Swing Cats, ACU’s swing dance club, will conduct its first meeting of the semester at 7 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 5, in Cullen Auditorium.
Each meeting includes time for lessons and dance practice. Because of construction of the Royce and Pam Money Student Recreation and Wellness Center, the meetings have been moved from the gym in the Gibson Health and P.E Center to the stage in Cullen.
Membership has reached as high as 120 students in past years, but it suffered last spring when Gibson closed its doors. The Swing Cats secured Cullen for practice this year, and membership is expected to return to normal.
Cole Bennett, associate professor of English, and about 25 students founded the Swing Cats in 2003.
“Typically we have 50-60 members, and on a given night we have 20-30,” Bennett said. “Last year was not a good year.”
Swing Cats closes membership after the first couple of meetings. To join, students must sign a membership form and pay a $20 fee, which is is used to send students to workshops in Dallas, Austin and occasionally Houston. Students who join also receive a Swing Cats T-shirt.
“Around the region there are workshops,” Bennett said. “You go all day long and learn different moves and swing styles. At night there’s always dances, and many times live bands.”
Along with opportunities for social connections and exercise, students are invited to learn about an important part of American culture.
“They get to learn about an American dance tradition that started in 1920s Harlem, and they learn more about jazz music,” Bennett said.
Members learn various swing dance styles – including East Coast, Lindy Hop and the Charleston – throughout the semester. New members are not required to have any swing dance experience.
Carole-Marie Wiser, vice president of Swing Cats and sophomore business management major from Richmond, joined the club her freshman year.
“Meetings are split into two groups for lessons – beginners and advanced – and at the end everyone dances together,” Wiser said.
Along with the weekly meetings, Swing Cats performs at Sing Song and Ethnos. Many members also get together to practice on their own.
“It’s great to be involved in something that provides entertainment and a healthy environment,” Wiser said. “And I didn’t gain the freshman fifteen.”
