Walk through the desolate second floor hallway of Carney Hall at five o’clock on a Sunday evening and you will hear the ‘90s smash hit “Everybody” by the Backstreet Boys coming from room 206. One of Full Swing’s dance groups is beginning rehearsal by stretching to their favorite throwback songs. Then, within a minute, the upbeat, jazzy piano intro to “Another Day of Sun,” the opening song to the film La La Land, sounds and the group has begun swing dancing.
Placing my notebook and water bottle on the table in the corner of the dance studio, I had low expectations for this group before rehearsal started. I associated swing dance with a trip I took a few years ago to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. I envisioned couples in plaid shirts, long skirts, and cowboy hats dancing to country music, banjo and tambourine blaring; all swing dancers perform outside, surrounded by families eating buffet-style barbecue at picnic tables with red and white checkered tablecloths. Assuming college students most likely had no background in swing dancing, they would probably be amateur dancers, offbeat or sloppy as a whole. Who would spend their time going to a swing dance performance? It seemed irrelevant to me.
I was pleasantly surprised, though, when I sat in on the rehearsal and was privy to the group’s modern twist on a traditional style and the excitement they exuded for the two hour period. Instead of the country music I was anticipating, I was met with a contemporary tune featured in one of the most acclaimed movies from 2017, quite relevant to popular culture. Noella, a member of two choreographed dances within the club Full Swing, says swing dancing is “really entertaining” and the choreographers usually pick modern music for the shows to appeal to their audience. As I observed the rehearsal, the four couples transitioned from moves like Frankie Pop to Texas Tommy to Whiskey Business while the choreographer called out the eight count beats. Suddenly girls were flipping over their partners’ shoulders in what is called the Manlier Man aerial. Another transition and two partners were in the middle of the floor doing a synchronized Half Pipe aerial, going directly into a reverse Basket Weave afterwards.
“Entertaining” is an understatement. My prior judgements were proved wrong within two minutes, as I watched in awe as the couples nailed their aerials one after the other. I was thoroughly impressed not only by their physical strength, but also by the skills necessary for the whole group to remain on beat, executing these moves with precision and speed. Noella told me that while she did have five years of previous dance experience from when she was younger, no dance background is necessary for Swing “as long as you have a decent sense of rhythm [because] most moves are on an eight count beat.” As someone who danced for eight years and played musical instruments for six I, too, have a good sense of rhythm, but still lack the skill to dance at this level of intensity. While many of the dancers have never danced swing before coming to Boston College, they quickly acclimated to the fast-paced, sophisticated choreography of Full Swing. Noella told me the dance couples are generally based on height, so you do not usually know your partner before dancing. However, she adds, “You develop the level of trust [with your partner] for him to be able to flip you in the air. That trust builds pretty quickly.” It is this trust between partners that allows the group to stay on beat, even during the more difficult moves.
Contrary to my previous assumptions about the group, Full Swing actually embraces newcomers regardless of their previous dance ability, helping to create the palpable sense of community that initially draws in so many members. Before speaking with Noella or observing the rehearsal, I was under the impression that Full Swing was an exclusive group, almost cult-like. Upon entering the dance studio and explaining my project to the dancers, the choreographer chuckled and asked me, “Want to learn a little more about the swing cult?” I laughed along, but was still unsure on the group’s view of “outsiders.” I know some of my peers also believe the misconception that Full Swing is cliquey. Perhaps it is because of the overlapping membership between the Emerging Leaders Program (ELP) for freshmen and Full Swing. From my experience, the people I know who are in Swing are also in ELP, therefore already friends with each other, helping create the reputation of exclusivity. Noella helped explain this relationship, saying the two groups are not correlated, but rather ELP student leaders often recommend Full Swing to the freshmen because the sense of community and welcoming environment is present in both groups; “If you like ELP, you might like Swing.”
After the rehearsal and speaking with Noella it is evident that Full Swing’s reputation as being cult-like could not be further from reality. The group hosts various events throughout the year to include all students, whether in Swing or not. There are a few socials per semester where anyone in the BC community can come for “social dancing,” to get a feel for casual swing dancing and to mingle with other students. The next “level” of group involvement is attending lessons, which occur once a week for members or non-members to learn basic swing moves. Noella first became involved with Swing after attending a few socials and lessons. Somewhat timid and reserved, Noella becomes chatty and enthusiastic when talking about Swing. She told me, “[It is] really easy to enter into [Full Swing] if you want to dance” and the club was a “good entryway into campus” as a first-semester freshman. Even from my brief two hour experience with Swing, I was welcomed into the environment and could tell the dancers were excited to have an audience for the day. The dancers displayed genuine interest when I explained my project and were eager to give their best performance.
Not only does the club welcome outsiders, it creates an amiable environment for its members. Noella told me how the group fosters new relationships and opportunities to meet people outside your typical social circles. She described the club as “a great group of people and environment.” She recounted a story about how her current dance partner actually lived in her town and went to her high school but, since he is a year younger, she did not really know him personally. Another girl in the group lived down the street from her at home. She says, “You know [some] people, but then you get to know them better.” The choreographers will often invite their groups over to their houses for “chill nights in,” in addition to hosting club-wide parties on the weekends. There are also some girls’ nights, where all the swing girls will get together to hang out and bond, as well as guys’ nights. Noella describes these nights as a “chill, fun vibe” and an opportunity to talk to people you may not encounter on a daily basis. Her eyes lit up when I asked her about her overall experience in the club and she responded, “I freaking love Swing.”
Swing provides Noella with an escape from the hectic and stressful schedule of a Chemistry major student. She appreciates her time at Swing and says it is a “fun outlet unrelated to class.” Even I found taking two hours out of my Sunday evening, which I would have otherwise spent doing homework, to be refreshing. Carney Hall is almost completely empty at that hour, with the exception of a few other group rehearsals, and its location, distant from all of the residence buildings, forces Swing dancers to take a walk outside and get some fresh air in the midst of a work-packed day. Here the dancers are able to put their work on pause and interact with a totally separate group of people. Dancing with your friends for two hours seems to be a perfect way to decompress at the start of each week.
The dancers’ positive energy and spirit is contagious. Contrary to my previous misconceptions, I found myself engaged with their performance and looking forward to speaking with Noella about her time in the group. I left Carney Hall feeling inspired and encouraged to join a dance group myself- not necessarily to learn how to dance, but in search of the same sense of community and unity that comes with being on a team.
Works Cited
Noella. Personal Interview. 21 March 2018.
Wandering & Wondering 