The Carlmont Swing Club has begun rigorous preparations for this year’s annual Heritage Fair.
“We’ve been learning choreography, getting into shape with group workouts, working on swing tricks, and getting back into a place where both the lead and the follow feel comfortable,” said Carrie Welter, a junior, during one of the club’s Sunday practices.
Swing Club has performed at the Heritage Fair several times, and this year will be no different. Recently, the club has been finalizing their routine and holding practices on the football field during the weekends.
Vivian Yip, a junior said, “The atmosphere is really fun. Yeah it’s hard, tiring, and a lot of work, but the people here are super nice and really chill.”
Practices shifted from two to three hours as the fair approached — a sign of the club’s eagerness to nail their performance.
On Feb. 8, their extensive preparations were tested when Swing Club danced for a panel of ASB students. The run-through was done in order to get their performance approved.
The club has also started meeting in the main gym during lunch; their first practice there was on Monday, Feb. 13.
“They are super dedicated to getting prepared for the Heritage Fair,” said Veronica Heintz, the club’s advisor. “They’ve booked, in advance, three times to be in the gym to practice.”
The music style that Swing Club chose combines elements from both modern and 1950s music. They will be dancing to the song “Happy” by C2C, with choreography created by Chaelyn Arrastia, a senior, four-year club member, and the current club captain.
“I just did a bunch of Lindy Hop, some swing, and just a tiny bit of hip-hop,” said Arrastia, describing the choreography.
According to Arrastia, going with a ‘50s/modern theme offered minimal restriction on the type of costumes and music Swing Club was able to use. It was decided that the follows (typically girls) would wear skirts or dresses, while the leads (typically boys) would wear button-down shirts and slacks.
Club members have already prepared their attire and finished learning their part in the dance routine. All that’s left to do is practice as much they can until the Heritage Fair arrives.
“I’m excited for it,” said Welter. “I think we will be well-prepared and ready to show what we have.”
