Swinging into second

Taking a final bow with their fellow competitors, the Pierce College “Swingheads” skipped off the dance floor, then promptly returned only to celebrate with even more dancing. While everyone was sharing Thanksgiving meals with their families, the “Swing Heads” spent their break representing the school and their department in the 2014 U.S. Open Swing Dance Championships, in Burbank. The team was originally established in 2006 and entered their first competition in 2007, competing annually ever since. “There’s nervous ‘excited’, and then there’s ‘nervous you’re a wreck’. You want to keep it nervous excited. You don’t want to be so nervous you can’t function,” said co-choreographer Jason Sun. Before performing, the group huddled together for a large hug while Sun gave a rallying speech to prepare everyone for what came next. With last second additions, co-choreographer Denise Gibson, dancer Shi Young and understudy Bryan Garcia all stepped in to fill the open spots. Despite the late additions, nerves and exhaustion, the Pierce College “Swing Heads” managed to take home second place in the national competition.

The U.S. Open Swing Dance Championships are host to 5 days of workshops, competitions and late night dancing all between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. the following morning. The competition also awards over $50,000 in cash and prizes. The team expressed pride in their performance and are excited to return to next years competition in the fall of 2015.

Copy: Nicolas Heredia