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Swing back in vogue
Grandmother's shoes are the perfect attire for the dance floor
Natalia Radoslavova
17 March, 2017
  People who catch the swing dance bug remain devoted fans. Chicks with wavy curls and puffy colourful skirts dancing with young men decked out in fashionable suspenders to the unforgettable Little Richard classic Tutti Frutti. No, it is not a scene from an early 1950s film but the latest swing trend that took the world by storm several years ago and has been the thing at the Swing Dance Rousse, a dance studio owned by young local Nadezhda Ivanova. Swing is more than rhythm; it is an amalgam of fashion, music and dance that several generations in the 1940s and 1950s identified with. In fact, the swing era began even earlier, in the 1930s. Born in the suburbs, this dance style is characterised by movements that are somewhat of a throwback to African folklore. Today, this vintage cultural movement is making one heck of a comeback, energising people with the magic of dance. Performing fun and not too complicated steps to the rhythmic sounds of swing music is the latest big trend on the social dance scene. Please do not imagine some ramshackle place with poor lighting and grimy atmosphere. The world of fedoras, bow-ties and puffy polka dot dresses is being brought back to life in dance classes to cheer you up and inject you with a huge dose of positive energy. Swing Dance Rousse, the first dance studio of its kind in the Danube River city, was opened three years ago to introduce Rousse to the world of vintage dance moves. The dance studio’s founder, Nadezhda Ivanova, brought hundreds of fans to the fold in no time and now Swing Dance Rousse boasts over 80 students – all of them young and creative people, enthusiastically dedicating their leisure time to bringing back the retro dance culture. This is why their 1930s style parties attract to the Rousse clubs an increasing number of people eager to put on their vintage skirt and let loose on the dance floor to the music of Elvis Presley. “Swing is perfect for social dancing, based as it is on improvisation within the music and constant change of partners. The most popular swing dance styles are Lindy Hop, Boogie Woogie, Charleston, Shag, etc. These are also the styles you can learn with us,” says Nadezhda Ivanova. Each teaching course is about 4 months long and offers a different content, which allows students to continue developing. “Beginners’ classes are for people of all ages, levels of dance skills and physical shape. The only prerequisites are a big smile and great energy,” says the young dance teacher. Ivanova’s experience has shown her that people who catch the swing dance bug remain devoted fans. Ivanova herself was a competitive acrobatic rock’n’roll dancer and her heart continues to beat in that rhythm even though she moved on from that part of her career a long time ago.
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