When one talks about swing dancing, the image that comes to mind for most is that of the movies “Swing Kids” or “Swingers”, with dancers jumping around the floor to a bouncy tune that sounds like it might have been influenced by jazz. If that’s where you are at, you’re not alone. While this is one representation of swing dance, it’s far from complete.
Think of the term “swing dancing” as an umbrella. The term swing encompasses a number of dances that trace their roots back to the early days of jazz music. From the pre-swing era of 1920’s Charleston to the post swing evolution of the dance into what is now West Coast Swing, swing dance styles are as diverse as the music that inspired them. While delving into the full history of swing dancing is a bit beyond the scope of this article, we will look at some of the forms of swing dance that are popular today and continue to thrive in cities around the world, from Vancouver to Stockholm, Melbourne to Seoul.
Each of the swing dances has its own distinct flavour. Different types of music encourage different styles of movement. While the basic fundamentals of partnering are essentially the same, each dance style exhibits more or less energy, bounce, and connection, requiring students to get a good grounding basic dance technique. The best way to do this is by taking beginner classes in every style of dance that you want to work on. While one dance will help with the next, each dance style has its own particular habits that must be built before moving on to the more complex movements. You’ve gotta walk before you can run and each style of dance runs better when you learn to walk it first.
For class information and registration in Vancouver, you can contact Rhythm City Productions and Night and Day Dance. This is not an exhaustive listing by any means, but these two dance companies can give you great grounding in more than a few styles of swing that are danced in this city.
The styles of dance that you will see presented on this website are Lindy hop, Charleston, Balboa and Blues. While there are others, these dances are the particular focus of the dancers that frequent Jungle Swing’s Stomp it Off! dance every Saturday night, from 8:00pm to 1:00am, at the Grandview Legion, 2205 Commercial Drive. All four of these partnered dances, along with a variety of mob dances (the swing version of line dances) can be seen at Stomp it Off! on any given Saturday. Come on out, take advantage of the drop-in lesson from 8:00pm to 9:00pm then join the rest of the dancers on the floor for a night of socializing and great exercise.
Recent Comments