Getting into the Swing of Things 45 ATLAS MAGAZINE
INSTEAD OF TWERKING AT NEARBY HOTSPOTS such as Rise or Machine, some Emerson students spend their weekends doing the Lindy Hop at one of Boston’s swing dance venues. This style of dance originated during the “Roaring Twenties” and has been making a comeback since the 1990s. Now, in Boston, the swing scene is as lively as ever. In a dimly lit room with blue icicle lights both the young and the old dance to songs ranging from popular oldies such as “Rockin’ Robin” to more obscure jazz numbers. Women wear dresses that flow in the air like parachutes when their partner spins them around, while many men wear button-down shirts and fedoras. Both men and women approach each other asking for a dance. No one ever says no, it is an unspoken rule. A couple dances to a slow song, and just before it finishes, the lead dips the woman into a position where she is barely touching the floor. “You can go out social dancing almost every night of the week,” says Jason Blankenship, an Emerson student who goes swing dancing three to four times a week. Two years ago he decided to take swing dance lessons at New School Swing in Charlestown, Massachusetts. He wanted a