George Mason University Swing Dance Club

See that? That’s an official endorsement from one Nina Gilkenson. (Thank you for these pictures Jerry Almonte!)

Our historian, Jenny Pan, recaps our trip to Baltimore on November 4, 2011:

By now you’ve heard the hype about Mobtown Ballroom. Yes, the wonderful craziness that is Baltimore. The night started out with traditional swing music, transitioned to funky soul tunes, and eventually everyone was, quite literally, jumping to the top 40’s hits. Both beginners and professional dancers triple stepped and swiveled across the floor for nearly six hours. Big names like Andrew Thigpen, Nina Gilkenson, and Michael Seguin hosted the dance, dazzling onlookers with their flawless footwork and sassy styling, while mingling and dancing with many other dancers. To refuel the dancers at Mobtown that night, food and drinks were offered throughout the night, including Mobtown’s famous sweet hot buns. Sometime into the social dancing, dancers lined up in rows to test their skills in a sliding contest. Bryan Byrd represented GMU well, flying across the floor coming in first out over 50 dancers. 

Even more stars emerged that night, from Andrew Thigpen’s delightfully accurate rendition of “Single Ladies” to Samuel Ryan’s ridiculously entertaining engagement of the audience to Kay Perry’s “E.T.” and Vielka Martinez’s BAMF performance of “Thriller.” Catchy pop songs dominated the last two hours of The Strut. Around 3:30am, the Baltimore owners closed up shop and lights in stained glass windows of the reconstructed church finally went out. The GMU Swing Club braved the streets of Baltimore in high spirits, managing to avoid any sort of bodily harm, and climbed into the cars, still raving over the craziness that had just transpired.

Many people had word(s) to say. 

“I can honestly say that Strut was the most amazing evening I have ever experienced. Only at swing events can I spend over three hours smiling so much my cheeks hurt by the end and Strut was no exception. When it got really late and they turned on the pop music, it didn’t matter if you were a lindy hop pro or a raw beginner, everyone dance in a giant circle together. I’ve never felt that kind of community with strangers before and by the end of it, everyone in that room felt like my best friend. Going to strut may have been the best decision I’ve made all year and I will never again be able to listen to P!nk’s “Raise Your Glass” without smiling. Strut did that to me.”

- Sydney Bernstein-Miller, Swing Club Secretary

“It was definitely different from going to Glenn Echo or the social dances around here, there was more Lindy than I had seen before and more contemporary music, but it was a really good night of learning and dancing. And we got to practice our swivels! But besides good dancing, it was just plain fun; I will be going again.”

- Lakshmi Meyyappan, Swing Club Member

“Balls.”
- Michael Seguin, Fun Maker

“Four words, or two compound words, Steptouch Motherfuckers!”
- Samuel Ryan, Swing Club Member 

Mason will hit Strut again on December 8th. The facebook event is here. Vice president Bryan Byrd shares his top 2 reasons why everyone should go:

1. It’s going to be one of your last chances to enjoy a stress-free night of amazing dancing right before exams start owning all of our lives. You don’t want to be that kid sitting up in your dorm at 3 in the morning trying to study, but unable to because of the overwhelming regret that hit you when you saw all the crazy pictures of everyone else who just had one of the best nights of dancing in their whole lives. Please don’t let this happen to you. I want your life to be better than that. Be a better person; come to strut.
2. This one is going to be pretty short and to the point. You should come to Strut because it will be awesome. Life is so full of uncertainty and risk, I’m sure you could all use a dependable guarantee of fantasticness. It’s like investing in the stock market, but without the risk. All you can do is win. Coming to strut will be a thoroughly enjoyable experience that will improve the quality of your life (at least for that night). Live a better life, come to strut.