All events are open to the public.

March 11, 2005—Swing is alive and well on Oberlin's campus, thanks to the Oberlin Swing Society (OSS).

Since its inception in the late 1990's, OSS has grown to become one of the largest student organizations on campus with more than 200 members. The group currently offers courses in beginning and intermediate swing dance, including the Lindy Hop, Balboa, Charleston, and East Coast Swing. It also hosts weekly student dances, professional workshops and musical acts, and supports student participation in dance competitions.

On Friday, March 18, OSS will inaugurate its first jazz dance festival with a weekend of classes, workshops, music, dances, and discussions.

"The Oberlin Jazz Dance Festival seeks to demonstrate the importance of swing/pre-swing era music and dance and the role they played in defining American culture," says Festival Executive Director Daniel Hatkoff '05, an economics major who has served as a celebrity judge of the New York City Peabody Championship Race and head DJ at the Detroit All Balboa Camp and London's Savoy Ball. "The discussions and workshops will track the rich social history of swing dance and those who have performed it through its nearly century-long history and explore how the synthesis of music and dance that took place in the 20's and 30's influenced that time."

Festival highlights include dances with swing-era music played by live bands; workshops and classes led by leading teachers from Stockholm, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Denver; and a panel discussion at 5 p.m. on Saturday on the impact of jazz dance and music on American culture led by James Dapogny; location tba. Dapogny has led the Grammy-nominated Chicago Jazz Band for over 25 years and is the 2004 CURRENT Magazine Jazz Artist of the Year.

A welcome dance will be held on March 18 at 7 p.m. with music by Paul Cosentino and The Boilermaker Jazz Band, and a formal dance will be held on Saturday, March 19 at 8 p.m. with music by Phil Ogilvie's Rhythm Kings, plus an "Anything Goes" competition; prizes include weekend passes to the 2005 Ultimate Lindy Hop Showdown and the 2005 Midwest Lindyfest. The dance on March 20 at 8 p.m. features multiple guest DJs, special musical guests, and a Battle of the Swing Guitars.