ENDAR
member 4
|e Battalion
Aggielife
Page 3 • Wednesday, November 4, 1998
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i-Aggfe Sitstev
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.oo k at the scte
ust a Swingin’
"Stetson"
Fedora Hat
Suspenders
The Guy
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re information,
meet at 8:30:j
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'ulture of classy clothes,
win’ music makes its way
to College Station
There will be
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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
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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
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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'
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