Sarah Summerall
palmettoreport@gmail.com

(Rock Hill, S.C.) — Eight couples shuffled their feet and swung to the music at the first swing dance night of the semester, hosted by the Winthrop University Lindy Hoppers.

The swing dance events are intended to teach participants how to dance and give them an opportunity to practice on an open dance floor.

“I wanted somewhere to swing dance,” said Catherine Evans, president of the Lindy Hoppers. “Once I was telling people that I swing dance and getting to know everybody as a freshman…(students) expressed a lot of interest in it. So I figured I’ll start a club and make us all happy.”

The first dance, held at the Student Activity Center Nov. 5, featured Will Brown, of Greenville, as a guest teacher and Ben Hetherington, of Beaufort, as the guest DJ.

Evans said she was optimistically hoping for 10 participants, however, 16 people attended the first dance, which cost $3. Dancers can also pay $5 to attend the events for the entire school year.

As the club garners more attention, she said, they hope to bring in more guest instructors and DJs, as well as collaborate with other Winthrop organizations for theme nights.

“You get to just go and dance and have fun,” said Isabella Ferretti, club vice president. “Its relaxing, for some people it might not be, but for me its relaxing. It gets my mind off of drama thats going on in my life.”

Participants are encouraged to switch partners and meet new people, which Izzy Wallace, a sophomore illustration major, said created a fun environment.

“I really liked that I was learning to dance with many types of people rather than learning with just one person,” said Wallace.

“This was my first time giving swing a try and I would definitely go again,” said Princess Helvey, a freshman special education major. “My favorite part was not only getting to experience something new, but we also got to meet a lot of new people and step out of our comfort zones.”

The Lindy Hoppers will host four swing dance nights throughout November and plan to continue the events next semester.