Courtesy photoThose looking to jump and jive this weekend are in luck, as the third annual San Luis Obispo Lindy Exchange will take place in various locations around town for the enjoyment of students and community members alike.
Beginning Friday, the Cal Poly Swing Dance Club and the SLO swing dancing community will host dancing events, competitions and games for both dance-savvy and novice movers. The largest event will be a vintage-themed dance held in Chumash Auditorium Saturday night, according to Swing Dance Club president and political science junior Mary Freitag.
“Swing dancing comes from the ’20s to the ’40s,” Freitag said. “It’s a vintage dance, so we’re having a more formal, dressier theme for it based on the 1939 World’s Fair. It will have different exhibits and pictures to help create the atmosphere.”
Tickets for the event will be $15 for the general public, and $12 for Cal Poly students with identification. A free, beginning lesson will be available from 7 to 8 p.m. for those who purchase a ticket and will immediately be followed by dancing festivities until midnight.
Prior to Saturday evening’s events, the club will host swing games in Mitchell Park from 1 to 4 p.m., including competitions like the “doughnut dip,” which requires dancers to eat a doughnut while being dipped by their partners in an effort to finish first. Prizes ranging from gift cards for local restaurants and stores to T-shirts and even a jar of granola will be awarded to winners throughout the day.
“The whole thing is going to be a lot bigger this year,” Freitag said. “We already have a lot more people registered than we’ve had before; there are more DJs, and a lot more people coming from out of town to dance with us. It’s going to be pretty awesome.”
Dancing will also take place in Chumash Auditorium from 8 p.m. to midnight on Friday and Sunday, as well as a free dance at Mother’s Tavern from 3 to
6 p.m. on Sunday. Prices for the individual dances range from $7 to $15 and can be paid at the door.
Those who pre-register online, however, can purchase admittance to all the weekend’s events for a flat fee of $35 and receive a free T-shirt. According to Freitag, more than 100 people have already pre-registered, and the club is expecting more than 150 people to attend throughout the weekend. More details about the event can be found at sloswing.com.
“It’s a time for students, the swing community and jazz lovers from all over California to come together and dance,” Freitag said.
“If you want to learn to dance, if you already know, if you’re a senior and you can’t dance but you just want to listen to the music and watch – then you should come. There will be something for everyone.”