Partners are usually interchangeable, but there are some things that Butler won t do with anyone but Heller, because they require practice. You can dance with anybody, but you can only do lifts with your partner, she explains gravely. Butler also believes firmly in the importance of being prepared for dancing acrobatics. I wear some special little boy cut underwear, because I know I m gonna be doing some lifts at some point, she says. The most obvious sign that swing has invaded popular culture is that ubiquitous Gap ad, featuring khaki-clad youngsters who jump, jive and wail to a vintage swing tune of the same name.
Some swingers blame the ad for bringing unwanted, trendy new converts into the fold.
It quadrupled the size of my swing class, quite literally, says Butler. Koerner thinks the ad misrepresents what swing is really about. They re just showing the tricks, they re not showing the dancing. Choy says that while the ad has succeeded in annoying everyone, it seems to have failed to reach its target audience. Koerner has been swing dancing since before most Blairites were born.