Section C·Page 10
The University Daily Kansan
Monday, August 17, 1998
Lawrence has a swingin' time at local jives
Residents dance to yesterday's 1940s music
Billy Bacon and the Forbidden Pigs play for the swing crowd at The Hi-Jinx Lounge,
1117 Massachusetts St. The lounge also features a cigar bar where customers can find a wide selection of stores. Photo by Rebecca Ullanoff/KANSAN
By Robocca Ulanoff
Kansan staff writer
"What's good enough for Granddad, is good enough for me, the way it was, it's the way it's got to be," as sung by the Squirrel Nut Zippers.
The swing sensation has taken Lawrence by storm. From the music to the dancing, resident's enthusiasm proves that Lawrence loves to shake a tailfeather.
The Bottleneck's Swing Set Sunday nights draws up to 300 people, and many dress for the occasion. It is not unusual to
see men decked out in freshly ironed pants and suspenders, as women in retro-style dresses and high heels twirl. The Bottleneck, 737 New Hampshire St. transforms itself replacing sticky plastic cups and overflowing ashtrays with white tablecloths and candles.
This couple celebrates a bygone era with their swing-inspired clothing. Lawrence swing lovers take pride in their attire, and dancers do not hesitate to don retro garb to put them in the mood to swing. Photo by Rebecca Ulanoff/KANSAN
The Hi-Jinx Lounge, 1117 Massachusetts St., also commemorates the time when swing was the thing with its 1940s-inspired decor and jukebox of classic music. Customers smoke cigars from its cigar bar while listening to live swing, bluegrass, surf and jump-blues
music, a harder and faster version of swing, said Jon at an Levine, co-owner of HiJinx.
Aaron Strelow tends bar at the Hi-Jinx
began swing dancing five years ago when his ex-girlfriend pulled him onto the dance floor. Since then, swing has become a part of his life, and much of Lawrence's as well, judging from the attendance in his three dance classes.
"It's fun to dance with a partner," Strelow said. "For the longest time people were only dancing by themselves."
Josh "Junebug" Hunt has been a disc jockey at the Swing Set since its incarnation in December 1996. Listening to his parents play Glen Miller and Benny Goodman, Hunt inherited their appreciation for swing music.
"Once you listen to it, it
becomes a part of your." Hunt said.
The music and dancing attract people from near and far. Chad Tebbe traveled 81 miles from Manhattan.
Mark Yonally, a dance major at the University of New Mexico, goes to the Swing Set every Sunday.
"It's great to see dance return as a participatory experience for people." Yonally said.
A fan of rockabilly, Strelow
“It's fun to dance with a partner. For the longest time people were only dancing by themselves."
Some swing aficionados fear that the integrity of the music is becoming corrupted with the
Lounge. Dressed to the nines, his brown hair is slicked back, his shirt has no wrinkles and his shoes are shined to a glossy finish. Strelow has been a swing and ballroom dance instructor at Liberty Dance, 2 E. Seventh St. for three years.
Aaron Strelow Bartender at the Hi-Jinx
influx of new bands. Randy Willet, drummer for Billy Bacon and the Forbidden Pigs, a San Diego-based, self-described American roots band.
said that some of today's swing bands never listened to the original music. He said the groups just jumped on the musical bandwagon.
"Cab Calloway and Louis Jordan are spinning in their graves because of these now bands." Willet said.
These dancers at the Bottleneck's Swing Set practiced this move before taking it public. Enthusiasts with a wide range of experience come to boogie down on Sundays. Many local swingers take swing and ballroom dance classes to perfect their moves. Photo by Rebecca Ulanoff/KANSAN
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Semester: $60
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749-0105