STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK
Todd Schwieder waltzed across the dance floor for the first time in sixth-grade.
Now he’s introducing others to the joys of ballroom swing.
Schwieder offered four weeks of jumping and jiving this month at the Hailey Grange Hall. And he will conduct yet another evening of ballroom swing lessons from 7 to 8:15 p.m. Friday, June 29,at the hall on 609 S. 3rd Ave., in Hailey.
He’s kept the cost to $10 per class, with discounts for those who pay up front for a month’s worth of classes, to make the classes accessible for everyone.
And he’s on a mission to do additional classes in the future.
“For Friday’s class we’re looking at a mix of Michael Buble, Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee,” said Schwieder, who studied dance at Brigham Young University.
Schwieder and his sister started dancing in sixth grade, following in the footsteps of an older brother whom they looked up to.
“It was great fun and a good way to meet girls, and it was a good group of people to be with,” recalled Schwieder. “Boys act differently when girls are around—usually, very different from boys on an all-boys basketball team or football team.”
Schwieder soon found himself competing on an afterschool dance team, performing the waltz, foxtrot, tango and other Latin dances. Boasting tuxedos and ballroom gowns, they competed at a slew of dance competitions through eastern Idaho and the Wasatch Range in Utah, held in towns like Rigby, Rexburg, Idaho Falls and Provo.
“We had six to eight couples per team,” he said. “My favorite dance was the waltz. It fit my personality, as I’m not a real flamboyant person.”
Schwieder moved to Hailey two year ago to work for Webb Landscape after earning a horticulture degree at BYU and a Master of Business Administration at Boise State University.
He soon found himself yearning for a active dance scene like he had had at college.
“I like the outdoors here but I still have that itch to dance,” he said. “The Sun Valley Jazz and Music Festival dance workshops and competitions are awesome, but they take place one week of the year. So, I thought it was time to get things going here.”
Schwieder’s initial series of swing dance classes has drawn three to four couples at a time, including a couple who were new to dance.
He’s structured the lessons so that someone could attend all four classes, learning something new every time. And so that someone could drop in in the middle of the classes and quickly be brought up to speed on foot placement, rhythm and how to lead.
The classes are open to those with or without partners.
“We review the basic steps each time and build on them,” he said.
Modern dance is a little more liberating, focusing on movement, Schwieder said. Ballroom dancing is more like poetry.
“Maybe next I’ll do the cha cha,” he added. “It’s a good basic Latin dance.”
For more information, contact Schwieder at toddschwieder@gmail.com or 208-985-9013.
Follow his dance classes on Facebook at “Wood River Ballroom.”
IRISH DANCE, TOO
Dancers at the Hailey Grange are putting a little Swagger in their steps this month as they learn fun and easy-to-learn dance routines to the Irish rock music of Salt Lake City’s Swagger.
The dancers will perform when Swagger performs at Ketch’em Alive on July 3rd and at the Draper Preserve RiverFest on July 4.
Dancers are welcome to join tonight’s class from 6:30 to 7:30 at the Grange Hall, 609 S. 3rd Ave. in Hailey. The classes are taught by Cyndy McCoy, who has been teaching various Irish dances for the past couple months. All ages are welcome and donations are accepted to cover the cost of instruction and use of the hall.
For information, call Jonna Moore at 208-570-2649.