Guide to Swingout in Southwest Louisiana
(and Texas)
by Cat
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ExcerptFirst of all, just what is Swingout? No, it's not Swing, East Coast Swing, West Coast Swing found in California, Whip in Houston, or Chicago Steppin' found in Chicago, Detroit, Atlanta, D.C. and Los Angeles. To my knowledge it's done nowhere else in the United States except Southwest Louisiana and Texas. It is partner dance, six-count step, with a very swinging, often lilting fluidity. It can be exceedingly simple, or extremely fancy, depending on the dancers. There are Swingout contests. If you go to a traditional dance studio to learn how to Swingout, they'll think you mean Swing. . .and they're certain they can teach you. The best way to learn Swingout is to go to a club in our area, watch, and get somebody there to show you how.
The Lafayette-Opelousas area of Louisiana seems to be a hub of Swingout, but it is found along the I-49 corridor north towards Natchitoches, south towards Franklin, and west along the I-10 corridor towards Lake Charles, LA. There has been a migration of people from Southwest Louisiana to Texas and California, and typically people take their culture, including dances, with them. I have found Swingout in Beaumont and Houston, TX and I suspect it could be found in California as well. But the styling in these areas, as is true with Zydeco styling, has its own flavor and it's harder to find clubs that devote the entire evening to primarily Swingout. I've also been told the Two-Step Swingout can be found in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Monroe, and Dallas.
Swingout time on a weekend night, starting Thursday night--like Zydeco time--is generally 10:00 p.m. until 2:00 a.m., although the club probably opens earlier. The club closing time is dependent on the locale. In Lafayette, clubs close down at 2:00 a.m., and on Sunday nights, midnight. In Franklin or Lake Charles, clubs may be open until 4:00 a.m.. Usually when local regulations restrict the serving of liquor after a certain hour, the club will close at that time or soon thereafter. The crowd typically peaks about midnight. If you arrive at 10:00 p.m., you're probably a little on the early side. Wait and the crowd will get much larger. If it doesn't, you might want to head for another club. On Sundays the crowd may arrive earlier in the evening and depart earlier, no doubt because of the Monday work day that follows.
Dress can be very, very fancy with dancers arriving in limousines, exceedingly casual, or mixed. Depends on the club. If your not sure, start with "nice casual" clothes and you'll probably be okay.
Swingout music at the clubs is generally recorded music played by a DJ. Artists such as Frankie Beverly and Maze, Tyrone Davis, Jeff Floyd, Kenny G, Al Green, Johnnie Taylor, etc. provide the Swingout music. Who you hear depends on the tastes of the DJ...and the wishes of the crowd. At times there will be a live performance, but people mostly go to listen and don't often dance at these events.
This book is a guide to the various clubs and hole-in-the-wall spots where you're likely to find Swingout. Don't let the outside of a club fool you. Some can look rather rundown, too small to have any kind of crowd, or you can pass by a club during the day and not even realize it's there. Come night time, it's an entirely different story. The same scruffy club can be jammed packed, cars parked up and down the street and around the block. Often the directions you'll get to a club are "Look for the cars; you can't miss it." Clubs come and go, change management and names, and some stay around forever. Here are the clubs, their location, the days and times they have Swingout, and a bit about them, grouped by area.
What Dreams Are Made Of (Why Heros Are Important)
Why are heros so important to us? Whether it's Steve Irwin, crocodile hunter; Loretta Claiborne, Special Athlete; Rudy Ruettiger, Notre Dame football hero; Homer Hickam, NASA engineer; Rocky Balboa, boxer, or even Seabiscuit--we have all been moved or inspired by a hero. They remind us of our dreams. They remind us of what is truly possible. What is possible for each and every one of us. And it is NEVER too late to realize your dream.
For some of us, our dream is not so clear. Homer Hickam was inspired when he saw Sputnik, and had the strong motivation to not live out his life as a coal miner. It became his guiding light. Many of us have a deep longing to reach that shooting star. For some reason, it seems to be the state of current human affairs to discourage, discourage, discourage--those who have a dream. So, without a strong guiding light, it becomes more difficult to see throught that fog. But at the bottom of it all, what is it that we are striving for. To be our best. To reach deep inside ourselves and be all that we can be. That may sound trite, but what flower doesn't want to blossom?
We are all faced with adversity. Sometimes it can be a great motivator. Sometimes it is what helps us get our priorties straight and see what really matters. Sometimes we are impatient. Sometimes we want to get going, without knowing where, exactly, we are going. Sometimes we feel like we are procrastinating. But each of us has an internal guide, our own individual time table which we need to mature. Stayed tuned to that inner guide, and it will lead the way out.
What follows is a collect of hero stories of all manner. Let it be an inspiration for you, a reminder of your true nature. Never doubt. It is there.
There are many well known heros such as Homer Hickam (movie October Sky), Special Olympian Loretta Claiborne, and Notre Dame football player Rudy Ruettiger. But you probably know someone who is your hero, who inspires you, who you che er for, and whose life story gives you goosebumps. If you would like to contribute their story--or your own!--for possible inclusion in this book, please contact us. Thank you.