Galway to Birmingham - all aboard the Swing Express!

I just shared a post about my recent trip to Galway for Lindyfest 2015 but as much as enjoyed it, my elation was also tempered by the knowledge that it was Paul and Sarah Neary's final fling as the leaders of the Galway swing scene.

They have given so much of themselves to put Galway on the map and to ensure that it is at the vanguard of the Irish swing revival, and considering Paul and Sarah's pioneering stewardship in a popular art-form I'm sure I'm not the first to draw the obvious parallels between them and another somewhat prominent power couple: Jay Z and Beyoncé.

Much like Jay Z and his Brooklyn origins, Paul also hails from a modern hipster mecca (Melbourne) that's undergone notable redevelopment from the comparatively unfashionable streets he spent his formative days hustling.

Additionally, the establishment, growth and success of Galway Swing (and now Swing Express) has followed an almost identical trajectory to that of Roc-A-Fella and its international subsidiaries. Almost identical.

But global domination can be a lonely thing, so as Paul liked it he put a ring on it: a single lady with a mutual passion from a very talented all girl ensemble who has also demonstrated phenomenal prowess as a soloist. And both have picked up a considerable number of accolades along the way

Paul started Galway Swing 12 years ago and it was there that he met Sarah who has since become his right hand woman and better half and together they have nurtured a swing scene that punches well above its weight despite the other major cities on our wee island, Dublin, Cork and Belfast, all dwarfing Galway by population.

That said, to suggest Galway is only better on a pound-for-pound basis does it a disservice because if the ever reliable meter of Facebook 'likes' are anything to go by, Galway is well ahead of the others on merit.

Size, however, isn't the be all and end all (now now, keep those innuendos in check!) and Paul and Sarah's warmth and fervent dedication has permeated the west of Ireland and is reflected in the earnest ebullience of its swing community.

The high standard of the dancers to be found in Galway (including some of my absolute favourite follows) is another credit to Paul and Sarah's teaching, and for this reason I have no doubt that Galway shall continue to be a joy to visit, but I am of course gutted that they are leaving.

with permission from Anita McGarry photography

As well as their contribution to the Irish swing family I am also incredibly grateful to Paul and Sarah on a personal level for the encouragement they gave me the first time I met them and on an occasion where I really needed it.

Last year, for my first ever swing weekender and not much longer than a year after I had started learning Lindy hop, I went to the London Swing Festival with Anna and, as well as attending our first pro workshops, this also included our first attempt at competing. It didn't go well.

Anna had introduced me to Paul and Sarah briefly when we had arrived on the Friday night as she had actually started dancing under their tutelage during her time in Galway, but before we could really get chatting, Anna and I were shortly called up for our competition heat.

It was to be an an all-skate (everyone dancing at once) which calmed the nerves a little, but having been asked to fan out across the floor we found ourselves at the front.

The dance was going well enough and then, as planned, we thought we'd throw in an airstep that we were hitherto pretty confident in, but, for a couple of reasons, it failed utterly and very publicly.

Not only could we not hide behind other dancers, courtesy of being at the front, it just so happened that our heat featured two Blue Peter presenters and so a few BBC cameras were also floating around recording the whole thing for national TV.

After inadvertently creating a move that we now refer to as the 'elegant salmon' and one that is unlikely to appeal to swing purists or anyone with a shred of dignity, we skulked off the floor, hoping it would swallow us up, but Paul made a point of immediately coming up to us and stating that "unlike everyone else, at least you went for it."

If I'd known Paul's significance in Lindy circles I would have been even more appreciative (as a point of comparison this was early enough in my swing career that I was distinctly unawed by the presence of Skye Humphires as I simply had never heard of him) but nonetheless it was exactly the kind of thing I needed to hear when my confidence had just taken a major hit. On top of that, Sarah insisted that we had several dances that weekend when there were plenty of much better leads to be had, and I was also to discover that Sarah is one of the most incredibly fun people to dance with.

Dancing is one of those things where confidence can play a huge role and I have to thank Paul and Sarah for helping me keep mine on that weekend and in my dancing since.

I also have to thank them for their continued support of this blog, as not only did Paul kindly allow me to interview him (in the midst of a busy Lindy Hopper's Delight weekender!) for a piece I wrote on Frankie Manning, Sarah has also been incredibly encouraging and complimentary about my articles, and that truly means a lot.

I'm very sad to see them go but equally I'm very excited to see what magic they can conjure in and around Birmingham, a city almost 14 times more populous than Galway.

I look forward to attending their first big event but now would be a great opportunity to share some information about Paul and Sarah's new classes!

They currently have three weekly classes planned that target beginners and shall hopefully see an exponential explosion of swing in the West Midlands:

Monday // Harborne: 7:45pm – St Mary’s Church, Vivian Road
Tuesday // Coventry: 7:30pm – Biggin Hotel Hall, 214 Binley Road
Wednesday // Sutton Coldfield: 7:30pm – St James Church Centre, 61 Mere Green Road

Their classes operate on a 'drop in' basis so no booking is required and payment is taken at the door: £7 each or £6 for students and the unwaged. Further information can be found on their website.

And now I suppose there is nothing else for me to do but wish them the very best of luck in their new endeavour! All aboard the Swing Express!!