Swing Dance Classes Are Taking Over Mackinac Island; Salsa Lessons Coming in August

This story first appeared in the June 30, 2023 Mackinac Island Town Crier print edition

Swing music filled Mackinac Island Community Hall Wednesday, June 14, as Island residents Alexa Miller and Xavier Cruz held the first class of their new ballroom dance lesson series. The first five weeks of classes are dedicated to Lindy Hop, a classic style of swing dance with fast rotations and high-energy footwork. In August, the second series will teach participants how to salsa.

“I always wanted something like a swing thing here on the Island,” Mr. Cruz said.

Ms. Miller has been dancing since she was three, beginning her training in ballet, tap, and jazz before starting ballroom at the age of 10. She was hooked and has been a classically trained professional ballroom dancer since she was 19, specializing in salsa and other Latin dances, like merengue and bachata. Mr. Cruz began swing dancing in 2015 as part of a New Year’s resolution, taking Sunday morning classes in Los Angeles while he was still in school. He started doing the East Coast swing and then Lindy Hop, training with choreographers the Stevens Sisters. Ms. Miller and Mr. Cruz met while performing in Mackinac Island Community Theater’s “Music Man” production in the spring of 2022, and they realized they both had swing dance experience. They began dancing together, and further realized they made great partners.

Dance instructors Xavier Cruz and Alexa Miller.

“We just started dancing together for fun and then it evolved from there,” Ms. Miller said.

With their extensive ballroom dance experience, they can put together a well-rounded class relatively quickly, but the organization and marketing can be a different story. They began talking about offering classes back in February, and then did a full run of the material in April. They taught a ballroom dance class last year at the end of the season and received a lot of positive feedback, though they were disappointed it was too late in the season to continue. This year, they started early to make a series of classes out of it.

The instructors want attendees to take something new out of each class. There isn’t a lot of social dance on the Island, Mr. Cruz acknowledged. The dance opportunities that do exist, such as at Grand Hotel, can be intimidating for novices. Having a fun, safe, and informal space for people to learn could give people more confidence to dance in more formal settings.

Alexa Miller (right) observes Myron Johnson (left) and Becky Grobelski as they dance.

“I want to go to the Grand and swing the night away,” Mr. Cruz said.

Myron Johnson and Becky Grobelski of Mackinac Island were among those who attended; the couple has been dancing for many years and enjoy swing dancing especially. They try to go whenever swing dance is offered on the Island. Mr. Johnson even surprised Ms. Grobelski with a lesson on her birthday the first year they were dating. Now that they’re getting married next year, they want to prepare for a swing dance at their wedding, and the classes are good practice.

“Spinning is always really fun,” Ms. Grobelski said. “We’re trying to get better at dips. That’s our next goal.”

Also at the first class were Daniel Ferkovich, who works driving a shuttle bus for Grand Hotel, and Kellina Nesbeth, who drives taxis, both of whom are good friends of Mr. Cruz. Ms. Nesbeth had a co-worker who really enjoyed Lindy Hop, and she got interested while watching his videos online.

“It looks like so much fun,” she said. “I started watching videos of other people online too, and I really, really wanted to learn.”

Ms. Miller and Mr. Cruz are starting small with their first class series, with the goal to move up to a bigger social dance event at the end of the program, maybe featuring a live band.

The next class was Wednesday, June 28, and the remaining classes are Wednesday, July 12, and Wednesday, July 26. The salsa series begins Wednesday, August 9, through Wednesday, September 6. Drop-in class rates are $20 or $75 for each five class series.

“We just love to dance, love to dance with each other,” Ms. Miller said. “It’s something we want to share with other people.”