ACU Swing Cats attended an international swing dance convention in Houston, March 13-16.
The convention, Lindyfest, celebrated its eighteenth year.
“It’s the biggest gathering of swing dancers in the United States,” said Blair Agan, junior political science and communication major from Lake Jackson, and member of the ACU Swing Cats.
Lindyfest consists of workshops for beginners and advanced dancers taught by professionals from around the world, Lone Star Invitational competitions and social dances at night, said Ashton Bailey, senior accounting major from Mexia, and ACU Swing Cats treasurer.
Interacting with professionals is one of the highlights of the convention, Bailey said.
“You have just as much of a chance to dance with them as you do with anybody else,” Bailey said. “It’s a lot of fun getting to learn from these incredible dancers.”
The social dances at Lindyfest begin at 9 p.m. and continue until 5 a.m., Agan said.
“How often do you get people from around the world to come to one place and all get to swing dance?” Agan said.
Connecting with other swing dancers from across the globe creates a sense of community, Bailey said.
This year, 10 members of the ACU Swing Cats attended Lindyfest, said Elisa Wyrick, senior English major from The Woodlands and ACU Swing Cats secretary.
SA was able to pay for the ACU Swing Cats’ hotel rooms for the convention, but the $299 registration fee was expected of each individual that attended, Agan said.
The convention gets its name from the particular type of swing dancing practiced in Houston. Lindy is pre-World War II swing dancing, Wyrick said.
The ACU Swing Cats focus on the same style of swing dancing.
Lindyfest also featured a live band playing classic hits.
The ages of the people at Lindyfest range from pre-teens to couples in their 60s and 70s. While there were other college swing dancers there, ACU Swing Cats were the only collegiate swing dance group that attended, Wyrick said.
“I think that we have a really strong community as a club,” Wyrick said. “We like to improve and go out and dance together and bring back stuff.”
Wyrick said the ACU Swing Cats plans to continue to attend Lindyfest every year.
