Jump, Jive & Wail: Swing dance classes will add style, authenticity to AF60 Ball

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Jacob Corbin
  • 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs
SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --  Eighteen couples rush to the middle of the dance floor, each step they take seeming to transport the assembled crowd back in time. The dance beat is recognizable and infectious, and watching the practiced steps of these couples is a sight to behold.

No odd anomaly is taking place at this celebration though; the time-traveling display of swift-footed dance moves is the culmination of two months of hard work for 36 Sheppard men and women.

The couples are volunteers, who answered the call of the 60th Anniversary Ball committee and have spent their free afternoons learning a swing-dance number. There is a wide variety of ranks, ages from various organizations, including both civilians and active duty members.

The choreographed display was added to the Sept. 22 ball's festivities in the hopes it would get the attendees pumped up to dance, said Tech Sgt. Holly Long, chair person for the AF 60th Anniversary Ball Entertainment Committee. The team, aptly named The Sheppard Ambassadors of Swing, will perform to the song "Sing, Sing, Sing" a Benny Goodman tune from the 1940's Swing dancing craze.

Swing dancing was a phenomenon that swept the world with its toe-tapping rhythms and dance beats in the WWII era.

"It's going to be very exciting," Sergeant Long said. "I'm very proud of what they're doing."

This sentiment is echoed by Maj. Michelle Kastler, the AF 60th Anniversary Ball Chairperson.

"To take our own personnel, with no specific dance background, and produce our own entertainment for the ball will make it a memorable segment of the evening. It is also a piece of history and a skill the members will take with them. We have a great cross section of dedicated people from across the base on the team," she said.

On the night of the ball, the couples will perform the number dressed in "heritage" uniforms, themed on the early days of the Air Force. The AETC Air Force Band of the West "Dimensions in Blue" ensemble will also be dressed in full Army Air Corps "Glenn Miller" style uniforms as they play music from the earliest days of the Air Force.

The couples have practiced twice a week since June 30 in preparation for the event. Some of the couples, like Staff Sgt. Dylan Lamont and Tech. Sgt. Latreece Shephard, both instructors with the 383rd Training Squadron, have taken their own time to practice as well.

"I've wanted to learn swing dance for a while," Sergeant Shephard said.

The sergeant also said it's important to know where we came from, to know our heritage, and be able to continue these traditions for the next generation of airmen.

Major Kastler stated that practice and repetition is key.

"Simply learning the dance is one thing, but to also try our hand at choreography, that is the true challenge. These Ambassadors of Swing have truly shown what they can accomplish in a short time," she said.

For those attending the Air Force ball, they'll get a unique window into Air Force heritage.

"They're in store for an exciting performance," Sergeant Long said. "It's going to be a one of a kind event."

"Having the dance team there will also help to bring other attendees to the dance floor," Major Kastler said. "Once you try a few steps, most people can catch on enough to at least enjoy the evening's dance. Having this event in Hangar 1045 matches what we would have seen across Europe in 1947."

The theme of the ball is "Heritage to Horizons ...Commemorating 60 years of Air and Space Power." Tickets are selling quickly with unit first sergeants, and all personnel are encouraged to dress in heritage uniforms.

Swing dance lessons are available through the Community Activities Center @ 676-3861. For more information on the wear of heritage uniforms, please access the Sheppard Aim Points or Maj Michelle Kastler @ 676-3873.