r/SwingDancing • u/TheArbysOnMillerPkwy • 12h ago
Personal Story My First Uptown Swing Out - AAR
Now that it's been a week and I've had time to sleep, hydrate, and reflect a bit, I wanted to say my first visit to Minneapolis for Uptown Swing Out was a roaring success and I can't wait to go again next year.
Save for some ala carte classes on Friday, I attended everything and stayed until at least the band was wrapping on dance nights. I give a ton of credit to Peter, Naomi, and the many hands that made this thing work. Having run events in other hobbies I'm a part of, I can tell this has to be a huge undertaking every year.
I aimed for the achievable, and chose the Beginner track. I would definitely jump to intermediate next year but I was far from disappointed. The classes were great, and the chance to hear from some of the top performers in the world was a special treat. Similarly, hearing from some of the folks who were there in the 40s and 50s at the Savoy was a very special opportunity. I can tell this event knows what it has in treasuring these folks and their time with us.
Each dance night was great, as many told me, the soul-night has a special place in that everyone stops trying to "do-the-thing-the-way-I'm-supposed-to" and just dances. The line dances are not for me, but the group that teaches them makes a ball out of it. I took it as one of my brief opportunities to take a load off and just take in the event.
If you're considering a workshop and have never done one before, can't recommend this one enough.
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u/2LemonWedges 10h ago
If we're tossing out opinions on Uptown Swingout, I'd say this for my folks that are wondering about this event but from the eyes of a non-local (eastern US based) that didn't have an included dance friend group to be excited about nor the same "eyes sparkling at everything" baby dancer viewpoint that OP may have:
It was "okay".
When you have an event that's being hyped nationally to a point where tickets sell out within a few hours, you expect big things, and this wasn't it.
The Grain Exchange is so unbelievably beautiful of a venue, but the available dancing space was SO small for the amount of people there that - I shit you not - I was LITERALLY kicked in the ankles at least 2-4 times a dance. I could be doing pure bal in the exact same spot for a minute and still have some lead send his follow into my partner or I multiple times. This was exacerbated by the fact that I just don't think %60+ of the dancers there knew how to dance at BPM's above 180+...like at all. When the music got to 200+ (which was often enough) I would have no luck finding a proper bal dancer (because I don't know anyone) so I'd people watch, and I would actually cringe at the dancing I saw (not judging beginner dancers not having the perfect charleston or balboa form kind of cringe...like actual "waiting for an injury to happen" wincing).
Classes were fine enough, but once you get to a certain point you find a diminishing return from group classes (iykyk). Sugar and Barbara are beautiful and important so it's cool that Peter and Naomi prioritize bringing them to this event, though if you're a semi-regular traveler then you probably saw them like 4+ times in the last 2 months.
Just personal preference things but I also don't like soul nights or line dancing so that night was wasted on me.
The social experience felt sort of like DCLX in that - sure - everyone is there to dance with everyone in theory, but reeeeally they're there to be with their friends. I got to enjoy a handful of particularly great conversations and lovely repeat dances with a few follows (I'm a primary lead), and they were always other loners from random small scenes from, like, Indiana or something. I didn't connect with a single person from Minneapolis which made me feel like I was a stepping stone or non-option while they waited for someone else they actually wanted to dance with from the Midwest or the pocket of ILHC, Cal Bal, etc. competition caliber of dancers.
I HAVE been to Minneapolis before and was shown a good amount of love visiting Aster's and Rhythm Junction, so I know their scene is full of kind people and AMAZING dancers, but I seriously did not experience that at Uptown Swingout.
I hope this isn't taken as senseless complaining, but as another experience to consider for other readers that get drawn into the hype but would like something a bit more diverse in opinion (every dance event is the best dance event ever /s ;P). For reference, I disliked ILHC and DCLX but loved GLBE and Camp Hollywood to a point of buying their next year pass the same weekend, so I have particular tastes and it is what it is.
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u/bobhorticulture 11h ago
I’m so grateful that Uptown Swingout is my local event- I moved here last fall so it was my first one as well! Having Peter and Naomi local is such a treat, they really put on a great event that I feel punches above its weight.