Getting into the Swing of Things
By Victoria Kelly
I sat on the fountain.
It was August of 2020, and Hillsdale’s Swing Dance Club was having its first meeting of the 2020-2021 school year. I watched as other students gathered on the quad with the club officers, learning basic steps. Luckily for me, one of my friends convinced me to stop watching and give it a try, assuring me that even if I were a slow learner, it would be worth it. Little did I know that I would become part of a group from the class of ’24 who would bring a whole new life to the club.
My friend was right. As I went on to dance every week with friends—both ones I had already known and others whom I met through dancing—swing club became something I love. Now I can’t imagine my time at Hillsdale without it.
Every Friday night, the club meets to dance, either in the Old Snack Bar or on the quad, depending on the weather. And most Friday nights, at least twenty of the people who show up—always the majority—are from my freshman class.
Recently I spoke with Caroline Welton, ’22, and Lilliana Cardwell, ’24, both swing club officers, about why the club is so popular with this freshman class.
Caroline, the club’s secretary, who also serves on the lesson coordinator board, attributed the club’s having shrunk largely to the effects of Covid. After Hillsdale went online last spring, several returning students did not return to the club in the fall. However, she told me that she now sees an enthusiastic freshmen body that has “made it their thing, and it’s evolving to fit that dynamic.” She loves seeing all the energy, and hopes to see most of the current members return in the fall.
In October, the club welcomed several freshmen onto its officer board, and these representatives of the class of ’24 brought their enthusiasm to the club’s leadership. Not only do they contribute by taking photos, planning playlists, running events, and teaching newcomers, but they also have ideas for new moves for us all to learn.
One of these freshman officers, Lilliana Cardwell, recalls swing club being fairly mellow with people just starting to learn. But within a few months, she was excited to see people—many of them freshmen who had never danced before college—learning their own moves and developing personal styles. Now, as a lesson coordinator, she does everything from teaching newcomers beginning steps and spins, to breaking down more complicated swing moves, such as some of the dips and aerials, for the more advanced dancers to try.
She told me she had never expected to find so many other freshmen who love swing as much as she does, but commented, “It’s lovely because there’s a passion there to reflect on the incoming classes.”
Her favorite part is seeing the joy it brings people at the end of a long week, and she—like so many others at swing club—hopes to share that joy with others. Already a couple times through the spring semester, the members of swing club have been happy to share their hobby with prospective students, and look forward to members of the next class joining them in the fall.
Laura Rein, another freshman who first discovered her love of dancing through swing club, enthusiastically told me her story: “Once I stopped shying away from the awkwardness, I began learning with people and dancing became fun and natural! It definitely forces me to constantly expand my comfort zone, and I get to do so with my friends. I try to convince my friends that don’t swing to come try it! Anyone can learn!”
Caroline, Lilliana, Laura, and I share several ideas of why Hillsdale students—and not just the freshmen—should give swing club a try. It is a great way to break up all of the sitting and studying that we do as dedicated students and to end the week of classes on a high note. Whether it is dancing every Friday, or attending one of the themed events with live music, swing dancing is, as Caroline put it, “a fun tradition” at a college that is all about tradition. Finally, as Lilliana put it, “There is a community within swing club that you will not find anywhere else. If you have ever wanted to do any form of dancing or just love music or really want to meet quality people, swing club is the place to be. It is unique, it is growing, and there is so much to be done with the club. The more people we have, the more we can do.”
Victoria Kelly, ’24, is a proud country girl from upstate New York. On the rare occasion she is not studying or hanging out with all her favorite Hillsdale people, you can find her debating politics, practicing Tae Kwon Do, or swing dancing, preferably outside under the stars.
Published in May 2021