Every Wednesday evening you can enter a large yellow-walled basement rec room in Regent Square and party like it’s 1925.You’ll be stepping into the jump-jive-and-wail world of the Pittsburgh Swing Dance Community, which celebrates Lindy Hop, Balboa, West Coast swing, jitterbug and other vintage couple dances that took shape from working-class African American roots and attained global popularity with the rise of swing and Big Band jazz music in the 1920s and ’30s.Music for the weekly meetups at Wilkins School Community Center alternate between retro-savvy DJs and live swing music by Adam’s Aces, fronted by saxophonist Adam Lee-Morgan.Come alone or with a partner or a group, and if you have prior swing dance experience, that’s a plus but not at all required.“Our goal from the beginning was to create something for adults of all ages to learn and enjoy Lindy Hop and other swing dances,” says Doug Bae, a member of the Pittsburgh Swing Dance Community board of directors. “Pittsburgh has a rich history of jazz and swing, and it is great to be a small piece in that legacy.”In fact, Pittsburgh has become a modern mecca for swing dance enthusiasts, with local nonprofit Coal Country Traditions hosting an annual three-day PittStop Lindy Hop each November that draws over 400 dancers from across the U.S. and Canada.Watch the action: Video by Drew Clouse.Last year’s gathering at Carnegie Mellon University’s Rangos Ballroom and Spirit in Lawrenceville featured seven marathon dances with six live bands including Pittsburgh’s own Miss Freddye’s Homecookin’ Band and Paul Consentino’s Boilermaker Jazz Band.Swing dance fell out of favor in the late 1940s as big band music faded and bebop and rock ’n’ roll expanded popular dance styles into radically free-form directions. During the 1980s, original Lindy Hop dancers Frankie Manning and Norma Miller led a nationwide revival that spawned the Tony-winning Broadway musical “Black and Blue” and introduced a new generation of young people to the energy and exuberance of swing.Squirrel Hill folk musician Lisa Tamres first encountered swing dance in the early 1980s when she and a friend happened upon weekend concerts by George Gee & His Make-Believe Ballroom Orchestra at CMU’s Skibo Ballroom.“People started pushing the chairs back and dancing to the music. You couldn’t help but get on your feet. It’s like you’re dancing as part of the band, and your movement is another instrument in the band.”That’s because swing dance was the first couple dance that wasn’t sedate or neatly confined in patterned rows. Swing dancers in dozens of Hollywood movies from “Hellzapoppin’” (1941) to “Swing Kids” (1993) showcased a dynamic, ever-evolving dance style that instantly appeals to youthful high spirits.Dancers at the annual Lindy Hop event in November 2024 wear labels that read “follow” or “lead.” Photo by David O’Brien.Modern swing is high energy and often improvisational with footwork that can be fancy or not; the entire body is in motion every second on the floor, a nonstop surge of joyful impulse coursing through the body and absorbing the pressure and flow of your partner and even other dancers in the room.Swing moves are driven by up-tempo blues and jazz-based music that not only accompanies the steps but urges a dancer to surrender their body to an infinite variety of swirls, swerves, bounces, slides, jumps, kicks, shimmies, shakes and glides.“When I dance swing,” says Tamres, “it’s like I have two partners right in the groove. You have your actual person partner, then you have the music as a partner, and the dance sits in the music just right.”Like Tamres, many of today’s swing dance devotees discovered the idiom by pure happenstance.Andrew Hefner came to Pittsburgh in 2023 for work and says Pittsburgh Swing Dance was the first social group he joined. “I’ve done other kinds of dancing, some square dancing and contra dancing, and swing dance was something I took to really quickly.”Hefner appreciates the group’s casual dress code and affordability. “It’s a way to get away from stress. I think a lot of people here have very stressful jobs. A lot of us probably come here to just forget about that and relax.” Pittsburgh Swing Dance’s Wednesday night dances cost $10 per person. Photo by David O’Brien. Dance regular Maddie Abuyuan extols the mind-body benefits she’s found in swing dance. “I moved to Pittsburgh from Baltimore just as we were easing out of the pandemic and was looking for a way to connect with other people. Swing dancing was there for me. It completely changed my outlook. It gave me something physical to do while meeting people and creating such a strong community.”Allison Williams got involved with Pittsburgh Swing Dance after returning home to Pittsburgh from Allegheny College. “For me, it’s really been a wonderful community, especially after suddenly being away from a community of mostly young people. Coming back and seeing such a welcoming group so passionate about something they love has been great.”She also values the athletic aspect of swing dance. “It’s nice to have something fun to do that can be a little bit of a workout.”Pittsburgh Swing Dance enthusiastically welcomes dancers of all ages and experience levels. Lisa Tamres frequently wears a button proclaiming “I Like Beginners, Ask Me to Dance” and emphasizes that there is an hourlong intro lesson before the main dance where newcomers can get acquainted with swing basics. “There’s always a new crowd, and that’s what keeps it thriving.”Doug Bae believes groups like Pittsburgh Swing Dance are essential to feeling connected in an urban setting. “Especially in a city like Pittsburgh, having outlets to try new things and build relationships with other people is so very valuable when it is easy to feel alone.“I’ve tried other styles, but swing dancing continues to hold my heart. It’s because of the people who dance it, how dynamic the dance can be and how fun it continues to be after all this time.”Pittsburgh Swing Dance Community meets each Wednesday at Wilkins School Community Center, 7604 Charleston Ave. in Regent Square, lessons from 7 to 8 p.m., dance from 8 to 10:30 p.m. Cover $10.The post Travel back in time at Pittsburgh’s hottest swing dance party appeared first on NEXTpittsburgh.