Swing club offers lessons

All kinds of shoes twisted and turned on the vast, wooden floor. Black and white wingtips shuffled back and forth, weaving in and out of rubber-soled sneakers. Loafers kicked out a rhythm, and ballet slippers glided across the glossy strips of wood. All the shoes were swing dancing, and all the shoes belonged to members of the IU Swing Dance Club. \nThe Swing Dance Club will conduct a free one-hour class at 7 p.m. Friday in Alumni Hall for all students. Dancing to a live jazz band will follow the lesson.\nThe club meets every Monday for an hour of instruction followed by two hours of open dancing. People from all walks of life attend these practices, but they all have one thing in common to say about the swing dance club: "It's a great way to meet people." \nNatalie Anderson, an employee in the Chemistry Building and swing dance instructor, even met her future husband through swing dancing. Anderson is engaged to fellow instructor Paul Rodibaugh. \nGraduate student and President of the Swing Dance Club Shawn Alspaugh said he likes getting the chance to meet and hang out with students who aren't involved in his major -- mathematics. \n"It's a great social outlet," he said. \nFor many students, their first exposure to dancing came at the Swing Dance Club. Sophomore Rachel Resler has been a member of the club for a semester. Although she had never danced before, Resler said swing was a great way to start.\n"It's never too late to start swing dancing," she said.\nFounded in 1998, about the time of a resurgence in swing dancing, the club teaches two main styles of dance: East Coast Swing and Lindy Hop. Anderson said members usually learn the basic steps of East Coast first. \n"It's more of a ballroom-type dance," Anderson said. "And it helps you get used to dancing with a partner." \nAfter mastering East Coast, members get to learn Lindy Hop, which Alspaugh describes as the style of swing most often seen in old movies.\n"It's a lot more fun, but a lot more difficult," Alspaugh said. \nThe most important part of swing dancing is the music. In the current world of hip-hop and pop, the swing dancers love jazz music because it's different from the mainstream. \n"It's really natural to dance to jazz," Rodibaugh said. \nThe improvisation in jazz makes it more interesting to dance to, he said.\n"You have to understand when to dance with your partner and when to improvise," he said. "It goes back and forth." \nAnderson said dancing lets her experience the music without having to play an instrument.\n"You discover more things in the music (when you're dancing to it)," she said. \nAnother unique quality of swing dancing is its rich history. Swing began as a street dance and constantly undergoes change, Rodibaugh said. \n"There's never been a book on how to swing dance," Rodibaugh said. \nThe club usually has two workshops a year and plays host to instructors from across the United States. Alspaugh said this year, the club's biggest event, The Big Red Swing workshop, included 10 hours of instruction with teachers from California. \nRodibaugh said the best part about having workshops is just getting to watch the instructors dance.\n"We get to experience a higher level of dancing," he said. \nAnderson has recently encouraged the club to hold additional practices Wednesday evenings. During this time, beginners can rehearse in a room with mirrors and work specifically on technique. Anderson said next year, club members hope to implement video cameras in this rehearsal to record how dancers have improved. \n"This practice is more in depth," said Anderson, admitting the Lindy Hop can be very technically challenging. \nBut that doesn't stop them from having fun. Couples twirled and twisted in the middle of the smooth, wooden floor, smiling and laughing as they figured out new steps. \n"It's still fun, even when you're doing it wrong," Anderson said. \n-- Contact Staff Writer Sarah Walden at sawalden@indiana.edu.