Celessa Dietzel Among dancers at the Century Ballroom on Capitol Hill, some SPU students enjoy a swinging Sunday evening.

Something phenomenal is beginning to happen: Students are actually starting to finish their homework before Sunday night. Yes, that's right, no longer are Sunday nights just reserved for making up the homework that was laid aside all weekend.

A fad has begun: Sunday night swing dancing. SPU has been bombarded by crazy, free-spirits who are actually expressing themselves through dance. Or maybe they're just looking for a good time. In either case, swing dancing is quickly becoming a popular source of entertainment among students.

For those who thought swing dancing was a new craze, they are quite mistaken. To understand the phenomena of swing, it is important to know a little background. According to Swing and Salsa Online, swing dancing dates back to the 1920s, at the peak of the Roaring Twenties.

Prohibition had fizzled, and the nation was in a state of social rebellion. Out of this movement came jazz music, a free form mixture of Negro Spiritual and Gospel music. Soon after, swing music emerged from jazz. Enthusiasts of swing and jazz quickly realized that it was nearly impossible to listen to this music without being compelled to dance, and thus swing dancing was born.

Taking the complex time signatures involved in swing music, swing dancing is based on a six-count rhythm called East Coast Swing, or a more complex eight count rhythm known as Lindy Hop.

According to Century Ballroom Dance Instructor Rachael Ries, East Coast Swing is "reminiscent of the Jitterbug," and in Lindy Hop, "you are required to move more. In a Lindy Hop basic, you will end up traveling in a complete 360-degree circle."

Swing Dancing Venues: Century Ballroom: Capitol Hill: 915 E. Pine St., 2nd floor. (206) 324-7263 Cover $5, pre-dance instructions free. Lesson prices vary. Sunday and Wednesday nights www.centuryballroom.com Sonny Newman's: Greenwood: 201 N. 85th St. (206) 784-3010 Prices vary. Monday nights and second and fourth Saturday nights www.tangoseattle.com The Russian Center: Capitol Hill: 704 19th Ave E, Seattle (206) 6-SWING-1 Prices vary. Thursday nights www.hepcatproductions.com Savoy Swing Club, lessons at Dance Underground: Seattle: 340 15th Ave. E. (206) 547-7676 Prices vary. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights www.savoyswing.com

Most new dancers will find East Coast Swing to be easier as the footwork is simpler to pick up.

Paul Hemel is a freshman at SPU who has recently fallen into the swing dancing trap. Although he had no dancing experience prior to swing, he decided to give it a try two months ago.

"It took a couple of weeks to get used to it, but after that everything else accelerated," Hemel commented. "I like it because you get the opportunity to meet a variety of different people while swing dancing. It's something that you can do when you're eight or 80, so you see all different ages out here. I've met a lot of people out of it."

Hemel is just one of many SPU students who now goes swing dancing on a regular basis.

Ries, who has been swing dancing for six years now, teaches four different classes at the Century Ballroom. She commented on the typical audience of her classes: "Over the last four months there has been a strong younger presence of college-aged people."

She and others said that this is in part thanks to SPU and its encouragers, such as Hemel. They sarcastically joked that SPU sophomore Michael Seguin, who also teaches swing dance lessons at the Century Ballroom, probably had something to do with it.

Be prepared to hear a lot of repetition of counts during a dance lesson. For a typical East Coast Swing, "side, side, rock-step," (meaning: right, left, back, front) will be a phrase that becomes quite familiar as the night progresses. The footwork may be difficult at first, and although it may feel awkward and clumsy for a while, after instruction and practice, it is not tricky to pick up.

Swing dancing attire is anything from casual to classy. Converse are a popular choice for shoes, and many women wear skirts. On a typical night, girls will dance with guys, girls will dance with girls, young will dance with old and so forth. Some of the dances involve switching off partners every couple of minutes, so by the end of the night, nearly everyone has danced with everyone.

Although many prefer it to other venues, the Century Ballroom is not the only place to go for swing dancing. Other dance halls that feature swing dance nights and lessons include Sonny Newman's, the Russian Center and Dance Underground. Sunday nights are not the only time to dance; swing dancing can be found on nearly every night of the week.

Swing dancing is not just for those who can get down like Beyoncˇ. "A lot of people are weary about dancing because they don't want to look stupid. But if you just ignore everyone else while they're dancing, it's not hard to get into it," Hemel said. He encourages everyone to come out and at least give it a try.

So be diligent: Finish your homework on Saturday morning, and indulge yourself in a little Sunday-night swing dancing fun.