Once a month, or every third Saturday, Prairie Wind Coffee hosts a night of swing dancing for all ages and levels of expertise. The coffee shop, at 211 S. Broadway Ave., has hosted the dance nights since last summer.

The coffee shop is owned by the Hanson family. Patrick Hanson first came up with the idea of hosting a swing night after becoming interested in swing dancing about three years ago. Hanson got into dancing through friends and would go up to Social Dance Studio in Minneapolis.

“You get to be creative, make your own moves and change them when you want. … I just like dancing. It’s social, you get to meet new people.”

Hanson offers lessons throughout the swing nights and encourages newcomers to come to the event. “I make shy people dance,” he said. “I was really bad starting off and didn’t have the best teacher. … It’s a lot easier than it looks.”

Hanson’s usual dance partner is his girlfriend, Joy Wiersma. Wiersma’s newer to swing dancing, having started a few months ago thanks to Hanson. She said it’s not nearly as hard as it seems, “Especially if you find a good partner.”

Hanson said there is a mix of regulars and newcomers at each event, and some nights they’ve had as many as 50 people. Some of his regulars are siblings Erik, 15, and Chloe, 16, who he usually dances with and gives lessons to.

Two relatively new dancers are Tanya Weckwerth of Austin and Peter Szymanski of Alden. The March swing dancing night marked Weckwerth’s second time at the event and Szymanski’s third.

“I like it a lot. I love dancing, and I never really get the opportunity,” says Weckwerth.

Szymanski has a lot of fun at the dancing events as well, and likes that they’re an opportunity to meet new people and make new friends.

The dance nights start around 8 p.m. and go as late as midnight. There’s a $3 door fee that covers water and coffee.

 

Swing-era glossary

From the 1946 Hepcat’s Jive Talk Dictionary

Airbags: lungs

Apron: bartender

Banter: pretty girl

Barkers: pair of shoes

Benders: knees, elbows

Birdwood: cigarette

Blinkers: eyes

Bounce: jumpy rhythm

Brighty: intelligent

Brush: mustache

Bug: a problem

Butterfly: pretty girl

Buzz: to kiss

Cabbage: money

Canary: girl singer

Cat: jive musicians

Cave: house

Chew: to talk

Chick: young girl

Choker: tie or collar

Clambake: jive session

College: jail

Cooler: jail cell

Cop: to get, take

Copasetic: fine

Dig: to understand

Dog: mediocre

Dome: head

Drape: suit

Drink: body of water

Drip: undesirable person

Drumsticks: nice legs

Easy: financially secure

Expense: baby

Eye: detective

Fall: to be convicted

Fanny: rear end

Feelers: fingers

Filly: young female

Finagle: to manipulate

Flippers: ears

Freebie: no charge

Gams: legs

Gander: to examine

Gasper: cigarette

Gatemouth: gossiper

Gims: eyes

Goola: piano

Grabbers: hands

Graduate: to end jail

Gravy: excess

Groovy: super

Groundpads: feet

Gutbox: piano

Hambone: trombone

Handcuffed: married

Handle: large nose

Hardware: jewelry

Headache: wife

Heater: cigar

Hep: cool to the scene

Hideaways: pockets

Hides: drums

Hightail: to leave

Hinges: elbows

Hocks: feet

Homey: person from your hometown

Hoop: ring

Hop: big dance

Humdinger: with class or ability

Hunk: stalwart male

Husk: undress

Iceberg: unemotional woman

Index: face

Ivories: piano keys

Jam: improvise in jazz

Jive: form of U.S. slang

Jug: bottle of liquor

Kicks: pair of shoes

Kill: to fascinate

Killer: hair grease

Knob: homely face

Knock: punch

Lamb: pushover

Lamps: eyes

Leaky: talks too much

Legit: real

Lugs: big ears

Make: win affection of opposite sex

Map: face

Messy: extraordinary

Mikes: ears

Moocher: person who sponges money

Moola: money

Moss: hair

Mouse: pocket

Mud: coffee

Murder: to perfect

Name: popular band

Needle: soft drink

Nodbox: bedroom

Noggin: head

Oats: enthusiasm

Oil: flattery

Oiled: drunken

Package: girl

Pad: bed or apartment

Pail: stomach

Paws: hands

Pickers: fingers

Pigeon: pretty girl

Pies: eyes

Pillars: legs

Platter: record

Pooped: exhausted

Pretzel: French horn

Puss: face

Razzberry: to ridicule

Razzmatazz: to very much ridicule

Righteous: perfect

Rugcutter: jive dancer

Schmaltz: sentimental

Schnozz: nose

Scratch: folding money

Scuffler: dancer

Sharp: a good look

Sheet: newspaper

Shutters: eyelids

Sing: to confess

Skate: to get away with

Snazzy: stylish

Spouting: to talk a lot

Square: unromantic, hard-working person

Stems: legs

Stompers: shoes

Stretcher: neck

Stud: man

Thinkbox: brain

Threads: wardrobe

Ticker: heart

Toothpick: sharp knife

Truck: to go

Tumble: to dance

Twosome: lovers

Wolf: stalker of women