By Trần Khánh An

Despite her brief visit to Hà Nội, Amber Court, a Canadian traveller, immediately searched for a swing community as she was desperate for a dance.

“Whenever I travel, I enjoy going to the local swing dancing communities. I find the swing community very welcoming – everywhere I go, all over the world,” she shared.

Through Instagram, she found out about Hanoi Swing Dance, which invites all to their weekly social swing dance at Complex 01 in Tây Sơn Street.

Late-night swing, smooth jazz rhythms and a welcoming community are waiting for her.

Spreading joy

Amber Court finds the swing dance community in each city she travels to. VNS Photo Trần Khánh An

Swing dancing is a group of social dances that developed with the swing style of jazz – the roughly century-old US music genre's subculture by African-Americans.

One hundred years later and the swing dance community is bigger than ever. In Hà Nội the community has sparks an energetic revival of the bygone days of this type of dance, with Lindy Hop a popular style on the dancefloor.

“I just love jazz music and swing is a very joyful dance,” said Amber, sharing the reason why she loves it so much.

Tống Quang Vinh, a six-year member, shared the same keyword with Amber - joy.

“Every time you watch clips about Lindy Hop, a member of the swing dance family, you can notice that dancers are always smiling,” he said.

“Before swing, I had never tried dancing. I was truly enjoying and relaxed when I first started grooving to swing jazz music.”

“Dancing is simply getting in the groove with the rhythm.”

And even if you're unsure about the steps, Hanoi Swing Dance holds a taster class at the beginning of the evening, which also acts as an icebreaker for the newbies.

Even if there are experts and newbies among the dancers on the floor, an upbeat and open ambience can erase the gaps of those who have gathered.

That includes Nguyễn Thị Quỳnh Trang from Hà Nội who is just a newcomer. She came across a social dance session at the Hoàn Kiếm Lake pedestrian zone, where the “chill vibes” lured her to join her second one at Complex 01.

“I feel anxious at taster class, worrying about forgetting the tempo,” said Trang. “After a few trials, I learned to sense the signal and follow my partner's lead. I'm giddy with expectation, wondering where my dancing partner will take me.”

The joyful and inclusive atmosphere encourages participants to ask strangers for a dance. — Photo courtesy of Hanoi Swing Dance

Swing dance is more than just about movement – it is about the connection between two dancers.

“Swing is like a conversation you have with the person you're dancing with," said Sri Lankan Iraj De Silva, a founding member.

"The beauty of swing dancing, especially Lindy Hop, is that it's a highly unstandardised dance style. You can do whatever you want to,”

“We have this saying that there are no wrong steps, it is just a variation.”

Embrace all with open arms

“Swing dance originated from African-Americans, who highly appreciate the liberal and openness. Up to now, swing dance still has that spirit: everyone can come to jazz, to Lindy Hop and swing,” said Vinh.

“There's only one thing that unites them all: dancing. Everything is quite casual: they just come here, introduce themselves, and ask strangers for a dance.”

A weekly social dance meet-up attracts a vibrant crowd, both locals and visitors, to enjoy groovy jazz and playful dance. —Photo courtesy of Hanoi Swing Dance

This genuinely broadens the Hà Nội swing community.

From only a few participants in 2010, mostly expats, now, thirty to forty people are having a good time at each social dancing session.

Besides social dance, Hanoi Swing Dance also hosts events such as live-band swing dance nights. Last November, they hosted a two-day swing dance exchange festival, welcoming all dancers from Đà Nẵng, HCM City and Asia.

Iraj is extremely proud of how the Hà Nội swing community has flourished.

Hà Nội swing dance community embarked on their journey in 2010 when Lisa Fitzgerald, an Australian lady, took the initiative and ran the social dance class.

For more than a decade, regularly, the class stopped operating when the host relocated from Hà Nội, only to recommence when other swing enthusiasts united.

Besides weekly meet-up classes, Hanoi Swing Dance also hosts live-band dance nights and festivals, sparking an energetic revival of the bygone days of swing. Photo courtesy of Hanoi Swing Dance

When Iraj came to Hà Nội in 2016, the class was postponed. The fateful meeting happened in 2017 when Mitch Erre, an Italian traveller, transiting in Hà Nội for 24 hours.

He posted on Facebook to invite everyone to boogie on down to the capital for just one night of swing.

“We met up at the Hà Nội Botanic Gardens and danced as much as we possibly could. Since then, the group has started growing slowly,” Iraj said.

“We were having so much fun that some of them asked, ‘Okay, would you like to restart the class again?’.”

After the COVID-19 pandemic, swing aficionados in Hà Nội have collaborated with Complex 01 to have a venue for routine weekly social dances.

“We want to find a permanent venue for frequent weekly meet-ups, while Complex 01 aims to promote events for youngsters,” said Nguyễn Quỳnh Liên, an admin of Hanoi Swing Dance.

Iraj added: “I just returned to Việt Nam after relocating to Japan in 2020. I just came over to see how the dancing scene is here. When I walked into the venue, I did not know anyone - there were so many new faces!

“I'm truly happy. Even four years after I left, this community has been growing and it now boasts this wonderful dance venue. It truly is amazing, and I am so proud of this.”

Swing dance embraces all with open arms, fostering an inclusive sense of belonging where barriers simply cease to exist.

“I think that people of all ages can participate in and enjoy swing dance. I see both young and old coming into the space and having incredibly joyful dance moments!” said Trang, assuring she would continue to grab her dancing shoes to Complex 01. VNS