The Fort Collins swing dance trend has hit Fossil Ridge High School. Groups of FRHS students are spending their Saturday nights at Old Town Yoga, where attendees can learn and participate in east and west coast swing, as well as blues dancing.

While it isn’t clear, senior Erica Limstrom suggested that the trend started at Ridgeview Classical Schools, where the school provides swing dance lessons during lunch. “All of my friends were doing it,” said Limstrom, also a previous Ridgeview student. “All of the upperclassmen wanted to do it, so all of the freshmen and sophomores wanted to try it too.” From there Erica invited her friends in the theatre department at FRHS to join her swing dancing, which spread into the rest of the group, as well as the rest of Poudre School District.

Old Town Yoga offers a swing dance floor and a blues dance floor on Saturday nights from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Lessons are provided from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. The fee is $5. Jazz and swing tunes are played by a DJ, and sometimes a live band will play. There is no need to dress up; jeans are acceptable dress for the evening. “The best things to wear are something that will by flowy,” said freshman Cali Pastor. “If you’re going to wear a dress, wear spanx because you’re doing a lot of turning and you don’t want things…to be revealed.”

No date is required to swing dance. “I think its more fun to go with a group of friends,” Limstrom said. “Having a date usually means you only dance with that one person and, although that can be fun, at a social dance its not necessarily the best option.” However, Pastor said that “if you and your boyfriend want to try something for a date, that’s a great place [to go].”

People of all ages attend Old Town Yoga, especially high school and college students. It is a generally safe environment according to Limstrom. “There are a few people that might show up that you don’t feel comfortable with, but you can avoid dancing with them by suggesting you need a drink of water or you need to use the bathroom,” said Limstrom.

Swing is also “a great way to exercise and…to get to know people,” according to Pastor. “I’ve continued to go back several times after because its such a great way to meet up with people from different schools and enjoy physical activity, which is so difficult to do.”