Body language

GO & DO Swing at the Springs When: The next dance is June 29; dinner starts at 5 p.m., followed by a West Coast swing lesson at 7 p.m., and the dance at 8 p.m.

Where: 28 Springs Restaurant, 100 E. University St. in Siloam Springs Cost: Cost for a three-course dinner is $25; cost for the dance is $10; the lesson is free Information: Email Jerry Kendrick at info@dance andswing.bizEven in a busy newsroom, Sue and Terry Condren can shut out everything but each other. With a rhythm-and-blues tune emanating from his cellphone, Condren clasps hands with his wife of 37 years, and they swing into a graceful - and flirty - series of dance moves. Eyes locked with his, Sue Condren follows her husband, waiting for his cues and taking advantage of the improvisational opportunities within the sequence.

Their mentor, Jerry Kendrick, watches approvingly. He is the only instructor in Northwest Arkansas teaching this style of dance, called contemporary West Coast swing, and he’s passionate about it.

He’s also adamant that anybody can dance, tall or short, slender or round, doctor, lawyer, mom or musician.

“The hardest part,” he says, “is to walk in the door.” WEST COAST SWING

West Coast swing as a genre dates back to the 1940s, as does its contemporary, East Coast swing. According to Terry Condren, the West Coast style was created to suit movie directors who wanted their dancers to move in straight lines for the camera. East Coast swing - also known by names like the jitterbug or East Coast lindy - moves in circles, with the female dancer going away from her partner as iffollowing the spokes of a turning wheel. West Coast swing is a “slotted” dance, meaning the woman travels forward and backward along a single straight line on the floor known as the “slot.” The man stays pretty much in one place, Condren admits.

But that doesn’t mean “the girl does all the work,” which was the sales pitch that sold Condren on dancing. Instead, the leader might be compared with a master chess player, looking not just at the move in progress but the next two or three down the line as dictated by the music.

That’s the challenge, he says. The reward is the intimacy of a conversation conducted without words.

“It’s communication that two people can enjoy for the rest of their lives without arguing,” Kendrick says with a chuckle.

It’s also a complete role reversal for most couples.

“Most men can’t multi-task,” Kendrick says, but West Coast swing requires the leader to do so.

“Most ladies have difficulty single-tasking,” he adds, but the follower must concentrate solely on the task at hand.

“The hardest thing for me was to give up control,” Sue Condren says. “You have to be completely in the moment.” TWO STEPPING

The Condrens started dancing after Terry’s most recent high school reunion.

“We sat there and watched while other people danced, and I told him we were going to dance the next year at my reunion,” Sue Condren remembers.

They started with salsa, but a couple of weeks before Sue’s Fayetteville High School get-together, Kendrick suggested they learn a little West Coast swing, which can be done to almost any kind of music. They got in about four lessons and were able to dance the night away to 1970s rock ’n’ roll.

“And we looked really good,” Sue Condren remembers proudly.

It was watching Kendrick’s advanced West Coast swing classes - which met just before their salsa lessons - that convinced the Condrens to focus on that genre.

“When you say ‘swing,’ everybody always thinks ’50s rock ’n’ roll,” Terry Condren says.

“But West Coast swing is completely different,” largely because of the variety of music it canaccommodate.

The Condrens agree with Kendrick that it is an accessible dance form. Terry has a background in martial arts and music - he was one of the original disc jockeys for KKEG as well as a musician - but his wife has neither. Other dancers they know include a brick layer, a doctor, an architect, an astronomer and a woman trained in ballet.

No matter what their background, dancers are “nuts,” Sue Condren says, smiling. “They’re obsessive and dedicated.”

That just might be the best part, she and her husband agree. Dinner dates with friends often turn into impromptu dance parties, and dance competitions turn into road trips with other “Westies.” They both marvel at spending hours talking about nothing but dance - no jobs, no kids, nothing else - and tell the story of 42 dancers having a great evening while others in Siloam Springs worried about a possible tornado.

SWING AT THE SPRINGS

The tornado-threatened dance party was one of a series taking place at 28 Springs Restaurant, chef Miles James’ Siloam Springs sequel to James at the Mill. Terry Condren says he was in on some of the early discussions about the restaurant thanks to a longtime friendship with James, but it was an idlecomment about a side room “big enough to have a dance” that set the West Coast swing nights in motion.

James just thought it would be “something different” that would meet a demand.

“A lot of people like to dance,” he says simply. “And they drive from Springfield or Little Rock or Fort Smith to Tulsa to do it. So we thought we’d give them a venue here.”

All it really took was a state-of-the-art snap-together oak parquet dance floor, a good sound system and some creativity, he adds, including a special menu designed by James and signature cocktails named after dance moves.

“The idea is to provide both a great dining experience and a light fare so you’re not too full but with plenty of energy to dance the night away,” says Stephen Sbanotto, event coordinator for 28 Springs. And “our ‘head drinks enthusiast,’ Casey Letellier, has also created an excellent drink pairing with the right amount of kick for your swing.”

The West Coast swing nights have gone so well that 28 Springs is planning to expand to other kinds of music and “some wine and painting nights, as well as some Cirque du Soliel themed tastings and performance,” Sbanotto says.

James thinks 28 Springs will become “the destination for West Coast swing and other styles of dance as well in Northwest Arkansas,” but Kendrick is more single-minded.

“We want to make the West Coast community a sizable force.” EVERYONE WELCOME

Kendrick, who started out in ballroom dance, learned West Coast swing from Terry Roseborough, a nationalchampion in the genre. He’s been teaching professionally for more than a decade, has competed in ballroom and West Coast swing contests and teaches in both Springdale and Fayetteville. He says his 10 “essential” rules of dance pretty much define his philosophy and include “the gentleman gets to lead, the gentleman still gets to lead, don’t look at your feet, don’t look at your partner’s feet” and most important, Rule No. 10: “Relax and have fun.”

“I’ve seen a lady in a $4,000 dress dancing with a guy in shorts and Sponge-Bob socks,” he says. “Nobody cares.”

Beginning dancers should wear somewhat loose clothing - nothing constricting - and closed-toed shoes with slick soles. No partner is required.

‘Dancers are so excited when other people show an interest,” Sue Condren says.

“There’s always somebody to help!”

There’s always instant camaraderie, too.

“There are three things in this dance,” she says. “The leader, the follower and the music. And there’s always a strong connection.”