increase in downtown activity has spurred the committee to move forward in hopes that a marketable district will attract a flurry of homegrown and out-of-state visitors.

When crooner Michael Bublé performed at the River Center one Sunday evening, most concertgoers weren’t from Baton Rouge, says General Manager Alan Freeman. Out-of-towners couldn’t find downtown restaurants open for dinner before, or bars and restaurants for cocktails afterwards. The committee says an official, branded district would provide a richer experience to Baton Rougeans and visitors alike, and with more than 30 operating businesses and several in the works, Rhorer says the timing is right.

—MEGHAN CORNAY