BYU Swing Kids Club History

No one person can be accredited for the birth of the Swing Kids Club. However there are several that should be mentioned as originators. Among them are Jen Gale (used to be Fisher), Kacy Humberstone, and Rob Thompson. I think also Daniel Orvis needs to be mentioned as well for his influence on our swing.

What we know as the club today started as just a few groups of people meeting informally to share a common interest: swing. Kacy, who had done swing at home in California, met Rob, who began learning here by picking out moves from dance scenes in the movie, "Swing Kids". Since Rob was living in the Russian house at the time, they got a group together and began to meet at the Foreign Language Housing Complex here at BYU to swing. At first it was just kids from the complex, but as word spread people from outside began coming. Jen, who had a swing group back home in California, started a group of her own and met else where on campus. As each group grew, they eventually heard of each other and combined. Due to lack of space on the dance floors, Rob filed a club charter in order to get certain priveleges through BYU...and so it was born.

That was during the Fall semester of 1995. The first full semester as a club was Winter of 1996, with Rob as president, Jen as Vice, and Kacy as Treasurer/Mascot. At the beginning there were perhaps 30+ in attendance. By the end of the semester there were 200-300 people at nearly every weekly Saturday night dance and somewhat less there on Thursday nights. Our records showed over 300 members.

During Spring and Summer semesters the club continued, securing a permanent spot to meet every week (only Saturday nights). The Presidents were Conan Heiselt and Aric Whitaker. It was during this time that the club web page was started and many more people joined our ranks (unofficially since we didn't worry about dues or membership during the summer).

Fall of 1996 saw the reunion of a happy group of swingers. The first official dance under the new presidency, Jen and Kacy, hosted over 300 people. The second, which was held in a much larger facility (we could barely move, let alone dance with 300 in 270 RB) which was packed with over 500 people! We finally got official membership cards, a council made of committee heads, a nice PA system, and a lot more recognition (howbeit without the addition of external assistance that should come with it). Publicity is dangerous because we can't facilitate the size of the group that it brings, so everyone finds out through word of mouth. Of the 500+ members probably about 60-100 are anywhere from several-times-a- month regulars to "I'd quit this school if they stopped having swing" hard core individuals.

Our ideas and goals are always expanding and exceed our capabilities at the present, but we are looking to the future as bright and...swingin'.