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Love & Swing (1): “To Meet Boys”
Being a six-part series concerning the complex love triangle of romance, swing, and our love for swing. Part 1: “To Meet Boys” This is the answer Nina Gilkenson gives whenever people ask her why she started swing dancing in the first place. “Actually, I got into dancing because I liked it, but I did go…
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The Definition of Jitterbug
People trudging through history or talking to old timers might be confused when the word jitterbug seems to mean different things to different people. Even the modern swing era has invented entirely new definitions (discussed below.) So, I set about searching for the etymology of one of the most common words used to describe our…
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The Old Timer (Part 1: A Classless Dance)
Author’s note: As you read this essay, please note it was composed in 2010, and though the main ideas are still valid I would make several different choices in how I present it were I writing it today, such as the use of non-gendered language when referring to Followers and Leaders. (I hope to compose…