Paul Csonka, who was Swingtime’s Artistic Director for a few years, is out there making us proud with Audrey Ho, who ran the Stanford Lindy Project for a while.” A few Swingtime alums have gone on to compete at Camp Hollywood and other swing events.
Maya Lee Ziv, Digital Media & Alumni Relations Chair for Stanford Swingtime shares, “Some dancers have turned professional. While the qualifications are lenient, a hint of verve does go a long way “Swingtime members are chosen for attitude as much as aptitude,” as it states on the Swingtime audition web page. Finding this kind of spectator entertainment is fairly uncommon these days but Stanford Swingtime in Palo Alto – Stanford University’s premiere performance-based swing dance troupe, comprised of Stanford undergraduates and graduate students, has created such an outlet.įounded in 2002 – the troupe, funded by Stanford University, holds regular auditions – open to Stanford students only with no prior dance experience. Often, when we think of swing dancing, high energy lifts and swift aerial dance steps come to mind. Movies such as A League of Their Own and Swingers also played a significant role during the swing comeback as did the 1998 Gap commercial Khakis Swing – featuring Lindy Hop dance to Louis Prima’s “Jump, Jive an’ Wail.”
Music influences during the ’80s and ’90s swing revival included the Royal Crown Revue, the Squirrel Nut Zippers, the Brian Setzer Orchestra, and the Cherry Poppin’ Daddies. Classes and workshops led by the legendary dancers were held worldwide, expanding the new generation of swing dancers globally, and prompting the first ever Swing Dance Camp – held in Herräng, Sweden – becoming one of the foremost swing dance events on the global radar to date. Frankie Manning and other notable dancers such as Al Minns agreed to teach an eager generation of dancers the Lindy Hop and other swing dance styles. Following the popularity of the 1980 movie, The Blues Brothers, featuring the big band sound of Cab Calloway, and the colossal response to rockabilly music by The Stray Cats, dancers from Sweden and Pasadena, California went on a mission to track down some of the original 1930s/40s swing dancers. The swing resurgence of the 1980s and ’90s was a pop culture phenomenon. the Balboa, Shag, and others – all the way through the end of World War II. The first official swing dance, the Lindy Hop, a partner dance driven by African rhythms with dance influences from the Charleston and tap, became an international sensation when legendary Savoy dancer Frankie Manning added aerial dance moves to the Lindy, inspiring a multitude of other swing styles, i.e. Swing emerged in Harlem, New York during the depression and made its mark at the Savoy Ballroom – America’s first swing club showcasing American jazz dance, now known as swing. Just as important as it is to learn the steps to the various swing dance styles, knowing the basic history of swing and learning about what led to swing’s revival in the 1980s and 90s, is equally essential information for any newcomer to the scene.
Enthusiasts are savvy to knowing precisely where to find the latest happenings in their area usually online through social media, specific websites, and word of mouth. Underground as it may seem, swing communities are far reaching in both rural and urban areas worldwide. You’re less likely to see swing events publicized widely through paid advertising outlets.
Today, you could say swing has a somewhat underground existence. For this reason, swing music and dance live on – as it must – in the San Francisco Bay Area and around the globe. Jazz music of this kind, treasured by countless people over multiple generations, will never be forgotten. Swing music worked its magic back then – as it does today, conjuring up an intoxicating social dance experience. You know that toe-tapping, pre- World War II tune “Sing, Sing, Sing” that commands you to dance the moment you hear it? That was the point of the catchy jazz arrangement by Louis Prima, famously performed by Benny Goodman and his orchestra – to get listeners up on their feet.
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