Taking Steps to Master the Art of Swing

Les won’t dance.

I bring him downtown to Nicholby’s, ply him with alcohol and make all sorts of promises I know I won’t keep just so I’ll have a partner with whom I can learn to swing dance. All to no avail. He’s a guy, after all, he reminds me. “And guys,” he says, “don’t dance.”

But I’m a woman on a mission. After years of thinking I was the only Generation X-er with a taste for big-band music and old jitterbug film clips, I’ve made a huge discovery: Swing dancing is alive and well and thriving in Ventura County. Maybe it’s not front-page news, but now I have something to do with my Tuesday and Wednesday nights. It means I can have a beer or two and get my exercise.

And, like I need any more incentive, I have just enough time to get the basics down before the Monster Swing Weekend, March 29 and 30, at Nicholby’s. There’ll be live music, hard-core swing kids from all over California and points beyond, a $1,000 contest purse and a martini bar.

Nicholby’s, at 404 E. Main St., has had a swing night on Wednesdays and Lindy dancing on Tuesdays for the last six months. But the seeds of swing in Ventura were first nurtured on a weekly basis when promoters Michael and Suzanne Kaufer in 1990 incorporated swing dancing into their Blue Monday gigs at Alexander’s at Ventura Harbor.

“The dancers came to our shows because we had a nice swing-dancing environment. It just sort of evolved that each concert would start with a swing dance class,” said Kaufer, who has returned to Alexander’s for a Sweet Thursdays blues concert series, along with the dancers.

The Wednesday night scene at Nicholby’s, which owner Nick Taylor says attracts about 70 dancers a week, has provided the venue for bands such as Big Bad Voodoo Daddy to perform its hot new brand of big-band music to a hep crowd of twentysomethings.

And when Voodoo Daddy members saw swingsters Lee Moore, 32, wife Teri, 30, and her twin sister, Tammy Finocchiaro, cut up the floor, they asked if the trio would consider teaching the masses. A scene was born.

I’m a veteran of ballroom dancing, which usually features swing and country rock in the deal. But these classes often have a female-male ratio of 100-1, and I end up patiently waiting for a man with a polyester shirt and no rhythm so I can learn a simple four-step. The swing taught in classes like these is controlled and tame, toned down to match the middle-age set.

*

I wanted to learn the Lindy Hop or the East Coast swing, those crazy acrobatics you see in the old movies--the ones with couples tearing up the floor of some smoky USO. And that’s exactly what the Moores dish up. This dance is physical. It’s aerobic. It’s fast, like hip-hop from another era, guaranteed to show off your underwear as your partner throws you across the floor to an eight-count beat.

“We stress the energy and the fun more than regimented steps,” says Lee Moore, looking dapper in his baggies, white tank top and fedora. “Our whole thing is about going for it and having a good time.”

And best of all? “You don’t need to know anything or even have a partner.” Well if I’d known that . . .

Les watches from the sidelines as class members gather in front of the stage. There are all ages here, but the crowd swings decidedly young. There is almost an equal number of men and women, and the vibes are refreshingly un-awkward and upbeat.

The Moores demonstrate a simple side-to-side swing and add a turn. Every few minutes we switch partners, so halfway through the class everyone knows everyone. In this way, we novices benefit from the talents of the more experienced.

I dance with one man, Gary Tollison, 48, who has been swing dancing for years. “This is my weekend out,” he says, laughing, as he shows me some keen moves not on tonight’s syllabus. He’s experienced enough--and big enough--to keep me from trying to lead him, which sadly is my natural inclination.

More typical of my generation is Jackson Dutra, 24. He’s only been coming here for a few weeks and shares my enthusiasm for mastering the dance, but it’s slower going.

“Hey, I’m supposed to be leading . . .”

“Sorry.”

“Hey . . .”

“Sorry!”

*

We’re fairly lost. We’re out of breath. We’re staring enviously at the better dancers, like Roxanna Stern, 24, and her partner, who are twirling all over the place and looking great doing it. “I wanna dance like them,” I say.

