A swingin’ weekend at Finch
Bellaire freshman Jocelyn Menestrina never gave up on her interest in swing dancing.
That paid off for her Saturday.
Menestrina was one of around 75 people who attended the Swing Dance Workshop this weekend in Finch Fieldhouse.
“I always knew I liked swing dancing and I wanted to come to the workshop this weekend because I would be learning from professionals,” Menestrina said. “Swing dance is better than all that bumping and grinding in hip-hop, which you typically find at dance clubs.”
Menestrina said she is even more excited about the new friends she made at the event, sponsored by the registered student organization Swing Kids.
Keith McGee of Manchester, England and Bryn Morin of Ottawa, Ontario – both professional instructors – gave dancers lessons Saturday and Sunday, teaching the “Lindy Hop” and “Charleston.”
The workshop also featured live 1930s jazz performances by “The Gypsy Strings of Detroit.”
Matt McLean, Ann Arbor senior and workshop coordinator, said the weekend gave people a better opportunity to learn more techniques and improve their already developed skills.
“At the smaller workshops we hold, there never seems to be enough time,” McLean said. “People get really good instruction and the instructors have more time to teach and are more flexible.”
Heather Rosan, Mount Pleasant senior and Swing Kids treasurer, said no matter how developed someone’s swing dance skills are, they can never learn enough.
“A higher level swing dancer is able to learn new techniques and improve their dance ability,” she said.
Rebecca Wolpert, Beaverton junior and Swing Kids member, said she always has thought swing dance looked fun.
“It looks interesting from an outsider’s perspective and I wanted to look at it from an insider’s perspective,” Wolpert said.
