Belmont Vision - Features - Dancers head to church

ISSUE: 02/28/07 > FEATURES > dancers head to church

If, on a Saturday evening, you happened to see a group of people all dressed up and sorting out car pooling they could have been headed to Otter Creek Church for an evening of swing dancing.

“It’s good, clean fun in a secure environment,” said Rachel Mingus, the organizer of the group.

Every other Saturday, Otter Creek Church is open for people to come and swing dance. About an hour before people come in to dance, from 6-7 p.m., there is a swing class that teaches those who want to learn the basics. From 7 p.m., open dancing begins.

Photo by Melody Drusha

In competitive dancing, moving one's feet to the music is important, but so is relating to one's partner so the dance is smooth and synchronized.

But you don’t have to be an expert to swing dance here. It is for everyone who is interested.

“A lot of people go that don’t know a lot of moves,” said Brandon McGuiness, a member of the Belmont swing dance group. “Everyone is good about helping other people. We’re just amateurs having fun.”

“Most people go to clubs for ulterior motives and to hook up, but in swing dancing, people want to dance,” Mingus said. “People also pay at the door so it is those who want to learn that will come.”

There is a $6 fee at the door and $7 when there is a live band. The proceeds go to a Christian ministry and mentor program for young people, “Youth for Truth.” (www.youthfortruth.org).

Learning new moves is not all that these social dancers get from the Saturday night experience.

“It’s a great social activity. You get to meet new people,” McGuiness said. “You have more of a relationship with your partner than in, say, a mosh pit. You need to know what you’re doing.”

“It opens your eyes to what the roles of men and women are in society,” Mingus said. “I think there’s something deep down in girls that likes to be led and asked to dance. It has made gentlemen out of the guys that go.”

Quite a lot of dancers claim that dancing for them is a form of self-expression. Mingus is not different.

“I think swing gives more creativity room,” Mingus said. “You can swing to any kind of music. It has allowed me to express myself.”