Tuesday, January 21, 1997
With a little help from the film ‘Swingers,’ swing dancing is
now as popular with the college crowd as it is with their
parents.By Dean Cheley
Daily Bruin Contributor
The wood floors vibrate with the weight of stomping, whirling
bodies dancing the Lindy or jitterbug to the effervescent beat of
Cab Callaway and Artie Shaw.
Known as the Art Deco Room, it is also filled with the newest
recruits of swingers having finished their first swing lesson,
compliments of dance teacher and UCLA alumnus John Abram, who
struts his moves in the world-renown Derby swing club.
The Derby has enjoyed enormous popularity and success since its
opening in 1993, and attendance in swing classes has been high.
Swing and the Derby have been getting national attention from mass
media, which reached its peak with the movie "Swingers," starring
Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn.
"It was crazy," Abram says. "It brought in thousands of new
faces, but by no means is "Swingers" the only pull. It’s just the
biggest and most current one." The Derby has been in the spotlight
since its opening, getting a global top-10 ranking by E!
Entertainment.
Attendance in dance classes ranges from 50 to 120 people, and
this past Wednesday, club staff had to stop clientele from entering
because of maximum capacity limits.
The amazing ambience in the Derby is worth a visit in itself.
There is much to appreciate, such as the elegant "Art Deco Room"
where classes are taught, the undersized dance floor where Favreau
danced in "Swingers," the small wooden stage where the very
talented Big Bad Voodoo Daddy jams every Wednesday night, and the
cozy velvet draped booths offering privacy and a chance to have
delicious Italian cuisine from Louise’s Trattoria next door.
It’s no wonder the Derby has attracted many stars from the
Hollywood community, including regulars such as Mel Gibson and Flea
from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. But as Derby owner Tammi Gower
explains, being a star won’t put you on the guest list. She points
to the time she saw Steven Spielberg waiting in line to pay his $5
cover charge along with everyone else.
"We don’t have the attitude that you see in other clubs, where
someone waits in line for three hours because they weren’t some
bouncer’s idea of trendy enough."
It is recommended to arrive at 8 p.m. sharp for dance lessons,
7:30 p.m. on Sunday, or otherwise before 10 p.m. for the general
club. The increased popularity has produced lines on Wednesday,
Friday and Saturday nights. Also, fake ID holders beware Â
they scrutinize on their busy nights.
Swing first drew in the crowds during the late 1920s in New
York. It was the time of the Harlem Renaissance, which saw the rise
of many talented African American actors, performers, musicians and
writers. From Harlem came celebrated names such as the musician Cab
Callaway, who was part of the house band at the Harlem Cotton Club,
jazz masters Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong, poet Langston
Hughes and writer Marcus Garvey, and then of course the first swing
dance.
"The Lindy Hop, the grandfather of all swing, came out of Harlem
in 1926 and was named after American hero Charles Lindberg who flew
the first transatlantic flight," explains Abram.
The Lindy and swing spun their way to the west in the 1930s when
Hollywood glamour and silent movie stars made Los Angeles the
hippest place around.
"It was a time when the Hollywood Palladium was buzzing with big
band sound, and the movie biz was swinging with the studios of
Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and Max Senate," said Abram.
After more than 60 years, swing is stronger than ever,
indicating that when something is really good, it’s timeless. Abram
carries on the tradition, beauty, and class of the genre, with
swing lessons available every Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday at
the Derby. First time dancers can rest assured they are in capable
hands.
"I really make an effort to explain things to people so there
isn’t much in question," Abram says.
Fourth-year UCLA student and first time swing dancer Dan
Beckwith agreed. "John would go around the room helping us out, and
his partner would help show the girls what to do, so learning was
really easy and lots of fun."
When asked about the uniqueness of the dance, Abram reminds that
it takes two to swing..
"Couple dancing is something most people have not done in their
lives, and it takes two to make swing work," Abram explains. "Many
people are tired of individual dancing at the expense of
togetherness and intimacy. Swing is a form of interaction and
contact that people do not have otherwise."
Abram makes it clear, however, that going to the Derby does not
mean you have to have a partner. "People like the fact that they
can actually go out and dance with other people."
Beckwith agrees, admitting that when first entering the Derby he
thought "everyone there was a couple, but by the end of the night
almost everyone had danced with the others in the room."
Mark Jagdabi, a fourth-year political science student, also
found swing a fresh change from other clubs. "It was great to be
able to talk and dance with a girl at the same time. You could ask
any girl to dance, there weren’t the inhibitions that you have in
other clubs."
The Derby’s clientele ranges from 21 to 60, sporting a medley of
fashions from 40s zoot suits and rimmed hats and loafers, to 70s
bell bottoms with cat chains and multiple body piercing. There are
also many different levels of dancers, but everyone knows that the
best dancers are in the limelight. "Girls love a man who can dance,
you’ll see the best looking girls with the best dancer," Abram
remarks.
However, men and women do not need to feel intimidated. "I had a
lot of girls come up and offer to teach me," says fourth-year UCLA
student Ben Fuller. "By the end of the night, I knew how to swing
and had a phone number."
DANCE: The Derby is at 4500 Los Feliz Blvd. in Hollywood, (213)
663-5641. No cover Tuesdays, $5 cover most nights, $7 Wednesdays.
For private lessons, call John Abram at (213) 658-5166. If you’re
not 21 you can still try the swing scene. Check out: Atlas Bar and
Grill (213) 380-8400, or the Ashgrove on Tuesday nights, Santa
Monica Pier, (310) 656-8500. Swing Time Magazine is an awesome
publication of swing. Visit its Web site at
http://www.hooked.net/~jlindsay, or write Swing Time 30 Baker,
Suite B San Francisco CA, 94117.
GENEVIEVE LIANG/Daily Bruin
A swinger gives his partner a dip at The Derby in Hollywood.