Six years ago, about 130 students enrolled in two classes, Shay said. Today there are nearly 600 students enrolled in 12 classes, according to Beth Porter of the Art and Learning Center. People are moving away from club and freestyle dancing, Shay said. Kovalakides, who has been associated with the campus for nearly 40 years, remembers when swing dancing was popular in the 1950s. Then, it was called the jitterbug.
Students also recognize the increasing popularity of swing dancing over the past couple of years.
Last year's Gap commercials have brought swing into mainstream America. The popularity of ballroom dancing is alive and well off-campus, too. The Spanish Ballroom at Glen Echo in Montgomery County, which opened in 1933, is a favorite place to swing dance among many college students. However, it was not always as popular. In 1983, less than 200 dancers turned out for swing dances.