Yes, No, Maybe... The Swing Revival. Some love it, others are
hesitant. I too could do without the trendiness. Remember: if you're
catching flak, you must be on target. Something great must be going on,
or it wouldn't have lasted so long. And it's not whether you're
swingin', playing ice hockey, or making quilts. Rather, it's the
friendships, good times, and memories that count. Here's some
non-trivial trivia: The Swing Revival has already lasted longer than
the entire Swing Era. Don't worry about what others tell you, about
anything. Make up your own mind.
If you're the average person who's gotten their knees wet in swing, you
probably don't know much about the Big Band Era, culture, and music
(unless you're a history buff, or you've read a Benny Goodman
biography). That's fine. That's not a requirement! I myself am a bit
naive about what happened during Swing Era. And the Swing Kowledge
Police won't raid Legends tomorrow night and load people in the patty
wagon like potato sacks! All's I'm saying is, if you feel you should
look deeper, do so, because you might miss a really swanky opportunity
in the 90's and the 00's. Swing never "died," and there really is no
"revival." Swing went underground for a while, partially because of
WWII, which took many of the male swingers (that sounded wrong) out of
the country. If WWII had not occurred, who knows if there would even
have been a lull.
All in all, Swing is a means to an end, and the metaphorical tip of the
iceberg. So be like Charles A. Lindbergh and fly over, viewing and
admiring from the ballroom skies, instead of floating blindly into the
Swing Revival. Who knows, pretty soon they'll be having a
swinging-on-ice hockey half-time show! OK, I've gone too far...
;)
Valentin
SWING THIS WEEK:
Swank Week (Mon-Fri all this week) 11am to 2pm
Wednesday at 12 noon: dance on the Quad!
Tuesday (March 23, 1999)
Legends (6th and Green)
19 or over, free swing lessons at 9pm by the Swing Society,
dancing 10 to 1
Wednesday
(2 events)
Dancing Illini Practice (Regent Ballroom, Savoy)
no smoking, 9:30 to 11pm,
contact Erika <egarvin@uiuc.edu> for rides (you can't walk)
also...
Indianapolis: Dance at the Patio. Dancing starts at 9:30
(8:30 Illinois time). People leave at 6:30-7:00.
Contact Warren Raquel <hepcat@uiuc.edu> for more info.
Thursday
(noswing)
Friday
(2 events and 1 salsa event)
Dance Contest in Salsa & Swing
8 PM, at the Levis Faculty Center (check your campus map)
$7 per couple to compete, $3 cover for non-participants.
Open dance floor and live entertainment. First Prizes for
both categories is $50 cash and a trophy.
also...
Jazz Happy Hour ($2) Canopy Club, SUSAN HOFER & FRIENDS
5 to 7pm
also...
Salsa night at the Regent, 11:30pm
Saturday
(3 events in C-U, 1 event in Charleston)
Dancing Illini Spring Social: Nightclub and Latin Dance
Where: Freer Hall room 310, NE corner of Goodwin & Gregory
Cost: free, dancing 7:30 to 10, e-mail <incognita1@hotmail.com>
also...
White Street Arts Center Teen Dance, 9pm to 11:30pm
cost: 1 dollar. Contact <prisecar@uiuc.edu> for info,
no smoking/drinking/hanky panky, dress to swingpress,
location: on White Street, between 3rd and 4th
*my mother will be there! (I'm serious)
also...
Maryanne's in Charleston
also...
the Virtues, at JuJu's
Sunday
the Office (Urbana). 18 or over. Free Lindy Hop pointers
at 9pm, by the Swing Society, Dancing at 9:30pm. Free event,
so please buy something (kitchen is open 'till 11pm).
Monday
U of I Jazz Band II at City of New Orleans
Singer: Valene Granger ("Val the Gal")
Swing events in April:
Stay tuned for a possible Friday Newman Swing Night...
April 1: Student Performing Arts Committee/Illini Union Board:
Ballroom Dancing Night, 8-11pm
***special event***
April 2: Swing Dance at the Champaign County Nursing Home!
6:45pm to 8pm. Everyone's invited. You can dance, or just
hear stories of how it was "back then" from the people who
were around "back then." Free admission. E-mail me for more info.
April 9, 10, 11: Uso weekend in Chicago: the biggest Swing Party
to hit Chicago. They are bringing in people from Frisco, D.C,
all over. http://www.slohand.com/cshb/uso.html
April 11: Cherry Poppin Daddies at the Ill. Wesleyan Univ.
Shirk Center, 8 pm. $10 for ISU students and $17.50 for the
gen public (not too bad). They might perform in one of the
huge gyms so it can be used as a dance floor!
Classes/Workshops:
Wednesday, March 24
Beginner Swing Classes -- 6 week classes
Urbana Park District, Phillips Recreation Center
on Springfield Ave. & McCullough, in Urbana
8:30pm to 9:30pm
Thursday, March 25
Andrew and Stephanie's Ballroom Swing Classes
White Street Arts Center, e-mail shuot@csci.csc.com
4 week classes
8:35pm beginner, 9:35 intermediate
Saturday, March 27
White Street Arts Center: Teen and Youth swing classes
classes are 4 weeks long, every Saturday
1pm beginner swing (1st thru 4th grade)
2pm beginner swing (5th thru 7th grade)
3pm intermediate swing (5th thru 7th grade) -- tentative
7pm beginner swing (8th grade thru 12th grade)
8pm intermediate swing (8th grade thru 12th grade)
(Dance afterwards, see above)
also...
Dancing Illini Spring Social: Dance Workshop
Where: Freer Hall room 310, NE corner of Goodwin & Gregory
Cost: FREE! Schedule:
2:15 to 2:30 Registration
2:30 to 3:25 Hustle 1 (beginner level---no experience necessary)
3:35 to 4:35 Hustle 2 (you'll learn a red hot flashy sequence)
4:45 to 6:15 West Coast Swing (basics plus syncopations)
*CRU Swing/Lindy classes*
Next and final round of Swing and Lindy classes for this
semester start April 7-8.
Possible Lindy Hop Workshop in April/May -- stay tuned
also, Teen workshop in April/May
for more info, see:
http://come.to/cu-swing
http://www.prairienet.org/white-street
http://www.uiuc.edu/ro/dancing/