A Glimpse Into Swing Society: Grinnell’s Hidden Gem
L — is for the way you look at me,
O — is for the only one I see,
V — is very, very extraordinary,
E — is even more than anyone that you adore…
Music fills the Bucksbaum dance studio as people feel a rhythm flow through their bodies. In a matter of minutes, Grinnellians are twirling, dipping, and dancing around the studio until the song is a wrap.
For Dorota Ziabicka ’23, dancing has run through her veins since middle school. Once it was time to sign up for Swing Society at the org fair, there was no question — she adored dancing, even if she had never exactly swung danced before. However, Swing Society’s former club leaders accepted Ziabicka with open arms and taught her the foundations of swing dance. Throughout her first year in Swing Society, Ziabicka fell deeper in love with the organization, its engaging and charismatic people, and its art. Upon returning from the pandemic shutdown, Ziabicka emerged as a club leader alongside Gavin Felker ’23.
Unlike Ziabicka, dancing was something Felker did only once in his life. And yet, he wanted to pursue dance. In classic Grinnell fashion, Felker began his journey with Swing Society after chatting with John Zbaracki ’20 on move-in day. While Zbaracki helped Felker move in boxes into James Hall, the upperclassman asked Felker what he liked to do for fun. Though Gavin doesn’t know why he replied, “dance,” it was the perfect answer. Zbaracki excitedly introduced himself as a leader of Swing Society and encouraged Felker to come dance. As Felker immersed himself in Swing Society, dancing became an essential part of his life at Grinnell. Now, Felker leads the beloved Swing Society alongside Ziabicka.
The Art of Dancing
Swing Society is a group full of passionate people – even in the middle of dreary winter weather, Swing Society members trudge through the snow to swing dance. Meetings are typically “Social Dancing Days,” where students enjoy pure, uninterrupted dancing with other members. For newcomers, the co-leaders provide a 15-minute crash course in basic swing dancing to get them started. To stay true to the art, the co-leaders consult with the Library of Dance, a website that details standard dance moves. After repeating three to four moves, students develop a muscle memory that lasts for years!
The teaching doesn’t stop here — the co-leaders often use meetings to teach new dance moves to both old and new members! Most recently, Swing Society has been learning dips to pair with popular songs, like Dear Future Husband by Meghan Trainor and Wake Me Up Before We Go-Go by Wham! Dance moves such as the Mummy, the Fake Lift, the Titanic, the Tabletop, and the Pretzel are group favorites to practice.
Swing dancing primarily consists of big band and jazz music. Originating in African American communities in Harlem, swing dancing was widely popular from the late 1920s to 1940s. Within Swing Society, members dance to a subtype of swing dancing associated with prominent jazz musicians like Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong. To kick off a typical Swing Society meeting, a co-leader shouts, “Leads, raise your hands! Follows, go find a lead!” Swing Society breaks the traditional norm of gendered dancing, which limits assigned females at birth to the role of “followers” and assigned males at birth the role of “leads.” Instead, Swing Society allows members to choose the role they’d prefer to dance in. As a result, members learn a range of dance moves that provide them the freedom to dance with anybody; per tradition, members switch partners for every song.
Fun Traditions
Sometimes, the creative members of Swing Society apply a fun twist to their regular dance meetings. Most recently, Swing Society members danced while playing a game of Mafia. Mafia is a game where people are secretly assigned as either the villagers, the sole town doctor, or the Mafia (who “kills” without mercy). In order to eliminate a villager, Swing Society Mafia members choose, in secret, which victim to dance with while everyone is “asleep” for the night. If more than one Mafia member decides to dance with the same person, that villager or doctor “dies.” The doctor can heal a random player each night. At the end of the round, the game’s narrators (the Swing Society co-leaders) reveal the victim of the round and anyone who was saved. The group then votes on who could be a suspicious Mafia member and eliminates them. This process continues until the Mafia is eliminated or until the Mafia “kills” enough villagers to win.
For birthdays, Swing Society has its members surround the birthday person in a circle. As a tradition, individual members in the outer circle join the birthday person in the middle to dance and switch off. Though this tradition was on hiatus for three years, co-leaders Ziabicka and Felker were excited to revive it when they discovered a member had a birthday back in February.
Beyond creative twists to Swing Dancing, the co-leaders love attending Iowa State swing dances in Ames, Iowa. These dances are open to the public and are a fun way to meet other Iowan college students. Swing Society dancers love to show off their skills and ask strangers, “May I have this dance?” Though Swing Society has been tempted to become more competitive in the realm of swing dance, Swing Society has ultimately settled into being a casual experience that radiates the spirit and love of dance.
To make swing dancing more prominent on campus, Ziabicka and Felker are currently working on hosting more swing dances on Grinnell’s campus. After the success of a small Halloween swing dance in Main Hall, the leaders hope to see a larger group of Grinnellians join their club! As a more ambitious goal, the co-leaders dream of securing a live jazz band to play music for one of their swing dancing events. Ziabicka notes that she would also love to see the club host an outside group of swing dancers.
Ziabicka and Felker emphasize that Swing Society is super rewarding, even if you’ve never danced before. Understandably, members who first come to Swing Society tend to be concerned with how the experience will be, especially if they have never danced before. But Swing Society is welcoming, and Grinnellians of all skill levels are ready to dance with beginners. Older members are also always excited to show new moves to younger ones. Once you involve your friends and make new ones, Swing Society is a closely-knit dancing community you will not regret joining. If you love music and moving your body, Swing Society will L.O.V.E to have you!
Information for Current Students
Swing Society meeting times change every semester; for spring of 2023, Swing Society meets on Thursdays from 7:30–8:30 p.m. in the Bucksbaum Center for the Arts, room 181. Swing Society will also host a swing dance on Saturday, April 22, at 7 p.m. in the Joe Rosenfield Center, room 101. Email Swing Society with questions.
Listen to Swing Society’s Spotify playlist 2022–23 today!
