SUU offers a night out on the town with the Spring Swing Thing
By Ashley H Pollock
Southern Utah University is bringing swing dancing to life with an evening of dance lessons and jazz music. The Spring Swing Thing will hit the dance floor April 23 at the Gilbert Great Hall located in the Hunter Conference Center. Dance lessons will be provided at 7 p.m. by SUU Associate Provost and associate professor of philosophy James Sage and his amazing wife, Toni Sage, who works as the director of student success. The concert and dance will begin at 7:30 p.m. Semi-formal dress is encouraged. This event is free and open to the public.
“This is something new for our campus and community, a night of swing dancing,” said Dr. Adam Lambert, director of bands at SUU. “The jazz ensemble has been preparing 60 tunes for the event. It’s going to be a blast!”
During the 1920s and ‘30s, getting dressed up and going out dancing was a main form of entertainment. This social dance is geared to bring back the enjoyment of going out and making a night of it with dance and music.
“We have been teaching dance lessons for SUU employees for the last four years and just recently were able to expand to community members through the new SUU Community Education program,” said Toni Sage. “With this event, we are hoping to gauge the community’s interest in participating in a more formal dinner and dance club. We were part of one in our prior community that had been around since 1928. We found it was a good way to meet new people, learn a new dance step or two, and enjoy an elegant evening of music performed by talented musicians. It was a wonderful date night.”
Sponsors of the Spring Swing Thing include SUU’s department of music, SUU Community Education, and the President’s Office.
“We are thrilled to be able to bring these types of fun, cultural experiences to our local community,” said Melynda Thorpe, SUU director of community and academic enrichment. “You don’t have to be an expert dancer — with a live band and instructors on site to teach dance lessons, grab a dance partner and come and enjoy.”
*Editor’s note: a previous version of this article erroneously referred to James Sage as Provost of SUU.
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