Photo by Emily Featherson.
In addition to LIndy Hop, Steel City Swing nights also include other types of dances, including line dances, that get everyone moving. Here, participants dance at a class in September 2017.
Swing dancing hit its heyday in the 1920s in the U.S. It may not be as common today, nearly a century later, but one Birmingham group hopes to change that.
Steel City Swing first organized about 10 years ago, organizer and instructor Sarah Privett said, but temporarily fell apart for a while before coming back together a few years ago.
She said that she, along with a group of friends who had just moved to the area who were interested in swing dancing, decided that they wanted to bring the group back.
“We started thinking and talking about how we wanted to cultivate a swing community, and especially because of the history of Birmingham, just found that that was a really important thing for us to appreciate,” she said.
The group meets just about every Monday night at Birmingham Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine in Cahaba Heights, where all are invited to take an hour-long dance lesson before the floor is opened for dancing.
“We try to make it accessible to people who have never danced before, and then we also try to throw in some plus-level content for our returning people,” explained instructor Ben Dill, who teaches most of the lessons along with fellow lead instructor Katie Morgida.
Dill and Morgida said they were part of a swing dancing community in Huntsville that has grown to be one of the largest in the region, and when they moved to Birmingham, like Privett they wanted to be part of growing the activity in their new city.
“We came into town and we were really eager to help start something, and excited to see that anything was here at all,” Morgida said.
Steel City Swing is centered on the Lindy Hop style, Dill explained, including both six-count and eight-count steps, with other dances like Peabody, Charleston and others.
“But in the format of a social dance, so it’s meant to be led and followed,” Morgida added.
Each drop-in session includes a lesson that teaches both the basic step and a few additional moves, so that regulars are able to continue learning each week.
In September and October, the group held a series of continued-content lessons, where participants could sign up for a four-part series and build a more comprehensive step repertoire.
Dill said that hopefully Steel City Swings will be able to continue having series lessons in the future.
Most of the participants are in their early to mid twenties, Privett said, but the group is open to all adults of all ages. Each class is $10, or $7 for students, and while there is no dress code or special shoe requirement, the instructors suggested comfortable, moveable clothing and flat shoes.
And for those who are afraid their lack of rhythm will prevent a good time, the instructors wholeheartedly disagreed.
“It’s all about the music,” Morgida said. “Even if you have two left feet, if you can appreciate the music, you can come jamwith us.”
Because ultimately, Privett added, the group is more about getting to know new people and trying something fun and new.
“We find that a lot of people, it puts them out of their comfort zone, and we want to cultivate a sense that this is something that is doable,” she said.
Morgida echoed her thoughts as well.
“Getting out of your comfort zone as a group creates a sense of community pretty quickly,” she said.
Steel City Swing also does performances and partners with organizations like the McWane Center throughout the year.
For more information, visit steelcityswing.weebly.com, or visit the group’s Facebook page at facebook.com/steelcityswing.
