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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 4, 1998)
ENDAR member 4 |e Battalion Aggielife Page 3 • Wednesday, November 4, 1998 e: Practice vit* . No experienc ) for more infor; | i us for a 3-4ir ihite. All s 'e information. i-Aggfe Sitstev ind fellowstiip 1 ;! .oo k at the scte ust a Swingin’ "Stetson" Fedora Hat Suspenders The Guy i: Practice will;;| e Zachry park* re information, meet at 8:30:j n room. 'ulture of classy clothes, win’ music makes its way to College Station There will be ole being rail i at 8:30 p.m. 579 or Chris a! BY BETH FOCHT The Battalion st, it was the 1960s that came back in style. Disco dancing was the next to emerge, fol- ed quickly by the early ’80s retro e. Now it is Swing dancing, and era of most Aggies’ grandparents he newest big thing. The Swing dancing revival has ide its presence known through- tthe country and now, in College ition, where dancing the two-step salsa were once the only partner cing that was popular. From James Horner’s “Sing, Sing, with a Swing” to Big Bad odoo Daddy’s “Mr. Pinstripe it,” Swing music, dancing, style Id culture are being embraced and dified by Generation X. Swing started in the times before rid War II with a jazz style of mu- and evolved into the big-band ductions of Count Basie and the |en Miller Orchestra. This style of music had an infec- us and consistent beat that en- luraged people to dance. The music was slower than the ing bands that play today and iged from bands with full-horn ictions to smaller ensembles, hich are more similar to groups to- ly. This style of music was strong roughout post-World War II. The recent Swing revival has ;en building for the last few years, tacfKristen^ decent months have shown an 3il.com forde plosion in popularity. The movie I Engineers: Tachry 102. a general mee‘. /ill have C.L.E. as at 694-68S earn: We ' Fields nextta essary andai it 731-8093f( ■oup: Opendi ill be from 8:1 a at 731-1121 3 a meeting all y at 847-061 iwell, Headfi an High Sch d. Call Joe at lub will mee! an. at Chili's, I iving are ver) Swingers gave the Swing trend its first big exposure in 1996 with the fashion, dancing, club scene and music featured in the film. The Gap khaki commercial fea turing Louis Prima’s “Jump Jive and Wail” helped push the Swing craze into the spotlight, and the music and dance has continued to get more popular since the commercial first aired in April. Some of the bands that make up the new Swing scene are Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, The Cherry Poppin’ Daddies, Royal Crown Revue, Brian Setzer Orchestra and 8 1/2 Sou venirs out of Austin. Each band brings their own personal mix of Swing, big band, ska, rock, jazz and rockabilly to the forefront. Steve Perry of Cherry Poppin’ Daddies said, on a Website on the new Swing movement, “We could get involved in a nostalgic type of scene, but we don’t want to do that. Swing has to be reinvented.” Swing has been reinvented with this trend and has a different musi cal sound than those bands of the 1940s. The music has the bounce of the ’40s, but with a ’90s edge. Melissa Hinojosa, a freshman math major, said she enjoys this lat est movement in club dancing and is glad it has resurfaced into the dance scene. “This movement is definitely something good to revive that our generation missed,” Hinojosa said. see Culture on Page 6. With a few simple steps, anyone can he a Swinger Chain wallet- s ; BY RILEY LAGRONE The Battalion o you want to be a Swinger. Don’t feel too bad about jump ing onto the Swing-dance bandwagon. After all, it’s fun, it’s great exercise and 10 years from now when you look back at the pic tures, you will look a lot cooler in your zoot suit than you did in your parachute pants. Before you can become a full time Swinger, however, there are a few things you should do to prepare yourself. First and foremost, you need Swing dance classes. There are a few good places to learn the basic steps. Along with several dance stu dios in Bryan-College Station, Uni versity Plus, located in the basement of the MSG, offers reasonably priced classes. After you have the basic steps down, it’s time to search out the proper attire. Since the 1930s, style has been an integral part of the Swinger persona, and no reputable male Swinger would be caught dead without a zoot suit, complete with spats and a watch chain. In the Brazos Valley, however, zoot suits don’t grow on trees. The best idea is to try and achieve a bal ance of style and comfort. One of the key features of the zoot suit is a pair of baggy slacks that tapers to a cuff. The baggy part is key. After all, no one wants to Swing dance in a pair of skin-tight Wranglers. For the purposes of Swing danc ing in the ’90s, a loose pair of slacks or khakis will do fine. A pair :opal Student; it with center 16:15 p.m. George Bus ation. ety of Amei ne president eak at 5:45p mza at 680-9' There mil ^ 6. Come join ling you nee: ight. A//are Better Rate Plans. Better Phone Price. Big Bonus. Better Hurry. Free Long Distance To Anywhere In Texas. First AAinote Free On Calls Yoo Receive. PTH 1th Tree feuick, ials. Free Voice AAail, Free Caller ID. 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University Dr. 409-764-9398 2418 Texas Ave. 121 Walton 409-764-3177 409-260-4200 409-764-5900 409-696-2214 Charges for long distance, additional minutes, roaming, taxes and fees apply. Limited-time offer. Bonus minutes must be requested at the time of activation, must be used witnm 12 months, and are not available with our DigitalChoice SM Zero rate plan. Offer applies to new activations only. Pre-pay customers will receive bonus minutes after pre-paying and using the bonus minutes. All calls are billed in full-minute increments; airtime usage rounded up to the next full minute. Some conditions apply. PrimeCo is a partnership of AJiTouch Communications, Inc., and Bell Atlantic Corporation. wiPrimeCo Personal Communications, L.P. BRY1098BP1 of suspenders and a watch (or wal let) chain can add a lot to the over all look. The important part to remember is that both suspenders and belts are used to hold up pants — pick one. The standard Swinger shirt is the button-down. Bowling shirts are ide al, but they can be a little difficult to find. If you don’t know what a bowl ing shirt is, watch “Seinfeld.” Kramer wore bowling shirts (just make sure yours fits better). If you decide to wear long sleeves, roll them up and add a cool tie. For girls, style is a little more diffi cult to define. Many Swing chicks of the ’90s like to wear the same thing as guys do — khakis and short- sleeve, button-down shirts are com mon. For those who want to really get into the spirit of things, skirts are the way to go. The main feature of a Swing skirt is that it twirls easily dur ing dancing. The trick is to find a skirt that will show a garter during a twirl without flashing anyone. Think cool but classy. Pin curls are a popular hairstyle. The most important part of a true Swinger’s outfit are the shoes. Re member that the whole point is to dance, so rubber soles are out (they stick to the floor). A pair of com fortable, sturdy two-tone (or at the very least wingtip) dance shoes are the norm for guys — girls some times prefer loafers. As long as your shoes have smooth leather soles and look sharp, you’ll be OK. Now that you look great, it’s time to learn a little lingo. see Swingers on Page 6. Handkerchief Zoot Suit "Stacey Adams" black and white / wingtip shoes The Gal Red lipstick- Garter bel Black or nude, thigh-high stockings" Hair pulied back -in a barrette or rolled .Full skirt and blouse or a dress •Leather soled shoes PHOTO ILLUSTRATIONS BY JAKE SCHRICKLING AND KATHY STEMPIEN/The Bahai,ion .. :w '--v '■ '50 tiiijf' Don't Get Us Wrong We Don't Just Sell These^ vO 00 tH 1 o N ON O We Sell Solutions. <Vv^‘ spe 0 We specialize in custom built systems to fit your personal or business needs! Just call or come by to check out our upgrade options or to have us build your system today! 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