Dancing the Night Away
It鈥檚 like a scene out of a college party movie: Music blasts through the rafters of a large, rustic cabin in the woods while a couple dozen students twirl around the dance floor. Meanwhile, a few others mingle on the fringes, connecting with friends. It鈥檚 well past midnight, so beverages are flowing freely to keep the party going.
Unlike the stereotypical party, though, this bash lacks booze and bad behavior. Instead, caffeine, conversation and crazy moves keep things light at the annual 澳门六合彩历史记录 Lindy Exchange (BULX) at Camp Wokanda on Peoria鈥檚 north edge. It鈥檚 the traditional last dance to wrap up a weekend of FUN for several dozen college students from around the Midwest.
“I鈥檓 not one to party, and the exchange is so much more fun than any night out,” said Stephanie Dierks 鈥�20, president of the 澳门六合彩历史记录 Swing Dance Society. “Events like this show you don鈥檛 need to be doing that to have fun.”
Camp Wokanda is a small part of the collegiate swing dance culture, which features weekends, or 鈥渆xchanges,鈥� at universities around the U.S. Traditionally, host colleges find a nontraditional venue for one of the dances. These hot spots can be barns, restaurants, rivers and other places. And, as Bradley students learned from study abroad experiences, dance culture transcends geography and language barriers. Here are tales from unique spots to cut a rug.
Peoria 鈥� the “spooky cabin in the woods“
Jenna Krukowski 鈥�16 led the charge to find a spot for Bradley鈥檚 first dance. After some anxious moments hunting for a location, BULX 鈥�13 started a tradition that outlasted winter snowstorms before the date moved to warmer spring weather. Krukowski recalled:
“I count Camp Wokanda as a victory in the midst of a venue crisis. Venues at that time are a little hard to come by, especially ones with a dance floor. 鈥� That first BULX was the absolute best. So many of us were crowded in this cabin, probably on our second or third winds by that point, dancing and stomping along to the music. You could feel the energy in the air radiating off the floorboards.“
Illinois State 鈥� Denny鈥檚
A few miles down I-74, the Illinois State Lindy Exchange entertains workers and overnight diners at the Bloomington Denny鈥檚. The fall event is an enjoyable way for Midwestern college students to kick off the school year.
“It鈥檚 not every day that someone decides a large crowd is going to dance in a restaurant at midnight for the next four hours,鈥� Dierks said. 鈥淧eople who walked through got a good laugh seeing a bunch of people dancing, and the staff didn鈥檛 seem to mind. I bet the other patrons had a good story to tell their families after seeing us in the room.”
Michigan 鈥� KissME in Ann Arbor
For dancers wanting a summer road trip, KissME in Ann Arbor (Keep it Simple and Swing Michigan Exchange) is a Bradley favorite. It鈥檚 marked by an iconic Sunday afternoon dancing in the Huron River with a live band playing water-themed music from the shore. As Yenitza Castillo 鈥�18 described it:
“Everyone is laughing and smiling because, after a long weekend of workshops and real dancing, this is our time to have fun, be silly and dance with our new and old friends. The water isn鈥檛 too deep, but it鈥檚 definitely challenging since you have to watch out for rocks and have a current working against you. That complicates the moves and steps, but people tend to be more relaxed and less concerned with the moves. It鈥檚 more about having fun and enjoying the water on a hot day.”
Germany 鈥� the Freiburg library
For some of Bradley鈥檚 adventurous travelers, swing became a universal language to connect with people during study abroad semesters. Students have explored dance scenes in Italy, Spain, Denmark and England.
Blake Glueck 鈥�19 made the most of his semester in Freiburg, Germany. The city鈥檚 popular dance spot happened to be outside a library, where a fountain once stood. The paved-over landmark made a perfect dance floor. In addition, it was a diverse group as young adults would travel from nearby Switzerland and France to socialize every Tuesday night.
“Language was optional because dancing is universal,” Glueck said. “You could see instructions in two languages, but if you didn鈥檛 understand them, you went with the flow and picked it up. It was amazing how similar their dance styles were to mine.”