A lifetime ago, Sampad Tungtua learned to dance swing at a ballroom school in downtown Bangkok. This past Sunday night, when swing dancers the world over suddenly invaded a neighborhood an hour west of the capital, he didn’t know if he could even remember the steps.
“I dance a little bit,” he said of his skills, holding two fingers close together to indicate his ability.
His feet, however, told a different story.
Sampad was among a number of the old-timers who know their Texas Tommys from their Boogie Backs as well as small children taking their first swing steps to Lindy Hop around the world’s tallest chedi with more than 140 swing dancers from 17 countries.
“I didn’t expect so many people, and I didn’t expect people from all over,” he said. “I thought it would be just Thais. I really had no idea that people still did this dancing.” He left with a flyer about social swing dancing in Bangkok and invitations to join from the younger dancers.
Capping off the annual Southeast Asia Jam, dancers jumped and jived to a live band Sunday night in front of the Phra Pathom Chedi to cap off a weekend of swing dance events held at a resort in Nakhon Pathom province with an “Aviators”-themed dance party.
Swedish singer and trumpet-player Gunhild Carling led the Mahidol University band to celebrate the end of the event, now in its 15th year, for which students fly in from the world over to take classes with renowned teachers by day and attend theme parties at night.
The night kicked off with a free dance class comprised of people who’d heard about the event in the media, people who lived on the street and those who were just passing by and decided to see what the fuss was about.
Dancer and organizer Ning Rujivipat helped make it possible, as she grew up in the shadow of the chedi, where her family owns a nearby electronics store.
Several months ago, she recruited her family to knock on everyone’s doors and ask if they would mind a block party, most of whom came out Sunday to watch, snack and clap along to the band, with a few trying a few steps.
“The first time i saw [event organizer Oat Naviroj] dance was in a video on this cobblestone street in Barcelona. The street looked a little bit like mine. At that moment, I had a fantasy of a party like that on my street, in front of the pagoda, and that I could dance like him too. And it’s come true!” she said with a giant grin.
Ning’s sister, Nuey “Butter” Rujivipat, also grew up on the street in front of the pagoda and wasn’t very familiar with her sister’s hobby. “I had no idea so many people would come!” she said, looking around, wide-eyed.
Ray Hsu of Taiwan was dancing in the street wearing a pilot’s hat.
“There’s people from a bunch of different civilizations here and they can all dance together, even if it’s just basic steps or just one song,” Hsu said. “That’s amazing. People are hearing the music and just wandering over and getting into it.”
Kunnaya Wimooktanon said it was thrilling to introduce something new to people.
“It’s amazing because half of the people here didn’t even know that swing dancing existed until tonight and now, here they are,” he said. “The lady who sells roti over there had no idea what it was; she was asking me all kinds of questions. They just know that something unusual is happening.”
“It’s pretty hot; but it’s also pretty hot,” said Verena Mueninger of Ho Chi Minh City, fanning herself on the humid street. “Like the music, the dancing, the people, the feeling.”
Nicky Short, an English expat in Bangkok, agreed about the heat. “Everyone’s really sweaty, but we’re like all the same kind of sweaty so it’s okay,” she said.
Short was amazed by the turn-out.
“I thought if they had it out here, not in Bangkok, not many people will come. But, they did!” she laughed. “When I saw so many people from so many different countries, I thought, ‘What? Is it really this big of a thing?’ I guess it is!”
Chatchan Tasanasiri was one of the newer dancers, having only taken up the hobby in Bangkok about six months ago. He walked out of the street as the party ended, happy, sweaty and tired; his suspenders jauntily holding up black trousers.
“I can’t believe all of this. I’ve found another family here with these people.”
