When you think of swing dance, you might have trouble disassociating it from the big-band era of yesteryear.
But if you ask Kevin Savage, the social dance is alive and well.
Savage and his wife, Christabel, own Red Hot Swing, one of several organizations in Victoria encouraging newcomers to try out the steps.
“There are more draws than there are people,” Savage said.
Between 70 and 80 people typically show up Friday night for Red Hot Swing’s drop-in social dance. On the last Friday of every month, when there’s a band, that number swells to about 100.
If Friday doesn’t work for you, the Swing Dance Association of Victoria hosts a social dance on Saturdays called Nothin’ But Swing. The Rhythm Room is a lindy hop and blues dance on Wednesdays. And the Hometown Shakedown is a weekly blues dance every Friday at Sabor Asi Dance.
The University of Victoria also has a Swing Dance Club offering lessons for beginners.
Savage, who operates Red Hot Swing full-time, said he began dancing 16 years ago. At the time, he was a 22-year-old taking martial arts classes with two friends. One of them heard about a swing dance and the others agreed to tag along.
“I didn’t know people actually danced with each other. To my knowledge, everyone who went to the dance club just kind of rain-danced at each other,” Savage said.
When they stepped in Millennium, a former club under Swan’s Hotel, and saw partners dancing with one another, he was hooked.
“I switched immediately from martial arts into dancing. That day, I was done,” he said.
The late-1990s was an era of widespread swing revival, as well as an emergence of neo-swing, which mixed newer rock, rockabilly or ska sounds into the form. He signed up with UVic’s Ballroom Dance Club, which drew about 200 people in its first night — a crowd he hasn’t seen since.
Savage moved to Montreal, where he co-owned a dance school with eight others, while also working as a programmer. But the profits of a dance school split nine ways don’t go very far, so he came home to Victoria to start Red Hot Swing.
The dance school celebrates its 10th anniversary in September.
While the school offers lessons throughout the week, it’s Friday’s social dance that is the biggest draw. The evening is tailored for newbies, with a beginners’ lesson at 8:30 p.m., 45 minutes before dance time.
“It’s a quick little sampler, so people can find out if they like it,” he said.
“I remember what it was like when I first began, so we take all of that into consideration — just how vulnerable it is to be a beginner at something when you’re an adult.”
There’s plenty of joking around during the lessons and dance, which moved to the Dance Victoria studios in March.
Savage said it’s the music that attracted him to the form.
“That’s really a big one. If the music of any particular dance style doesn’t meet your tastes, then there’s no point in learning it,” he said.
“But if you grew up in North America, you literally have listened to this your entire life,” he said, citing everyone from Elvis Presley to Looney Tunes as sources.
But it’s most likely the welcoming atmosphere that draws most people, he said. He believes it’s the community that makes it most attractive.
“We’ve built up a really friendly community over the years, so when people show up, they’ll get asked to dance,” he said. “I can’t think of an easier way to meet people.”