London

Lindy Hop till you drop
Learn the Lindy Hop – a swing dance that originated in Harlem in the 1920s and was named to honour American Charles Lindbergh’s solo flight across the Atlantic – at Stompin’, a weekly dance evening held at the 100 Club by the London Swing Dance Society. There are classes for beginners and intermediates 7.45-8.30pm, followed by dancing to live music.
Stompin’ , 100 Club, 100 Oxford St, W1. (020 7636 0933/ www.swingdanceuk.com) Oxford Circus tube. Mondays 7.30pm-12midnight. £10, members £9.

Take the slow tube to Cairo
The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology is part of UCL and holds one of the world’s finest collections of Egyptian and Sudanese archaeology. The world’s oldest piece of clothing (dating to 2,800BC) sits among many pieces of battered pottery. Not as strikingly impressive at the British Museum but a more intimate, special experience.
Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, Malet Place, WC1 (020 7679 2884/ www.petrie.ucl.ac.uk) Goodge St tube. Open Tue-Fri 1-5pm, Sat 10am-1pm. Free. Feature continues

Eat Hungarian cakes
Set up by Hungarian ex-pat Louis Permayer about forty years ago, the Louis Pâtisserie and café is a favourite haunt for lunching ladies. Its Eastern European specialities include mouth-wateringly good cream slices, plus incredible eclairs, cakes
and macaroons.
Louis Pâtisserie, 32 Heath St, NW3 (020 7435 9908) Hampstead Heath tube. Open daily 9am-6pm.

Get hip to the latest multicultural dialect
Linguists from Lancaster University and Queen Mary, University of London have recently idenified the capital’s first multicultural dialect ‘New London English’, a combination of Caribbean patois, Cockney slang, West African, Bengali and south American. The study, which is due to conclude in 2007, includes analysis of vowels and identification of vocabulary. Words identified include ‘creps’ (trainers), ‘ends’ (neighbourhood/estate), ‘begging’ (talking rubbish).

Two art worlds collide
The ICA and the South London Gallery have joined forces to present ‘Around the World in Eighty Days’, works by 19 London-based artists, all of whom were born outside of the UK, that draws on their experiences of international travel and migration. Look out for works by Mona Hatoum, Yinka Shonibare and Francis Upritchard.
ICA, The Mall, SW1 (020 7930 3647/ www.ica.org.uk) Charing Cross tube. Open daily 12noon-7.30pm. Exhibition until July 16. Mon-Fri £1.50, Sat, Sun £2.50. South London Gallery, 65 Peckham Rd, SE5 (020 7703 6120/ www.southlondongallery.org) Elephant & Castle tube then 171, 12, P3 bus or Victoria or Oval tube then 36, 436 bus towards Lewisham or New Cross. Tue-Sun 12noon-6pm. Free.

Kuwait on camera
The Brunei Gallery, which is tucked inside the School of Oriental and Asian Studies in Bloomsbury, shows historical and contemporary artworks from Asia and Africa. One of three current exhibitions, ‘Kuwait: Harmony within Time’ displays photographs of the city and includes pictures of old traditions alongside new buildings.
‘Kuwait: Harmony within Time’, Brunei Gallery, SOAS, Thornhaugh St, WC1 (020 7898 4915) Russell Square tube. Open Tue-Sat 10.30am-5pm. Exhibition until June 24. Free.

Hear the great American songbook
Canticum, one of the UK’s leading chamber choirs, will celebrate American Independence Day on July 4 with ‘American Choral Classics’, a journey through the ages of North American music from the past four centuries. The programme includes Barber’s ‘Agnus Dei’, Ives’s ‘Psalm 67’ and modern numbers by Gershwin and Billy Joel.
‘American Choral Classics’, St Martin-in-the-Fields,Trafalgar Square, WC2 (020 7766 1100) Charing Cross tube/rail. Concert July 4 7.30pm. Tickets from £8.

Jump up and down to Japanese theatre
Ichikawa Ebizo XI is big in Japan. In fact, he;s huge. As well as being a TV and film star, he’s one of the most famous exponents of kabuki theatre, a traditional form of Japanese theatre performed by men. Ebizo is a member of an acting dynasty that first started performing in the seventeenth century and is on a rare visit to London, where he’ll be starring in ‘Kabuki’ at Sadler’s Wells.
‘Kabuki’, Sadler’s Wells, Rosebery Avenue, EC1 (0870 737 7737/ www.sadlerswells.com) Angel tube. Performances Wed 31-June 11. Mon-Fri 7.30pm; Sun 2.30pm. Tickets £12-£48.

Master an Asian classic
Huge in India, carrom is a board game that originated in Timor and has variations across Asia and the Middle East. Two or four players sit around a one-metre square board and use a large ‘striking piece’ to flick stones into pockets at each corner. There are similarities to snooker and tactical affinities with croquet. Play for free at the Sunday (Up)Market in Brick Lane then buy a board to continue at home.
Sunday (Up)Market, Old Truman Brewery, 91 Brick Lane, E1 (07944 303749/www.carromshop.com) Aldgate East tube or Liverpool St tube/rail. Sun 10am-5pm.

Top Oriental market
The Colindale Oriental Plaza shopping mall was once, in a previous incarnation, the Yaohan Plaza with the slogan ‘All of Japan under one roof’. These days global expansion has pushed beyond the boundaries of the rising sun; step round the food hall and you’ll find Japanese sushi, Chinese sushi, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Malaysian, Thai and south Indian food. Also on offer are homeware and clothes. For real individuality, check out the beautiful Chinese cheongsam dresses and beaded bags in d the Golden Fleece.
Oriental Plaza, 399 Edgware Road, NW9. Colindale tube or 32, 142, 292, 303 bus. Open Mon-Sat 10am-9pm, Sun 12noon-6pm.