Once Upon A Time

Hello everyone,

Welcome to my swing dancing story. Let me tell you a little bit about myself as a swing dancer and what this is all about ...

The first time I found myself at a social dancing event was in windy Welly (Wellington) in beautiful New Zealand as part of a couchsurfing experience.

For those who don't know, couchsurfing is a website (www.couchsurfing.com) and a community for travellers and locals to meet anywhere in the world, travel together, surf couches as a traveller or host travellers as a local. Best way to travel if you ask me :)!

My host at the time James is a passionate swing dancer and made me meet him at a swing dancing party when I first arrived. Wearing my big backpack in only jandals (Kiwi word for flip flops), I felt slightly strange walking into this bar full of people that looked like they had escaped the 60s.

Everyone was swinging away to Jazz music and before I knew what was happening, I was introduced and ‘passed around’ by different dancers to give it a go. I chucked my jandals in the corner and tried bare foot.

I could relate to some of the ballroom dancing I used to do when I was a teenager, so I might have mixed in some Cha Cha Cha at times but it all worked out fine and I had a great night. I still remember James' words that swing dancers were a great community, very friendly and social and the best thing that had happened to him. 

When I got back to Brighton after my travels it took me over two years to follow up my resolution and finally walk into a Lindy Hop class. I'd just googled 'swing dancing Brighton' and came across the Brighton Lindyhoppers and that search result changed my life :-)!

If you are ever in the area or already live in Brighton and around, look them up and come along. You won't regret it. 
www.brightonlindyhoppers.co.uk

Over the next eight months I got really into it and now know for sure that dancing just makes me happy. I enjoyed every single lesson by Graeme and Amanda our awesome teachers. Not only I got to know a lot of dancing moves, I also met the nicest people and made real friends. 

By now I own a lot of dresses and have decided on my favourite tune (Louis Gordon - Nobody Here But Us Chickens). I also visited my first swing dancing festival in Edinburgh in February 2015. 

Not long after that it was time for the next big adventure: Aussie! That's where I am now. I've got a working holiday visa in my pocket, my dancing shoes in my backpack and that's where the story begins ...