Thirty people doing the same thing at the same time. There is no feeling so electrifying as the atmosphere of social cohesion in the room. The air is hot, the fan blades delicately turn, but most importantly the room is full of smiles and laughter. It is in this room of hot air, turning fan blades, and the laughter and smiles of new found friends that I found an unexpected pleasure. Being there can change one's life; It certainly changed mine.
It was on a cold, rainy, December evening that I began my Friday night sojourns to Ellington Hall. Some acquaintances had invited me to join them for a night of dancing. I gambled. I like techno. I didn't think I would have any interest in music that my Grandmother loved to sing and dance to. Little did I know my life was about to change.
I entered a new world where I met people of all ages – brought together for four hours on Friday evenings to dance the night away. It is a world of great joy. A world where I meet people much like myself. A world of spins and steps. A world of old and new friends.
So, why is it that a dance that was so popular in my grandparents’ generation is still popular? It is the music, it is the movement of the lead and of the follow, it is the love of the dance floor, and of the true joy experienced by all those around me that makes it all so appealing. We simply have fun.
Swing music is art, not just for the musicians, but also for the dancers. Some say that the era of swing still exists, however the era of swing with the most influence was between 1935 and the early 1940s. Swing, which has many elements of jazz, helped jazz to become both respectable art form, and to be accepted outside of the black communities. In fact, many modern styles such as rock, rock and blues, blues, and hip hop evolved from jazz. Each of those styles has influenced another style, causing a chain reaction, the root cause being my beloved swing. Knowing this, it is difficult to not have been influenced by swing music. I'd say it is a major influence on me. Little did I know, all of my favorite music styles have roots buried deep in the culture of swing.
The background of swing music is indeed very intriguing, however, it is the term “Jitterbug” that is the most intriguing. This word is not prose nor poetry, but it is extremely interesting nonetheless. There are actually four definitions of a "Jitterbug". This is because the four most influential names of swing – Elmer Snowden, Harry or Father White, Duke Ellington, and the renowned Cab Calloway – coined them in different manners The first of the four descriptions is a man or woman who suffers from alcoholic or nerve drugs. Another story has the word associated with the English word "Bugger" or "Bugging", which is a sexual act. Another refers to the odd mix of a man or woman who dates someone of a different ethnicity, and who had the "jitters" from drugs. And the last, and my favorite meaning, is simply that the dancers look like a jittering bug because of the bouncing around and having fun. So, regardless of the original intent in the word "Jitterbug", it has come to represent a dance, a dance which has given me a release of stress and anxiety every Friday night.
Now that you know a bit more about the importance of jitterbug, it is important for you to understand what jitterbug has done for me. Two months ago, I went to a school dance and heard a song. I listened to the song, I thought about the beat, and the way I'd move my feet to the individual steps. I was disappointed in myself when I realized that I had no idea how I could dance to it. I went home happy nonetheless, but I would much rather have gone home saying, "Mom, Dad, I danced every song tonight, and girls were asking me to dance all night long." I had that problem until I started swing dancing. I can jitterbug to any beat. The music resonates in my soul. And now, I plan to take Lindy Hop, Salsa, and even Mambo come this Spring. Thanks to Ellington Hall and Friday night swing dancing, I have been able to add to my list of talents, that I, Bob Wilson, am a Jitterbug dancer.

As you can all see, I finished my speech for the Academic Decathlon. Wish me luck, because now it's time to memorize. Math test on Friday. I'm not anxious.

Take care my friends.

P.S. I played some good games of Starcraft tonight . . . I was disappointed a little in the play of one of my members, but it made me realize that I have to train him, not be angry with him. It's like a coach who yells at his student for not knowing how to do something that was never taught to him. Instead, he should yell at himself. And so, I will teach him this move tomorrow.

P.S.S. My band found a guitarist. She's neat.

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