Welcome!
Thank you for your interest in the Indiana University Swing Dance Club.
The IU Swing Club is an active student organization at IU's Bloomington campus. The club was founded in the fall semester of 1998, and became a Recreational Sport in the fall of 2001.
The Swing Club exists to provide opportunities for all interested students and community members to learn, practice, and enjoy swing dancing. We generally concentrate on East Coast Swing and Savoy-style Lindy Hop, but have also dabbled in other dances & styles, including the Collegiate Shag, Balboa, and more! The swing club tends to favor historical dance styles, including a style of Lindy Hop that developed in Harlem's Savoy Ballroom in the 1930's & 40's. But we also mix it up with more modern music and dance styles.
The club meets regularly on Monday evenings. (Click here for the meeting schedule.) Membership is open to all. Having a partner is not required, and no prior dance experience is necessary. (Well, okay... technically you DO need a partner to swing dance, but you can find several at the meetings. And we'll be happy to teach you to dance!)
At our CD-music events, we spin a variety of tunes including the classic swing & jazz sounds of such masters as Ella Fitzgerald, Benny Goodman, Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Cab Calloway, and Nina Simone, as well as early rock 'n roll hits from the likes of Bill Haley, Dino, and Elvis. Of course, we play a healthy dose of music from such modern swing & rockabilly bands as Indigo Swing, the Bill Elliott Swing Orchestra, and the Stray Cats, including any local groups we can get a CD out of... such as Bloomington's own Swing Rays, the Jive Rockets from Louisville, and Lesley Byers' Jazz Cats from Chicago.
We have even been know to pull out the "non-swing swing" music every so often. Imagine swing dancing to Ton Loc, Madonna, the B-52s, and Smash Mouth. If it's in 4/4 time, we'll give it a swing! If there's music YOU think really swings, then just bring your favorite CDs.
We also encourage members to take advantage of the exceptional live music opportunities we have at several Bloomington/Indy-area venues. (Click here to see some regular events.) And we try to bring one or two live bands to campus each semester. In the past, we have proudly hosted the Kelly Jay Orchestra, the Tim Brickley Quintet, Swing Rays, BWJO, and the Stardusters.
You can view our club constitution.
If you are interested in helping with the club leadership opportunities are available on the club's executive board. E-mail iuswing@indiana.edu if you are want to help.