“Me too,” agrees Dutra. “But I gotta learn how to lead.” We switch partners again.

I go back to the table to check on Les at the break. He’s been watching, even tapping his feet in time to the music. “Whadya think?” I ask. He nods approvingly. “It looks like a lot of fun. . . . You know, I could do this.” I smile and say nothing. He’s starting to break down.

Dutra and his friend Ethan Hudson, 25, are sipping cold ones next to us. These are two young men with no special dancing skills, happy to get on the dance floor and have a good time without their girlfriends. The girlfriends are still being talked into it, says Dutra. But what gives with the boys?

“This era has always intrigued me,” says Hudson. “It was really hard the first time. The second time got a lot easier, and tonight is even better. The more you get the basic moves, the easier it gets.”

This seems to bear out. My second class is a lot less frustrating. The steps are less confusing and it’s easier to add little flairs here and there: a kick, a saucy hand wave. Maybe I’m starting to catch on. From the sidelines, Les is threatening to join the class. “I can do this,” he insists.

Well I wish he would. Men who can do the Lindy or the East Coast swing are a real commodity.

“I was a typical guy when I started learning to swing,” says Moore. “I wouldn’t dance, no way.” But the Lindy and the East Coast swing are, for the male partner, very manly, he says. “You can’t be light in your loafers.”

At the end of the class, the Moores turn up the music and let everyone rock. I’m practicing my moves with Tollison when out of the corner of my eye I see Les, Dutra and Hudson deep in conversation. Another song starts and Les gets up, walks over and twirls me like he’s done it before. “Where’d you learn that?” I squeal.

“I told you I could do this,” he says with a smile.

OK, so he’s no swing cat yet. But at least now I have a date for dancing twice a week. Plus there’s still time before the Monster Swing Weekend. You never know, daddy-o.

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DETAILS

Here are a few spots where things will be in full swing. Call for prices and other details.

* Alexander’s, 1050 Schooner Drive, Ventura; 646-7230. The Sweet Thursday gigs, which usually feature blues music, begin at 8 p.m. and are frequented by swing dancers.

* Borderline Bar & Grill, 99 Rolling Oaks Drive, Thousand Oaks; 446-4435. Swing dancing classes begin at 6:30 p.m. Mondays.

* Camarillo Canteen, 515 Eubanks St.; 643-3114. There’s a swing dance at this venue, located at the Camarillo Airport, on the first Saturday of every month. A dance lesson begins at 8 p.m. with dancing at 8:30 p.m.

* Carrillo Recreation Center, 100 E. Carrillo St., Santa Barbara; 569-1952. Jonathon & Sylvia teach three swing dancing classes beginning at 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays. They host swing dances on the first and third Fridays of each month.

* Dancers Studio, 1788 Los Angeles Ave., Simi Valley; 583-0200. Patsy Swayze offers swing dancing classes at 8 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays.

* HiCees, 1583 Spinnaker Drive, Ventura; 650-7773. Blue Stew plays dance music great for swinging at 1 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.

* Nicholby’s, 404 E. Main St., Ventura; 653-2320. Swing dancing classes begin at 7 p.m. Wednesdays.

* Poinsettia Pavilion, 3451 Foothill Road, Ventura; 643-3523. Louise Duran gives six-week swing dancing classes beginning at 6:30 p.m. Thursdays. The next round begins March 28. Melinda Comeau gives swing dance lessons on the second Friday of every month at the same location beginning at 8:30 p.m.

* Ventura Avenue Adult Center, 550 N. Ventura Ave.; 648-3035. Since 1988, Melinda Comeau has been giving swing dance lessons at this location. At 6:30 p.m. Monday, it’s West Coast swing and Wednesdays it’s jitterbug and the Lindy Hop.

* Westlake Inn, 32001 Agoura Road, Westlake Village; 495-6451. Swing dancing lessons by Dave Katz begin at 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays.