Who would have thought the generation gap could be lindy hopped across? But with the current popularity of Tommy Dorsey and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, today’s dance scene seems to be proving once and for all that it most certainly don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing.
Featured in films such as “Swing Kids” and “Swingers,” and a certain Gap commercial, swing music is once again king. Swing has added a whole new generation of fans to its reign — fans who are somewhat astounded that their parents and grandparents have already heard of this hot “new” sound, and somehow know how to dance to it. This common ground — the dance floor — has become a place where music lovers and dancers of all ages are in perfect step with one another.
Across the country, night clubs and classes are filled with dancers ranging from the MTV set on up to folks who remember “Your Hit Parade.” And while these generations may never agree on body-piercing or the cultural value of “South Park,” everyone seems to know good music when they hear it. And they enjoy sharing it with other aficionados.
Swing “gives generations an icebreaker,” says Jean Hemingway, a Southern California coordinator for the Senior Community Centers. “In these times of isolated living, this is a way for them to get to know each other.”
Hemingway has found that both young and old enjoy having something in common. The elderly “love to share their knowledge,” says the director, citing one gentleman who shares his vast music collection as the center’s event disc jockey. The younger folks — her student assistant and pals included — have fun taking lessons and attending dances held by the senior centers.
“I think our younger people were more excited about a recent event we held than the seniors were,” she says.
The popularity of swing has also meant an upsurge in the dance instruction business.
Carl Davis, who has instructed dance for 21 years and owns a studio has had to add extra classes in order to handle the extra-eager feet. A few months ago, he says, his studio offered two jitterbug classes. Now there are five.
Davis credits the film “Swing Kids” with having a lot to do with the revival.
“It showed [audiences] the lindy and the faster dances,” Davis says. “And the lindy hop and other swing styles started coming back.”
Hearing the music on MTV and the radio also helped its popularity. “Once kids heard the music, they wanted to know how to dance to it,” Davis adds, noting that his classes find people of different ages dancing together, something he hasn’t seen as much of since the disco days when the hustle was hot.
“It’s great to see,” Davis says.
Lupe Castro, who teaches at a ballroom dance academy, has also noticed a blending of generations on the dance floor. The academy teaches group classes several times a week.
“Swing is our most popular class and we have a wide range of students,” Castro says. “We have a lot of younger people and middle-age people, too [along with older students], in both our classes and when we hold dances.”
The revival of swing has also presented the music industry and other businesses with the marketing opportunity of a lifetime to reach many different demographic groups at the same time.
Jeff Williams, programming director for KPOP Radio in San Diego, found his station’s swing programs were drawing listeners younger than most of his regular audience members’ kids. The station experienced a ratings “spike” in listeners ages 12 to 17 after it began airing a Saturday night show called “Big Band Swing” and followed it with its two-hour “Jump Jive and Wail” program, which is hosted by 25-year-old Andi Waddell.
“The ratings were through the roof,” Williams says. “This was, initially, a gamble that really has paid off well.”
Williams also noted that a recent station event drew more than 500 attendees. It was a USO-style dance.
It seems everything old is, indeed, new again.