Christians in Tuscaloosa use swing dancing as an evangelical outreach
By Syd Pulliam
Low light. A thick southern drawl drones over the squealing of banjos that fill the room – a cover band twangs out a rendition of a washed-up country star’s one-hit-wonder. The bottles behind the bar twinkle. Drinks spill all over the sticky floor. Boys are donned in belt buckles and girls in sparkling denim. Tassels sway and boots fly as partners lift each other over their heads and around their shoulders in one swift motion.
This is the picture of good old fashioned, big-city swing dancing.
Not a well-mannered Presbyterian church in Tuscaloosa.
Filled with Baptists dancing, at that.
You won’t find twinkling bottles or sticky floors here. Swing dancing nights at Riverwood Presbyterian Church are a cultural phenomena in the home of the University of Alabama – specifically for its Christian population.
In fact, Aidan Ross, an active member of the Riverwood’s swing dancing, says the two communities are practically inseparable. “Being a part of a church community, it’s inevitable that someone is going to invite you to swing dancing,” said Ross.
The concept is a far cry from the image of bachelorettes in Nashville’s Broadway bars that swing dancing normally elicits.
Swing dancing has become somewhat of an evangelical tool in Tuscaloosa. Stephen Harvey is a new Christian – he grew up in the church, but only began taking Christ seriously the summer before his freshman year at the University of Alabama. Swing dancing, according to Harvey, helps with “being connected with people – surrounding yourself with the people that know more than you about Christ.”
Churches are dying faster than they are being planted, according to research done by Gallup since 1937. In 2020, church membership officially dropped below half to 47%.
However, other research done in 2020 by the Association of Religion Data Archives says that Alabama is the most evangelical state, with 42% of survey respondents identifying as Christian, with Birmingham as its most evangelical city at 44%. Given these numbers, churches should not be dying on every corner.
Scott Guffin, associate professor and executive director of Christian Ministry at Samford University and a former pastor of 32 years, considers a ministry that fosters community such as the Riverwood swing dancing program to be exactly what churches in the greater Birmingham area need.
“The example of the swing-dance community in Tuscaloosa is what we would call a Christian ‘affinity group,’” said Guffin. “In other words, a group of Christians who gather with a specific interest in mind, but also with the intent of engaging some way in Christian outreach, evangelism or growth-related activities as part of the group’s reason for existence.”
In his Disciplemaking curriculum, Guffin discusses the importance of finding Christian community outside of attending Sunday morning services for an hour a week.
“The people with whom we develop our closest relationships will be the ones who carry the most influence in our lives,” said Guffin. “When we follow the pathways of affinity that are important and meaningful to us, there is an automatic bond in place around that common interest that we do not have to manufacture.”
Swing dancing at Riverwood presents the opportunity to engage in natural, healthy fun among a community of believers – a perfect set-up for the stage of evangelism.
“It’s a very cool opportunity for anybody who’s looking to stay outside of the hardcore partying life to get involved in a community, make new connections, build networking and just have a fun time every weekend,” said Ross.
Harvey appreciates the stability he’s found in the swing dancing affinity group, and thanks the people who initially invited him for helping him grow his faith.
“My parents always told me it’s not what you know, it’s who you know. Because, whoever you know, whatever they know, is gonna kind of go through you,” said Harvey.
For dancers like Tori Pedruzzi, swing was a comfortable common thread between her hometown in Kansas and her move to Alabama.
She has been dancing her whole life. She’s trained in Latin-style and ballroom dancing. She’s also currently on the University of Alabama’s club dance team. But what drew her into Riverwood swing wasn’t the technicality of it all – it was the people.
“Disregard all of my dance training that I’ve had,” said Pedruzzi. “Rather than some of the actual technical dancing parts, really in Alabama, swing dancing culture is truly stuck to college campuses.”
Pedruzzi’s passion for dancing shone on one of her earliest nights at Riverwood.
“I didn’t even know that night was necessarily a competition,” Pedruzzi shared. “All I heard was ‘Dancing in the Moonlight’ playing over the speaker. [My partner] came and grabbed me by the hand and we started dancing. It was just him and I – we just got to dance in front of everybody. That was the first time I’d gotten to perform in a little over a year. I absolutely loved it.”
Swing at Riverwood is still proud to show its wild roots – Pedruzzi’s dancing dream for the affinity group is “cute little country outfits, crazy neon lights and country music playing the entire time.” But she’s comfortable suggesting this because of the security that Riverwood swing dancing offers.
“It’s like I always say – it’s like our version of a party. It’s loud music, it’s dancing, but you know it doesn’t have to involve any kind of naughtiness. It’s really just wholesome fun, and I think that’s why the Christian community is so drawn to it,” Pedruzzi said.
