How I Started Dancing
Posted by chrissyfer on July 24, 2008
Before I start telling you about how I got into the Lindy scene you have to know something and that is before starting Lindy Hop I had only been to about five school dances. One of these was my Junior prom, two being friends proms and then the final two being random dances in middle school. Besides these school dances the only other place which I had any other dance experience was in gym class with some square and line dancing.
When I came to RPI my freshman year I had never even thought it a possibility that I would take up any form of dance. Before my first swing dancing lesson I actually didn’t even really know what swing dancing was or anything about it. During the month of September I noticed a couple of flyers around campus advertising a free beginner swing lesson and then a dance afterwards happening on the campus soon. I thought that this little adventure kind of sounded like fun and I figured that maybe I could find some other people to go with me. A couple of my friends from the dorm had also seen the flyers and thought that it sounded like a fun idea so we all decided to check it out.
September 23rd, 2006 was the day that I had my first swing lesson. I know the actual date due to the fact that this free lesson and dance was part of the Albany Lindy Exchange which at the time I knew nothing about what an exchange was. When my friends and I arrived for the lesson there was about six of us with there only being around 10-12 people total for the lesson. Brooks Prumo and Ellie Hanus were the two people who taught the lesson this lesson though at the time I still really had no idea what “swing” actually was. After the lesson we had a little bit of time before the dance started so my friends and I decided that we should stay and see what a “swing” dance is like. Let’s just say that we spent maybe an hour there at the dance and that we were taken back by what we saw. The band playing was the Boilermaker Jazz Band so the music was fast paced and therefore a little intimidating to us beginners. My friends and I danced to a couple of the songs and kind of huddled next to one another since we knew no one there. Even though at the dance none of us were very talkative after we had left that dance was all we talked about, how great the people were that we had seen and how exciting it was.
A couple weeks later my friend Allie (a friend who came with me to my first lesson) said that she had found a place in Latham which was only a short bus ride from RPI that had weekly dances/practices for swing dancing. We decided to go and check it out and while there our first time were introduced to Brooks Prumo and Ellie Hanus again, Jesse Hanus (Ellie’s sister) and Ryan Szablewski. Being that Allie and I only had one lesson we mostly just watched and only danced with each other since we really didn’t know what we were doing. Brooks offered to take us back to RPI towards the end of the night since the three of us were all RPI Students. When Brooks dropped us off he asked if I was interested in going out again possibly that upcoming weekend. I told him that I was so I gave him my number and headed inside.
That Friday Brooks gave me a call and told me that there was a dance going on with a great band and that I should really go. I told him that I wasn’t sure since I had only one lesson but Brooks being Brooks he talked me into it by just straight out telling me that he would be at my dorm around 5 and that I should get ready. We went out for dinner with some local dancers whom Brooks introduced me to so this time I actually knew a couple people but still, I felt a little out of place. At the dance the band was amazing just as Brooks said it would be even though I just can’t remember who it was (I had too much on my mind trying to make sure I didn’t make a fool out of myself). At the dance I was introduced to several people form Rochester and had a really good time overall. On the way back to RPI that night Brooks told me that he and Diana Shiroma were starting a swing dancing club at RPI and wanted to know if I was interested. I told him that I was and to let me know when it was going to start up.
The club started in the last week of October with a handful of members. Ben Oaks-Lee and Adrian Warnock-Graham were the teachers with Jesse and Ellie Hanus helping out once in awhile. The rest of that year included me becoming the club secretary, Brooks taking me out to almost every event possible and me taking privates with Ben because I had fallen head over heals for Lindy Hop and I wanted to get better. The next semester I became the President in training for the club since both Diana and Brooks were graduating so it had fallen to me to keep the club going after they left. I continued going religiously to lessons and also did every other week privates with either Ben or Adrian.
Well this is becoming an extremely long post so I think that I am going to start wrapping it up now. Taking up Lindy Hop has introduced me to a lot of great people and has opened up my eyes to a lot of amazing things. I am not sure if I would have stuck with learning how to Lindy Hop if it wasn’t for Brooks’s persistence and the other great people in the Albany Scene.
How did you get involved in the Swing Scene or any other type of dancing?
