• Homeschool Costuming
  • Homeschooling
  • Sewing Historically
  • Vintage Flair
  • Welcome

Search

Teacups in the Garden

18th Century Virginia Musings

Learning how to Swing Dance During College Break
Family & Traditions

Learning how to Swing Dance During College Break

April 2, 2015

When my son came home from college for Easter break, he taught my daughter and I how to swing dance!

During spare moments of study at Patrick Henry College, there are often dances, where swing dance is all the rage with his classmates! 

There seems to be a dance once a month, then each semester seems to wrap up with a formal ball. 

As a result, my son learned a lot of swing dancing and even some waltzing!

CHRISTMAS ATTEMPTS

Although he had planned to teach us last Christmas, I was hopelessly under the weather with a mystery illness the entire time.

SPRING BREAK ATTEMPTS

Then he had planned to teach us during spring break, but my daughter was busy with her college classes.

Instead, he ended up digging us out of snow after the blizzard hit the first week of March.

Her spring break didn’t start until he returned to PHC.

NOW IS THE TIME

This time we were going to make time to learn how to swing dance!

Although I found it challenging since I only have one balance nerve, the more we danced the more it made sense.

Whereas I have a lot to learn about whipping around the dance floor impromptu like Ginger Rogers, I felt more like Hannah Brown who struggles with remembering her right from her left while dancing with Fred Astaire.

My daughter struggled a bit too, but my son is so patience in teaching both of us!

Learning how to Swing Dance
Learning how to Swing Dance

My son taught me how he guides me so I can anticipate his choice of step.

We had a lot of fun dancing to all the old tunes like Rock around the Clock and Jail House Rock and even some tunes from Glenn Miller.

Now I want to sew some proper dresses from this era of dancing.

WALTZING

My son also taught us how to waltz!

He and I danced to the Blue Danube Waltz while we twirled around the floor! 

Waltzing has always been my favorite dance to see, now it’s my favorite dance to do, though I still need lots more practice!

YOUTUBE VIDEOS

Check out our dancing style and laugh a little with us on my youtube channel!

We might not be the quality of the fun Dancing with the Stars, but we had fun learning and moving with fun steps to great music and that’s what counts!

Just call us, Dancing with the Collegiates!

My son teaches me how to Swing Dance in Lesson 1 with Rock Around the Clock – 2 minutes

My son teaches me how to untangle myself from a pretzel in Lesson 2 during Jail House Rock – 43 seconds

My son and I try more complicated moves in Lesson 3 with Jail House Rock – 2 minutes 28 seconds

My son gives his sister Lesson 1 with How Happy can One Guy Be? – 1 minute 30 seconds

For more photos, check my Flickr set.

POT POURRI

  • Gowns, Dancing, Christmastide: Colonial WilliamsburgCandles lit at Bruton Parish Church in Colonial Williamsburg
    Date
    December 30, 2012
  • 1950s White Blouse and Black Circle Skirt: Sewing JournalWhite polka dot on black 1950s circle skirt
    Date
    August 7, 2015
  • Duckies Supervising New Year’s Eve Game and Snack Night
    Date
    December 31, 2025

Tags:

  • swing dance
  • ,
  • waltz

Post navigation

Red, White, Blue Lightening Streak Quilt and Duffel Bags
Collegiate Shabby Chic Bedroom for Daughter’s Birthday
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Flickr
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
  • Goodreads
  • Mail

Recent Posts

  • Colonial Williamsburg Spa-aaahhh Rest and Relaxation
  • George Washington First in War, Peace, Hearts of Countrymen
  • Thomas Jefferson’s 1774 Treatise: Rights of British America
  • How George Washington became epitome of Virginia Ethos
  • The Providential History of our Founding Fathers

Archives

Categories

  • 1607-1699 Virginia Colony of Jamestown
  • 1699-1780 Virginia life in Williamsburg
  • 1730s-1740s Virginia Great Awakening
  • 1765-1776 Virginia Rumblings to Independence
  • 1781 Virginia Campaign – American Revolution
  • 18th Century Carters of Virginia
  • 18th Century Custises of Virginia
  • 18th Century Fairfaxes of Virginia
  • 18th Century Honorary Virginian Lafayette
  • 18th Century Lees of Virginia
  • 18th Century Pages of Virginia
  • 18th Century Virginia – Alexandria
  • 18th Century Virginia – Charlottesville
  • 18th Century Virginia – James River Plantations
  • 18th Century Virginian George Mason
  • 18th Century Virginian George Washington
  • 18th Century Virginian James Madison
  • 18th Century Virginian James Monroe
  • 18th Century Virginian John Marshall
  • 18th Century Virginian Patrick Henry
  • 18th Century Virginian Thomas Jefferson
  • Colonial Williamsburg EFT
  • Colonial Williamsburg Restoration 1926-2026
  • Colonial Williamsburg Souvenirs
  • Colonial Williamsburg Time Travels
  • Colonial Williamsburg Vintage Curated Tours
  • En Plein Air
  • Faith
  • Family & Traditions
  • Freedom
  • French Country House – Texas Hill Country Style
  • French Country House – Virginia Lafayette Style
  • French Country Townhouse – Beach Style
  • Historical Cooking
  • Historical Reenactments
  • Historical Sewing Inspirations
  • Historical Sewing Research – Regimentals
  • Jeffersonian Classical Architecture
  • Lafayette 1824-1825 Grand Tour Reenactment
  • My 18th Century Sewing Journey
  • Napoleon – Defining the man
  • Our Books – Rhetoric
  • Our Homeschool at Bluebonnet Ridge
  • Sewing Historically
  • Sewing Quilts
  • Sewing Vintage Flair
  • Time Traveling with Movies
  • Uncategorized
  • Vintage Airflight
  • Virginia 1861-1865 Civil War
  • Virginia Finds Gold – Eureka
  • Virginia Historic Preservation
  • Virginia Maple Syrup
  • Virginia Trains
  • Virginia's Alexandria
  • Virginia's Arlington
  • Virginia's Chincoteague Ponies
  • Virginia's Gloucester
  • Virginia's Loudon County
  • Virginia's Middleburg
  • Virginia's Occoquan
  • Virginia's Scenic Lodging
  • Virginia's Vint Hill Farms Station
  • Virginia's Virginia Beach
  • Virginia's Wine Country
  • Virginian Author Earl Hamner
  • Virginian Author Sheldon Vanauken – A Severe Mercy
  • Visiting California
  • Visiting Colorado
  • Visiting Connecticut
  • Visiting Delaware
  • Visiting Florida
  • Visiting Maryland
  • Visiting Massachusetts
  • Visiting New Mexico
  • Visiting New York
  • Visiting North Carolina
  • Visiting Pennsylvania
  • Visiting Texas
  • Visiting Vermont
  • Visiting Washington DC
  • Welcome

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Leave a comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

about us

  • Company Profile
  • CSR Initiative
  • Read Articles
  • Media Kit

connect

  • Employee Portal
  • Customer Portal
  • Offices
  • Know More

A former homeschool mom who sees the world through the lens of 18th century Virginia…and discovers Lafayette everywhere she turns.

Copyright © 2026
Cressida by LyraThemes.com
Verified by MonsterInsights