Mother City Hop 2017: South Africa's Swingin'

Is the rest of this article even needed? Look. At. That. View!

[NB - this interview is from 2017]

As I proudly shared in my most recent article, the swing scene in my home city of Belfast, Northern Ireland is now growing apace, but there are of course myriad other scenes across the world with different stories yet similar trajectories and it is exhilarating to hear about them and what they're bringing to their respective cities.

Without question, one of the most exciting up-and-coming scenes is that of Cape Town, South Africa, which is one of only two Lindy hop communities on an entire continent and last year [2016] they hosted Africa's inaugural international Lindy hop event: Mother City Hop.

Through my Frankie Manning Foundation scholarship in 2015 I was fortunate to meet a couple at the vanguard of the (South) African Lindy hop community - Muriel and Brendan Argent - and I was able to hear the plans and enthusiasm they had for their swing scene in Cape Town.

Last year [2016] these plans came to fruition and Mother City Hop was by all accounts a massive success, so with MCH 2017 just a few months away, I got the opportunity to chat to Brendan and to learn a little more about how things all came together last year whilst also getting a preview of what's yet to come.

Brendan, from what I've heard, Mother City Hop went really well last year and yet it was your first ever event! How did you manage to pull it off?!
It really was a wonderful event and we got a lot of positive feedback, which was gratifying after the hard work! I think the international Lindy hop community was keen to support it, because it was the first big festival on the continent and we had contributors to the crowd-funding campaign from all over the world.

Having a really solid and enthusiastic team was key to it all working out. We also spent a lot of time speaking to experienced organisers from other events, so even though it was a first for us, we were able to learn from their combined experience. And then the teachers also deserve a really big thank you, they were there to step into gaps and help out when things got a bit chaotic.

Obviously a thriving local scene is a necessary bedrock for hosting a large event but I read, incredibly, that Cape Town Swing has only existed since 2015! How'd it all begin and how big are you now?
The first swing classes in Cape Town started in late-2011 thanks to Jeannie Elliott. A small group who had been learning from YouTube discovered that she had moved to Cape Town from Texas, where she had been teaching Lindy hop for 10 years. She started Boogie Back Dance Co. (a Lindy hop school) soon after that, and the dancers who were learning from her formed the Cape Underground Swing Syndicate to coordinate social dance opportunities. By the time Muriel and I started dancing in 2013, that group had largely moved on to other things and so we and a few others took over and rebranded as Cape Town Swing at the start of 2015.

At the beginning we could maybe draw 30 dancers to a party, but by Mother City Hop 2016 we had 85 dancers register from South Africa, which was basically every Lindy hopper in the country. In total we had 168 dancers at the festival, so about 50% were from overseas (representing 17 different countries). In the last year, in part due to the exposure from the festival, we have grown steadily and hope to have over 130 locals at the festival.

a class in full flow in one of MCH's beautiful venues: Youngblood Africa

I noticed a brilliant scholarship scheme on your website - how long has this been running and how do you raise money for it? Can anyone make donations?
We started the program in late 2015, and managed to award scholarships to five talented and enthusiastic dancers in Cape Town prior to the festival. They were each given free classes and their transport to and from home was covered.

For the funds, we basically set aside a percentage of our revenue from parties, but we also opened a “Pay It Forward” option on the Mother City Hop ticket sales last year, which helped a lot. It’s a really important program that we hope will help grow the Lindy hop scene beyond the city centre and the limited demographic in a very segregated city. If anyone would like to donate, they can do so here: mothercityhop.com/pay-it-forward

I hope you can continue that great work! I also remember from last year that you linked up withMozambique's swing scene - is something similar happening this year?
Yes, there is a growing swing community in Maputo and they are having an exchange in the week before Mother City Hop. Last year it was amazing, they are so welcoming and though the community has very little in terms of resources they are incredible dancers and it's a very special exchange. Check out a video of last year's MASX (Maputo Afro Swing eXchange) here.

It is really cool to hear that Africa's two nascent scenes are so supportive of each other! For this year's MCH I see that once again you've a fab teacher line up but what can you tell me about the bands?
Finding swing bands has been a huge challenge for us. One thing our scene really lacks is good live music for dancing. Both of the bands that played last year no longer exist, and although there is a big jazz culture in Cape Town, it’s not very dancer friendly and we've struggled to get bop-heavy musicians to see the value in good old-school swinging jazz!

[...that sounds a lot like Frankie's struggles in the 1940s!]

We have a Big Band project that is very exciting, with a group that has just started working on some classic big band charts. If anyone is able to support this project and help us cover the costs of the music, venues and transport (many of the musicians live quite far from the city centre) that would be much appreciated but we're hoping to have a set ready in time for the festival!

