Wednesday, January 27, 1999
UCLA hosts charity swing dance
MUSIC: Event cultivates new pop culture craze, contributes to
Unicamp
By A.J. Harwin
Daily Bruin Contributor
Hoping to capitalize on the latest dance craze for a worthy
cause, the UCLA Student Committee for the Arts (SCA) will be
presenting "That Swing Thing" tonight in Ackerman Grand Ballroom
with lessons and live music.
The action begins with a free swing lesson at 7 p.m. and
continues with live music at 8 p.m. Performances will be given by
Roxie and Her Chucos Suaves, comprised of almost all UCLA alumni,
and the Bay Area’s Acme Swing Company.
Organizers for "That Swing Thing" have been promoting the night
throughout the Los Angeles area at all the local swing haunts
hoping to get the best dancers to show UCLA students a step or
two.
"We are targeting a student and off-campus population," says
Rebecca Kirsch, the show’s producer. "If you’re not 21 there are
very few places to go swing dancing. It’s expensive to get in, and
then you have to have a car. The swing dance is a great idea
because it’s close, it’s on campus, you don’t have to go far. You
don’t have to be 21. You don’t have to know how to dance. It’s
partner dancing, which is not the bump and grind kind of stuff that
you do at the regular ’90s club."
With swing dancing happening everywhere from Gap ads to
over-enrolled and wait-listed classes at the Wooden Center, to hit
records for Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and the Brian Setzer Orchestra,
the obvious popularity of swing is rising. According to Playboy
Magazine, the Los Feliz night club known as The Derby, featured in
the movie Swingers, is the top night spot in America – lessons are
run to capacity five nights a week. That popularity is being
transplanted from grandparents born in the swing era to high school
and college crowds that packed a Cherry Poppin Daddies concert last
October. The crossover to UCLA was inevitable.
"Swing is the thing," says Charlene Kellett, adviser to SCA.
"It’s very popular among the students right now. We offer a lot of
diverse programming, and this is something different."
Sponsors include Mindspring Internet Service Provider and the
New Times newspaper, which will be providing those in attendance a
chance at free personal ads. In addition, $1 from every $6 ticket
will be donated to UCLA’s charity, Unicamp.
"It was originally just to introduce the UCLA community to
swing," says Kirsch. "It was a great idea to combine Unicamp and
the swing dance event to promote Unicamp, because the on and
off-campus community gets to learn more about the camp.
"This means community support and also (the chance) to make a
little more money for the camp so we can send some more kids up
there."
Tickets can be obtained at the UCLA Central Ticket Office or
through Ticketmaster.UCLA Student Committee for the Arts
The Acme Swing Company will be the featured band at "That Swing
Thing" tonight at the Ackerman Grand Ballroom.
Comments, feedback, problems?
© 1998 ASUCLA Communications Board[Home]