If you’ve heard the term swing-dance, then there is a
strong chance that you might experience a little “blast from the past” moment.
When it comes to swing dancing, you may think of jazz music, the 1940’s, Benny
Goodman, jazz clubs, and several other iconic things. You may feel
light-hearted, entertained, romanticized, clumsy, or even awkward depending on
your experience with swing dancing, and may not have had any experience with
swing at all. While everyone’s feelings
on swing are different between each other, there are a lot of people who enjoy
swing dancing and have a fun time doing it. Unfortunately for the swing dance
fateful, the glory days where Swing Dancing has reigned supreme over anything
else in mainstream society has long come to past since its early inception
years. While swing dancing was incredibly popular during the 1930’s, 1940’s,
and 1950’s, it has since been passed up by more current styles of dancing. Today, it is now replaced with hip-hop, pop,
country, and electronic style of dancing that is accustomed to music of today’s
era, which involve multiple forms of individualized and group-style dancing.
Since this style of swing-jazz that accompanies swing dancing has long gone out
of the mainstream spotlight, swing dancing has since not received the attention
that it had received decades earlier in history. When it’s come to youth today, it comes across to me that swing dancing
can be interpreted as a “previous-generation” fad that doesn’t have the same
relevance in today’s society. Most modern day nigh-clubs, bars, and restaurants
do not play swing music on a very regular basis, and tend to play more modern forms of music. While there are some clubs, bars, and restaurants that do play swing music, these places don't tend to receive any more visitors than those who do not play swing music. I get the impression may feel that swing dancing is something of the past, and may not choose to do swing dancing over everything else. While these very much just may be my own feelings, swing dancing is very much past it's mainstream days.
To think that Swing dancing is dead however, is very much a false statement in society today . In Minnesota alone, there are several places where people can choose to swing dance. In the Twin Cities, there is the Wabasha Caves, Uptown Swing, Cinema Ballroom and other places where you can get “swung-over” (Phrase credited to the St. Thomas Swing Club). Besides just general admission swing places, there are also several college campuses such as St. Thomas and Bethel that provide students and outsiders alike to have the opportunity to try their hand at swing dancing. To go even further than Minnesota, there are places in California, Texas, Maine, and New York that also provide opportunities to go swing dancing as well. Even though many teachers/clubs that existed today were started decades earlier, there is still many people of their current generation that is inheriting the tradition of swing that is being passed down to them. These Swing places provide a fun opportunity for men and women alike to learn and work on their swing-dancing skills with one or multiple patterns, and provide an opportunity for to socialize face-to-face with one another. This is especially important in an age where social media, smartphones, and other electronics can preoccupy people for hours at a time, and socializing through swing dancing can be a healthy form of communication between the sexes. While electronics can be useful in real life, it is important to take a break from technology and enjoy doing something that involves not sitting in front of a screen. As a person who had not swing dance until this past year, I can attest to how it provides a healthy break from technology. It doesn't matter if your young or old, swing dancing provides a form of dancing that can provide entertainment for anyone who is physical active and healthy.
In the end however, not everyone enjoys swing dancing or just dancing in general. Some people are not a huge fan of swing music, while others are concerned with looking awkward on the dance floor. While these are all notable concerns, part of the fun of swing dancing is getting the courage to go out and ask someone to dance. If you are man or women and you see an attractive female (or male depending on your interest) and you want to ask them to dance, part of learning how to swing dance is getting the courage to try to dance with them. This type of courage/bravado is one of many reasons why swing dancing has thrived in the modern age, and has proven to remain timeless. The fact that swing dancing isn’t as prominent as it used to be also makes it a useful skill for those who want to learn. While the swing dancing is past its glory days, it is still as alive and prevalent in today's society as it has ever been before.