When Justin Timberlake wrote this summer’s hit song, ‘SexyBack,’ he probably envisioned young club goers bumping and grinding to his beats. However, last Thursday his sexual lyrics were adapted to a dance more than 50 years his elder-swing.

The Syracuse Swing Dance Society pulled it off with a routine its members practiced during their weekly meeting at Johnston’s BallyBay on Richmond Avenue. About 60 people flock to the bar every Thursday night, said founder Steve Ryan, who started the group in 1996. Its goal is to promote a wide range of traditional dances, but mainly swing.

‘We try to bring dance to as many people as we can,’ Ryan said.

The group is a volunteer, non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of West Coast Swing, East Coast Swing (jitterbug), Lindy Hop (named after Charles Lindbergh), hustle, bellydancing, cha cha, country two-step and salsa.

Its ballroom style incorporates a blend of polite, old-school propriety and today’s penchant for wild abandon. Both structured and stylized, no two dancers ever look the same. Ryan described the activity as both flexible and attitude boosting.

‘It opens (people) up,’ he said. ‘People walk in with bad posture or look at the floor, and then build confidence.’

Made famous during an era of bathtub gin and gangster crime in the late 1920s, swing in particular continues to draw crowds into dancehalls. Though less salacious than its descendent, the bump and grind, some appreciate the dance for its interpretative form.

‘Paul and I dance with each other because we have a good rapport,’ said Rachel Cucinotta, a graduate student at Le Moyne College. ‘We can fool around on the dance floor and make it up as we go along.’

Cucinotta and her partner, dance instructor Paul Nuzzo, have been dancing together for two years. The pair is partial to West Coast Swing, a straight-line directional version of East Coast Swing. Using its simple, foundational steps, they added twists, dips, gyrations and reverse spins with exceptional speed.

The key to most dances is mastering the physical language between a leader and follower, Nuzzo said. Eye contact eliminates the need for verbal communication. Upper body force and resistance serve as another directional guide, he said.

‘The hardest part is teaching (students) partnership,’ Nuzzo said. ‘Once they understand connection, communication on the dance floor comes naturally.’

Swing Society participants represent all ages and levels of ability. On Thursday, members either reeled across BallyBay’s hardwood floors or rested in chairs along two mirrored walls. Between dances, many cited similar reasons for getting involved with the group.

‘All that dancing makes you younger,’ said Jack Childs, a Syracuse resident in his mid-70s.

Childs joined the society after beating lymph cancer in 2004. The subsequent chemotherapy treatments left him weak and underweight, he said.

‘I could barely walk,’ Childs added.

These days, Childs enjoys the fast-paced rhythm of East Coast Swing, and said he has no inclination of letting up anytime soon.

‘I don’t think I’ll stop unless I find a woman who doesn’t like to dance and we get hitched,’ Childs said.

There’s an air of chivalry associated with the dancehall’s unspoken code of etiquette, which forbids refusing any dance partner. The rule sets the stage for a friendly, inclusive environment. It also facilitates new introductions.

‘You can come here as a single woman, and fellows here circulate the room,’ said Audrey Fletcher, a Syracuse resident and 1978 Syracuse University alumnus.

Fletcher said she joined the Swing Society after a painful split from her ex-boyfriend.

‘He broke my heart,’ she said. ‘Now I’m coming here and having a ball.’

Fletcher also touted dance exercise as promoting healthy coordination and balance.

For Sandy Mattison, Thursday night gatherings are a way to bond with her son Nuzzo. Mattison said she often follows him around, teaching and dancing with him whenever she can.

Having a dance outlet offers other advantages, such as an escape from the daily grind, Nuzzo said. There are also competitive opportunities for members in-training across the country. Nuzzo fondly recalled teaching East Coast Swing to 3,000 college students in Massachusetts before a Big Bad Voodoo Daddy concert.

‘One of the things I love are the people,’ he said. ‘Wherever you go across the country, you can go and dance with someone. It’s a great way to meet people and share a common bond.’

Other instructors teach tango, swing and Latin dances to much younger audiences. Five years ago, music teacher Katherine Osinski spearheaded an after-school dancing club at Liverpool High School. Ballroom dancing is intended to broaden horizons and teach students social etiquette, she said.

‘It teaches kids about the respect you need for each other, the graces in society toward men and women,’ Osinski said.

In addition to Thursday dance night, the Swing Society hosts various workshops throughout the year. The group will host a hustle and Latin dance weekend on Oct. 28 and 29. Ryan recently started teaching a choreographed dance to Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ for a Halloween Dance slated for the same weekend.

The one goal Ryan said he has yet to accomplish is moving the group’s Thursday dance venue to a larger, more central location. As an instructor, moving forward is an objective reserved for his students as well.

‘The hardest part is teaching people how to move,’ Ryan said. ‘(They need to) think with their feet instead of driving with their center.’

If You Go:Thursday Night DanceJohnston’s Bally Bay550 Richmond Ave.8 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.

Private LessonsSteve Ryan: 315-434-9503Maria Cirino: 315-461-0119Lynn Miller: 315-471-1289Alysia Bonvino: 315-527-4166

Published on September 19, 2006 at 12:00 pm