It’s Time for a Swing Dance Revival
(doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah)
On January 20th in the U.S., I rewatched one of my favorite dance films of all time: Swing Kids (1993). The choreography is by Otis Sallid and Ryan Francois, who met while co-choreographing Malcolm X (1992). Robert Sean Leonard, who most people know from his long-time role as Dr. Wilson on the television series House, as well as his role as Neil Perry in Dead Poets Society, is an incredibly talented dancer. He is able to convey powerful emotions as Peter Muller, especially in his performance to “Bis Mir Bist Du Schon”:
At this point in the film (spoiler alert), Peter has lost his close friend Arvid to suicide after Arvid was continually harassed, threatened, and assaulted for his disability by members of the HJ. Peter also lost his friend Thomas Berger to the HJ ideology, which is in direct opposition to the ideology of the swing kids. They all used to dance together, but Peter is alone in his final scene. He is trying to throw himself into the music, which has been seen to possess him many times throughout the film. But while doing the high-energy Charleston steps, he is crying. Dancing is mourning here, as well as resistance.
Swing music overtaking the bodies of dancers is often an act of joy: an escape from the HJ and the SS-Sturmbannführer overtaking Berlin. The pounding drum lines of songs like “Sing Sing Sing” in Swing Kids force the heart rate up and energy to build in the body, needing release. The brass is infectious; even the conductor of the big band in this scene can’t help but dance. The woodwinds provide some slinky moments, when the intensity lowers in pitch. The partner work is Lindy Hop, east-coast, Savoy-style. Quick steps move the dancers toward each other and apart; it’s an unrepentantly fast dance. They alternate between twisting, triplet footwork and throws, flips, spins, or other dramatic tricks. It’s a hot dance, building heat in the body among the crowd, but more irreverent and aggressive than overly sexy.
Irreverence is key in the swing kids’ culture. They respond to some conflict by singing “It don’t mean a thing, if it ain’t got that swing, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah.” They use their own lingo, from Faust to supermurgatroid. The arm motions of swing dance can seem wild and crazy. This is a pushback against the strict culture of the HJs and SS. Freedom is the ability to take up a lot of space, while dancing and with individuality. Swing is a highly improvisational form that allows dancers to choose their adventure. They do not have to march in a line. Furthermore, Peter and his friends gain respect and empathy for Jewish people by loving the swing music that Jewish musicians create: “Benny Goodman is Jewish,” says Peter in response to antisemitism.
The movie is part of a swing resurgence that happened in the 1990s. It featured bands like Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Cherry Poppin Daddies, Squirrel Nut Zippers, and the Brian Setzer Orchestra. As a teen in the 90s, I bought polka dot halter dresses and two-tone black and white swing shoes. I learned Charleston, Jitterbug, and Lindy Hop. My friends and I danced in community centers, with each other, and with other lovers of swing.
In college, I had a second swing revival when I choreographed a swing performance that featured some of my belly dancing friends for a community dance concert. We also taught and demoed swing at a series of piazza (outdoor, in a public square) events in a small village. Rather than teach set, unchangeable choreography, as in a performance, we taught them the basic steps and how to improvise by combining those steps and other derivations. Part of social dance is communicating with your partner to forge paths together that exist in harmony with the other dancers on the floor. After I graduated from college, I had yet another swing revival where I taught west coast swing in a senior community, keeping elders active and in communal spaces.
In 2025, I believe that we need freedom and joy, irreverence, and immersion in music. We need spaces and practices where we can escape the near-daily barrage of American horrors. We need the community that comes with dance. We need to shout-sing “doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah, doo-ah” sometimes. I hope piazzas fill with swing in the spring. I hope we can find some comfort in what comforted those in previous, and all-too-similar, times.