The Swing’s The Thing

Much has been said amongst band leaders about playing for dancers, and swing dancing itself has been the entry point for quite a few band leaders. Sure, sometimes dancers forget to order food and their love for tap water is legendary but playing for dancers is another way to be appreciated and employed. And as a dancer and bandleader I know how to read a roomful of dancers and I can figure out exactly what tempo will fill up a floor. My band recently played a festival called “The Roaring Twenties Street Jam.” The organizer Danielle Deborah has a clear vision for the future of this weekend event. This is a festival geared to dancers, giving them many different options for classes during the day with live bands sprinkled throughout the weekend at night. Her vision for the festival is to celebrate the entire culture of the roaring twenties minus influenza. I asked her why the twenties? For her it is about the freedom of the era. And an unexpected point she made was that it was the first time women could dance alone without a partner.They could finally flail solo, dancing the Charleston. No partner needed. The vote and the black bottom were things to be celebrated! There has been a rebirth of interest in '20s music. As with many things our pop culture has reopened the door, with film and TV leading the way. A great example is Boardwalk Empire with Vince Giordano’s Nighthawk