As the sun set, groups of teens poured out of cars and into the parking lot of St. John the Beloved Church in McLean. After buying tickets and handing in their phones, boys in collared shirts and girls in spring dresses headed into the school gymnasium. Girls congregated toward one side, boys to another, joking and chatting before the dance lessons began.
Five years ago, a parishioner asked Michael Jacobeen, director of faith formation and youth ministry coordinator, to consider hosting a regular swing dance night for teens. After dance instructor Roger Severino came on board, the new event quickly became a hit, said Jacobeen. “It’s a fun social thing for high schoolers, (and) parents are very happy to have their kids (here),” he said. “The teens just really seem to have a good time.”
Nowadays, swing dance night is held twice a month during the school year. Teens can attend a beginner or intermediate dance lesson, followed by free dance. The evening ends with ice cream and night prayer. Often 100 kids come to the dance, and a good number stay after for prayer, too, said Jacobeen.
Joelle Vance, a parishioner of St. Veronica Church in Chantilly, spent the evening chaperoning while her daughter danced. She likes that her daughter can socialize with Catholic peers while learning an invaluable skill, something she wishes was available to her when she was a teen. “They get to learn true dancing and it’s going to take them through life,” she said. “(It’s) a big confidence builder also. They don’t feel so afraid to be out on the dance floor.”
Joseph Krueger wasn’t eager to swing dance at first. “My sister roped me into it,” said Krueger, a senior at Trinity Academy Meadow View in Falls Church and a parishioner of St. Ambrose Church in Annandale. But gradually, all that changed. He soon felt comfortable dancing with girls. He learned advanced tricks. And he found he enjoyed the challenge of collaboration. “I have a lot more fun when my partners are having fun as well, and we just sort of build off of each other. It’s just a lot of fun doing that,” he said. Plus, now his sisters have a reliable dance partner. “I was recently at my uncle’s wedding and I was able to swing dance with my sisters there and we had a blast,” he said.
Cora Yun, a sophomore at Trinity and a parishioner of St. James Church in Falls Church, also was introduced to the swing dance nights by her older sister. Yun, a self-proclaimed dancer and extrovert, loves the chance to socialize and move. “It started becoming a Friday hang out thing with all my friends,” she said. “I really just like dancing so I find it’s a fun place to be able to do that. This is the only place I can freely do that.”
After dancing to tunes such as “Runaround Sue” and “Sweet Caroline,” the teens headed outdoors for vanilla and cookies and cream ice cream. Then they walked to the church, filing into the pews in front of the monstrance. “That’s also a really amazing part of this,” said Hannah Ng. “I’ve had Protestant friends come with me to night prayer,” said Ng, a senior at Marshall High School in Falls Church and a parishioner of Our Lady of Good Counsel Church in Vienna. “I actually had a Jewish friend come with me, I had a Buddhist friend come with me, just because they came to swing dance and they saw that everyone else was going.”
Ng’s parents, Jessica and Stephen, are avid swing dancers. They brought Hannah to the swing dance nights before becoming instructors there. “My dad started teaching me how to swing dance before I could walk,” she joked. Besides offering a chance to dance, the evenings have helped her hone her ability to talk to all kinds of people, she said. “I developed a lot of good life skills that I’ve carried with me into other areas of my life. This has probably been one of the highlights of my high school experience.”
