Get Into the Swing
Sharon Dubois-LaChance, RN, and swing king Ed Slattery "cut a rug" at The
Call in downtown Providence. |
It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing.
Swing is back. Celebs like newswoman Katie Couric are hoppin' while
kids are boppin' in TV ads for the Gap. From coast to coast, nightclubs
now sizzle to the beat on weekly swing nights-while the hottest clubs of
all are newly opened venues that feature the Big Band sound all night,
every night.
Not to be left out, Providence, the center of Rhode Island's club
scene, is jumpin'. Twenty-somethings and baby boomers alike are
discovering what the World War II generation has known all along: the
Lindy Hop, jitterbug and boogie-woogie are rhythms that get your fingers
snapping and your toes tapping.
Newporters Tom and Sara Atkins have been teaching social dancing for 40
years. They met on the dance floor during the Second World War, started
dating, married and raised a family. All the while, they've kept on
dancing and teaching-27 couples who met in the Atkins' classes ended
up with a permanent partner in marriage.
While dancing can make the heart sing with romance, it also has a
profound effect on strengthening muscles and bones. Sara Atkins offers
first-hand experience: "About a month ago, I had a bad fall. I went
to my doctor, who told me I would have broken my hip if my bones weren't
so strong from dancing."
If you don't know the steps, dance teachers can show you how to get
your feet into gear. According to those who know, swing dance is easy.
"All you have to know is one basic step," Sara Atkins says,
"and you're in the groove."
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