Swing Dance Club works for food

Members of the IU Swing Dance Club are still ailing their sore feet.\nThey're recovering from Friday's "Will Dance for Food," at the IMU Alumni Hall. The special dance event took place to benefit the Hoosier Hills Food Bank. The club sponsored the event along with the Graduate and Professional Student Organization. \nThe dance event featured live entertainment by Bloomington's rockabilly sensation, The Swing Rays, along with free beginning swing dance lessons. Admission cost was a canned or boxed food item to contribute to the Hoosier Hills Food Bank. The Bank is an organization that distributes all donated food items to non-profit organizations with feeding programs that serve ill, needy, and infant individuals.\nBringing the Swing Dance Club and the Hoosier Hills Food Bank together for Friday's event was the idea of Emily Nagoski, an active member of both organizations. Nagoski said she thought it would be a great idea to bring them together to serve a cause that would benefit both the organization's missions.\nThis was the second year the Swing Dance Club and the Hoosier Hills Food Bank came together to give IU students and guests a chance to experience what swing dancing is all about.\nFeatured at the event was the swing dance band, The Swing Rays, who have performed at the Bluebird night club in the past. They've also performed in Indianapolis, Chicago, St. Louis, Detroit, and many other major cities. The Swing Rays toured in Europe during the summer of 1997.\n"Watching the Swing Rays tonight perform live, I think gives a fuller affect to the swing dancing action going on here tonight," senior Justin Marcinkewicz said. "It makes the whole idea of this event seem more original, and more real." \nAndrew Kurtz, IU Swing Dance Club board member, said the event raised a larger amount of food donation than expected. He estimated that more than 125 guest attended and said the event turnout was excellent.\nThis year's "Will Dance for Food" event was more successful than last year's. This was facilitated by increased advertisement by the GPSO and the IU Swing Dance Club. \nThe dance lessons, given by swing dance club members Kurtz and Debi Hanuscin began around 7 p.m. and had about 50 participants.\n"To me learning the moves to swing dance is a bit of a challenge that is worth the practice," senior Jen Mroz said. "It is made easy when you want to have fun and enjoy what your doing."\nThe I.U. Swing Dance Club will sponsor the "Big Red Swing Weekend" Nov. 15 to17, that will bring participants and guests the chance to dance and have some fun. The BRSW will bring live music on that Saturday from the Tim Brickley Quintet from 8pm to midnight. There will be swing dance music workshops lead by the famous Joel Plys from San Diego, California and Valerie Sasltrom from Cleveland, Ohio. Admission for the BRSW attendees is free, for IDSDC non attendees pay $5 and non-members will pay $10. This will be the first ever swing dance extravaganza in Bloomington hosted by IU Swing Dance Club.