Everything old is new again (again.) If the crazy kids before Facebook and Twitter rode/wore/owned a vehicle/garment/accessory, the Millennials are reclaiming it. But theres one retro-chic trend you may not have heard of the triumphant rebirth of swing dance.
Mike Forrester, president of the Dal Swing Dance Society (DSDS) traces the lindy-hop revival to the States.People rediscovered some old videos, including Hellzapoppin. It was a small, two-to-three minute dance sequence in the middle of a movie.
Youtube and you wont need to ask how 120 seconds of black-and-white footage turned into a global obsession. Now swing dance clubs can be found worldwide (full disclosure: I learned to shuffle with Vancouvers Jungle Swing) and the community is growing fast. Were only a decade or two, give or take a couple years, into the swing revival.
How to explain lindy hop to those unfamiliar with the dance? I could tell you to dig up a DVD of Swing Kids, but I was forced to watch that movie twice in high school and now even a pre-crazy Christian Bale cant quite redeem it. I could also link you to Christina Aguileras Candyman video, but I want to maintain my ability to face my reflection in the morning. But if you head down to Oxford Streets First Baptist Church some Saturday night, youll find a group of several dozen Dal students, faculty and community members the Dal Swing Dance Society, headed by fearless, fedorad leader Mike looking like theyve been swinging since the dirty thirties.
I had wanted to learn a partner dance for a while, says Mr. Forrester. The 窪蹋勛圖厙student (doing a PhD in Microbiology and Immunology, and now in his 2nd year as president of DSDS) is explaining what turned him into an incurable jitterbug. I wanted to be able to dance nicely on my wedding day or at other peoples weddings, since Im getting to that stage of life.
When he started dancing in January 2008, he was Awkward. Two left feet. (But) its the kind of dance where you can be a goof and its okay. Plus, you pick up the basics fast. At the end of three to four weeks, you can go out and socially dance convincingly. He practices what he preaches in that regard, not only at designated swing spots but more unusual venues like Pacifico and the Halifax Alehouse. Girls like to be twirled, he confides.
But theres more to swing dancing than twirling girls (no, really.) Accessibility is important to DSDS; 窪蹋勛圖厙is one of only a handful of Maritime locations teaching swing dance, and group representatives have even visited schools to teach a new generation the value of a well-executed tuck turn. And, of course, part of the mandate of any retro dance club worth its weight in saddle shoes is keeping the classic dance intact.
Theres a desire to keep it as authentic as possible certainly we want to try and keep the authenticity of swing.Mr. Forrestersays.
Where theres changes that have happened, theyve become entirely different cultures and swings. The splinter dance West Coast Swing, for instance, has little in common with lindy hop anymore its become a partner dance in its own right. One place where modernizations have crept into lindy hop, however, is in its move names when I visit DSDS to brush up on my Charleston, were taught the Texas Tommy and the Sugar Push but also the possibly less traditional sushi roll. When I mention this, Mr. Forresteris quick to point out that a turn by any other name is still a turn: all the moves are traditional, but the names that we have for these things are kind of convenient for us.
Swingers dishing to show off their sushi rolls are invited to DSDS annual Swing With the Fishes community dance. Current non-dancers are also encouraged to attend. You do not need dance experience to come to this event, Mr. Forrester emphasizes. Were going to keep it to a moderate tempo and were going to have a beginner lesson itll get you through at least half a song and then you can repeat the sequence!
Swing with the Fishes will be held Saturday, Nov. 13 in the McInnes Room, Dal SUB. Tickets are $15 advance and $20 at the door; you can buy tickets at Atlantic News, Morris and Queen Streets, Pretty Things Boutique on Blowers Street, or the website. Live music will be provided by Shirley Jackson and her Good Rockin Daddies.
Those who simply must swing sooner are invited to drop in on the DSDS weekly social dance at the Coconut Grove any Thursday night. We absolutely encourage people to come out to Coconut Grove. Were not scary people,says Mr. Forrester.
Swing might look intimating at first, but you wont know until you try. Take a deep breath, put on a fedora, and practice your sushi roll the DSDS will see you on November 13th.
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