“ The Swing is Here to Sway ”

Manawatu Times, Volume 63, Issue 63, 16 March 1938, Page 15

“ The Swing is Here to Sway ”

(By Beth Parkes.) Like the Charleston, the “Swing" dance, which has captured favour this season, was first brought into prominence by America, where it gradually evolved from the negro dance, “Truekin. ’' An idea of the dance may be gathered by imagining what an American negro would do if dropped into the midst of a fashionable American cabaret to dance to one of Duke Ellington’s “swing" melodies. A crazy combination of the Rumba, crush dancing and foxtrot would probably emerge—something very fascinating and terrifically gay, which lacked the ordinary restraint of the English foxtrot. This will undoubtedly be in its favour, as it is the first unconventional dance since the Charleston became the voguo over 10 years ago.

Swing music reminds one of tho first fox-trot music, when bands left the soft w'altz melodies behind in. favour of something fast and noisy, with discords aplenty. They cried * ‘Three cheers for something lively"; now they cry “Swing It." Now a pretty melody is chosen, much jazzed to give a fascinating lilt—the lilt or swing is what is wanted. The tune “'Harlem” is almost entirely responsible for the swing vogue, as it was the first tune to sweep through America in the form of “swing" music.