BGSU offers many campus organizations that teach great skills or connect people with similar interests. Falcon Swing Society manages to do both: teach people swing dancing and connect them with many enthusiastic members.
FSS is an on campus organization that teaches its members how to swing dance. Members can learn East Coast swing dance, the Lindy Hop, and the Charleston. Originally started in 2010, the club is still going strong with its teachings. Along with learning how to execute various styles of swing dancing, members will learn a little bit about the history of swing as well.
“You come here, you learn a bunch of different dance styles, you get to make friends and learn a little bit about the culture of swing dancing and the music that’s a part of it.” Elijah Salahuddin, four-year FSS member, said.
Being comfortable with yourself and taking things at your own pace is a big part of dancing. Members won’t push you to do anything you’re not okay with. So, dancing may be the main activity that members are learning and participating in, but there are other things to be learned as well.
“People will get more comfortable with themselves when they learn how to dance. They sort of learn how their body moves. … Learning how to dance helps you feel more comfortable with the skin that you’re born in,” Salahuddin said.
The usual meetings for the club are on Tuesday nights at the Anderson Arena. They take place in the entrance area of the building. The dance lessons offered go from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. with a free dance period taking place immediately afterwards for approximately an hour as well. The club is not limited to just BGSU students either. Faculty, staff and any Bowling Green community member can come to the lessons as well. Anyone’s first lesson is free of charge, but if people want to become official members and keep learning more, dues for one semester are $10.
The dues mainly go towards funding the Falcon Lindy Extravaganza, or FLEx. FLEx is a yearly event put on by FSS. The way Allison Palmer, FSS president, would like to describe it is a sort of swing dancing convention.
“Through a whole weekend … we have instructors from different areas around the Columbus area or Ann Arbor scene come and teach us lessons throughout the day. And then we have open dances at the end of the day where people can practice what they learned in the lessons,” Palmer said.
FLEx this year is April 12-14. More information about FLEx or FSS can be obtained from their Facebook page.
