Swing dancing is in the groove on Long Island

If the winter blues have settled in, a few holiday pounds just won't go away, or you've got a New Year's resolution to keep, swing dance events around Long Island may just be the answer. From ages 8 to 80, Long Islanders are hopping — Lindy Hopping, that is.

"It's such a happy night out," said Maria Urbat, of Smithtown, president of Swing Dance Long Island. She and her DJ husband, Ed, both 71, can be found doing the Jitterbug, freestyle and more every Tuesday at SDLI's weekly dances at the Huntington Moose Lodge in Greenlawn.

"It's good physically. It's good mentally, and it's got social benefits," she said, adding, "Our motto is basically to have fun and fake it till you make it. Pretty much anybody can swing dance. Once you have the basic beat, you can add whatever flair you like."

The evening starts at 7:30 with a free 30-minute dance lesson. After that, show off what you’ve learned on the dance floor from 8 to 10 p.m. There are more than 100 members in the all-volunteer nonprofit organization, and even on quiet nights there are at least a few dozen, from college age to seniors, in attendance.

"No partners are necessary, and the lesson is basic, just to get you on the dance floor," said Urbat. "The first Tuesday of the month we have pizza and a DJ," she explained. On the third and fifth Tuesdays of the month, a live band performs. Every dance includes light refreshments, free lessons and a chance to greet old friends and new, but, more than anything else, swing's the thing.

Brian Boker, 70, of Islip, has been an SDLI member for nine years. He's also the guitarist with and a founding member of the four-part Long Island swing band Playing Favorites, who’ll be performing at the Jan. 16 dance. "Where else can you have a night out and have fun for $10?" he asked.

SWING'S HARLEM ROOTS

Swing dance started in the 1920s as the Harlem "Lindy Hop" with Count Basie and other jazz orchestras of the Big Band Era in nightclubs of New York. The dance style migrated to Hollywood, morphing  into different forms including East Coast, West Coast and Balboa. Each is energetic and effervescent, but they move to different beats: six count for West Coast versus East Coast's eight count.

"Lindy Hop is the original version," explained Hicksville native Kathleen Crayne. "Balboa," she said, "developed on Balboa Island off the coast of California. It's more upright, has a closer embrace, and smaller, faster footwork."

Crayne and Charla Lambert, a Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory scientist who lives in Huntington, are co-organizers of the Long Island Swing Syndicate. They coordinate dances and compete and give lessons at 375 Dance Studio in Carle Place and also, informally, at dances at Industry Lounge in Huntington.

Part performers and part dance historians, they honor swing's background while bringing the form to new generations. "Swing is a distinctly American partner dance," noted Lambert, adding, "Like Kathleen, I came to it loving the music, but the thing that kept me rooted in the community is the people that I've met."

DANCING WITH AND WITHOUT THE STARS

If you want a more formal introduction to swing dance, the Ballroom of Huntington offers private lessons (a six-week session begins Jan. 16) to individuals and groups. Owner Denise Defeo notes that one class includes a second-grader in one class while another has a couple in their 90s. "You'll lose weight. You'll get in shape. You'll meet people, and you won't be a couch potato anymore," she promised.

Not ready to take the step? The Tilles Center for the Performing Arts' upcoming "Dancing With the Stars: Live!" should offer inspiration. Since 2005, audiences have delighted in watching wallflowers blossom into dynamic dancers. On Jan. 16, actress and 2023 winner Xochitl Gomez will be joined by some of the series' favorites, including Brandon Armstrong, Rylee Arnold, Alan Bersten, Daniella Karagach, Pasha Pashkov, Gleb Savchenko, Emma Slater, Britt Stewart, and husband and wife team Jenna Johnson and Val Chmerkovskiy.

Urbat encourages everyone to get into the swing and hit the dance floor. "People can come in feeling burdened with whatever life has thrown at you. In the course of the night, you're listening to the music and swing dancing, and it's forgotten, and you're just lightened up," she said. "Mentally, physically, spiritually, it's got a little magic in it." Her suggestion? "Just let it be. If you're dancing, you're doing the right thing."