Swing-out Summer: Lindy-hopping Dancers Plan to Rock the Region

Compared to packed dance halls across North America where folks of all ages are jitterbugging their brains out, the swing dance scene in Northern Michigan is frankly kind of a dud.
“There‘s not a scene like you find in the big cities, but there are places that play swing music,“ says Paul Paradis, one of the top swing specialists in the region. “A dance hall is badly needed in this area, because there are a lot of people who like to go out and dance, but there isn‘t any big venue.“
But Paradis and his dance partner Michele Cook hope to change Northern Michigan‘s toe-tapping fortunes this summer with their Savoy Swing group, inaugurating a series of dances on the third Friday of each month at the High Pointe Golf Club Pavilion in Williamsburg beginning June 21 with music by Petoskey‘s Up North Big Band. Paradis and Cook hope to have up to 300 dancers on the scene with lessons in such dance arcana as the Lindy Hop from 8-9 p.m., followed by a swirling carousel of ‘40s-era dancecapades.

IT‘S BACK, DADDY-O
Indeed, the Swing Era of the 1940s is huge in other cities across the continent, with thousands filling dance halls in Toronto, Chicago and San Francisco. Bob Perkins, a Traverse City swing fan who spend the past six months in Boston, reports that “you can dance every night of the week“ in Beantown with hundreds of Lindy-hoppers, salsa fans and east coast swing-stylers attending each event.
“People are doing the same things today as they did in the ‘20s and ‘30s at the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem,“ Paradis says. “The Savoy had a dance floor the size of a football field and could max out at 4,000 dancers.“
During the first half of the 20th century, dance halls were a huge part of the meet-and-mate social scene (following up on centuries of barn dances). It was lively good clean fun -- something missing in today‘s quest for romance through the personals or on-line dating.
“Dance is part of our culture that‘s missing today,“ Paradis says. “There used to be a big ballroom in every town, where‘s today there‘s nothing comparable.“

HOOKED ON SWING
Paradis, who heads up Symmetree Design in Traverse City, got interested in swing back in his high school days, playing sax with local bands. “I took a swing class here in town -- real beginner stuff -- but never had any formal dance instruction beyond what you learn in a bar.“
His interest in swing kicked into overdrive after watching a couple from Detroit tear up the dance floor at an event held at the Grand Traverse Resort. “It got me hooked, seeing how good they were.“
A nurse at Munson Medical Center, Michele met Paul on a blind date, noting that “you never turn down a guy who likes to dance.“ They‘ve been cutting the rug ever since, both at local clubs and on trips out of the area.
“We do a Lindy Hop style of dance that no one else is doing here in the area, so we go to places like Toronto and other cities,“ Cook says.
Recently, they completed a workshop in Toronto with Frankie Manning, the 88-year old creator of the Lindy Hop who astounded America in the ‘30s and ‘40s with the aerial acrobatics of his new dance.
“Frankie did aerials for the first time at the Savoy Ballroom that revolutionized dancing,“ Paradis says. Aerials involve a multitude of flips and sky-shooting moves such as “the rocket“ which send one‘s partner aloft in a series of jet-propelled, choreography. Both Paradis and Cook are adept at flipping each other, and in one amazing feat, Paradis does a somersault at the level of his partner‘s shoulder, more than 4 feet off the ground.
Cook says the flips require a good connection between partners, lots of practice, good timing, and being light on your feet.

IN THE GROOVE
Although dance moves involved in east coast swing, jitterbug, the Lindy, western swing and salsa are quite specific, both Paradis and Cook say that once you get into a groove with the step patterns, the dances become free-flowing, creative and spontaneous.
“What really makes swing appealing is number one, the music, which is upbeat and fun to listen to, and then the dance itself is very improvisational,“ Paradis says. “What makes it work is the way you communicate through movement with your partner. Once you get good, you can start to ad-lib.“
Another bonus is meeting new friends. Cook says proper dance etiquette means changing partners frequently. “It‘s really a social scene,“ she notes. “And it‘s more fun to change partners -- you might dance with 10 people in a night.“
Despite the lack of a large dance venue, the influence of swing has been creeping up on the region over the past few years. Leo‘s Lounge in Petoskey holds a popular dance series in the winter, and currently you‘ll find swing dancers mixing it up on the patio at Traverse City‘s Holiday Inn each Friday after work. WTCM‘s Ryan Dobry held a popular series of swing workshops at the Traverse City Opera House, as did the Bayside Travellers, with Blissfest hosting its own dances in Harbor Springs. Swing is also popular at the Blissfest and Sutton‘s Bay Jazz Festival, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary in July. Local bands which cater to swing dancers include Luther Gravy and the Soul Biscuits, the Fabulous Horndogs, the Up North Big Band, and Charlevoix‘s Northwest Academy Band.
But Paradis and Cook would like to see a swing scene here that takes a bolder step on par with what‘s happening across the country. What‘s missing is a year-‘round venue. “I couldn‘t think of a better place than the old cathedral barn (at the Grand Traverse Commons),“ Paradis notes. “It would be fantastic what could be done there.“

*Savoy Swing will present a monthly series of dances at the High Pointe Golf Club Pavilion on Friday, June 21, July 19 and August 16, with swing dance lessons from 8-9 p.m. followed by dancing from 9 p.m. to midnight. Outdoor seating and tables for 250 will be available, with a cash bar. Tickets are $10 at the door, rain or shine. High Pointe is located on M-72 in Williamsburg, about 4 miles east of Traverse City.* View On Our Website