OC LIVE! : Doing the Balboa Puts a Little Swing in Brea

Cocktails and cultural preservation don’t often go hand in hand, but a dying art is being kept alive at Bobby McGee’s bar in Brea.

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Every second and fourth Sunday of the month, a group gathers at the nondescript lounge to do the Balboa, a rarely practiced, swing-era dance that many of these lively, seventysomething devotees learned when the dance was created circa 1935 at the Rendezvous Ballroom on Balboa Peninsula (hence the name).

According to aficionados, Benny Goodman and his sensational, then-new big band drew so many fans to the popular hall (burned down in 1966) that dancers had to hem themselves in--forget about Lindy Hopping arms and legs going hither and yon--and a new dance was born.

Couples “had to stay close together,” recalls McGee’s regular Ed Thompson, 76, “because it was so crowded.”

Indeed, Balboa dancers look a bit like the figures that twirl on a tiny dime inside a child’s jewelry box: Partners hold each other chest to chest while their feet, kept closely in line with their hips, go like crazy to the brisk beat--much faster than the widely practiced West Coast swing. The basics involve three quick, small steps and a subtle kick or tap.

At McGee’s, basics are embellished big time. The crowd lets loose with the kind of flashy, idiosyncratic innovation that elicits cheers (“Hey, Grandpa!”), clears the floor and once made prize winners of many of these stylish veterans.

For those unfamiliar with the “Bal,” West and East Coast swing are also part of the mix at McGee’s, where the deejay spins Goodman, Count Basie, Woody Herman, Harry James and Artie Shaw.

“We’re all basically big-band enthusiasts,” says Marge Takier, who started the Big Band Sunday dance with her husband, Hal, 17 years ago at a Bobby McGee’s in Newport Beach. It’s been held for the past 12 years in Brea, where many of the regulars have been friends, mates or dance partners for decades. But the sense of casual camaraderie extends to newcomers.

This thirtysomething dancer felt welcome and had enough dancing to do, even though the only swing I know is West Coast. Dress is relaxed too: slacks and skirts for women, casual shirts for men.

The bar’s decor is nothing to shout about--unless you’re inspired by beer signs--but the price is right. Admission is free; well wine, drafts and high balls go for $1.75. Also gratis: a generous spread of raw veggies, fruit, chips, pasta and three-bean salad.

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* BIG BAND SUNDAYS

* At Bobby McGee’s, 200 S. State College Blvd., Brea.

* (714) 529-1998.

* Second and fourth Sundays of the month, 2 to 5 p.m.

* No cover.