By Julia Oller | Echo
When the music slows during the 1950s Spring Swing dance on Saturday, it's not to create a romantic mood straight out of West Side Story.
It's to give senior Joel Helms a chance to rest his lips.
Helms, the trombonist playing in Big Al and the Jungle Cats tomorrow night, said that the dancers won't be the only ones getting a workout.
"Plucking strings or hitting drums is easier than having a piece of metal on your mouth," he said. "It's kind of like sports-it's just endurance and muscle."
The dance begins at 8 p.m. in the Alspaugh and Isely rooms of the DC. Swing dancing instructors will be on hand until 8:30 p.m., and the event wraps up at 10:30 p.m.
Due to capacity limits, ticket sales are limited to around 300, but Dance and Special Events Committee (DSEC) member and junior Maggie Williamson said the small number will create a more interactive atmosphere.
"We wanted to create a more intimate setting this time," she said. "Not intimate in a romantic way, but just small enough that you can really get to know the people around you."
Hiring Big Al and the Jungle Cats as the entertainment was part of the plan to create a sockhop vibe. The group has played at multiple Taylor events in the past, including last year's Masquerade ball, but this is the first dance in which all eyes will be on them, which is fine by bassist and senior Jeff Janiszewski.
"That's the way we like it," he said.
Janiszewski said that every song choice the band makes is a purposeful attempt to play to the mood of the room. While perfrmances are up to interpretation, dances create more of a relationship between the audience and the band. If the energy rises, they might play a snappy samba. If it falls, it's time to slow the swing.
"Rather than just being a part of it and going with the flow, we're the ones trying to create the flow," Janiszewski said.
This is first-year band member and junior Chris Shelor's first time to play an event where Big Al and the Jungle Cats is the center of attention, but he's not letting the pressure get to him. Shelor, the band's drummer, said that they don't need to practice much due to the fluid nature of jazz.
"It's so loose and there's so much improvisation that if you mess up you can just make something up and figure it out as you go," he said.
Live music and dancing are the evening's primary entertainment, but DSEC members also created a "jukebox"-a cardboard cutout with an iPad attached-to play 1950s tunes via Spotify during the band's break times. Catering is also providing root beer and Pepsi floats to thirsty dancers. While they sip, they can take pictures in a photo booth featuring 1950s props.
The Spring Swing is the first of two dances planned for the semester. The second will take place on the last day of classes, giving students one last chance for fun before finals hit.
Even though Helms, an avid swing dancer, can't participate in Saturday's event, knowing that his music makes others happy is enough.
"We're with you," he said. 'When you're having a good time, we're having a good time."
Tickets are available for $5 each in the DC and Union during the lunch and dinner hours today. They will also be for sale at the door on Saturday night.
