TH E C L A C K A M A S P R IN T
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V O L . 4 8 IS S U E 6
drum marks the start o f Ben
ny Goodman’s “Sing, Sing, Sing
(W ith a Swing)” as dancers
partner up and take to the floor.
W hen the brass section jumps
.in the dancers take flight and,
to a bystander, their feet never
touch the ground. The guys are
swinging and the girls are spinning, feet are tapping
on the sidelines. It’s a scene straight out of the 1940s
brought into the era of smart phones, social media
and electronic music. A DJ on stage in the ballroom of
the Norse Hall in Northeast Portland brings back the
big band sounds of Louis Prima, the Andrews Sisters,
Benny Goodman and more.
A
Mindy Barnhart, owner of Stumptown Dance, looks
on proudly from the sidelines. Barnhart began swing
dancing when she was in high School but redly took to
it after a running injury in college left her unable to do
cross country. She started going to Stumptown Dance
in 2005, back when it was called Westside Swing and
was held in a grange hall in Tigard. She purchased the
company from the original owner in 2009.
“One of my favorite things about Stumptown Swing
is the influence we’ve had on the swing scene in the
Northwest and on the West Coast in general,” says Sam
Estrem, Barnhart’s dance partner and co-instructor.
“To hear people coming back saying that Portland is a
hub of good dancers and dancing venues makes me so
proud of all the work that we’ve done.”
Sam Estrem and Molly Burkhart swingdance at the Sunday night social dance at the Scottish Rite Center in Portland.
You can find Stumptown Dance at the Norse Hall in Northeast 11th and Couch Street
any given Sunday night. The weekly Sunday night dances are m anned by approx
imately 18 people, not including Mindy herself who teaches the intermediate and
beginning lessons before the social dancing begins.
Jobs include two DJs, one other dance instructor and the front desk staff (a group
of volunteers who alternate every half hour with two people manning the desk at all
times). For a cover price of $8 a person (save two dollars with a valid student ID),
you get a half-hour dance lesson and three hours of social swing dancing. The inter
mediate lesson begins at 7 p.m.,* the beginning lesson is at 7:30 p.m. and the social
dancing begins at 8 p.m. For more information, check out their website at www.
stumptowndance.com.
Not sure that Stumptown is for you? You can try your hand at swing dancing at CCC!
There are beginning and intermediate/advanced swing classes offered every term.
Look for them in the upcoming course schedule. Each class is only 50 minutes long
and fulfills one PE credit.