Swing Beijing brings the party outdoors

Adam Lee picks up the portable speaker he’s been wheeling around and places it on a ledge of greenery at the west entrance to The Place, an upscale shopping street east of Ritan Park. He plugs in his iPod, spins the dial, and horns pulse out from the tiny speaker. Adam raises the volume, turns to Leru, his girlfriend standing behind him, and extends his hand. They slither out from amongst the loose group of collected dancers into the airy mid-afternoon sunlight. The music moves and they do too--with the quick, jumpy, jerky hip movements of swing dance.

Lee, the founder of Swing Beijing, came to China after college in 2001 expecting to find a lively swing community. “You can go to any major city in the world,” Lee points out, “contact someone in the swing community and within a couple days you will have a place to stay.” But Beijing had none.

The wacky wasteland then known as SARSville convinced Adam that he had to start his own swing community. Now Swing Beijing’s regular event, swing lessons and a free dance at the CD Jazz Cafe, is the most vibrant Monday night in town. The next step has been special events, including these outdoor Swing Outs at The Place.

The gathered dancers stop talking and turn to watch Lee and Leru. A man changes his shoes, then he and his partner are out on the smooth stones of the shopping street, jumping and jiving. Others join in, three or four couples out on the floor at all times. Passers-by stop and form a loose circle around the dancers, tapping their toes appreciatively. A little girl dances with her mother. The couples in the middle keep spinning, swerving, wiggling hips and shoulders, but mostly just looking at each other and grinning like kids putting on a magic show.

Swing Outs are a way for the swing community to interact with the city. Leru, says. “A lot of swing people have friends that don’t swing. This was a way to get everyone together. The people who didn’t want to dance could just hang out with their friends, watch and have beers.”

The dancers on the floor change partners every song or so. They smile at their new partners, dancing circles around each other like it’s some improvised game. “Swing dancers really trust each other,” Leru says. “It’s not so much of a pick-up scene,” a girl next to us adds before returning to the dance floor.

The Details

Where:

CD Jazz Café

When:

Intermediate lessons from 7-8pm. Beginning lessons 8-9pm. Free dance until 11:30pm.

How:

￥50/class. Free dance is just that.

Web:

www.chinaswings.com/Beijing

by Michael Armstrong