Bringing people together after the prolonged isolation of the COVID pandemic
PROVIDENCE — Couples twirl. Partners clasp and unclasp hands as they groove along with the top 40s music. Some pairs make small but steady shuffles while others stride boldly across the floor as the water ripples in the distance. When the song hits a beat, a pair dips.
Every Sunday evening from 6 to 9 p.m., First on the Floor RI, a Facebook group turned dance host, leads a free West Coast Swing dance and a beginner lesson on the Michael S. Van Leeston Bridge. They will host dances on the bridge through October, including a Halloween party on the 27th, and the group is currently looking for an indoor venue for the winter.
Amanda Beck, the founder of the group, fell in love with West Coast Swing when she decided to take up social dancing after the prolonged isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic. West Coast Swing is a slotted partner dance known for its improvisation, fluidity and creativity, and it can be danced to any song with a 4/4 time signature.
Over time, Beck became tired of driving all the way to Boston for community dances, so in July, she decided to start her own.
The first community dance on the bridge was an informal meet-up of 20 to 30 eager “Westies”, West Coast Swing enthusiasts. The number has nearly doubled since then.
Before the bridge dance meet-ups, Westies primarily took classes and socialized at their home studios in the greater Providence area such as Endicott Dance, The Dancing Feeling and Studio One RI. But Beck wanted to create opportunities for dancers to meet people from other studios.
“The main draw to (West Coast Swing is) the connection we seek with other humans, and ‘connection’ is the cornerstone of the dance,” Beck said. She said she felt like people were yearning for community after the Covid-19 pandemic.
David Pomerantz, a competitive dancer, was eager for more outlets to socially dance when he found out about First on the Floor RI. “You can’t do West Coast Swing in the clubs,” he said with a laugh. “There isn’t enough space.”
He’s been to five of the community dances on the bridge so far, and he said he loved the opportunity to mingle with other dancers. “There are some people I don’t know at all, but we dance,” he said. “That’s West Coast (Swing).”
“You don’t go with a date or to pick somebody up,” Pomerantz added. “You go to dance.” He said that the average Westie dances with as many as ten different partners in a given night.
By bringing the community together, First on the Floor RI increased the collaboration between local studios, according to Stephanie Thivierge, a Westie. Now, studios intentionally host their lessons on different days, so aficionados can attend a West Coast lesson or social every day of the week without having to leave Rhode Island.
Thivierge, who started dancing West Coast Swing in January, takes advantage of the opportunity to dance across the greater Providence area. She does group lessons at Endicott Dance and private lessons with Jen Lyons from Twirl the Girl, and when she wants to dance more than two or three nights a week, she pops over to one of the other studios.
“In West Coast Swing, it’s a conversation between the lead and follow,” Thivierge said. “The lead suggests things, and the follow can choose to do it or not to do it. The connection and the conversation is what really drew me in.”
As she’s become more invested in dancing, she’s become more involved in the community. She even traveled with seven other Rhode Island Westies to Liberty Swing Dance Championships in New Jersey, and they filmed each other’s performances as a sign of support.
“It’s funny how many people get so addicted to it,” Thivierge said. “You get the connection with people, you get the opportunity to move your body and you get to meet some amazing people.”
Pomerantz, who has been dancing West Coast Swing for two years, has recently started competing, traveling to three or four competitions a year. He said it took him six months to master the basics of the style before he felt comfortable “getting jazzy with it.” He estimated that nearly 85% of the participants of the community dance on the bridge “know the basics” of the style, but he prefers to dance with beginners.
“If I dance with someone very advanced, I get intimidated,” he said.
The community is very encouraging of beginners, and they often urge onlookers to join, Pomerantz said. After being approached by many curious passersby, Beck decided to include a beginner’s lesson in the community dance.
Each week, a teacher from a local dance studio leads a free lesson, though donations are encouraged. On a recent Sunday, Joanne Lapierre, an instructor with Studio One RI, coached 20 pairs through the basic steps. “Walk, walk, triple step, walk” she called into the microphone as the beginners met their partners in the middle of the bridge. “Slow, slow, quick, quick, slow.”
Editor’s note: Dana Richie is a senior at Brown University concentrating in history. She serves as the Photo Chief for the Brown Daily Herald, and she’s always on the lookout for interesting stories to write about in the greater Providence area.
