Inspired by the blockbuster hit “Swingers” in the 1990s, a revival of classic swing dancing continues to be popular amongst San Diegans. While classes are offered around the city, one of the most prominent places – especially for newcomers in the Lindy Hop community – has been the Firehouse.
For the past 14 years Meeshi Ravi, a local dance
instructor, has taught students in a variety of classes to help with both
individual and partner movement.
Located at Queen Bee’s Cultural Center in North
Park at 3925 Ohio St., the Firehouse has been a place to learn and practice
swing dancing. People start taking classes at the Firehouse for many different
reasons, but a main draw to social dancing is meeting new people. With dance
students spanning over a range of several decades - from high school and
college students to young professionals and older generations - the Firehouse's
endearing atmosphere puts many at ease.
“I moved here a year ago from Nashville,” said
Firehouse dancer Rob Nixon. “My girlfriend and I came here and didn’t know
anyone so we jumped into the swing dance scene, and it was like a huge warm
welcome hug in San Diego. It was kind of cool to have a family, an instant
family.”
A sense of being comfortable in your own body is
one of the major take home messages that the instructors at the Firehouse
employ. Some students find that through dancing to classic jazz and swing music
it helps them in other styles as well.
“I think it’s cool how it has transformed other
types of dancing for me,” said Tommy Bowerman, who has been taking classes at
the Firehouse for seven months. “You do swing, and you think that you’re only
going to learn swing, but really it makes you more comfortable in other
realms.”
A love of swing, jazz and rockabilly is a large
motivator for many to learn swing dancing, and Ravi suggests learning to the
style of music that you feel comfortable with.
“I can see how, as a beginner, you can see
someone who has been dancing for a long time, and go ‘oh my God, I can’t do
that, so I shouldn’t even try,” Ravi said. “You know, it’s just like ‘just do
it.’ That’s the only way… My philosophy is you got to dance to the music you
love. If it moves you, that’s the dance you should learn. Swing music, soul
music, whatever music – and then it’s authentic if it comes from that, rather
than trying to learn steps.”
In terms of learning, Bowerman – who is following
in his father’s swing dancing footsteps – believes the atmosphere is great for
fostering enthusiasm while reinforcing the basics.
“You’ll learn so much through swing,” Bowerman
said. “The teachers – especially at the Firehouse – are awesome, especially in
the [beginner class]. I am a very slow learner and they took me right through
it.”
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| Dance students Jase Dalope and Julie Puccio put the skills they acquired from their classes at the Firehouse to good use during the Catalina Swing Dance Festival on Saturday, Nov. 10, 2012. Photo by Lauren J. Mapp |
In addition to the classes in Lindy Hop, East
Coast Swing and Charleston styles, Ravi has recently added a set soul dancing
classes to Monday nights. The beginner and intermediate “Soulercize” classes
combine doo-wop and soul moves to music that spans several decades.
“People are creating in the moment,” Ravi said of
soul dancing, as opposed to the recreation of dance styles of the past, as seen
in swing dancing. “I started to learn all these dances, but then after I was
like ‘hey, I have 20 dances, but I don’t really have someone to dance with.’ So
I said, ‘I just want to share this stuff.”
Johnny Boyd – the former front man of the band
Indigo Swing – will be concluding his West Coast reunion tour at the
Firehouse’s 14th anniversary “Black and White Holiday Ball” on Dec. 19. Classes
that day will be hosted from 7:30-8:45 p.m. and will feature both an
introductory Swing 101 class and a “Better Turns and Spins” workshop.
“[Boyd] is having his first reunion kind of a
tour in 12 years, I think [with] some members and some not,” Ravi said. “He’s
going to be playing a lot of his [former favorites], plus a lot of his new
stuff… It’s a big deal, it’s beyond the swing dance world.”
Tickets for the Black and White Holiday Ball with
performances by Johnny Boyd and the Golden West Trio featuring Miss Kay Marie
are $20 for general admission or $15 with the purchase of a class beforehand.
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| Meghan Nicholson and Nick Geiselman work on across the floor movement during a Soulercize class on Monday, Nov. 19, 2012. Photo by Lauren J. Mapp |
The music featured in the video is used courtesy of freemusicarchive.org, a sector of the non-profit organization Creative Commons. Free Music Archive provides an interactive archive of mp3 files that can be used by its members.
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