Co-presidents of Seattle University's recently revived Swing Dance Club, Kirn and Klein are eager to get their peers involved in swing
Maura Beth Pagano, ’12
Rachel Klein, ’12 and Adrian Kirn, ’12, are taking swing dancing to the masses
When it comes to having a good time, most college students wouldn’t think of a pastime once popular with their grandparents. But Adrian Kirn, ’12, and Rachel Klein, ’12, aren’t most college students. Co-presidents of Seattle University's
recently revived Swing Dance Club,
Kirn and Klein are eager to get their
peers involved in swing, a style of
dance many of them may have never
tried before.
"We know that swing dancing isn't
exactly the popular dance of our
generation," says Klein, who majors
in photography and French at SU.
"People are intimidated by it because
they don't know what to expect."
Kirn and Klein got their start in
swing dancing as freshmen at SU.
"I didn't know much about any
kind of dance before I got into swing
dancing," says Kirn, a physics and
chemical engineering major. "But
once I got into it, I loved it."
He invited Klein to go dancing
with him at Seattle's Century Ballroom,
a popular destination for local
swing dancers. It didn't take long
before Klein was hooked.
The pair was inspired to resurrect
SU's Swing Club, which disbanded
a few years ago due to a lack of
interest. A top priority for Klein
and Kirn is raising the profile of the
club around campus. It seems to be
working. So far, they've assembled
a mailing list of 185 people and
have begun hosting meetings
and open dances. While they are
satisfied with where the club is
headed, they would like to see a
larger turnout—especially among
SU's male population.
"I know it's hard for guys to
overcome the fear of making a
fool of themselves," says Kirn.
But he and Klein guarantee that
anyone, male or female, can have
a good time swing dancing. "If
you can walk, you can dance,"
says Kirn. "Or better yet, if you
can walk, we can teach you how to dance.