A swingin’ good time
If Utah State University students are looking for a swinging night out, the Swing Club is the place to go.
The Swing Club was started in 1998. A swing teacher from California came to USU to teach private lessons on Lindy Hop. The lessons became so popular some people from the class decided to start a club.
Marcia Whitney, president of the Swing Club and director of the swing team, said she has been dancing swing for three years. She said she is committed to forwarding the cause of swing and its music.
“Once I saw the Lindy Hop I knew I had to learn it and I’ve been hooked ever since,” Whitney said. “Swing is just fun.”
The Swing Club has been involved in different service activities around the valley. For instance, the club dances and teaches at rest homes.
They did one performance at Sunshine Terrace and Whitney said the people loved them. Many residents could relate to the music and dancing. Another thing the Swing Club does is help out at the Halloween Carnival at the Fieldhouse every year. The club also does school assemblies.
“They absolutely love us because we involve the students and bring them on the stage with us,” Whitney said. “We make the assemblies educational. We show movie clips of dancers from the ’20s. One clip we show is of 89-year-old Frankie Manning who is still teaching swing. He is still kickin’ it and having fun.”
The Swing Club does something they call swing bombs. They play music and dance at different places in the valley including Hogi Yogi, Wal-Mart, Sonic and many places on campus.
“We are the ambassadors of swing. There is no other group in the valley like it,” Whitney said. “The Swing Club is not limited to students. Anyone can be in the Swing Club.”
The two main styles of swing are Savoy and Hollywood. The club teaches the Savoy style, the kind people in Harlem N.Y. did in the ’20s. In the Savoy style, they like to throw out the rules, play and have fun. It is less choreographed than the Hollywood style and there is more freedom to improvise, she said.
The Swing Club likes to make their performances fun and not worry about the steps or the routine.
“What is so great about swing is people can show their different personalities on stage,” Whitney said. “That is why it is so fun to watch. It is not like other dances like ballroom where everyone has to be the same.”
Jimmy Suisse, a Swing Club member, said he has been dancing swing for three and one-half years.
“I use it as an escape to relieve stress, have fun, get exercise, and meet women,” Suisse said.
Aaron Shields, another Swing Club member, said he has been swing dancing for three months. He said he really got into it after signing up for one of the university courses for swing dancing.
“I fell in love with swing from day one. It helped me discover a part of me I didn’t know about,” Shields said. “For me, it is an escape from the rest of my classes. I come here, and I don’t have to follow any rules anymore. It just feels natural.”
Isaac Ashby, vice president for the Swing Club, said he has been dancing for two years. He said he wants to get better at swing so one day he can be part of a professional team and compete.
“I love the Swing Club because it is an opportunity to meet new people. There is just a feeling you get when you are dancing with the music. It is so fun when you get to make up your own moves,” Ashby said.
The Swing Club wants to let the public know about classes they have available. They want to bring in more professionals, learn more styles of swing, do more workshops, and build up the swing team. They are working on getting more performances and assemblies. They are also trying to get enough people into swing dancing so they can bring Swing Night back to Club Skyline, a local dance club. The owners of Club Skyline have been a big support to them. They love swing music and dancing. The Swing Club is also going to start teaching classes at the Sports Academy, Whitney said.
For more information on the Swing Club e-mail swingusu@yahoo.com or call Whitney at 512-0619. The team is available for any private parties or functions. Students interested in joining the club can come to the classes Wednesdays from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. in HPER, Room 215. The cost is $15 for the semester which includes a T-shirt.
-erina@cc.usu.edu
Jon Winn, a junior majoring in business administration and BreAnn Vernon, a sophmore exercise science major, work on a move called the may pole Tuesday night at swing team practice. (Photo by Angelie Christensen)