Ryan Calloway leads the Hot Baked Goods in San Francisco, and he will be working with a smaller group of local musicians in Cape Town prior to Mother City Hop, so they will play one of the nights. We do have a growing DJ group that has been keeping our dance floors jamming. This is led by Lise-Mari aka DJ 20th Century Fox, who DJs primarily from vinyl. We’ve also been discovering some really great South African swing that was played in the townships during apartheid (particularly Sophiatown, which was known as "Little Harlem"), like this track by the Manhattan Brothers.

I'm sure dancing to some local swing music will be a brilliantly unique experience! Your workshop & social venues look incredible - can you tell me a bit more about them?
Venues are always a challenge! As in many cities, there is a constant battle to keep live music venues open. There are sadly very few venues where music can be played after 11pm. We have however found some really stunning venues for our parties.

Oudekraal, the venue for our welcome party is a private beach just behind Table Mountain. We'll go there for sundowners and then dance under the stars on a specially prepared dance floor! Our main feature party is at a stunning ballroom at the Italian Club of Cape Town, which has a beautiful sprung wooden floor. We're going to keep our other two venues a mystery for now, as we'll be doing a big reveal soon!

another brilliant workshop venue, with Remy Kouakou Kouame showing the way

As well as the obvious dancing and warm greeting, what else should people expect from Cape Town and the tours you've put on?
Cape Town has something for everyone! Right under the mountain, there are hikes and trails just two minutes away and beaches in all directions, but besides its beautiful landscapes it also has a rich history and there are some very special museums and galleries worth exploring. Cape Town is famous for its diversity of culture, architecture and food and especially for its hospitality and we can't wait to welcome dancers to our city!

Something often left off the tourist brochure is the huge inequality in the city. Most of the city's population lives beyond the city centre in areas with fewer facilities, transport and opportunities. Due to the apartheid laws, people were forcibly moved to areas according to their skin colour, and sadly the city is still very segregated along these lines.

One of the stops on our tour package is a visit to one of the biggest townships. We don't support 'poverty tourism' and have been very careful in planning this so as to be sensitive about it, but we think that it’s important to see both sides of the city and it's also an opportunity to support some of the local businesses and cultural activities.

That's very admirable and I'm sure it'll be hugely informative for the hordes of visiting Lindy hoppers! I imagine most visitors may be coming from Europe/USA so getting to South Africa may initially appear more expensive, but how do daily expenses (accommodation, food, drink, public transport etc) compare to a European/US city?
There are some great flight specials on at the moment, so people might be surprised by what they can get away with in terms of airfares, but in terms of daily spending, a meal in Cape Town will range from R40-R90 and a beer from R20-35. Uber is very cheap and convenient with trips around the city centre from R20-R30 and longer trips like to/from the airport about R90-R120. There is also a fantastic new bus system (MyCiti) which works out even cheaper. March is busy in Cape Town and accommodation fills up fast, but prices for a night’s stay range from R450 (a nice backpackers) to R900 (guesthouse) to R1500 (hotel). Dancers can also apply to be hosted by local dancers.

[TheSwingSlate has conveniently averaged and exchanged those prices into GBP, EUR and USD:

     meal:  £3.90  /  4.60€  /  $4.90
     beer:  £1.65  /  1.85€  /  $2.05
     taxi:  £1.50  /  1.75€  /  $1.90
     hostel:  £27  /  32€  /  $34
     guesthouse:  £54  /  63€  /  $68
     hotel:  £90  /  105€  /  $113

That's a lot more affordable than the major European or American cities that travelling Lindy hoppers visit! Over a few days it may well offset the higher flight prices!

In case anyone inexplicably needs further convincing, do you have any videos from MCH 2016 or to showcase what a gem of a scene you've got?
Yes! We have an iCharleston video from 2015, some great photos from last year's MCH here, and below is the event highlights reel!



And finally, for any other growing scenes, what tips do you have to turn things into such a success in such a short space of time?
Outdoor dancing is the best way to draw people in. People love the music and can see how much fun the dancers are having, it’s infectious! This is definitely the number one piece of advice I would give.

...that may be brave in Northern Ireland but I suppose it did Gene Kelly no harm!

Apart from that, things that help: broaden the net. Target older folk and younger folk. Teach kids in schools and then teach their parents. Universities are also a great place to draw the student crowd. Get a strong team together so that no one person carries all the work. This is another way to keep people involved, as it makes them feel part of something. There can be a role for everyone.

Someone to coordinate DJing, someone to inspire the scene with the history, someone in charge of welcoming new dancers, someone in charge of scene safety etc. Link up with local musicians if you can. But Lindy hop speaks for itself and if people see you having a good time on the dance floor they will want to learn too :)

Brendan & Muriel casually getting in some practice on a local saunter.

A big thanks to Brendan for taking the time to answer my questions, and he tells me there are still a few tickets left so if anyone wants to visit the one of the world's freshest and most colourful swing scenes, visit the Mother City Hop website and get booking!