New Club is in Full Swing

April 13, 2012
Filed under Features

Only one club has Captains and Noodles and Can Openers and Corkscrews: Swing Club. Once a week, typically Wednesdays, students come together in the choir room to have a good time learning a variety of swing dancing moves. Senior, Lori Thompson created Swing Club last November.

“I learned how to swing dance my sophomore year. When I’d dance at places like the Military Ball, people would get excited and ask me to teach them. I wanted to teach everybody, but I didn’t have the time. But then I thought, ‘If I started a club that meets on a regular basis, I could,’” Thompson said.

Swing Club lets people move at their own pace, accommodating everyone from beginners to swing dancing experts. Anyone can walk in for the first time and ask a variety of different people to teach them something new.

“When Swing Club first started, I instructed the whole group at once. But now that it’s grown, I just write a list of different moves up on the board and teach people individually,” Thompson said.

Some people may think you can’t come if you don’t bring a partner. However, this is not the case.

“It is easier if you bring your own partner. But unfortunately, some people do come solo. We do our best to find them a partner, but if we can’t, we just switch people around so that they all have a chance to dance,” Senior, Mckenzie Maze said.

Swing dancing is a delightful activity for couples to participate in.

“Swing dancing builds trust. If you have a boyfriend or a girlfriend, you can have fun while learning to trust each other. If you’re having any troubles, you can work it out on the dance floor,” Senior, Tanya Crowe said.

Not only does Swing Club strengthen relationships, but it strengthens bodies as well.

“When you come to swing dance, prepare to be dropped. But that’s not a reason to be scared of it. You just get up, shake it off, and do the move again,” Maze said.