Dancer partners Ben Morris and Jennifer DeLuca come from opposite sides of the country, but that doesn’t take away from their impeccable swing dancing skills.
Despite the distance, the duo still manages to compete in dance competitions together — and they always crush it.
Of course they know what they’re doing, but when they entered the Capital Swing Dancers’ Presidents’ Day weekend convention in California, there wasn’t a single swing dance sequence in their routine.
…It was far from traditional.
Their performance was initially met with confused stares from the audience, but it did not matter!
Because they took a more rebellious route, there was a chance they’d be boo’d off the stage. However, the exact opposite happened: the crowd reacted with cheers and showed their undying support.
They took a risk and it paid off. The judges loved every second of their modern take on an old classic, especially when they started to groove to a high-energy boogie swing routine. Plus, it was perfectly choreographed to a George Thorogood classic, which just earned them extra bonus points.
The dancing duo entered themselves into the Classic Division of the Capital Swing Convention competition, which definitely put the judges off guard. But they pulled it off nonetheless.
Their dance that day at the Red Lion Woodlake Hotel in Sacramento opened everyone’s eyes to a refreshing new definition of swing dance.
The duo also defied the dance genre in more ways than one.
Jennifer donned a pair of black slacks with metal studs adorning pocket and her top revealed a bit of both her front and back sides. In swing dance, it’s typically common for the woman to wear a pretty, floral A-line dress.
Ben dressed more conservatively, and while there was nothing too risqué happening, the two definitely made jaws drop with their incredibly smooth moves.
The two partners clearly have such undeniable chemistry, the way they move and work together is seemingly effortless. The way they incorporate George Thorogood’s bluesy-rock vibes is what makes it even more impressive.
They may not have been swinging in the classical sense of the word, but they were most definitely swinging their bodies around. As Jennifer bends backward, Ben extends her arm and uses it as a pretend microphone so he can lip-synch to the track. It’s so fun, creative, and charismatic!
And then… they twist and flip on the ground instead of going up in the air!
Swing dance first got its start in the 1920s when jazz bands were the fun thing to go see on the weekend, but then it started to slowly fade away after the 1940s. This type of dance is a broad term that describes a social form of dancing where a dancer usually lifts, spins, and flips their partner in the air. It’s very partner-heavy.
Clearly, it’s a broad term, as Jennifer and Ben proved there are so many creative things you can do with it!
It’s no wonder these two dancers won first place in the competition. They took something old and made it new again — and made it look nearly flawless. It was so good, they got a standing ovation!
Watch them dance below and you’ll understand why it’s so amazing!
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