UNM junior Kevin Clark started dancing four years ago, thanks to his girlfriend at the time. Now he dances across the nation and is an active advocate for the growing dance scene at UNM.
Swing dance is rooted in a sense of community, Clark said.
“Swing is about making it a dance between two people rather than two people dancing while holding hands,” he said.
Clark said he realized community was the focal point of this dance at his first out-of-state dance event in San Diego.
“Sometimes you get jaded to your own dance community, just like any family,” he said. “Having everybody come together for this dance was phenomenal.”
There are two major styles of swing dancing: Lindy hop and jitterbug, Clark said.
“Jitterbug came out of Lindy hop, and not the other way around,” he said. “The film studios wanted to put Lindy hop in their movies, so they simplified it to a six count, which has become jitterbug.”
Clark is vice president of Jitterbugs Anonymous, UNM’s chartered swing dancing club. Clark teaches and DJs on Saturday evenings at the Orpheum Arts Space at the intersection of Second Street and Coal.
Clark also dances at the Heights Community Center, where he said newcomers usually start by learning jitterbug.
Desi Brown, one of the four people who started the swing dance at the Heights Community Center, has seen the crowd grow over the years.
“We’ve been doing this for 11 years now,” Brown said. “We have a cool group of regulars who have been coming for five, six or seven years now (and) the same mix of people from high school and college.”
Brown emphasized the safe atmosphere at the dance venue on Tuesday evenings, as well as the relaxed environment the dance space offers.
“Our goal is to make sure everybody is safe,” Brown said. “It is a great break on a Tuesday night. It is a nice way to get out for a couple of hours and relax, without having anybody tell you what to do.”
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
Jim Baca, former mayor of Albuquerque and New Mexico’s natural resources trustee, helped Brown and his dance group move into a dance space.
“I think the youth dance scene is great,” Baca says. “It’s certainly a good way to keep kids occupied … and watch them have fun.”
Baca said he was always a fan of dance, as he grew up watching his sister perform ballet.
Clark also wanted to get involved in the rising dance scene.
“I wanted to help create a community where young people could come and dance, and I wanted to be a part of that community,” he said. “Our goal is to try and expose as many college-aged people to the dance as we possibly can.”
*Swing Dance
Heights Community Center
823 Buena Vista Dr. S.E.
Tuesdays
7 – 11 p.m.
*
