It Does Mean a Thing: Joshua Dominick of Swing Beijing

Swing Beijing (swingbeijing.com) is a group of individuals that strive to introduce the dances and music that they love to China’s capital. Agenda talks to Joshua Dominick to find out what we’re missing.

What does dance mean to you?
Dance is a form of art, communication and exercise, but most of all it’s an expression of personality. It can also be a way to change a personality; for people that are shy it’s a great way to open up. In our classes you can always see who the introverts are when they start dancing – you can tell they’re just a bit unsure of themselves – but swing forces you to be an extrovert because in order to be good you have to be expressive. Swing dancing changes and adds to your personality in a positive way.

What defines swing dancing and sets it apart from other genres of dance?
I think swing, because it’s a jazz dance, features more opportunities for improvisation than other dances. Not only can you make it your own, but you can make a mistake that fits with the music and it becomes a creation rather than a problem. Swing is creative, spontaneous and fun, fun, fun.

When, how and why did you get into swing dancing?
I started in late 2006 after I’d been here for a year working and researching. My roommate, who arrived in the summer of 2006, had done swing back in the US, and dragged me along to the Swing Beijing class. I liked it, and stuck with it because of the people and the music. I’d played jazz in high school and college so I already knew and enjoyed the music, so getting into the dance and discovering a different way to express myself with a genre that I know and love was really exciting – it may be a physical movement that follows the music, but you’re still like an instrument in the band. I chose it over other genres because it’s freer. People are more relaxed and accepting in the swing scene than they tend to be with other dances; it’s very welcoming and easy to fit into.

Why would you recommend swing? How would you persuade Beijingers – whether newcomers or old-timers – to come along to your classes and give it a go?
The people. Swing dancers are open, welcoming, friendly, and just generally good folk.

It’s not super easy – if you don’t like a challenge, go dance salsa! It takes a certain personality, but people should definitely try it. They will have a nice time even if it’s just because of who they meet. Personally, I don’t want to have to convince folk to come – I want them to come because they want to, but of course the word needs to get around so that people know it’s there! We like to have parties and small classes to show people what its all about, tempt them to join us! We do events at bars and shops, and outdoor dances – things that are just for fun, but that show people what were doing. Expats tend to know something about swing – the era and the music – so we don’t need to teach them about what it is, just show them that it’s here.

Is it difficult to learn? Can you be a “born natural”?
Anyone can be a born natural at anything! Of course, when it comes to dancing having a musical background definitely helps – you need to be able to feel a beat, to move with the rhythm. It is difficult, because learning anything new is difficult, but as with everything else, if you want to do it, you can.

What kind of people do you have attending your classes?
Our dance groups are a good mix of expats and Chinese; our Monday classes are run mainly in English, so the class is around 70 percent expats, whereas Zeng’s classes run in Chinese so it is the other way around. We tend to find that we have more Chinese followers, and more expat leaders.

How many different types of swing are there?
Charleston was the first incarnation. It was originally a closed dance to very bouncy music. It then opened up to side-by-side Charleston. Triple-step was then invented to cover space, and then came the Lindy Hop at the height of swing, the 1930s-50s – roughly the same period as the big band era. Balboa was invented in California, danced by predominantly white people, and was more ballroom in its style, although it was being danced to jazz music. Blues can kind of be included in the swing genre, but it has a different structure than swing music and is a different dance. But because it’s still a jazz dance you’ll find that often swing dancers will know how to dance the blues too.

I like Lindy Hop and Balboa. I’m a very white dancer; I still to this day don’t “get down to the groove.” Balboa has all the aspects of swing, but stays very closed, so you’re very comfortable in that perfect rhythm with your partner.

You have a ten-strong dance performance team. What is your favorite style to perform and why?
Lindy Hop. It’s a style rather than a form, but the steps do change when you’re performing – things look flashier when you use the performance style. It’s very expressive and fun. The attitude translates to the audience; Lindy exudes joy, it’s the vibrant nature of the dance.

What’s your favorite move to teach?
I have a favorite move now which I just learned it in Sweden. It’s an inside turn that turns into a swing out. Leru uses the term “wee move” to describe it and similar steps. They’re fun, because due to the build up of tension preceding the swing out, followers glide across the floor. Those are definitely the most fun.

You seem to have been putting on more and more events for the Beijing public to come along to; when did you decide to do shows and parties as well as classes?
It’s always been a part of the scene, and it’s a great method of promotion. Outdoor dances, working with shops and bars is a great way to get the swing word out. They give existing dancers more chances and opportunities to dance and have fun, and when we have bands they’re great not only to make people stop and look, but it’s when swing comes alive for the dancers, so it makes it great fun. It’s all about maximum opportunities for fun!

When and why did you decide to establish the Moonglow cabaret troupe? How difficult was it to bring burlesque to a city like Beijing?
That was Leru’s dream. She did all the choreography, music, stage direction, costumes- everything. She’s been thinking and planning for the past three or four years, and has finally realized her dream.
Beijing is a city that is more and more cosmopolitan, and has all kinds of people that like all kinds of things. There is room for the cutting edge, whether in music, art, whatever. The attitude the city lends itself to experimentation more than other cities in China.

How did local Chinese people react to the first Moonglow show?
I was running around like a headless chicken coordinating so I didn’t get to gauge their reactions as much as I’d like to have, but I’d say over half of the audience were Chinese. We promoted it as being vaguely similar to Moulin Rouge so that Chinese people could understand what they would be getting if they didn’t necessarily know what burlesque was. People really enjoyed it; both Moonglow and the venue got great feedback

You’ve recently extended your classes to cover more styles of dance. Why was it important to you to do so, and how did you manage to organize it?
Balboa was something that has been offered on and off for the last few years, interest-based. Leru and I both like it, so we decided to work on it and offer it as a regular class. Swing is a single type of dance; you can’t dance it to all music. Offering Balboa and blues gives people a wider breadth of jazz dances, and thus more opportunities to dance to more music (Balboa uses faster tempo jazz, while blues accompanies the slower stuff) knowing other dances allows you to mix it up and do different things that you didn’t necessarily know were possible, and therefore have more fun with the dance.

Tell us more about events like the Great Wall Swing Out and Lindy exchanges.
These things for me are an opportunity to set a goal, a milestone for people, as they hold contests that give people something to work towards, so it’s not just a listless activity to add to people’s list of hobbies. They also bring people together; big events give people that little bit extra, and they’re great ways to expose Lindy and jazz to bigger audiences as well as the dancers; they show off the wider world of swing. They’re a great way to socialize and meet new people, and they give you a worldwide network of really friendly people.