STEP BY STEP

Yeah, they do look cool. Swinging into the late hours Mondays at Birraporetti’s in Costa Mesa, Wednesdays at the Rhino Room in Huntington Beach or any night at Carnation Plaza in Disneyland.

But how did they get the dancing moves down before going public? Watching the “Swing Kids” video? Maybe tripping to some of Granddad’s scratchy vinyls from the ‘40s? Or perhaps at one of the commercial dance schools catering to teens and twentysomethings who have, all of a sudden, latched onto big-band music?

Music City in Fountain Valley has another idea: free dance lessons Thursdays from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. While the band is warming up for the late-arriving crowds that’ll pay the $10 cover, dance instructors guide swing hopefuls through slides, glides and spins.

Patient teachers chant their mantra: “Back step, one, two, three; back step, one, two, three. . . .” Over and over, until everyone’s up to speed.

There are missteps, grimaces and grins as the couples find their way. He goes east, she goes west, but somehow--by hanging on--they’re still together.

Jaime Munoz and Vitaly Yasnogorodsky are the swing night’s promoters at Music City, an all-age venue.

“I noticed that people under 21 who couldn’t get into nightclubs needed a place to swing, so we started Swing Club at Music City,” Munoz says. “They like the music because it’s nonviolent and without prejudice. It’s all-around good clean fun and great to dance to.”

The lessons are meant for beginners--with or without partners.

“People show up alone, or two girls or two boys come together, and they find someone to dance with,” Munoz says. “Even if you brought a partner, you’re always rotating partners, which gets you familiar with other people’s steps.

“This way, you can dance and not be a wallflower.”