SUMMERTIME : Club Scene: SpiralWest Doesn’t Skip a Beat

SpiralWest takes over the Country Club in Reseda each Thursday night during the summer, and turns it into a club aimed at teen-agers from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m., with a $10 cover charge. Imagine a huge high school dance without the math teacher chaperon.

THE SCENE: A light show surrounds dancers in the theater-like club, with a bar, lots of tables, a stage beyond the dance floor and a balcony with two pool tables and a bar. The two bars in the club don’t sell alcohol, but offer soft drinks, water and some food. Despite the crowd’s young age, the club fills with as much cigarette smoke as any over-21 club.

THE CROWD: The age ranges from 13 to 18, with the average hovering at 16. Dress is casual, mostly jeans, oversized and tight. A SpiralWest dress code is enforced--shirts must be tucked in and no hats (except SpiralWest’s) allowed. “Basically, dress to impress. If you look like you’re a gangbanger, you’re out. But we don’t assume everyone is, because not all kids are bad,” said Scott Nemes, 20, co-owner of SpiralWest.

THE MUSIC: DJ Bozzo keeps the several hundred club-goers dancing with rap, retro, disco, hip-hop and house. Artists include Anita Ward, Beastie Boys, Salt ‘N’ Pepa, Us3, Ace of Base and A Tribe called Quest.

THE GOOD: The promoters make sure the club is safe, security is tight and noticeable. “It’s the hippest club in the Valley because it’s an all-age group,” said Avi Zeulun, 17, of Grant High School, “There are no guns, it’s just happening.”

“I feel more secure here than the last place,” said Nannette Lyons, a 17-year-old Granada Hills High School student, referring to the original SpiralWest venue in Encino.

THE BAD: Regulars said the new location doesn’t measure up to the former club. “I like the other place on Ventura better; it was more happening,” said Kristina Kovacs, 17, a student at Granada Hills High School. “The dance floor was smaller, but people were dancing more.”

Taft High School student Jennifer Mintz, 16, added: “The crowd was a little more energetic there. Here, the girls are dancing and the guys are just standing around checking it out.”

THE WORD: “Oh my God, we stayed out till 2:30 last night,” said one girl to her group of friends. “What are we gonna do when summer school starts?”

“If I take you guys where you wanna go, will you leave me alone?” said a girl who had the misfortune of being the only person who drives in her group.

SpiralWest (in the Country Club), 18415 Sherman Way, Reseda , (818) 774-WEST.