West Coast Swing Dance is on the menu every Tuesday at The Electric Belle
HUNTSVILLE – Everyone starts somewhere, if you have never danced, learn to swing at the Electric Belle.
Located at the end of Gas Light Alley at Stovehouse in Huntsville, The Electric Belle is a destination for live entertainment and a bar. Once a week, the location turns into a dance hall and studio for those interested in West Coast Swing.
The dance is a partner dance with roots in Lindy Hop, extremely popular on the West Coast throughout the 1940s and into the 1950s In modern years, swing dancing has made a huge comeback.
“We are at The Electric Belle every Tuesday,” said head DJ for the Rocket Westies Group, Joey Gillenwaters “A dance lesson starts at 6:30 and it usually runs about 45 minutes to an hour. After the lesson, we have an open social dance for everyone who wants to stick around. We usually run that until about 10 p.m.”
Gillenwaters said that the different instructors at the event will give those who attend a diverse experience of West Coast Swing.
“We’ve got about five instructors that we rotate through,” he said. “They all provide a different perspective and a little bit different style as far as the lessons go. So, people who come every week don’t really have the same person going over the same stuff over and over again. They get perspectives from about five different people.”
For those who do not have a partner who could attend the event, Gillenwaters said to go anyway, and you can still leave with swing dancing skills.
“All through the night we will play anywhere from 50 to 60 songs, just depending on the length,” he said. “The different participants ask each other to dance, and things like that. The lessons are structured so that if you don’t have a partner, you will still be able to benefit from the lesson.”
Gillenwaters said that there is a good turnout of swing dancers for the Electric Belle events and that those who organize the events are thankful for the opportunity to use the Electric Belle space.
“On any given Tuesday at Electric Belle, we will have probably anywhere from 60 to 80 people who are there for the lessons,” he said, “We’re appreciative of Jeremy for giving us such a good space to dance, have our lessons and socials.”
Gillenwaters said that West Coast Swing empowered him to begin dancing and that he believes it is good for the Huntsville and Madison community.
“I think being in a community of a lot of engineers, they tend not to be as extroverted as other people, so when they get together as like-minded people, they’re able to communicate with each other and relate to each other and get out of their shell,” he said. “Before I started West Coast Swing dancing, I wouldn’t dance in front of people, I wouldn’t talk to people I didn’t know and things like that. It’s kind of got me out of my shell.”
For those who are interested in attending a Rocket Westies West Coast Swing event but do not have any dance experience, Gillenwaters said that everyone starts somewhere. For more information, visit Rocket Westies on Facebook.
“About 90% of our participants had no dance experience at all before they started the lessons,” he said. “My wife and I went to a local brewery five or six years ago, mainly just for the food truck, and it just so happened that the Rocket Westies were there, and they were having a lesson. My wife and I were intrigued, and we sat there and watched them, and they convinced us to come out. And we’ve been going just about every week since then. Everybody has to start somewhere.”
