Art for Thought: Swing Dance Demo Thursday, June 17

“It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing.”

At least, that’s what John and Denise Bennett will tell you. Hailing from the Dallas, Texas metroplex, John and Denise brought their dancing ways to Mercersburg when they relocated for jobs at Mercersburg Academy.

They started swing dancing during the late 1990’s swing resurgence and fell in love. When asked what draws them to this pastime, John describes, “A hard beat and the determination of the music to offer joy to Americans who were struggling through two of the most trying decades in our history.”

When people think of swing, they see in their minds smiling faces and hard twirling skirts, but it’s easy to forget that swing was the driving joy of the youth culture during the Great Depression and the Second World War.

Denise continues, “Perhaps it required the entire nation to suffer the blues in order for swing to emerge as powerful and liberating as it was … and is. I think we each find a swing beat undeniable. We can’t hear one without as least doing some subtle but fancy toe tapping.”

Denise and John are for the most part self-taught; their skills forged from nights of hard dancing and from years of immersion in the study of the music and cultures of swing.

The couple sponsors Four on the Floor, a swing society at Mercersburg Academy.

On Thursday, June 17, you can see the dancing duo in action. They’ll demonstrate and teach the basics of East Coast Swing, the Charleston, and the Lindy Hop at MCFA’s Art for Thought Series.

The cost is $2.00 per person and free for students. Light refreshments will be served. Parking and entrance are around the back of the church. Reservations are not required, but are appreciated. RSVP to mcfainfo@gmail.com or by calling 328-4777.

Next Art For Thought Demonstration:
Thursday, July 15 featuring Printmaking with Lynda Beckwith.