Couples jump, jive to swing dance sound

Until Anna Horner was 19 years old, she refused to move her feet.

“I was so afraid of putting myself out there,” Horner said.

Horner would go to dances and sit on the sidelines, and she said she always felt like she was missing out.

It’s not that she didn’t want to dance, Horner said. As an organ performance major, she said she loves music.

But it wasn’t until Horner saw fliers advertising the IU Swing Dance Club that the idea of how to get past her shyness ever occurred to her.

“It’s probably my favorite part of school now,” she said. “Over the summer, I
missed it.”

On Saturday, the IU Swing Dance Club partnered with the Boilermaker Jazz Band for the annual Big Red Swing Weekend. The weekend featured dance lessons and live music — and couples jumped and jived to this old-time sound.

Horner wore a tight dress and danced on the Indiana Memorial Union Frangipani Room floor.

“I’m big on theatrics,” Swing Dance Club President Stephen Schmuldt said. “I played guitar, bass and piano in high school, and when I heard the music, I was like, ‘Woah, this is really good. No one told me about this. I might as well learn to dance to it.’”

For Schmuldt, the strengths of swing dance lie in the music and partner dancing. Both are media Schmuldt is afraid will fall to pop culture’s wayside, and he said he wishes
more undergraduates would participate in the events.

“Music is transformative, but it still amazes me that at one time this was super popular,” he said.

Schmuldt’s girlfriend, Taylor Hyslop, visited him from Chicago for this weekend’s workshop. But Hyslop wasn’t Schmuldt’s only partner.

“I think the rule is normally the guy has to ask the girl to dance,” club member and dancer Lainey Bell said. “Well, all is fair game in the Swing Dance Club.”

Bell began swing dance lessons four years ago and said she “always wanted to be a dancer.” She said she loves the music, especially Ella Fitzgerald, and that twirling her pink dress makes her feel graceful.

“Everybody has experienced being in love and out of love, and the music resonates with everyone,” Bell said.

While couples traded partners and the band switched sets, the mood of the Swing Dance Club stayed constant. Girls twirled in wide hoop dresses, and men in suspenders sauntered across the floor.

“It’s all about having fun, being playful and enjoying yourself,” Horner said.

At the end of the night, Horner did sit on the sidelines again. But this time, warm from so much dancing, she fanned her face. 

Interested in joining the club?

The IU Swing Dance Club meets every Monday in the Indiana Memorial Union. The club offers hour-long lessons to students, faculty and the general public. Check out indiana.edu/~iuswing for dates and times.