Swing dance brings people from around the country to the Tri-State

CINCINNATI - On a normal night at Bogart’s concert hall in Clifton, a passerby would hear the sounds of rock music or the latest popular group pumping out the doors of the nearly 121-year-old venue. But on a Saturday night in August, the sounds of Artie Shaw and Frank Sinatra stream out the windows, bringing back images of “zoot suits,” high-waisted skirts and the dance men and women wore them to: Swing.

The Cincinnati Lindy Exchange brought over 100 dancers from all over the country to not only swing dance, but experience Cincinnati.

“A Lindy Exchange is kind of like a student exchange program. Dancers from one city go to other cities, and experience what that city has to offer, as well as dance with anybody who came in from town,” says Lisa Curry, one of the coordinators of the event.

From August 5 through 7, local swing dancers hosted people from California, Florida, New York and surrounding Columbus, Lexington and Louisville. Each day of the exchange featured two different venues. Dancers visited Step N’ Out Studio in Covington, the Harrison Room at the Cincinnati Club , Mount Echo Park Pavilion on Elberon Avenue, Bogart’s, Wyoming Center for the Arts , and Molly Malone’s Irish Pub in Covington.

Curry said they spread the venues out all over town to highlight the best places.

“[We] also encourage our guests to check out different places around town, like the zoo, the aquarium, downtown, and local restaurants,” said Curry.

Not familiar with the Lindy Hop? Maybe the East Coast Swing, Jitterbug, Balboa or Charleston is more your thing. To learn more about swing dancing in Cincinnati, Curry recommends getting involved with The Swingallery . The organization gathers local dancers every week.

For more information the Cincinnati Lindy Exchange, you can visit the organization’s website here , or ‘Like’ their Facebook fan page .