# Remember when swing dancing was a thing? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 4, 2018, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-when-swing-dancing-was-a-thing/809996 "2018-03-04T05:50:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2018, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-when-swing-dancing-was-a-thing/809996/1 "2018-03-04T05:50:11Z")
I’m pretty well lit up this evening, stumbling through YouTube and ran across this [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofdFj_giGWU). There may be people better at this but I thought they were pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2018, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-when-swing-dancing-was-a-thing/809996/2 "2018-03-04T06:05:54Z")
I like to see swing dancing. Can’t do it. But I do like it. It may be because my Daddy turned up big band music real loud when he made us all do house chores on Sat. mornings. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2018, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-when-swing-dancing-was-a-thing/809996/3 "2018-03-04T06:41:51Z")
My city has a big festival every summer with all kinds of musical entertainment. Once there was a band playing rock favorites and there was a song that apparently lent itself to swing dancing. A couple on the dance floor started doing all kinds of swing moves to the point where everyone else cleared the floor and let them go at it. It was amazing. They got a huge ovation, took a bow and that was it. As someone with zero dance ability I was absolutely gobsmacked. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2018, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-when-swing-dancing-was-a-thing/809996/4 "2018-03-04T06:54:32Z")
[More](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bx743aah7o8) As someone with zero dance ability this is some amazing stuff, ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2018, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-when-swing-dancing-was-a-thing/809996/5 "2018-03-04T06:58:38Z")
Will you remember this in the morning? I am enjoying your enjoyment of swing dancing, from afar. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2018, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-when-swing-dancing-was-a-thing/809996/6 "2018-03-04T07:07:58Z")
My ex-wife always wanted us to learn it, but things always got in the way, and we never did. But I can still enjoy the music! ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2018, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-when-swing-dancing-was-a-thing/809996/7 "2018-03-04T07:11:55Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Will you remember this in the morning? > I am enjoying your enjoyment of swing dancing, from afar. Yes, because I’ve saved it to my music favorites and will likely stumble over it again. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2018, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-when-swing-dancing-was-a-thing/809996/8 "2018-03-04T07:30:41Z")
Maybe you should go to a class, you might be good at it. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2018, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-when-swing-dancing-was-a-thing/809996/9 "2018-03-04T07:36:32Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Maybe you should go to a class, you might be good at it. That’s a good idea. It will not ever happen. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2018, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-when-swing-dancing-was-a-thing/809996/10 "2018-03-04T07:43:56Z")
[1943 Style](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdMS2R0J7-I). ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2018, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-when-swing-dancing-was-a-thing/809996/11 "2018-03-04T07:53:49Z")
[Even older.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wE31EC3NoLs) ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2018, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-when-swing-dancing-was-a-thing/809996/12 "2018-03-04T08:03:47Z")
It can’t be too hard, my Daddy danced up until his death at 86. Always to big band music. He wasn’t doing flips and lifts with his partners, of course. But he went at least twice a week for years. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2018, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-when-swing-dancing-was-a-thing/809996/13 "2018-03-04T08:13:50Z")
[It boggles my mind how people do that.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bl3s6PORZf0) ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2018, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-when-swing-dancing-was-a-thing/809996/14 "2018-03-04T08:33:44Z")
That really is wild. Practice, practice, practice. ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2018, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-when-swing-dancing-was-a-thing/809996/15 "2018-03-04T09:09:31Z")
Apparently it makes men prone to sexual assault. Or at least that guy. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2018, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-when-swing-dancing-was-a-thing/809996/16 "2018-03-04T09:15:56Z")
Huh. The middle of May. I might just go there this year. :o ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2018, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-when-swing-dancing-was-a-thing/809996/17 "2018-03-04T14:31:06Z")
A friend of ours has a jump blues band. My gf can swing dance, and she has taught me to do the bare minimum necessary to dance with her. I’ll dance a few songs with her, until a “real” dance partner approaches and asks her to dance. Then I watch, which is far more fun. ETA: she has also taught me to dance to Cajun and zydeco music, which is way more doable for me. A Cajun waltz is just my speed! ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2018, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-when-swing-dancing-was-a-thing/809996/18 "2018-03-04T16:27:50Z")
My Wife’s father was a very good dancer. For the father daughter dance at our wedding, they danced to Glenn Millers ‘In the Mood’ [This is not them of course, my FIL was getting on in years](https://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?fr=yfp-t&p=in+the+mood+gleen+miller+swing+dance#id=1&vid=060e3a8247c69518172cf3da12585ad4&action=click) But it was great. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2018, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-when-swing-dancing-was-a-thing/809996/19 "2018-03-04T16:36:39Z")
One of my [former](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuLjngweYTU) [debaters.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QppW5xzuOtc) ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2018, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-when-swing-dancing-was-a-thing/809996/20 "2018-03-04T16:48:57Z")
Many years ago I went to a Big Bad Voodoo Daddy concert. Lots of guys in Zoot Suits and girls in pin up style dresses. Plenty of people swing dancing, or at least doing the best they could in a general admission style concert. It was a ton of fun to watch, the music was great and every few minutes you’d see a girls feet kicking way up in the air. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-when-swing-dancing-was-a-thing/809996.md?page=2)