We sat down with Paul Paradis, experienced swing dancer, to give us an idea of what it takes to swing dance.
Principia Alumni Dance: Can you share a brief history of swing?
Paul Paradis: Well, the history of swing goes hand-in-hand with the evolution of music. Swing origins stem from the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem back in the early 1930s. All swing evolved out of Charleston [dance], when the Charleston was done as an individual thing. [Eventually] they started doing a partner thing, breaking apart, coming back together – it was a wild, flailing kind of dance. But it was new. As the 20s went along and music evolved, it became a partner dance.
Stereotypical swing is fast, lots of aerials going on, [which developed] in the late 1920s with Frankie Manning. It became about getting in the air and doing that crazy stuff! Around then it kind of became a national dance.
The word “jiggerbug” got labelled as swing dancing abck in the 20s and 30s – it’s not a style of swing, just a generic term that got applied to it. But Lindy Hop was the thing, [starting] in the late 20s all through the 30s and 40s. The dance floor became so crowded that people couldn’t move, and out of that came Balboa, which most people [today] have never heard of. [In Balboa] you can dance to fast music but take up no space on the dance floor, as it’s a completely closed position dance [meaning the two partners are connected the entire time].
As swing dance migrated [west] across the country, it became less hoppy and fast, and more smooth, and West Coast swing evolved out of it. Of course, basically every city had its own dance scene and would develop its own style. Collegiate Shag, Carolina Shag, [and others] evolved in different places and became unique styles.
PAD: Can you name the type of swing that you do?
PP: With me, the things I’ve pursued the most are Lindy Hop, East Coast swing, Balboa, and of course Charleston, [because] all the Charleston stuff kind of goes hand in hand with Lindy Hop and swing in general.
PAD: What elements are necessary to be a good swing dancer?
PP: I think you have to naturally enjoy the music, which is a pretty broad array of stuff, [especially] blues and swing. I think if you naturally like that music, you're going to naturally like moving to it. There is an athleticism to it that is not necessary but is very helpful to have. If you want to take it to any kind of level, you've gotta be able to move.
It's really about connection and understanding that language of movement, from being a lead and how you communicate it to your partner, and, then as a follow, maintaining that constant connection. Understanding that very well is a necessity, which is true for any partner dance, but especially swing. I've never been to a ballroom class that really got into that, but I went to all these swing workshops, and that is what it's all about. There's a much bigger emphasis on that in the swing world.
PAD: As someone who does mainly East Coast swing, do you ever do West Coast swing? What’s that like for you?
PP: I've only taken some beginning level classes of West Coast swing, and as time has gone, I've grown to like it more and more. In fact, I can see evolving into a West Coast swing guy, because it's just a lot slower, the demands aren't as great, and it's also very freestyle. It's a very different stylistic way of moving.
In my to-dos of dance, I would like to get really good at West Coast swing, because you get to dance to a whole lot of good music. From watching JJ [fellow Prin alum John Jordan, C’90 at the Alumni Dance Retreat 2010], I was like, ‘Okay, that's winnin’ me over!’
PAD: What’s the one thing people should know about swing but don’t?
PP: When people hear swing, it automatically and universally conjures up images of flips and moving through the air and really fast, and that is a tiny part of swing dancing. Really, ultimately, it's about moving to certain style of music and being able to move in a spontaneous way communicated with a partner. That’s at its essence, and that can be done very slowly. It’s absolutely 100% about the communication that occurs.
Paul Paradis: Well, the history of swing goes hand-in-hand with the evolution of music. Swing origins stem from the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem back in the early 1930s. All swing evolved out of Charleston [dance], when the Charleston was done as an individual thing. [Eventually] they started doing a partner thing, breaking apart, coming back together – it was a wild, flailing kind of dance. But it was new. As the 20s went along and music evolved, it became a partner dance.
Stereotypical swing is fast, lots of aerials going on, [which developed] in the late 1920s with Frankie Manning. It became about getting in the air and doing that crazy stuff! Around then it kind of became a national dance.
The word “jiggerbug” got labelled as swing dancing abck in the 20s and 30s – it’s not a style of swing, just a generic term that got applied to it. But Lindy Hop was the thing, [starting] in the late 20s all through the 30s and 40s. The dance floor became so crowded that people couldn’t move, and out of that came Balboa, which most people [today] have never heard of. [In Balboa] you can dance to fast music but take up no space on the dance floor, as it’s a completely closed position dance [meaning the two partners are connected the entire time].
As swing dance migrated [west] across the country, it became less hoppy and fast, and more smooth, and West Coast swing evolved out of it. Of course, basically every city had its own dance scene and would develop its own style. Collegiate Shag, Carolina Shag, [and others] evolved in different places and became unique styles.
PAD: Can you name the type of swing that you do?
PP: With me, the things I’ve pursued the most are Lindy Hop, East Coast swing, Balboa, and of course Charleston, [because] all the Charleston stuff kind of goes hand in hand with Lindy Hop and swing in general.
PAD: What elements are necessary to be a good swing dancer?
PP: I think you have to naturally enjoy the music, which is a pretty broad array of stuff, [especially] blues and swing. I think if you naturally like that music, you're going to naturally like moving to it. There is an athleticism to it that is not necessary but is very helpful to have. If you want to take it to any kind of level, you've gotta be able to move.
It's really about connection and understanding that language of movement, from being a lead and how you communicate it to your partner, and, then as a follow, maintaining that constant connection. Understanding that very well is a necessity, which is true for any partner dance, but especially swing. I've never been to a ballroom class that really got into that, but I went to all these swing workshops, and that is what it's all about. There's a much bigger emphasis on that in the swing world.
PAD: As someone who does mainly East Coast swing, do you ever do West Coast swing? What’s that like for you?
PP: I've only taken some beginning level classes of West Coast swing, and as time has gone, I've grown to like it more and more. In fact, I can see evolving into a West Coast swing guy, because it's just a lot slower, the demands aren't as great, and it's also very freestyle. It's a very different stylistic way of moving.
In my to-dos of dance, I would like to get really good at West Coast swing, because you get to dance to a whole lot of good music. From watching JJ [fellow Prin alum John Jordan, C’90 at the Alumni Dance Retreat 2010], I was like, ‘Okay, that's winnin’ me over!’
PAD: What’s the one thing people should know about swing but don’t?
PP: When people hear swing, it automatically and universally conjures up images of flips and moving through the air and really fast, and that is a tiny part of swing dancing. Really, ultimately, it's about moving to certain style of music and being able to move in a spontaneous way communicated with a partner. That’s at its essence, and that can be done very slowly. It’s absolutely 100% about the communication that occurs.
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