There’s been a massive surge of new interest in ballroom moves recently and the Saturday night cats-and-spinsters television lineup reflects it.
A host of nearly-beens, weird Stepford Wives-esque Wags, Pamela Andersons and faded newsreaders permeate our screens and – like limescale on a sad, unloved kettle – it sticks to the schedules to such an extent that it’s easier to just give up and accept the taste of the tainted tea that follows.
However, despite such media mediocrities and asinine assaults, the truth is out there: dance is a massive bash of life and fun when you actually get involved and throw off the cares of the day.
We are proud therefore to present swing dancing. And it’s every Friday at Lone Star. Huzzah!
It’s happening at 9pm, to be exact, (so we’ll have to set the TiVo to record America’s Next Top Snookie On Ice to watch later). And, brilliantly there’s a free half-hour swing dance lesson in the company of swivel-hipped Graham Heron, instructor at The Dance Studio in Governor’s Square. He tells us it’s a great chance to learn a few steps to enjoy the music, which goes on until 11pm.
“Music-wise the dance is mainly East Coast Swing; there are multiple swings including jive, indie hop and more. It’s not harsh rock and roll, think of Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, The Hollies, Simon and Garfunkel – a whole load of that sort of stuff,” Graham says.
Indeed, most of those rock and roll greats incorporated the swing sound into their sets over the years. There’s also jitterbug, rock and roll and more from a style that originated literally as a street dance, Graham says.
“It’s bouncy, lively, not too fast. It has got life too it and a certain four-beat rhythm to it. When you are dancing swing you can, depending on the music, dance fast if the music is slow and vice versa,
“It’s a dance done with a partner, a little bit of acrobatic stuff, turns with girls and guys, complex footwork if you like and there is a whole range of stuff you can do. It is fun music and pretty easy to learn the basic steps,” he says.
Free class
Scott McLean of Lone Star says that the night was introduced two weeks back and has proved very popular so far.
“Graham brings some students and a demonstrator for the free class and shows some basic steps, then we crank up the music and there’s such high energy there, it’s great.
“Ketel One and Jacques Scott sponsor and the atmosphere is very different to any other kind of night. It is music that has never been played here before – it feels like you are in the soundtrack of a movie. It’s songs you have heard before but never really hear in a bar or nightclub,” Scotty tells us.
He pegs names such as Brian Setzer Orchestra, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Squirrel Nut Zippers as an idea of the vibe of the songs played, alongside remixed Elvis and Sinatra and other classics.
“Graham has got a really cool playlist and it runs for hours,” Scott says. “We are getting a really cool, professional crowd to it – early 30s and up but not exclusively. People have a blast and there’s plenty of girls but not a lot of guys. Even my staff are there practicing their dance steps all night. It’s a whole lot of fun.”
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